this post was submitted on 03 Oct 2026
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Buy it for Life

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It was very affordable (sub $20), came in lots of colours (including this lilac colour that I love!), and is super comfortable too. The vertical mouse I used previously, a Ugreen one, had a narrower grip that was less than ideal.

The mouse is by "Sanwa Supply", model number "GMAERGWBT22V" (V for violet I presume, it shows up at just "BT22" when pairing with Bluetooth), though I'm sure there are plenty of identical models from other brands.

The plastic finish is nice and will last a long time, as there isn't rubber everywhere like on the ridiculously priced MX Masters. The buttons are silent and have a nice click, the side buttons for forwards/backwards are nicely placed, you can switch between 3 devices (two Bluetooth, one with the dongle), and the scroll wheel is nice (though not a metal one)

The mouse came with a magnetically attached wrist rest too, which is nice, and even without it, it does not suffer from the trailing pinky finger issue of other vertical mice. The magnets are strong enough where it isn't super loose but not too strong where it's hard to detach. It's a nice bonus when I'm at my desk for long hours, and it can be removed if I need to pack it.

BUT one of the main reasons I bought it, aside from the fantastic colours, is that you can use it with a AA battery! No glued in nonsense, it's super easy to swap it out, and the dongle is also stored in the battery compartment too (always a nice bonus). I use it with rechargeable IKEA Ladda batteries, and it's been awesome.

a photo of the mouse from the back, showing the two side buttons and the angle of the mouse

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[–] chicagohuman@lemmy.zip 2 points 6 hours ago

Evoluent makes the best vertical mice

[–] kmartburrito@lemmy.world 5 points 16 hours ago

You can tell it's neat because of the way that it is

[–] yaru@fedinsfw.app 41 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Looks neat. Are there any indications that this will last for life though?

[–] merde@sh.itjust.works 36 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (4 children)

i too was surprised to see this in "for life".

in my experience, no mouse can be bought for life

[–] scallisto@retrofed.com 1 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

I just like that it has replaceable AAs, plus the fun colours. I don't think it will actually last "for life", but hopefully it will last for a long while!

[–] merde@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 hour ago

jolly good then

[–] ProdigalFrog@slrpnk.net 4 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

This community also allows for things that just last significantly longer than usual :)

[–] merde@sh.itjust.works 3 points 11 hours ago

This community also allows for things that just last significantly longer than usual :)

for some of us that's already "life" 🙃

life is "significantly longer than usual" indeed

[–] ggtdbz@lemmy.dbzer0.com 14 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Using a soldering iron, a replacement 3D printed shell from Aliexpress, and onboard storage for the configuration, I’m dragging my mouse kicking and screaming into years it was never designed to reach.

Granted, it should have been designed to.

I don’t know about the Lemmy com as much, but the vibe I used to get from the Reddit BIFL community sometimes horsehoed back around to being something materialistic. I feel like avoiding planned obsolescence is important but so is maintaining stuff. I think maintaining stuff is flat out more important than finding the perfect stuff especially in the age of fast mass market everything.

[–] yaru@fedinsfw.app 12 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I also repair my mice when the buttons start breaking.

So to call it BIFL it must check at least one but ideally both of these boxes for me:

  • lasts very long right out of the box ✅
  • is designed to be repairable with existing spare parts ✅
[–] merde@sh.itjust.works 3 points 21 hours ago

second that

[–] merde@sh.itjust.works 3 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago) (1 children)

I don’t know about the Lemmy com as much, but the vibe I used to get from the Reddit BIFL community sometimes horsehoed back around to being something materialistic. I feel like avoiding planned obsolescence is important but so is maintaining stuff.

BIFL threads help with which brands to avoid and which to prioritise when you need to buy. I'm also subscribed to repair communities like !diy@lemmy.ml where the focus is on "maintaining stuff". I think of BIFL as breadcrumbs for people who are sick of paying for things that won't last a year's use. We all value, i assume, what you wrote above.

[–] ggtdbz@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 9 hours ago

I’m sure that’s the case but in retrospect when I look back on Reddit and how it turned into a genuinely trusted but super astroturfable place I can only remember the original sub as nothing but “hey guys check out this product I purchased for myself and then wife and child and friends”

[–] degen@midwest.social 3 points 1 day ago

I dunno, I've had a Razer Naga hex for like 10 years now. Before that I had a mini Logitech for 8 but it was stolen

[–] TeaWithDani@lemmy.world 9 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago) (1 children)

Its a bootleg MX Vertical. Better off investing in a Logitech MX range tbh. Had mines for a decade.

