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Hardware

Where Is My Heavy-Duty Mouse? 53

Posted by timothy from the the-castle-aaaaggghhhh dept.
jmaslak expresses himself thusly: "I'm in the market for yet another new mouse. My average mouse-span is three months. Once in a while, I can stretch it to four, but sometimes the darn things die after only one month. I've tried cheap mice and expensive mice. Microsoft makes a decent mouse, as it usually lasts four. But I hate spending $50 every 4 months!" (Read more for the details of jmaslak's quest.)

"The failure modes vary about 50/50: rollers just get too worn out to roll right (not dirty, though -- I clean the mouse often) or the cable between the mouse and the computer goes bad. I'd love a wireless optical mouse, but I can't seem to find anyone that makes one. I'd gladly spend $100 on a mouse if it would last more than 6 months.

I don't want a trackball or any other non-traditional mouse. Ergonomics don't matter. The wheel is helpful, but I'd do without the wheel as long as the mouse had three buttons (I run Unix).

Does anyone make a mouse that will stand up to the torture? Am I going to have to start manufacturing mice for people like myself?"

The best "mouse" I've found is a Logitech optical trackball using 3-buttom emulation, but not everyone likes those. So where is the mythical perfect mouse hiding? The sought-after wireless optical mouse really would be nice.
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Where Is My Heavy-Duty Mouse? More

Where Is My Heavy-Duty Mouse?

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  • here you go... (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    doesn't have 3 buttons but this [slashdot.org] should hold up longer than 3 months.
  • Amen. I recently obtained a MouseMan Optical Wheel - I *lurrve* that mouse. Perfectly sized for my hand, and the thumb button is placed wonderfully. Works with X after a little custom hacking (well, sorta - can't get the button to DO anything yet. sigh). The rubber sides just top off a great design. Whoever designed it, give that man/woman a Ph.D.!
    _____
  • I've got to agree, what on earth are you doing with your mice?

    Where I work (a new car dealership) we recently replaced most of the mice in the parts department with optical mice because the old mice were beginning to wear out. These cheap crappy mice had been working fine in our dusty parts department for almost three years, in which time most the CD drives have died.

  • If your Microsoft optical mouse dies (any of the models I think) give them a call and they will replace it for free. There is a known problem with the mouse cord where it exits the mouse (the wire is cheap and it breaks, easy to fix if you're handy with a soldering iron).

    Don't just toss 'em!

  • What you refer to as the "tank" style is just *so* wonderfully form-fitting. I adore the shape.
  • I am a big fan of the MSFT optical mice. I have the white ones, not the gaudy silver ones. The name is IntelliMouse Optical. It is more traditional in the size, and fits well. It is a USB mouse but comes with an adapter that makes it PS/2. I have it on a KVM switch connected to 2 Win2K boxes, a ME box, and a FreeBSD box and it works like a charm. I also carry one in my laptop bag when I travel. The thing works on nearly every surface, including jeans. All of mine have lasted at least 6 months and still going (some with daily use, some with occasional).
  • I don't believe for a second that that many mice could wear out in that short of a time span. Could it possibly be that you're confusing "broken" with "dirty"? Mice do pick up a lot of crap from their surroundings, and some *do* die after an unreasonable amount of time, but these sorts of stats make me wonder if the mice really are irreperably boken.

    Personally, the only mice I've had die on me are a logictec that came oem on a compaq after 4 years, and a cheap trackball after one year. Both were used heavily in dusty environments where all kinds of crap got spilled on them (college!).
  • My microsoft optical USB / ps2 mouse says that it's rated at 100mA
  • In an optical mouse, the processor and camera probably don't take the majority of the necessary power (being, most likely, CMOS devices) - the big power draw is the high-intensity LED.
  • got a link to this? I'd like to check it out.. 8 hours every 3 days isn't much. I'm sleeping for at least that much (-:
  • You might want to check the warranty on your mice. They are probably covered for at least a year...
  • I had to buy a new keyboard after my cats chewed through the cable. It lasted for several months after they chewed halfway through, but last week they decided to finish it off.

