Best Of

Ok I know I'm opening a pandoras box when the title of my comment is such. I have being doing graphic design and CAD since I was a teen. And along the way I have thoroughly tested every major human input device to get that old curser to move around a screen. Reading this post might save you lots, as I've spend a fortune on this over the years. Also I'm not writing about 3D mouse. I've already opened that box over here:

3D Connexion 3D mouse - It's productive; not how you think it might be — Onshape

I would love to share my experience in order of what I've tried.

1. The humble standard mouse you get with the home PC. Two buttons, roller ball, cable.
   The reason it was ditched: Constant ball and roller cleaning operations.
2. The optical mouse. This solved that major pain point of cleaning. And this was going to be my final mouse. Or so I thought.
3. The iMac Hocky Puck mouse, this is when my problems started. I was forced to use this mouse as it came with the 9 month course I was on.
   It's the way you have to hold it and the constant clicking, I developed overuse syndromes. And later when I switch back to the optical mouse, the problems persisted. I was using the mouse way more than I was in my earlier computer days. I had friends in the film and entertainment industry having to quit their careers from overuse issues. This is when my quest began.
4. The 3M Joystick mouse. Takes some getting use to.
   The reason it was ditched: No scroll and PC OS was getting more and more scroll like.
5. Pen pad. Let's get as far away from the mouse as we can.
   The reason it was ditched: Constant moves between the keyboard and pad mean you have to constantly place a pen in a holder all the time, or simply type with it in your hands.
6. The Apple Mouse with the roller ball in the middle. This was also when I started in CAD having stopped graphic design.
   The reason it was ditched: Initially any new input device had it's honeymoon period after some intense months this mouse was back to the same mouse issues.
7. The Thumb Trackball Mouse.
   The reason it was ditched: Still pain and now new pain in my thumb.
8. Gaming Mouse. This was it, I thought, gamers have prolonged use of a mouse. So a gaming mouse must be the answer.
   The reason it was ditched: Still cause pain.
9. The Ergonomic Mouse: Endorsed by doctors, so if I get pain, I can blame doctors now.
   The reason it was ditched: Still causes pain. At this point I was starting to take things more seriously. I filmed myself using my PC and that's when I noticed I was holding my right pointer finger away from the clicker. I guess to avoid accidental clicking. Something that when you use tight UIs that demand precision you learn the hard way what accidental clicks do.
10. Finger Track Ball Mouse 1: I switched the primary clicker to my ring finger thinking that if I train a new digit to click it might not have the same issue.
    The reason it was ditched: Causes the same pain in other part of lower arm. It's mostly due to the click and hold while you move the ball in the pointer and index finger.
11. Kensignton Finger Track Ball: This one has a flat button deck in all 4 quadrants around the ball. I stuck with the defaults and just learned to click with my thumb.
    The reason I still have it: So far even with some intensive Onshape sessions there hasn't been too much pain.

Is it the perfect mouse for CAD? I don't believe there is one, I don't like the ball scrolling on this latest mouse and I keep accidently hitting back, which in Onshape is annoying because you go back in the browser. As long as it prevents the pain, I'll be keeping it. I believe it's ok because the thumb needs to tap down like how it does on the spacebar on the keyboard. It's more like a hammer action this seems better fitting for clicking that pointer finger tapping all day long.

If you are thinking of a track ball mouse: One of the bonus features you get is, you can ditch your mouse pad, and the cable isn't having to move so no need for batteries and or wireless connectivity issues. It's always in the same place on the desk surface. So moving between keyboard and curser is fast. Really the only downside to track balls is portability. You can't just grab it and gather it in your arms while being late to a meeting, you'll loose the ball or damage it. Although a simple transport clip would solve that. Ok well I have something to design in Onshape now. See you later. Can any of you relate to my struggle? Have you found something else I didn't yet try? I'd love to read it in the comments.

I use the Logitech MX Master 3 and it has been gamechanging for me, but I also think there are more factors than just the ergonomics of a mouse. Since I just got back from travel where I wasn't using my normal desk, it is fresh in my mind that posture at the computer and the angle my arm is sitting to the mouse and desk has a big impact on how my hands feel day after day. If I have good posture and my arm is close to 90 degrees (I rest my elbow and just forward of it on my chairs armrest), then my hands feel great. If my desk is too high or low it really starts to bug my hands. I have also noticed that doomscrolling on my phone when I'm not working makes things worse plus being a mountain biker I'm not really giving my hands a break from being curled up haha. Below is how I have my extras buttons setup, which also reduces movement. It should be noted I use the Solidworks controls since that was what I was used to. Some of my coworkers prefer the Onshape default since it uses different fingers and they find it easier on their hands.

Thanks for the tips!

The voids created by lofting were the root problem, once I saw how S1mon had selected them I was able to do the same and create a reasonable facsimile of the original part with my original 1.25mm shell size.