Should You Save or Splurge on Your Computer Mouse?

Have you had consistent problems with your computer mouse?

Are you so disappointed with your mouse that you want to replace it? Read on to find out if you should save or splurge on your computer mouse.

The past few years, I noticed that I kept having the same problems with all of my computer mice. After some time of moderate to heavy usage, they would start having the same problem – the double-click problem.

Before doing research on this when it happened again with my latest mouse, I had no idea that this was a thing. Whenever this happened the past few times, I just thought maybe it was me. Maybe I was too hard on the mouse or something. Maybe I got the mouse wet (I work near a window and sometimes rain can get in). I also chalked it up to the cheap quality of the mouse.

The last two times, I made it a point to buy “more expensive” mice. This means I bought them from the computer chain shops for at least P295 instead of from CD-R King, where they only cost P150 – P180 (about $3-$4 US). I thought the more expensive mouse would be better built and would last longer.

Before you say that the mice I buy are too cheap – I’m just not a big computer mouse person. As long as it works as intended and doesn’t look weird, I’m good.

WHAT IS THE DOUBLE-CLICK PROBLEM?

This is when your mouse double-clicks even if you only clicked once. It unintentionally double-clicks. This is VERY ANNOYING. Aside from opening random files and programs your mouse just happens to pass over, it also makes copy and pasting a tedious affair. Imagine selecting a line of text, and then right after taking your mouse off the clicker, you lose the selection because your mouse thinks you double-clicked! Good thing I still know my keyboard shortcuts.

Cropping and other forms of photo editing is also a pain to do with a problem mouse!

IS THERE A FIX FOR THE DOUBLE-CLICK PROBLEM?

Yes, there is a fix for the double-click problem, but it involves opening the mouse and sort of taking it apart and putting it back together. And then having to do it again after a few months when the double-click problem reappears.

Here’s a YouTube video showing how to fix it:

Unless you really can’t spare P150 for a new mouse, I don’t think the fix is worth doing though. It is too much trouble, especially if you don’t have the skills and the necessary tools.

DISSECTING MY MOUSE 😛

So this is my double-clicking mouse. It has disappointed me. It is now a sacrifice for a dissection procedure. All for the pursuit of greater knowledge, of course! 

Unlike what most repair instructions state, there are no screws under the rubber feet.

Here I removed the top plastic:

I kept trying to pry it loose but it wouldn’t budge! See all the wounds?

Ack! Apparently the screw was hidden under the QC sticker. Of course I didn’t think to look under there!

This is what it looks like inside:

I broke the thing! Anyway, I couldn’t open it, not with the tools I had.

Granted, I wasn’t being too careful since I had already resolved to buy a new mouse. I thought it would just be fun to see what’s inside.

And you know what? I also found metal weights screwed to the mouse plastic cover I was trying to pry loose! You know how cheap mice feel very light and more expensive mice feel heavier? It tends to make most of use assume that the more expensive mice use heavier-duty components that make it “heavier”. It is a lie!

Well, one could argue that the heavier mouse make it better to use in terms of ergonomics. And while I agree that the heavier mouse is actually easier to control and move around because of the added weight, I don’t think it is worth twice the price.

I forgot to take a pic and I already threw out the torn apart mouse, but the “heaviness” just came from 2 small metal bars that were screwed on to the mouse plastic to make it feel heavier.

SO, IS BUYING A MORE EXPENSIVE MOUSE WORTH IT?

Maybe if you had a specific use for the expensive mouse and it has features you need, for example, like for gaming, it might be worth it to you to spend the extra cash.

However, for general usage, I don’t think it’s worth spending extra for the more expensive mouse. (I was wrong. See update below.) The more expensive mouse didn’t last any longer than the cheapie ones. The last mouse (the one I dissected) only lasted about a year, about the same as my other mice. For something twice as expensive, I expected it to last twice as long.

If both the cheapie and the more expensive mice both last about the same time with my usage, and there is no significant benefit received from the more expensive mouse, I don’t see the point why I should spend extra for the more expensive mouse. I am going to throw it out in a year, anyway, same as any cheapie.

The only reason I might consider buying a more expensive mouse again in the future is ergonomics. For some reason, the cheapie mice have very bad design – most of them are too small to have anywhere for me to rest my palm, and are usually shaped weird. This will cause hand strain when used for a long time.

In contrast, most “more expensive” mice are shaped more ergonomically.

Fortunately, today I was able to find a wired optical mouse at CD-R King for P150 that is comfortable for me and in the right shape. Unfortunately, it was the last one. Yes, wired. I don’t want to have to mess with batteries with my mice, so it has to be wired. If I hadn’t found this, I would have bought an A4Tech mouse at Octagon for P295 instead, which I had already chosen as my #2 option.

Why was I willing to buy the more expensive mouse if I couldn’t find a similar one for cheaper? Paying an extra P145 for a more ergonomically-shaped mouse is worth the money. Even if I will only be using the mouse for less than a year, the extra P145 is a small price to pay to avoid hand strain / carpal tunnel problems. I have used the badly-shaped (small, low and pebble-shaped) mice before, and it puts my hand and wrist at odd, uncomfortable positions. Do that for a few hours a day and your hand will start to feel it. I don’t ever want to suffer that again. I make it a point to always buy the taller-shaped mice.

Anyway, I hope I was able to help you with your mouse problems!

UPDATE (April 18, 2016):

I change my answer! It is worth spending a bit more on a better mouse! No more CD-R King mice for me.

My CD-R King mouse crapped out 🙁 I’ve only had it for 2 months! The scroll wheel went bonkers – it would scroll up when I wanted to scroll down, and sometimes it would just “scroll-dance” on my screen. Apparently, my current mouse usage is just too much for cheap mice to handle.

My old CD-R King mice worked longer than 2 months, some I’ve had for years, but this latest one was just crap. The mouse pointer thing is okay but not as smooth and solid, too. So I ended up buying a Logitech mouse for P299 from Octagon to replace it. Hopefully, the Logitech mouse will last longer.

I won’t throw away the CD-R King mouse just yet – it’s my backup mouse. Also, I might feel like cleaning the scroll wheel one of these days. I think that might fix the scroll wheel problem.