    As for future problems, I just reorganized my desk so they can't get at the cable. They don't seem to care about any other cables, just the keyboard. Lucky I bought a cheap one, I guess.

    -Matthead

  • I really don't like those funny, optical, wirewall, 15-button monstrosities that other people do, but, if you want a good, solid Un*x mouse, my favorite are the ones by digital. I don't think they have a name, but the one on the computer I'm using is part # 30-46117-01.
    I have several and they're great-they have three buttons of the same sime, they aren't big and fat like some of the 3-button logitech mice, and they're built like tanks. Since they were made by DEC, i'm not sure if they are made any more, but you can probably find one in a used computer store, or on ebay. I have several, and horde them.

  • That's just insane.

    When I need a mouse, which is generally only with a new system, I tell my local reseller "give me one of those $6 3-button jobs". They look (and feel) like the old logitech 3 button types that I just love, but they are some generic knock off they buy a crate at a time.

    I've never seen one of these $6 mice die, and some are in some pretty awful service enviornments. I also have a couple of Logitech "MouseMan" mice of different types, and none of those have ever given me a bit of trouble.

    I would suggest you should get rid of the cats, buy a mouse pad so you don't destroy the ball, and stop spilling soda and chips where you roll your mouse.

  • Regardless of how you are borking your mice, I'd suggest grabbing a Kensington Mouse.In.A.Box. Their other mice are supported...poorly under Linux, which is a real pity because they are some shnap input devices.

    Five year warranty. Excellent feel. Very good input. If they had a Linux driver, I'd have one on my desk now.

    I'd also recommend that everyone go trackball. You adjust very quickly, and the results are insanely good. But stay away from those icky 2cm jobs Logitech pawns out. A good 6-10cm is much more comfortable, powerful and accurate.

    Ushers will eat latecomers.

  • ...can be found right here [interlinkelec.com].
  • What are you doing to your poor mouse? I buy the cheap-o genius net mouse for 15 bucks. they have both lasted for over a year. The only thing I can think of is that you use a gui and never type a single thing during the day.

    Honestly though, i love the net mouse and haven't had any problems with it.

    mike
  • My laptop has a touchpad as it's built in mouse. Although I found it rather awkward to get used to I can now control it as well as I can a regular mouse. The reason I suggest this style of mouse is because it has no moving parts, which should make it much less prone to mechanical failures. I have seen these units sold as part of a keyboard or as a standalone device for non-laptop computers.

  • This is not exactly a typical failure mode, though, and I doubt that the guy would be bitching about needing a tougher mouse if that were the problem. He'd be asking about chew protection for cables. It might actually be a real market; I have a cow orker who has had parrot problems with some of her cables. Maybe a braided steel cable protector is in order...

  • Optical and wireless would be really hard to do properly, due to the amount of polling needed on the wireless frequency to get smooth movement, I think.

    That's actually not the thing that's keeping optical mice from being wireless. The optical sensor is already going at about 1500 scans per second, so that's not what's keeping you down. I asked my dad (who worked on the design of the new optical sensors at Agilent) and he says that the problem is with power consumption. They currently use way more current than conventional mice. I'll have to check mine at home but I think that they're rated at 250 mA vs. 20 mA for a standard mouse, so they'd run down the batteries too fast. They hope to be able to bring the current draw down in the next version so that cordless optical mice will be possible.

  • The touchpad on my Dell lasted very little time, and it was quite annoing seeing as I have to pay $100/hour for labor now. Can they make touchpads and laptop keyboards last longer than usual since they can't easily be replaced?

