Ergonomic mouse mat - need wrist rest or guard

adidas

Hello

Is there such a thing as 'the best' ergonomic mouse mat with a rest? I want one that has a non-slip backing but doesn't stick down because I have a laptop so might need to move it around.

Thanks

esuhl

When my RSI got really bad, the company I worked for supplied me with a mouse mat with a gel wrist-rest and an expensive ergonomic mouse. It seemed a good idea -- the gel was very soft and supportive, but the wrist-rest restricts the free movement of your hand. In some cases wrist-wrests can cause or exacerbate RSI. There's no proven science behind them at all.

The solution for me was to get a trackball. The Logitech Marble Mouse is fantastic. It's symmetrical, so you can use it with either hand -- in fact, to relieve my RSI, I started using it with my left hand. Surprisingly I found it quite easy to use -- I certainly can't control a mouse with my left hand very well! The shape of it also means that you can easily vary your hand position, whilst still using it comfortably, which is great at reducing RSI.

I also swapped my keyboard for a Microsoft Internet Keyboard (the version with the built-in wrist-rest. The rest is hard plastic and slopes down the front of the keyboard. Unlike those gel rests, it's attached to the keyboard so you don't end up with an uncomfortable gap between the keyboard and wrist-support.

I think the trackball cost me about £20 and the keyboard was maybe £10 or £15.

Hope this helps...

johnnyrubin

i made one a while back with a sewing machine and rice. stick a silcion base to whatever you want as a pad, and take pride in your work!!!

redux

I have a plain mouse mat which was free with some magazine ages ago, and two pairs of old socks form a rest

metronome

I got a friend one from Currys earlier this year. I think they were about £20 with a gel wrist support, just don't stick a pen in it as some moron did about 2 days after she got (which really made me **** mad lol) as they're rubberish then it won't move...

Nada666

The best mouse mat is a height-adjustable seat, a foot rest and a height adjustable monitor (or laptop stand).

esuhl

Nada666 wrote: »

The best mouse mat is a height-adjustable seat, a foot rest and a height adjustable monitor (or laptop stand).

It's definitely a challenge to use a monitor as a mouse mat. They're so thin these days that it's hard to get the mouse to balance on top properly. I've tried a foot rest as a mouse mat, but my arm aches from reaching down so far... not to mention that it's hard to see the screen with your head under the desk...

adidas

Thanks for your thoughts everyone, have decided to get one from amazon and should be arriving in a few days.

johnnyrubin

Good stuff adidas, hope it improves things for you. The HR people at work occasionally mention swapping hands, but I don't think the managers would like the drop in productivity at the end of the day