Logitech’s Lift vertical ergonomic mouse is the perfect WFH accessory

Just a few short years ago, a fully realized ergonomic home office was generally the realm of devout freelancers and the less-common long-distance virtual employee. Yet now it is being realistically pondered by a veritable WFH army. Which is why, as one of those home employed soldiers, I was psyched to try Logitech’s new Lift Vertical Ergonomic Mouse — which is available now in three colors: off-white, graphite and rose.

The latest addition to the company’s Ergo line, which includes the Logitech Ergo K860, our pick for best ergonomic keyboard, the unique-looking Lift was designed to put less stress on everything from shoulders, back and forearms to the more-obvious wrists. Specifically aimed at small to medium-sized hands, it boasts a compact build, rubber grip, thumb rest and an odd, yet strangely simple to master vertical construction, which helped give it its name.

Though we chose the Logitech MX Master 3 as our pick for best ergonomic mouse, which offers a more conventional shape, we named Logitech’s larger, pricier, more full-featured MX Vertical mouse as a runner-up. The Lift eschews the MX Vertical’s USB-C charging for a single AA battery and is available in a left-hand model, though they are both validated by US Ergonomics and come with a back-friendly AGR seal of approval.

But is the 57-degree vertical design worth the equally steep $70 price tag? Here are our thoughts after incorporating the Logitech Lift into our home office space for a week.

What we loved about it

I confess, I’ve never used a vertical mouse before. But during the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, when my husband took over the one home office in our apartment (he takes more calls than me and needed the privacy) I found myself sequestered at the dining room table. This led to some extremely poor posture and a deep look into better ergonomics — as well as some physical therapy. And though I invested in a better office chair, a bigger monitor and a Microsoft split ergonomic keyboard, it did not occur to me to upgrade my mouse as well. Until now.

The Logitech Lift landed on my desk last week. Well, two of them really, since I received a right-handed off-white and a left-handed graphite (it also comes in a dusty rose color). I grabbed the off-white mouse, opened the box and inspected its sleek, steep, architectural design. Though it looked more like a fancy French pastry than a computer peripheral, with a soft, swirled rubber grip, I was game to give it a try.

A vertical mouse keeps your arm and wrist in a more natural position by holding it like you would shake a hand, thus also keeping it in line with your arm. The idea is that you’ll never have to twist your arm to grip it, which then lessens the contractions in your forearm muscles. At 4.72 x 3.11 x 3.09 inches, the Lift is a perfect fit for my smaller hands and I immediately took to the thumb rest.

Easy to set up — and easy to get comfortable

Setting it up was a cinch right out of the box. The single AA battery was already installed so all I had to do was power it on and it automatically paired with my MacBook Pro via Bluetooth. Though I can’t be sure, Logitech says that the battery should last up to a whopping two years.

I set aside my beloved Microsoft Arc Mouse, which I had been using for years and which is especially easy to snap flat and throw in a bag if I’m heading out to work, and swapped in the Logitech Lift, expecting to spend hours figuring it out. Instead, I was rewarded with nearly instant gratification. It took approximately five minutes to get used to the grip and using the two left and right buttons and slide wheel, which are on the side rather than sitting on top of the mouse.

The back of the Lift fit nicely into my palm and I could rest my wrist on the desk. And because my chair’s armrest was at the correct height, I could use my elbow rather than my hand to move the mouse around. The entire process also made it easier to sit up straight, which is something I have to think about all the time now.

Both the scroll wheel on the right side and the click buttons on either side are silent and easy to reach with my thumb and forefinger. And I liked how easy it was to control the magnetic, rubberized SmartWheel, which can be slowly clicked for browsing or quickly flicked for more rapid scrolling on longer documents.

Simple pairing with multiple devices

Though I mainly stick to one laptop these days, Logitch lets you pair the mouse to up to three different devices running Windows, macOS, Linux, Chrome OS, iPadOS or Android — and switch between them instantly by pressing the button on the Lift’s base. I dug out my Microsoft Surface, which I tend to throw in my carryon for shorter trips, and indeed had no trouble immediately pairing it as well. The mouse also supports a fourth connection with an included dongle. And if you’re using more than one screen, the Logitech Flow feature lets you move the cursor between three computers at the same time.

Logitech also makes the Lift effortless to figure out for any type of user via its new Logi Options+ software for Windows and Mac. Once installed, it guided me through all the buttons individually and succinctly, and showed me how I could customize each button, adjust pointer speed and toggle through sensitivity levels on the SmartWheel. I chose to make the two left side buttons “copy” and “paste,” but left the scroll wheel and pointer speed as-is.

What we didn’t like about it

For the most part, I appreciated almost everything about the design and simplicity of the Logitech Lift. The one complaint is the location of the small DPI button, which sits directly below the SmartWheel. Though I didn’t feel the need to adjust the cursor speed, those who do may find it harder to reach.

And, lastly, I might feel more comfortable with a rechargeable USB-C option rather than relying on a AA battery, though again, it’s not something that came into play during testing. If you prefer to have a mouse with a rechargeable battery (or want the option of using a wired connection), you’re better off with the MX Vertical.

Bottom line

The Logitech Lift is among the best ergonomic mice we’ve tested, and our favorite vertical option yet. It fit beautifully into the palm of my hand, was easy to push around without moving my wrist and best of all, the learning curve was nearly nonexistent. I liked that it worked right out of the box and could instantly connect to three different computers. And, unlike most other mice, there is a left-hand option for southpaws.

Due to its more compact design and lower price, the Lift is a great alternative to the Logitech MX vertical mouse for smaller to medium-sized hands. Unless you want a rechargeable battery, an optional wired connection or different size for larger hands, we think the Lift is the new vertical mouse to buy for most WFH warriors. And if you prefer a more traditional flat design, the $99 Logitech MX Master 3 remains our overall best mouse pick.

How it compares to other vertical mice we tested