  • geez (Score:1)

    by cosmol ( 143886 )
    All of my mice last for at least 2 years,(heavy use and without cleaning)! what are you doing?
  • As many others have said, I can't imagine what you could be doing that would kill mice at that kind of rate. But if you really need something heavy duty, I would recommend one of the older Sun Microsystems optical mice, like those that used to some with SPARCstations. They're easily the most durable mice I've seen, and hopefull even you would have a time destroying one. You'd need a simple adapter to a regular computer, but its quite possible. Check up on Ebay and the like for old mice (you also need the aluminum mousepad, which oughta help you as well). If you can't keep one of these for more than a few months, than you've really got problems.
  • I took care of a friend's cockatiel for a while, and he ate the cables on my gamepad, destroyed a couple pairs of headphones, as well as gnawing the buttons off of my cable TV remote (!)

    --Perianwyr Stormcrow
  • If you don't want a non-traditional mouse, get used to having them die. Optical and wireless would be really hard to do properly, due to the amount of polling needed on the wireless frequency to get smooth movement, I think. 3-4 months between mouse deaths, is just plain silly. What're you using for a surface, a Shih-Tzu?

    I haven't owned a traditional mouse in years. Got one of the very first ALPS Glidepoint desktop units, and only recently switched to a plain-Jane Logitech marble mouse.

  • Oh did I mention Logitech.

    I will NEVER buy a non-logitech mouse ever again.

    I used to successfully destroy a mouse about every 2-3 months. It was kinda like this....

    1) Go buy the cheapest mouse you could find.
    2) Accidentally drop and/or just simply use mouse for 2-3 months.

    3) Determine mouse is in fact dead, usually at the worst possible time.
    4) Repeat #1

    Finally I got pissed and "splurged" and bought the $20 logitech. This was at least 8 years ago and that mouse is still going strong. It has been through at least 6 moves (being thrown in boxes with other computer crap) and has outlived numerous MOUSE PADS (they just get too caked with that wonderful grungy dirt)....

    The one on my desk (a different mouse) gets it's "tail" yanked fairly regularly as when I move the computer around, it often gets tangled with the other cables. I just grab the mouse and pull - although fairly gently - to free additional cable.

    I have at various times on other machines ended up with other varieties, including expensive microsoft mice, and they have all died within a year or so. The microsoft ones tend to die when the grunge builds up on the rollers and they're almost impossible to get clean once that occurs.

    I can't however vouch for any of the optical varieties. I suspect they would solve some of the physical roller problems. I would be buying a logitech one though if I bought one.

    Oh, did I mention that I really Like Logitech mice?

  • I have an old school logitech mouse.. boxy.. 3 button too.. no logo, i don't think its a busmouse.

    Still works after all these years too. I love it.

    Although I use a MS optical mouse on my main machine.

    Nathaniel
  • Thats not really a mouse, it is a point device however, so you got that part right.
    You don't move the durapoint around on your desk, you actually move the pad thing ontop of the mouse with your finger.
  • I bought a Cirque Cruise Cat Touchpad [cirque.com] many months (a couple of years?) ago because I couldn't find a mouse or trackball that liked all the dog hair and dirt that it was exposed to.

    I haven't had any problems with it since I bought it (except lack of Win 2000 drivers for the cool extra stuff, they're finally beta testing them). If you're using it with Linux, just get the cheapest model touchpad they have and it will emulate a regular old mouse. You can wipe it off with a damp rag if it gets too dirty, but dirt doesn't seem to affect how it works.

    It's really great for internet browsing because along with being able to scroll pages like a mouse w/ a wheel, you can also go back and forth between pages with out having to cursor up to the arrow keys at the top of the window.

    I know it's not a mouse, but it's a pretty indestructable pointing device and it's really nice to use. It takes up way less desk space than a mouse too.