Unsure why OP thinks they are ridiculously priced... Actually worth every penny.

You can swap the battery and the older ones had a flaw with the thumb button, but it's repairable. Software is well supported on everything and opensource drivers exist so it doesnt matter if Logitech kills support.

[–] scallisto@retrofed.com 1 points 1 hour ago

Vertical mice aren't a Logitech trademark. The shape is noticeable different from the MX Vertical, it has the cool wrist rest magnetic thing, and the angle it sits is different. The colours are a lot nicer than the graphite black of the MX Vertical. Also, the MX Vertical (at least the current revision) does not use replaceable batteries.

Logitech Options doesn't support Linux, so no, it's not "well supported on everything", though there are community made alternatives that seem really neat! I imagine the mouse itself does, but nearly all mice should work on Linux so Logitech is not unique in this

The MX Vertical is over $100, over five times the price of this cheap little guy, so I don't think the price is worth it, especially since this cheap one has fun colours + a more comfortable shape for me (YOUR HANDS MAY VARY)

[–] scallisto@retrofed.com 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Using replaceable AA batteries is a good start I think! And it doesn't feel cheap, the build quality is good

[–] yaru@fedinsfw.app 15 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (3 children)

I had sooo many mice that seemed to have good build quality. But then one day one mouse button starts breaking: doing double clicks instead of single clicks or not registering that I keep the button pressed making drag and drop impossible. Or the scroll wheel sporadically scrolling in the wrong direction.

No mouse, cheap or expensive, that I bought was ever for life and I doubt that this one is.

Its a cool mouse though and I might consider buying it if I was currently in need of one.

[–] ProdigalFrog@slrpnk.net 3 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago)

But then one day one mouse button starts breaking: doing double clicks instead of single clicks or not registering that I keep the button pressed making drag and drop impossible.

I had that happen recently on a logitech G600 (apparently a lot of models of logitech mice use switches that are prone to early failure/hysteresis). I was able to purchase some replacement switches and fix it, though it did require a soldering iron and some rudimentary skills with it to do successfully (it'd actually make for a great first project to learn on).

I think most mice use the same generic switch design, so that should be viable to do with most of them once they start failing.

[–] scallisto@retrofed.com 2 points 18 hours ago

It's always a case of time for these kinds of things, yeah. I doubt it'll last of a lifetime, the switches will eventually wear out

[–] 9488fcea02a9@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 day ago

Asus makes a mouse with swappable button switches and comes with spares....

In my experience, its always the switches that wear out, so we'll see if this mouse is worthy of BIFL

[–] glibg@lemmy.ca 5 points 20 hours ago

I wish Ploopy made a vertical mouse!

[–] eurodyne@piefed.world 14 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

It’s not a “colorway” if it’s just one color

This explains it pretty well:

https://www.reddit.com/r/etymology/comments/1dormme/comment/laeen6f/?context=3

[–] DudeImMacGyver@kbin.earth 10 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I have an MX Vertical from Logitech and I love it! I used to have a cheaper one but it died.

[–] benjirenji@slrpnk.net 4 points 7 hours ago

Always laughed at it, but once my wrist started hurting I gave it a try. Now I'm laughing because my wrist doesn't hurt.

[–] nunzilla@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Yeah, I've had the same one for years. I had absolutely destroyed my wrist and had to have surgery on it, and that bad boy saved my life. I even use it to play FPS games and I'm no worse than I was with a traditional mouse.

[–] late_pessimistic@slrpnk.net 5 points 22 hours ago

+1 for MX Vertical. No issues with FPS games whatsoever

[–] DudeImMacGyver@kbin.earth 6 points 1 day ago

I originally picked one up specifically for FPS games haha

[–] Lumisal@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Do they only sell through Amazon?

[–] scallisto@retrofed.com -1 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago) (1 children)

I bought one through some Chinese ecommerce site (I think Aliexpress?), not sure if it's on Amazon (in any case, you're feeding some weird billionaire)

edit: It is on Amazon, for $30!

[–] Lumisal@lemmy.world 1 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Oh, if can't buy elsewhere than the two then unfortunately it isn't an option for me. Hoped it would be possible since it's supposedly Japanese. Are you sure the AliExpress one isn't a knockoff then? Couldn't find the other colors from the company itself.

[–] scallisto@retrofed.com 1 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago)

Just checked Amazon, it is for sale with all four colours (though you do have the Amazon tax)

A bit unfortunate it's not sold in other stores though

I have one and I love it.

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