Mouse for large hands/carpal tunnel

So... I've come to the conclusion that when I type in "mouse for large hands" or "carpal tunnel mouse" in Amazon, what the search function does is replace that with "mouse" or "carpal tunnel gimmick." What they don't seem to understand is that one of the most annoying Features(tm) of budding carpal tunnel is the numbness that tends to result from the motion of pinching your thumb and pinky tips together. I.e. how most people hold a gaming mouse.

I've seen a bunch of these gimmick vertical mice and supposedly ergonomic mice with kewl sculpted thumb slots, and the effective pinky-to-thumb distance is still typically less than 60mm/2.5in. Or they force you to unload your wrist onto your shoulder/elbow, which just compounds the problems of holding a mouse for precise control by making your arm tired and movement clunky.

The best mouse I've had is my Steelseries Cataclysm mouse. Fortunately I bought one for work, too, before they stopped selling them. It is close to 4.5 inches in width if you grab it by the very edges of the thing, and it's the only mouse I've had in the last decade that lets me get a solid evening of FPS gaming done without running for a bottle of NSAIDs.

I've owned a R.A.T. mouse which gets kinda close but it angles the thumbpad so much that it makes it hard to hold once you get it wide enough. I've also tried a few of the Razr mice as they're pretty big but they still are about an inch too narrow.

I'm not opposed to doing some ghetto mods to a normal mouse to make it wider, but that's not something I've done much thinking on.

Since this is the most friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable bunch in my sphere of activity, I'll put it to yous guys: where would you look for a decent gaming mouse for larger/gimpy hands?

I get a lot of pain down the right side of my hand.. I have to take breaks or I just end up not playing for days.

Maybe try using your feet? ;) http://www.carpaltunnelgadgets.com/p...use-footmouse/

I tend to prefer larger mice myself for similar reasons. One of the most comfortable mice I've had myself was the Steelseries World of Warcraft Wireless MMO Gaming Mouse, which I think is quite similar to the Cataclysm one you mentioned. The first one lasted me about a year and a half, though as the second one lasted less than six months, that's what kept me from replacing it with yet a third one.

After trying a number of mice, I ended up buying a Roccat Nyth Modular MMO Gaming Mouse. It features two different side grips, a small one for a 'claw' grip, and a wider one for a 'palm' grip. I'm using the latter which allows for my ring finger to rest on the mouse, and leaves my pinky on the side. Given it's hot-swappable and just held on with the use of magnets, I also think it wouldn't be that hard to extend it further without having to invalidate your warranty.

In addition to that, it has a "modular thumb-zone", meaning you can decide for yourself how you want to use the 12 mechanical buttons on the side (4x3 matrix). It comes with two types of single-sized buttons (with different shapes, so you can choose what 'feel' works for you), six double-sized buttons as well as plugs to fill the holes of any buttons you might not want to use. There are even templates available should you want to use a 3D printer to make your own custom buttons.

In my case, I'm using four buttons at the top and four at the bottom, and in the middle I'm only using the two buttons at the back. I've left the front two positions blank, as that's a spot where I like to keep my thumb. I strongly prefer being able to position fingers on both sides of the mouse for improved grip, just as I had with the WoW mouse I mentioned. It means I have to use less force to move the mouse, which translates into a more relaxed grip for my fingers and thus less numbness or even muscle pains in the long run. It also gives me greater precision.

Another thing I really enjoy about the Nyth is the 'Dorsal Fin-Switch' on its back. It took a little getting used to, but I'd really hate to do without it at this point. In my case, I push it to the left to toggle my ISBoxer keymaps, and push it to the right to toggle broadcasting. I find it rather quick and comfortable to use and I consider it a plus that it allows me to use different muscles for some frequently used buttons.

The only thing that doesn't really work for me is the 'Easy-Shift' button, which is an extra button positioned in front of the mouse wheel that adds an extra layer of functionality to all the other buttons. It might be easily accessible for you, but it isn't for me. I have to stretch my hand a little bit in order to use it, which means I have to abandon the otherwise comfortable and relaxed grip on the mouse. It's just easier for me to press a modifier in my keyboard instead to get the same functionality.

Overall I'm very pleased with the mouse, and it might make a suitable candidate for you to check out. If you have any questions about it, don't hesitate to ask.

I do also own a Stinkyboard, and while I don't use it all that often (yet), I do find it quite enjoyable and comfortable to use. It also takes some getting used to, but like the fin on the Nyth mouse, it can provide some degree of relief for those muscles in your hand - since they'll get used less often.

I looked at the specs on the roccat mouse. Looks pretty interesting. The spec width is 78mm which includes the little flange under the thumb; don't know which configuration that applies to. What's yours measure with the biggest pinky-plate attached? The Cataclysm mouse I have is ~85mm and I could wish for another 10mm. I'm also wondering how you "hold" it if the normal thumb spot has buttons on it. Or are the buttons just harder to press? Mine click just by breathing on them.

With the slim one attached, it measures 77mm, with the large one attached it gets to 86mm. The difference is a little deceptive though, as the slim one only gets there because it has a little bulge at the back, while the larger one provides actual support for your ring finger.

I suppose the normal position to hold is to apply pressure to the top and right side, given that the mechanical buttons require very little pressure. I personally don't enjoy that type of grip though, I strongly prefer a spot where I can place my thumb when I'm not pressing buttons. That's why I chose to put 'blanks' (which are included, both as individual buttons and as 4-button rows) on buttons 5 and 6 (you can see and play around with the configuration here), making them a flat surface for my thumb instead.

I've also done a little experimenting on your behalf by placing small objects between the mouse and the largest of the two magnetic side-grips in order to add a few extra millimeters to the mouse's overall width. For me it remained quite comfortable to use, although if that's something you'd be considering, I'd recommend trying that yourself first. After all, just because my hand didn't notice the little gap that creates, doesn't mean yours won't.

Excellent. Thanks for the info. I think I'll go grab one. 3mm isn't going to break things and I have some ideas on extending that wider pinky block a bit.

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Those vertical mice are really good, I know you said they are gimmicky but they have done wonders for my GF.

It is different, you do need to build up the muscle memory but when that happens it's no clunkier. I personally recommend you try one for a little while ;)
(I'm not talking about one of the million dollar ones haha, just any cheapish one. Give it a go)

The vertical mice moves the force of your actions from the wrist to the arm. Its perfect if you have wrist problems, though its slightly harder to do the really precise stuff like CAD. If you have carpal tunnel with your thumb or fingers, I don't think the vertical mice will help specifically with that, you'll just need to find the mouse where your hand rests the most comfortably.

I have used a vertical mouse but never long enough to get used to it. My favorite mouse of all time was the Steelseries WoW Cataclysm mouse Ugh mentioned in his OP.

I use the Vertical Evoluent mouse as I had finger and thumb and wrist problems, and it has worked for me in re-leaving my problems, the only thing I really had to relearn was to relax the grip with my thumb, I think we do tend to use far more pressure than is required.

As to accuracy, I found I adjusted very quickly and had no issues after a couple of days.