    Another cool feature is (from the web site) -- And that's not all... a fourth hot button on the touchpad allows access to many other shortcuts including copy, paste, minimize, maximize, close application and more. These easy, fast-action commands are like nothing you've every seen in a pointing device. Touching the button brings up Cirque's new "Touch Gestures" feature, a unique benefit in our 5th Generation touchpad that lets you quickly "draw" any letter or symbol on the surface with your finger to activate a command. Drawing an "X", for example, might close an application; "F" might open your financial spreadsheet; "Hi" might bring up the last version of your letter to Mom; and so on. You can build on Cirque's default Touch Gesture settings or create your own.

  • I've been using my Belin 3btn mouse [belkin.com] for 6 months w/o a problem. Although, I am tempted to get their new 5btn optical [belkin.com] mouse.
  • good point....

    KLRNSDME
    (Killer Inside Me)
  • This isn't going to happen in the near future, I've read up on it and an optical mouse takes a lot of Juice to run it. Wheel mice take very little, so in a wireless configuration you can use batteries. The optical (which takes hundereds of "Pictures" a second and has a processor just sucks too much juice is my understanding. I looked, because I like you have the same problems. What am i going to do mail off my mouse every three months and wait for it to be warranteed?
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • Much as I hate microsoft, i've been using an intellimouse explorer for about 8 months, and it's been perfect. four buttons (five with the wheel) optical, USB... works in X, on my mac. and durable. I shlep the thing in bags across the country/city/school all the time and it's never complained. cable problems? never.
  • I know you want a real mouse, so this isn't quite right. Still, check out this previous slashdot (here [slashdot.org]) article about the most heavy duty pointing device known to man. The website claims that its a mouse, when its really just a track pad. But its definately a Hard Core (TM) pointing device.

    guess the encryption! "spmr upi jRW RU[OMF PM ,X?"
  • Actually, in my case it wasn't the microswitches. I thought it was, but it turned out that I just wore out the plastic piece that was making the buttons go back up.

    In other words, I wore it out in that the buttons wouldn't pop back up again because the "spring" had become too flexible :)
  • The old-school logitech mice were among the best i have ever seen in my time. My family has used an old bus mouse from 1988 (the old boxy mice with the old square/circle logo), and they used it faithfully until last year when it finally died after over a decade of use. I have had similar luck with the newer logitech mice too, I own a Mouseman Cordless 3 (from 1996, the teardrop shaped one) which has been performing steadily since 1996 without much trouble (except for replacing the battries every few months). I have had nothing but good luck with logitech.
  • With the Wacom Graphire you get a cordless pen and a cordless mouse. You use the mouse on the tablet. I always use the pen, but my kids use the mouse.
  • The Logitech [logitech.com] optical mice have been great to me. None of the roller problems, and there was just an Ask Slashdot [slashdot.org] the other day on replacing the red LED with a super-neat-o blue one!
    I have the smaller variety [logitech.com] (more of a "normal mouse" shape than the larger "tank" style [logitech.com]) and have had no problems. Works great in X too.
  • Actually it's probably the microswitches under the buttons that have gone bad, I've certainly had that happen. I've had cables go bad as well. Troubles like that are usually in inverse proportion to the quality of the components used to construct the mouse. In other words, the cheap ones wear out sooner and easier and the ones that are worth their higher price (as opposed to those that just cost more because of the name or because they're "novelty" items; race cars, cartoon characters, etc.)last longer.
  • Hehe 8^) I hadn't considered the pet angle... Glad to know that the crests grow back after a scalping, too :)
    --
  • an optical wireless mouse. I suspect they're not made because the batteries would die too fast.

    However, I wouldn't mind dropping my mouse on a charger at night to restore battery power, à la wireless phone. I should patent the idea (-:

    kidding.
  • figures.
    http://chic.com.tw/mice/MBOT/OPTICAL/all-opt-mice. htm [chic.com.tw]

    I looked before posting, I swear. (-:
  • I have to ask the same thing everyone else is: what are you doing with your mice to cause them to wear out so quickly?

