Logitech’s Lift Vertical Mouse feels great, but gets dirty easily

My wrists are killing me. It’s probably because I’m getting older, but I also have carpal tunnel from years of poor posture and ergonomics. Ever since I started working from home — long before this pandemic hit — I’ve been hunched over, propping keyboards and monitors the wrong way, and wielding the wrong kinds of mice. That Logitech elevator couldn’t have come at a better time.

This vertical mouse is my first time using one, but it feels like an appropriate entry point into the world of better ergonomics. While I had wrist pain before calling this mouse up for review, things got exponentially better when I switched to the Lift from another Logitech mouse, the G305. The G305 is a solid wireless mouse, but I had to face the reality that aesthetics wasn’t something I could continue to prioritize without putting a strain on my body.

Luckily, with the lift’s cute colors and modern style, I don’t have to sacrifice ergonomics. After several weeks of use, I’m really looking forward to sitting down with the Logitech Lift to grind the day. Its handshake-style grip gives my fingers so much more room to breathe. The only major downside to this $70 vertical mouse is that it’s not grease-resistant. Now I have to find a way to clean it.

What does the Logitech Lift look like?

The Logitech Vertical Lift Mouse is a brother to Logitech’s MX Vertical Mouse, so it comes from solid stock. However, the lift is smaller, making it more comfortable for smaller hands (Logitech has one size finder for mice if you’re curious if this fits your grip). It also comes in a variety of colors including rose, which you see here, graphite, and light grey. There is also a special left-handed model, but only in graphite.

The Logitech Lift has quiet left and right click buttons, which I don’t think would be a selling point for this particular peripheral. But they’re so soft when you squeeze them, which is perfect for the ergonomic nature of this mouse. Other buttons include a clickable scroll wheel that I use with my index finger to scroll through pages, and a small button below that adjusts the DPI. Logitech also includes two thumb buttons that are pre-programmed as forward and back for browsing.

The mouse itself moves smoothly on most surfaces. I’ve used the lift on a cloth desk pad, which it appears to be designed to match, although you’ll have to use a toothpick to go into the crevices on the bottom of the mouse to clean it. Dirt is already collecting there from my weeks of use.

Speaking of gunk, since you’ve been cradling this thing all day, brace yourself for a shade of hand grease that will appear after weeks of use. Admittedly, I eat at my desk, which must have helped build things up. I also sway my face when I think, and I wear a tinted moisturizer every day, so it seems inevitable. At least I didn’t realize it was happening until I sat down to write this review. Now that I know it’s there I want to figure out how to get it off.

Logitech has one helpful page when cleaning the peripherals, but I’m still struggling to get some traction on the dirt. I checked with a friend who reviews gadgets and they also noticed a small film on their respective review device. Part of the problem is that half the mouse is rubberized, so it’s like a binder for skin oils and lotions. I didn’t see that much residue on the matte half of the mouse.

Smooth movements

The dirt on my Logitech Lift review unit is concentrated in the parts you grip hardest: your thumb and forefinger. Because it’s a vertical mouse, you’ll find that your movements are focused instead of swaying your wrist left and right like you would with a standard mouse. Instead, it feels like you’re drawing a big picture with one handy tool.

It took me a while to get used to it Logitech elevator. When I picked it up for the first time, I immediately regretted it because it was such a different feeling than what I was used to. But after a week or so, I felt more comfortable with the movements required to operate a mouse like this.

Using the Logitech Lift is like moving a pen on a WACOM tablet. It works best with small, subtle movements, and every small turn of the wrist translates instantly to the screen. While I love the Logitech Lift for general browsing and work purposes, I still feel somewhat limited when toggling between cramped menu items or adjusting a slider in programs like Adobe Lightroom. I definitely wouldn’t use this mouse for gaming and would instead go with one of the original culprits of my carpal tunnel, the wired Logitech G203.

Logitech’s confusing software situation

I’ve reviewed several different Logitech peripherals in the past. Each time I’m confused about which of the company’s many apps to use to do things the way I like them. I currently have six apps created by Logitech installed on my Windows computer to control all my different devices. they include Logitech G hub for your gaming peripherals, Logitech capture for my webcams and Logitech Options for customizing other Logitech keyboards and mice I’ve tested. Now I have to round it all off with that Logi Bolt driver and Logi Options+ for the Logitech Lift.

However, the sheer volume of programs is very confusing. I already had the Logi Bolt software installed when I checked that out Logitech POP keyboardso I didn’t get prompted to install Logi Options+, an app that will presumably eventually replace Logitech Options.

I like the look of the Logi Options+ software itself, and the program makes it easy to click on the parts of the mouse that I want to customize. The DPI button between the left and right mouse clicks is not programmed by default, so pressing the button doesn’t affect the cursor speed unless you go to Options + and adjust it. You can change the cursor speed in 100 DPI increments, although it’s listed in percentage points. The maximum speed of the lift is 4000 DPI. If you want to use it for gaming, you can.

A good if dirty mouse

Logitech promises a battery life of up to 24 months for the lift with one AA battery. It’s been a month and I’m still at 100% when connected via the Bolt USB receiver. The lift offers Bluetooth connectivity and you can switch between three different computers or tablets at the same time.

The Logitech Lift inspired me to move things around my office so I wasn’t in pain at the end of the day. Since then, I’ve upgraded to a better keyboard and keycaps, and swapped out the tiny desk for a taller bar table that can be adjusted by crane. Things are getting better although there is always room for improvement. And while the Logitech Lift hasn’t eliminated my pain, the physical act of moving my arm around the desk to control my computer means I take the pressure off my aching wrist.

The Logitech Lift will not please everyone. Reading other reviews, larger hands seem to have a harder time adjusting to the lift, its size, and the position of the buttons relative to where the fingers land. But for me, it’s been a boon to my productivity and comfort in my work-from-home lifestyle. And it comes in a color that matches the rest of the stuff on my desk.