Recently a friend of mine asked me a question which, at first glance, might seem to have a pretty obvious answer. The question was, “What kind of mouse should I buy?” Honestly, who asks that question? Isn’t a mouse a mouse? Does it even matter what you get, as long as it moves the little cursor on your screen? Actually yes. To get specific, the three most common types of mice are the ball mouse, optical mouse, and laser mouse. Let’s very briefly consider how they compare.
A ball mouse is what we all (at least those of my generation) grew up with. The cute little mouse with the ball on the bottom that, unlike it’s living counterpart which eats cheese, boasts a healthy diet of dust and dirt from your mouse-pad. There are two things that come to mind when I think of the ball mouse: precision and cleaning. Those two things really go hand-in-hand, since without regular cleaning of the wheels beneath the ball beneath the mouse, your pointer will stick, stall and jump all over the screen. Forget trying to Photoshop your favorite photo or select a tiny line of text–ot with a ball mouse.
An optical and laser mouse perform the same role as the traditional ball mouse, but differ in that they don’t have the traditional ball on the bottom of the device, and movement is instead guided by LED sensors (optical) or a laser (laser). A laser mouse is more sensitive than an optical mouse making it more ideal for precision usage, but for the majority of users it’d be impossible to tell the difference. The one glaring difference between the two is the ability of the laser mouse to work on difficult surfaces. Optical mice sometimes don’t work well on reflective finishes or other decorative surfaces, but the laser device pretty much works on anything (except thin air).
So to answer my friends question, which mouse is the best buy? Well, it really comes down to your own needs and wants. Obviously, the only practical purchase options for those living in today’s era of tech are the optical and laser mouse. I’d certainly recommend a laser mouse if you’re doing any design work or intense gaming and need more precise movements.
All that being said, if you’re more price/value conscientious, an optical mouse may be more appealing. There really isn’t a big price difference, but optical mice are easier to find and so you might find a cheaper option from a larger selection. Color, shape and quality options may also be more plentiful with an optical mouse.
So there you have it. A mouse really isn’t a mouse. Okay, it is.. but really.. it isn’t. All mice aren’t created equally. As with all technology, there are a few minor things to consider when purchasing one of these devices.
I hope this brief post has been helpful to you. If you’d like to ask me a question, feel free to comment on this post or click here to contact me.
Note: Wikipedia has a great article about mice. It’s full of more facts than you’ll ever want/need to know about these helpful little devices. You can read their article here.