If you spend a significant amount of time on a computer every day, you probably have this nagging thought in the back of your head: are my wrists OK? Am I imagining that wrist pain or is it real?
As a writer and developer, I spend upward of 8 hours a day stabbing text into a keyboard and clicking around with a mouse. In the last year, I noticed my wrists beginning to hurt more, and initially imagined it, but came to realize that I wasn't taking care of them enough.
If I didn't change something, I was sure I'd get full-time RSI/OOS, and wanted to look at my options for improving my mouse and keyboard situation to promote healthier posture since...this is my job after all. I almost certainly started seeing wrist pains thanks to Apple's terribly designed Magic Mouse, which I used for years—so I switched to the Logi MX master as a first stop.
The MX Master 2S is a fantastic mouse, and I'd argue that it's one of the best ever made—but while it helped a little bit, the pain would flare up again after a long day, leaving me worried. As I began to look around for an ergonomic mouse, I found very few decent options; they're all garishly ugly, haven't been updated in years, or simply look like medical devices.
Until Logitech released the MX Vertical—a sideways-grip mouse based on the design of the MX Master 2S, compatible with the existing Logi USB dongle, Bluetooth and, best of all, using USB-C for charging. Intrigued (and a little desperate), I ordered one immediately and started using it as much as I could.
I've been using the MX Vertical for about five months now, and I've found that it actually helps a lot, while taking a decent amount of time to get accustomed to. It's not a one-stop solution for overuse symptoms, but it's helped me dramatically in combination with a few other changes to my workflow.
The MX Vertical requires you to essentially re-learn how to use a mouse. That sounds harder than it actually is, but because you're holding it sideways in a crab-like grip, the first few days are an experience in the comedic practice of missing everything you're hoping to click on, while you relearn the fine motor skills you've got wired up for a normal grip.
But, once you settle in, it's totally normal—and the handy button for instant-switching the pointer speed on the top of the mouse helps improve your precision when it's needed.
What I have found is that I can't use the MX Vertical in isolation, as a full-time mouse. I use it as the default go-to mouse, but sometimes it grows uncomfortable—so I'll sometimes switch to my trust MX Master by the end of the day. I believe because the way wrist injuries work, a different posture causes pain to occasionally flare up, and having a normal mouse around for the last few hours helps relieve that.
A nicety of the MX Master and MX Vertical is that common USB dongle situation, which means there's no farting around with pairing or switching devices, because they both connect to the same dongle. It's just a matter of grabbing the other mouse and carrying on with the day, thankfully.
In terms of battery life, I was always impressed by my MX Master, which I charge perhaps once a month, but the MX Vertical is a whole new game entirely. Since I've had it, I've only needed to charge it about once every 2-3 months, and it only takes a few minutes to top off.
Here's the thing with the MX Vertical: if you're reading this, you're probably considering getting one because you think you have wrist pain, or are worried that you will have wrist pain in the future. I can say with certainty that you should probably just get it now rather than defer buying one—because once it's too late, it's really hard to undo the damage to your wrists.
I'm no doctor, but I'm confident that the MX Vertical has helped ease my own wrist pain before it got bad, and has removed my anxiety about the long term effects. Using a vertical mouse is weird at first, but honestly it's not a big deal once you're used to it and if you're open to being more flexible in the ways you work at your desk, it's not a bad idea to have one around and take it for a trial run.
In combination with the Microsoft Ergonomic keyboard, which looks a little more goofy than the MX Master, I can happily say that I've found a way to work more comfortably, while forcing myself to maintain better habits at my desk. If you're in doubt at all, just try it—you'll probably be pleasantly surprised, like I was, at how much of a difference a small tweak can make to your working day.
👉 Logi MX Vertical ($85)
