I’ve never been a vertical mouse person. These mice have a vertical shape that puts your palm in a more neutral posture, reducing strain on the wrist. But every time I’ve used one in the past, it felt awkward, unnatural, or like I was making a trade-off in exchange for better ergonomics. They just never worked for me—until the Hansker Productivity Mouse came across my desk.
It takes the standard vertical mouse formula, but sculpts the angles and curves for an incredibly natural feel. All that while still offering everything you’d want in a modern mouse, from speedy wireless connectivity, USB-C recharging, left- and right-clickers, a scroll wheel, two programmable thumb buttons, and multi-device connectivity via Bluetooth.
Hansker’s mouse comes in two flavors: Productivity and Performance. Both have a high 1,000-Hz polling rate, which is how fast the mouse sends its data to the PC. The Performance costs $140, weighs 90 grams, uses a higher-performance sensor, and is available in black. The Productivity costs $115, weighs 116 grams, uses a slower sensor, and comes in a warm off-white.
Informed Design
Photograph: Henri Robbins
Hansker’s founder, Alex Muñoz, tells me a lot of research went into the shape of the Productivity Mouse. Its design is heavily influenced by research on ergonomics published in the National Library of Medicine, which guided the ideal angle and shape for a vertical mouse to reduce wrist strain. Then Muñoz went through multiple prototypes to find a one-size-fits-all shape that worked for various hand sizes.
“The way we went about this was to find a shape, a form factor, and a size that fits as many people as possible with the knowledge that one size doesn’t fit all,” Muñoz says. “I realized that bigger forms are usually more comfortable for most people.” In my testing, I found this accurate as well. I had several people test this mouse, each with varying hand sizes, and nearly all of them said the Hankser Productivity was comfortable to hold and use, regardless of hand size.
Photograph: Henri Robbins
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