Vertical mouses keep your wrist in natural position so it is more comfortable when using it for long hours. If you find that your wrist feels strained after a day at the office, you can perhaps consider using a vertical mouse. The Havit HV-MS55GT is a wireless vertical mouse at an affordable price USD$18, which is about S$23.
Unboxing
There really isn’t much to the box other than the following:
- Havit HV-MS55GT Wireless Vertical Mouse
- USB 2.4GHz receiver (in the mouse)
Build quality
The Havit HV-MS55GT is made from plastic and has a matte black finish to it. The plastic has a smooth texture to it that feels comfortable to the touch. The overall build quality is okay. It is not as refined as Logitech’s build but it is acceptable for its price point.
The main left and right buttons are clicky and responsive. The scroll wheel has enough traction to it, and bear in mind that you can hear the scroll tracks unlike the Anker one which is more on the silent side.
Design
The Havit HV-MS55GT has a pretty unique design for a vertical mouse. Unlike other vertical mouses from Anker or Logitech where it is constructed from a single slab of plastic, the Havit has a cutout indent in the middle.
The back (not the underside) of the mouse has a great chunk of plastic there as well to provide more support for your palm. If you were to compare it to the Anker one, you can see that the Havit HV-MS55GT is chunkier to provide that extra comfort.
The mouse features six buttons: a standard left and right click buttons, a clickable scroll wheel, forward and back buttons, and a DPI adjustment button. The button placements are well placed and it is easy to reach most of the commonly used ones.
Experience
You will definitely need some time to get used to using a vertical mouse, especially if you have been using a regular mouse for all your life. When holding the mouse, my hand is sideways at a 60° angle.
When flicking the mouse left and right, the movement of my wrist is now in a more natural movement along my wrist joint. Using the Havit HV-MS55GT, it feels more ergonomic and comfortable than a traditional mouse. The added plastic at the back to provide the extra palm support for me was a bit of a mixed bag. I appreciate the extra material to rest my palm, but it can sometimes “get it the way” when I’m moving the mouse.
The Havit HV-MS55GT uses an optical sensor that works well on light coloured desk. It does not work well on glass surfaces.
Connectivity and battery life
The Havit HV-MS55GT does not have Bluetooth but instead uses 2.4GHz USB-radio frequency. I had no connectivity issues with the USB dongle that is included in the mouse. It’s thoughtful that Havit created a tiny space to store the dongle in the mouse, so if you need to bring it along you don’t have to worry about losing it.
As for battery, the Havit HV-MS55GT is powered by a single AA battery.
DPI Adjustment
There is a DPI button on the mouse which allows you cycle through different DPI settings of 800, 1200, and 1600. It’s useful to have a button to switch the DPI on the fly instead of going into your computer settings to adjust it.
Conclusion
The Havit HV-MS55GT is an affordable vertical mouse that has a good build quality and a reliable sensor. I find that it will probably be most suited for larger hands as the extra material used at the back of the mouse can provide the extra support for the palm area.