My cheapo Microsoft Wheel Mouse Optical is going on over 10 years without a problem.

Split some off-topic material to a new thread and moved some reported posts to the trash.

The best wheel on a mouse ever has to be the original Microsoft Sidewinder Mouse. Steel wheel and bronze bushings for its steel axil pin. Very accurate, fantastic tactile feedback, and looked good to boot. But.... (Always a big 'ol butt isn't there), 1. it's been out of production since 2009, and 2. the mouse buttons tend to die after a couple years. IMHO, its still one of the best mice ever. The 2nd and 3rd versions suck though, so don't bother with them.

A good modern optical mouse at a fair price can be almost as good as a quality laser mouse. I can recommend the Corsair mx40 series. Good build quality, at a fair price, and above decent responsiveness for being optical only.

That Microsoft Sidewinder sounds like a good deal...

Why doesn't anything make the wheel out of something robust like steel or whatever?

Well, that Corsair mx40 series uses a thick aluminum wheel and it works well. Its fairly wide, so there really is no way to miss the wheel and its down low enough to stay out of the way when you don't want to roll it. The button press on it is a bit stiff, but it seems to handle a bit of rough presses.

I do miss my original Sidewinder mouse. It was a high back mouse to boot, and those are kinda rare. Most mice are high in the middle of the mouse instead of the back. The way I use the mouse is more wrist movements instead of the normal arm/hand movements. The higher back makes that much more comfortable than a high middle. I swear that's all carpel tunnel really is for most people. They don't know that picking the mouse that has the correct high point for their movements and using the correct surface will stop the aches and pains. High back for people that use the wrist, and high middle for those that move their arms.

It's definitely possible to revive mice. This MX518 now works fine after a bit of a spring clean.

I'm not sure what was wrong with it, has anyone got a clue? I do have two cats..

Probably clogged with dog fur.

swaaye wrote:

Split some off-topic material to a new thread and moved some reported posts to the trash.

Dude, thanks to you and all the mods for donating your time sorting through our (the average user's) trash and being so happy and helpful in general! 😊 you guys be the unsung heroes of the internet.