Mouse, keyboard and pad?

[Anubis]

Hi

I have recently come to the conclusion that my cheapo no make mouse and keyboard just isn't cutting it. More likey it is going to cut my wrist, which hurts because I don't have any pads etc. What I need to know is, are there any wrist friendly keyboards, rests, mice and pads out there that people can recommend, I can't touch type so I don't know if that effects things such as natural keyboards etc.

The local shops are very lacking in range and I would prefer an opinion based on use rather than reading a review.

Come on guys help me out if you can, otherwise I think I may get carpel tunnel in the not too distant future.

Thankyou very much if you can offer me any advice at all.

:):)

[[AHL]Dragonne]

By 'pads', I assume you're looking for something to rest your wrists on while typing/playing.

I can't recommend a keyboard, as I use a generic one myself. However, I have a wrist rest which sits in front of the keyboard. It's made out of gel, covered in fabric, so it provides support and comfort. You should be able to get thes at any PC or office stationary shop. You can also get mouse pads with a built in wrist rest.

If you're thinking of buying a new mouse, the Intellimouse Explorer gets my recommendation. It has loads of buttons, and no wheel, so you dan't have to spend half your time cleaning all of the crud out of your mouse. It's quite big though, so it may take some getting used to.

Hope this helps :)

[Help?]

I would highly recommend the razer boomslang mouse take a look here http://www.razerzone.com . bit pricey though:E, ive used it for about two months now and it helped to get rid of my RSI!!

[Anubis]

Thanks guys for the advice, I may well get one of those two mice. The Razor sounds good as it seems to be quite large, with more room for support. Also I saw those Explorer ones before, are they any good for games such as Half Life?

Thanks so much

:):)

[[AHL]Dragonne]

I think you've got it wrong there m8. The Razor is a very small mouse, you hold it between your thumb and little/ring finger. The Explorer is a big mouse. It takes a little adjusting to.

Whichever you choose is up to you of course, and it all comes down to personal preference. I use the Explorer for Half-Life(CS), Q3 and UT and they all run well for me. I also like the fact that I never have to clean the thing, it always runs smoothly. I also find it to be very precise. However, some people find the Boomslang to have a better feel to it. I persoanlly find it too expensive for a 'ball' mouse.

As I said, the choice is yours...

:) :E

[werewolf_bite]

The Intellimouse Explorer gets my vote, and my brothers, he plays CS a LOT and it's great for sniping etc:D

[nialldavid]

have a look in(dare i say it)pc world coz they have a good range.Then buy what you saw in pc world somewhere else ie on line as thay are cheaper

DAVVO

[Calzor Suzay]

PCWorld is good for two things:-


Good for breaking the stuff on display
An overspill carpark for Mfi :E

[rat770]

If you play frantic first person games like Quake then go for a razer boomslang mouse, they cost about £70 are designed for gaming and have a high resolution. The mat to use with a boomslang is a 3m precision mousing mat.

If not I would get MS Intellimouse Explorer ( the one without a mouse ball ). They are very good for normal use, never need cleaning, do not get clogged up, and you can use any old mat. They can get a bit mixed up if you lift the mouse off mat while playing frantic games like quake.

[nialldavid]

there isn't an MFI at the PC world near me :laugh::laugh::laugh:
Davvo

[Rigo]

i have the MS intellimouse explorer and it's excellent. I use it for CS and it works great.

I have mine on a ratpad (www.ratpadz.com) bought from http://www.powercomputing.com .

[p5]

intellimouse explorer is the way to go!
p5

[Calzor Suzay]

I'll put my two pen'eth on the Intellimouse Explorer as I have one :) but it's not for the lefties of the world, nice crisp buttons and a wheel button that goes up'n'down without accidently pushing it down every two seconds unlike my old MS wheel mouse but still enough feel to know its moved a notch. One thing I will say is try and use a non pattern material mouse mat for it, I've had it some months and was using a flat thin plastic one which was soooo good you could tap the mouse and it would glide across it but after a while the four plastic feet that touch the mat became progessively more tacky to the surface of the mat and I was forever cleaning them and using some WD40 on cotton buds to grease it up :rolling:

With regard to the boomslang there an excellent choice for discerning fps gamer but but I've got a mate who has one and I've tried it and found it to be extremely quirky in design and feel, i.e. I didn't like it and just couldn't get on with it even after using it for a week solid, went back to my intellimouse explorer so I think there a love it or hate it situation so see if you can borrow one.

Back on topic now for nialldavid

Overspill carpark for...

Pet world
Curry's
Comet
Carpet World
Charlie Browns
Kingdom of Leather
Homebase


and the list goes on, feel free to add :E

[Edited by Calzor Suzay on 13-09-2000 at 09:13 PM]

[Anubis]

Wow thanks guys for the advice. I didn't realise the Razor was £70, I think I need to go for a cheaper one. The explorer is starting to sound very good. I will see if I can find one that I can try, unfortunately I don't live near a PC world. That’s why I needed to get some input on this as the PC shops round here are non existent, one of my only ways of getting to try a mouse is travelling quite a distance. Or some shoddy local that insists I buy it first, figure that one out.

On the grounds of the explorer being large, I think it may have to be that one, as I need to get as much support as possible.

Also I don't know if anyone can help me but does anyone use a Microsoft Natural Pro keyboard. As I am very dubious about the function of it as I don't touch type. Any keyboard really as long as it is better than my current one (very uncomfortable).

May I say again that I am very, very grateful for all your feed back. Thank you very much.


:):)

[werewolf_bite]

The Intellimouse Explorer can be got for about £35 or less (I paid 35), and it is great for CS, we use ours straight on the desk's serfce with no problems :)

[Bapapapa]

Use this coupon & get the Explorer & mouse mat for 20 quid. ;)

http://www.gb.buy.com/promo/coupon.asp?sku=83210160

[Anubis]

Thank you so much Bapapapa it is very, very much appreciated. I am very grateful for that link, it's always nice to save some money. :)

Thank you to all for helping with this, I'm going to go for the Microsoft Explorer and the Microsoft Natural Keyboard Pro in the hope it will help relieve some of my problems.

Thanks once again

:):)

[The_Wise]

The intellimouse rules (IMO) i find it is more responsive and accurate than a ball mouse and i don't have to clean it every 2 weeks. I also work on most surfaces except clear glass + mirrors!!, but i have also heard it's not too good on pastal coloured mousemats not that that matters to me.

I also read somewere (probably PCZone) there is a leftie version coming out soon (or it may be out)

The_Wise

[2bad4u]

There is a version that can be used with either hand.