    My own mouse history:

    - Microsoft IntelliMouse at home--3 years old, still works fine

    - Microsoft IntelliMouse at work--2 years old, still works fine

    - Macintosh Mouse--12 years old, still works fine

    BTW, I play Quake III with my mouse, and do other "mouse-intensive" activities. The only mouse I've ever had problems with was the really cheap one that came with the original PS/2's.

    I do use a mouse pad. Maybe that helps?

  • The Most Powerful Mouse in the World [slashdot.org]

    Quoting:
    Seumas writes "Check out the Durapoint stainless steel industrial mouse which has bee thrown off a five-story building, submerged for hours, run-over by an 18-wheel truck, beaten with a hammer, used as a hockey puck, thrown across a room and stepped on countless times. It's even theft-proof. Even the pentagon is considering using it. At $279, it isn't cheap -- and it sure isn't an ergonomic wonder, but it might be your ticket if you do your computing strapped to the underside of a Mac truck." If only it had 3 mouse buttons!

  • It looks like CHIC does make a wireless Optical mouse but you have to charge it 8hours every three days... SEEEEESH! But I figured if someone made on it'd be about that bad... Wait for fuel cells 8) Klrnsdme (Killer Inside Me)

  • Re:So... (Score:3)

    by ptomblin ( 1378 ) <ptomblin@xcski.com> on Thursday February 22, 2001 @06:41PM (#409305) Homepage Journal
    I've had two mice fail with cable problems in the last 6 months. As well as two sets of headphones. I'll tell you why - Cockatiels [xcski.com]! They are the biggest chewers in the world. All pieces of paper around my computer desk have shredded edges. One time the cord was chewed so badly that the PS/2 port evidently shorted out - other PS/2 mice don't work in that port any more, so I had to start using a USB mouse.

  • So... (Score:3)

    by Tower ( 37395 ) on Thursday February 22, 2001 @05:34PM (#409306)
    50% of your mice fail with cable problems after a few months? And you are doing what with the cable??? I know a lot of high intensity Quake types, and I haven't seen cable problems that often.

    I would still reccomend a trackball, especially for gaming. With a little practice, turns can be executed more quickly and (I think) more accurately than with a mouse. I know my play improved quite drastically (alas, I haven't had the time in the past year or so... my skills are probably worn down). Easier to keep clean, doesn't mind getting dirty nearly as much as a mouse... My Trackman Marble (three buttons - pre-scroll wheel) was of great benefit to me ergonomically as well... Don't know why you wouldn't want a trackball, and I certainly wouldn't dismiss the importance of ergonomics - it pays off in the long run.

    Oh well, just my $.02 (that was before the jump in the CPI, of course).
    --

  • Try using your web browser. (Score:3)

    by IdeaMan ( 216340 ) on Thursday February 22, 2001 @06:25PM (#409307) Homepage Journal
    Step 1: Search Google.com [google.com]
    Step 2: follow link [arstechnica.com]
    Step 3: Read page, says company named Chic has one
    Step 4: Search google again for Chic + Wireless + optical: [google.com]

    Step 5: Click on link: all your mouse are belong to us [chic.com.tw]

  • Two things (Score:3)

    by JediTrainer ( 314273 ) on Thursday February 22, 2001 @06:15PM (#409308)
    One, a new Logitech optical wheel mouse has, if I remember correctly, a 5-year warranty. I just bought one - don't remember if it was 3 or 5, but I think it was 5.

    Second, how about just getting a new mouse pad? I don't mean to insult, but is there a chance that you're cleaning the mouse so much that the rollers are wearing down from YOU scraping them all the time? Keep the surface under your mouse clean, and you'll probably have better luck. It also wouldn't hurt to dust your desk off a little every week or so.

    Finally, if you get an optical mouse you'll probably eliminate the roller problems. Admittedly, I've had the BUTTONS on a mouse wear out on me, but I can't say that I've ever seen a cable go. That's some strange stuff. Unless...

