Picking your perfect computer mouse

— -- Trying to find the perfect mouse can sometimes make you feel like Goldilocks. This one is too small. That one is too big. This one has too many buttons, and that one only has one! We have the tips to help you find mouse that will fit your hand and mousing style just right (and we promise not to scare you out of the house afterward).

Getting a grip

To ensure maximum comfort, get a mouse that fits your hand size and grip style. There are three common ways people tend to hold a mouse: claw, palm, or finger grip. Recognizing which you use and find most comfortable will help you pick the size and style of mouse that fits you best.

The claw grip

Do you curl your fingers so that just the very tips touch the mouse? Your fingers probably press straight down on the buttons, and you move the mouse body with both your fingers and wrist. Mice that work best with this grip tend to be very small. If you use the claw grip, you may want to look into laptop mice or those marked as portable or travel mice, even if you're not planning on going any farther with them than the edge of your desk. Check out the Logitech M305 or the Razer Orochi. Both are small and work well with just your fingertips.

The palm grip

The palm grip occurs when you place your entire hand over the mouse so that the back of its body is nestled in the palm of your hand. You'll most likely move the mouse around using your whole forearm. Such a full-handed grip tends to favor mice that are larger (unless you have small hands) and ergonomically contoured. Most of these mice will be right-handed, but you can find some slightly smaller ambidextrous mice. A couple of examples of good palm grip mice are Microsoft's IntelliMouse Explorer and Logitech's Performance Mouse. A few manufacturers offer left-handed models, too.

The finger grip

The finger grip falls between the palm and claw grips. Your fingers rest flat on top of the mouse, and you use your wrist to move the mouse around. The rear of the mouse usually extends just past the base of your fingers as you hold it. You'll want to avoid both overly large and overly small mice, instead looking for a middle-sized device that fits your hand more comfortably. If this sounds like your style, then check out the Logitech Marathon Mouse and the SteelSeries Diablo III Mouse.

Bells and whistles

Should your mouse have a tail? A wireless mouse will free you from tangles but will require batteries that need to be changed or charged. At a desktop computer, you could go either way, but with a laptop (especially one that travels), a wireless mouse might be much more convenient. There are even travel mice that have retractable cables, too.

How many buttons do you need? We recommend four or five, rather than the standard two or three. Having a thumb button that serves as the Back button on your web browser is incredibly handy and quickly becomes as natural as using the scroll wheel. The middle button is also helpful for opening links you want to read in tabs, without interrupting the page you're on. If you like playing computer games, well then, the more buttons the merrier -- up to the Razer Naga's whopping 12 buttons just for your thumb!

Happily ever after

Once you've got the basics in mind, all you have to do is ballpark a price point and pick your favorite color. Don't be afraid to go to a big box retailer and give 'em a test drive -- after all, most folks spend more time using a mouse then they do behind the wheel of a car.

Keep these tips in mind, and your mouse hunting adventures will have a fairy-tale ending -- no blindness, carving knives, or porridge required.

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