Contour SliderMouse Pro review: This unorthodox mouse saves your hands

Price When Reviewed

From $259 | Model reviewed $274

Best Prices Today: Contour SliderMouse Pro

For those that undergo with RSI, arthritis or common hand ache, ergonomic equipment generally is a lifesaver. There are loads of devoted keyboards round, with break up or angled keys, however most mice you see are bizarre shapes that alter the way you maintain and work together with the machine. Contour has a special and novel strategy.

Its SliderMouse Pro acts as a extremely maneuverable bar throughout the highest of a wrist-rest. So, does this technique assist or hinder? I put it to the check to search out out.  

Further studying: Our wireless mouse roundup includes ergonomic options

Design & Build

• Comfortable design
• Connect by way of wired or wi-fi
• Risers wanted for low-profile keyboards 

At first look, you’d be forgiven for pondering that this can be a fairly commonplace wrist-rest. The SliderMouse Pro has a large, curved floor for exactly that perform, with simply the highest space freely giving its precise objective.

The relaxation space is roofed in what seems like material, however when you contact it you notice it’s a textured rubber prime, which can also be padded to make it comfy when typing for lengthy classes. 

Martyn Casserly

There’s an offset part alongside the higher fringe of the remainder space that’s residence to a scroll wheel, very like you’d discover in the midst of a mouse (albeit a lot wider). This is surrounded by 5 programmable buttons that can be utilized to set off typical mouse instructions and the wheel itself may be clicked to open a hyperlink in a brand new tab.

The actual artistry is the row above the wrist relaxation which homes the ‘mouse’ mechanism, not simply one other scroll wheel. Here you’ll discover the Sliderbar part that may be slid vertically and horizontally to maneuver the cursor as you’ll with a typical mouse. It accommodates a number of horizontal strains to provide some grip and all of it strikes freely.

There is somewhat noise the place it seems like the fabric is barely dragging on the Sliderbar at instances, however this doesn’t translate into something you may really feel or have an effect on the motion of the cursor. 

A bit button on the left aspect panel helps you to alter the sensitivity of the cursor and the setting is illustrated by a column of 5 lights simply above the button. Connecting it to your laptop is finished in certainly one of 3 ways: wired, USB dongle or Bluetooth.

Martyn Casserly

A cable comes within the field (USB-C to USB-A), plus there may be an included USB dongle and a converter that lets you plug in an extended USB cable. Contour states {that a} absolutely charged battery provides you with three months of regular use, so that you gained’t must deliver the ability lead with you if you happen to’re out and about. 

The firm additionally throws in a few adjustable plastic keyboard risers you can put beneath your keyboard to carry it up. These are essential, as the sting of the SliderMouse Pro sits fairly excessive if you happen to use a low-profile keyboard (such because the Apple keyboard). The risers work okay however don’t really feel that steady except you discover the right placement.

If you’re utilizing a taller keyboard, like a typical mechanical one, then the SliderMouse Pro truly sits at a very good peak already. 

Martyn Casserly

Contour gives the Slidermouse Pro in two colours, gentle gray and darkish gray, and it additionally states you can swap the covers out for others that connect by magnets, together with a reasonably fetching picket one. I’ve to confess I couldn’t discover the covers on the web site, so they could be at present unavailable. This may have modified by the point you learn this. If you don’t need the big wrist relaxation part, then there may be the Slidermouse Pro Slim, which reduces the area taken up on the desk by eliminating the flatter a part of the remainder. Alternatively, there’s additionally the Slidermouse Pro Extended, which provides an additional part on the appropriate aspect of the body to provide you much more room.

Features & Performance

• Fast and correct Sliderbar
• Six programmable buttons
• Probably higher suited to right-handed folks

One of the principle benefits the SliderMouse Pro has for these with hand issues is that you just don’t should place one hand off to the aspect as you’ll with a typical mouse. It acts extra like a laptop computer would, with the controls instantly beneath the keyboard.

The Sliderbar sits properly beneath the thumbs and has little or no friction, making it simple to control. It does take a short while to get used to it, however when you’ve adjusted to the ergonomic design it’s a pleasant technique to management the cursor. I feel, being left-handed, that it’s higher suited to right-handed folks, because the offset place of the Sliderbar implies that the appropriate thumb has much more room to maneuver. 

Martyn Casserly

The Sliderbar can also be clickable, so you can also make decisions with out shifting your typing place. One factor you may’t simply do with the bar is drag a web page up or down or do the identical for checklist choices. These are greatest dealt with by way of the scroll wheel as a substitute. Again, this takes a little bit of getting your head round, however as a result of reachable location of the wheel it quickly turns into second nature.

You can even avail your self of the buttons across the wheel whilst you’re there, supplying you with just about all of the controls you’d get with a typical mouse. Downloading the accompanying drivers (for macOS or Windows) lets you configure the buttons to do what you need, which is useful. You do miss out on the gestures that you could be be very connected to if you happen to’re a daily macOS person. This does take some adjustment, however there are key mixtures that may obtain many of the fast navigation controls that you just lose.

Having copy and paste on devoted buttons is a pleasant shortcut which might cut back the variety of button presses you’ll want to do, which once more is useful for stopping fingers from getting fatigued. 

Martyn Casserly

I did see some inconsistencies with the buttons, in that the copy/paste perform labored fortunately in Microsoft Word however not Google Docs, so hopefully Contour will have the ability to repair this with an replace. Otherwise, it’s a extremely stable and spectacular means of navigating your desktop. 

Price & Availability

As with most ergonomic equipment, the costs are larger than a typical, mass-produced mannequin. Contour sells the SliderMouse Pro (wired) for $259/£274 whereas the wi-fi model bumps that to $274/£289. You can even purchase it from Amazon UK.

This is dear when in comparison with ergonomic mice just like the Logitech MX Vertical (which prices $99/£109.00) or the price range Anker 2.4G Ergonomic mouse ($25/£30), however they nonetheless have the identical downside of inserting your hand and wrist to the aspect of the keyboard and requiring you to maintain altering your place.

The SliderMouse Pro is a special class of machine, bringing with it the price of that exclusivity and luxury. See our chart of the best wireless keyboards for extra choices. 

Verdict

I’ve to confess I used to be somewhat sceptical of the design once I first noticed it, however after just a few hours it started to essentially develop on me.

I’ve lengthy suffered with arthritis and RSI which suggests I haven’t been in a position to make use of a daily mouse for over a decade. The SliderMouse Pro makes a cushty change from trackpads that may go away my fingers aching after some time.

The ergonomic structure, combined with the responsive Sliderbar and multitude of buttons, allowed me to tailor the instructions to these I exploit most, lessening the affect on my fingers and joints that may usually happen. 

You don’t essentially should already undergo from pains in your fingers to make use of the SliderMouse Pro, both. In truth, it would truly assist stop these situations from ever showing. Yes, it’s an costly quantity to spend on a mouse, however if you happen to use a pc on a regular basis, then it may nicely pay for itself many instances over if it retains your fingers wholesome.

Specs

• Multi-directional Sliderbar
• 10 ranges (600-2800 DPI) of sensitivity
• 5 ranges of click on resistance
• 6 programmable buttons
• Scroll wheel
• Curved wrist-rest
• Wired or Wireless connection (relying on mannequin)
• Driver app for customisation options (Windows and macOS)
• 3-month battery life
• 38.3 cm x 16.5 cm x 2.3 cm/ 15 in x 6.4 in x 0.9 in
• 2 12 months assure

Editor’s notice: This evaluation initially appeared on TechAdvisor.com.