    ...get your work area inspected for static. Lose the wooly carpets and see if you can get yourself grounded. There's a good chance that your "cable problems" are caused by a discharge that perhaps you weren't aware of. I'm not an expert, but I don't expect this stuff to be particularly resilient when it comes to electric shocks.

    In any case, if you're consistently killing your mice, you really should check out the above. I've never heard anyone have these kinds of problems. I would think that I'd have them - I write software for a living and spend my days behind the monitor, so I should go through them at least as fast as you.

    Sometimes the simple solutions will work. I hope this helps. Good luck!

  • Bill Cosby (Score:4)

    by babbage ( 61057 ) <cdeversNO@SPAMcis.usouthal.edu> on Friday February 23, 2001 @08:15AM (#409309) Homepage Journal
    ...I think he's the one that told the joke I'm thinking of here:
    A little kid walks into a pet store saying "hey, I just bought this stupid turtle [mouse, whatever :)] and the stupid thing won't come out of it's shell. What's the deal?"

    The clerk politely informs the little brat that this is normal, because turtles are shy animals and are naturally reluctant to come out whenever big, scary humans are around. Nonetheless, to make the little bastard feel better, the clerk agrees to let the boy exchange his turtle for another one, and the happy little monster runs gleefully out of the store.

    An hour later, however, the boy comes back with the same complaint. The clerk is a little bit surprised by this -- but no matter, he gives the boy another turtle and off he goes, with a warning about trying to be nicer to this turtle.

    The third time the boy walks in, however, the clerk is really annoyed. "Look, what are you doing to these turtles that makes them so afraid to come out of their shells?" "Nuthin," the boy insists, "just playin' with it." "Show me how," the clerk demands. The boy gets down on his hands & knees and, scraping the turtle rapidly back & forth starts yelling BROOOOM! BROOOOOOM! RACECAR!"

    Har har har. The punchline is of course a bit easier to deliver out loud rather than in print, but that's not the point.

    The point is -- what the hell are you doing to these mice! I've had the same mouse on my PC since the day I got it, and the only reason I replaced the mouse on my Mac was because it drove me nuts to shuffle a hockey puck around the desk (that & the clear LCD mouse just seemed really cool... :).

    What could you possibly be doing that wears out a mouse after only a couple of months? You say you clean it regularly -- with what, a good hard scrub with a steel wool pad followed up by a sulfuric acid bath? It's inconceivable to me that anyone could be destroying their equipment so quickly. <parent>Don't you realize that this stuff is delicate & expensive equipment? What's wrong with you?</parent>

    My suggestion to you would be to look into whatever mice Fisher-Price might be offering these days. With any luck they'll have a nice durable hard-shell plastic model (in shiny red, yellow & blue) that you can chew on all day without breaking. If they're not in the PC market -- and I really don't know if they are or not (though I doubt it) -- then you're pretty much out of luck. All I can say in that case is you really need to learn to take care of this stuff better. Sheesh...



  • What the heck!!!! (Score:4)

    by cavemanf16 ( 303184 ) on Friday February 23, 2001 @01:22PM (#409310) Homepage Journal
    Here are my theories as to why you're mice are all going bad so fast:

    1. In a fit of rage over being killed for the umpteenth time in Quake3 with no frags to your credit, you grab the cord, begin whirling the mouse over your head and in a loud Confederate rebel yell, launch it out the window, thereby causing cord and/or general mouse failure.
    2. Licking the mouse ball is not considered 'cleaning it', especially while sucking on a lollipop.
    3. Soaking the mouse in bleach, is also, not 'cleaning it'.
    4. Do not use the mouse to 'pretend you're shaving'. You'll pick up lots of facial hair and grease (and possibly some zit puss) which isn't good for it.
    5. Do not operate the mouse while your computer is in your sandbox.
    6. Lastly, Do not chew on happy mouse ball, do not look at happy mouse ball, and do not taunt happy mouse ball.

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