Ergoption OysterMouse Wireless review

Let’s face it, the computer mouse changed the way we worked on computers. For better or not, the mouse has allowed just about anyone to be able to do basic functions on the computer. The thing is, there are as many different types of computer mice as there are computer types – wired, wireless, trackball, and optical, to name just a few. But unlike computer keyboards, for the most part ergonomics in computer mice hasn’t been fully utilized. The OysterMouse Wireless by Ergoption hopes to change the way we think about the computer mouse.

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When I first started looking at the OysterMouse, I did a little research to learn if there is a real problem with folks having pain from using a computer mouse. Don’t get me wrong, I understand about repetitive-motion injuries, but is this a widespread, prevalent problem due to mouse use? Turns out maybe it is a bigger issue than I first thought. Although, the OysterMouse website has limited information, especially about this newest version (wireless) of the OysterMouse, I did run across a lot of ergonomic and medical specialty sites that had references to or that sold the OysterMouse, especially on European websites.

The OysterMouse comes with a USB charging cable, a wireless receiver, and the OysterMouse itself. The OysterMouse has rechargeable batteries, and so as long as you have a USB port, you should be able to charge the mouse.

The instruction pamphlet for this version of the OysterMouse were sparse and was actually written for the wired version of the product. The main instructions for this wireless version were on the rear of the box. This version of the wireless OysterMouse is only compatible up to Windows 7. So keep that in mind if you are thinking of purchasing one of these.

The main selling point of the OysterMouse is its ability to be adjusted to different angles to make using it less straining on your wrist. The OysterMouse has five positions it can be opened to. It is hinged on the side and is held in place when opened by a ratchet system. I tried all five angles, and to be honest not opening it at all felt best to me. While the OysterMouse does seem to be built out of quality materials, I always feared that I would damage or break the mouse at the ratchet point since I tend to have a heavy hand when using a mouse, especially at the upper angles. I am happy to say I did not break or damage the mouse during my testing of it. I did though find it odd that they would put the on/off switch within the section of the mouse that you tilt open. From a durability and convenience standpoint, it just does not make sense to me.

The OysterMouse is designed to be used by both right or left handed people. The top of the OysterMouse has a scroll wheel, left mouse, and right mouse buttons, like a normal mouse would have.  What is different about this one is the second set at the rear of the mouse, so it can be used either in lefthand or righthand mode. The scroll wheel is clickable and can be used to open links. To change the mouse from right to left-handed mode, there is a switch on the bottom of the mouse that you slide forward or back.

The OysterMouse has a set of buttons on the right and left sides of the mouse; in the instruction manual, it only states paste and copy for the ones on the right side and double click for the ones on the left side. I did not find any of these buttons convenient to use and would have liked the option to program them for other tasks.

So, what’s my bottom line here? To be honest, I may not be the right audience for this product. I can see where there may be a need for the OysterMouse, and as I stated, I did see some references to it on medical and ergonomic websites.  If you do not have any of those types of issues, I would pass on this. The lack of thorough instructions or any included software to program the additional buttons for different functionality also bothered me a bit.  I do not think this is a bad product. It has some well thought out features, but with the cheapest price I could find for a US retailer being $116.99, I think it may be a little on the pricey side if you do not need a multi-position ergonomic wireless mouse.