I was expecting a lot from this mouse because Microsoft is my favourite brand of mice, and also because I have one of the first Arc mice to ever come out to the market, many years old, and it's still working and in a very good condition.
THE THUMBS UP
The newest Arc Mouse is very minimalist in design, bends and unbends incredibly easy, and is amazingly flat; in fact, the flattest mouse I've ever seen. It's a bit heavier than other flattish mice, but the quality of the materials is way superior as well.The size is good for people with small hands, like me, as would allow them to have two or three fingers resting comfortably on the mouse (I doubt most men would be able to do so, though). The surface is soft and velvety, pleasurable to touch, and easy to handle because the rubbery material allows the hand to stay in place without slipping out even when it is sweaty. The arch of the mouse is also good, not too high not too low, at least for my hands. Although my thumb and pinkie are left out of the resting area, the round smooth sides and the hight of the arch make it comfortable for the fingers to hang around or underneath the edges.
The working area has been intuitively built and designed and, at least in my case, I had not problems moving, clicking and using the scroll, as my fingers sat and moved in the same way they would sit on a normal mouse.
One can customise the speed and functionality of the click buttons, the sensitivity and speed of the scroll, and also activate or deactivate the multi-finger use.
I tried the mouse on different surfaces (my desk, a gaming mat, my fabric sofa) and it worked perfectly on all of them.
Once installed, the connectivity was good. The mouse worked well, no drops during work time, except once when I left the computer to sleep. It was responsive to touch, easy to handle, but it was not especially fast or fluid as my simpler mice are.
This mouse is perfect for travelling or if you are on the go quite often, as it can be fit anywhere.
THE LET DOWNS
The main letdown of the mouse is the clicking, because one has to click really hard, almost push down the click, and that makes something as simple as clicking a pain, slowing down work. Besides, the noise is metallic and noticeable. Unfortunately, after an hour or so of use, my finger joints were noticing the effects, my forearm was saying hello-hello, tired of so much hammering. This tightness of the clicking might ease with time and use, but not everybody has the time or willingness to spend futile time trying to love something that cannot be fully loved. If you have strong hands or stronger hands than mine, this won't be an issue, but it is an issue for me.I expected the set-up to be easier than it was. I followed the basic set-up instructions in the leaflet inside the packing case. I tried it in my two computers, both running on Windows 10, but one of them quite old and the other brand new. I expected the device to be automatically recognised by my laptops' in-built bluetooth, but that was not the case in either despite the bluetooth being on. I had to download the drivers and do a bit of troubleshooting for the device to be found and paired in my brand new laptop, but the bluetooth connectivity wasn't good in my old laptop and I cannot use it with that.
One of the most annoying things about this mouse is the battery holder. It is so tight that it is really difficult to do something as simple as getting a battery out.
The worst thing about this mouse is that after a day of use ruined the whole bluetooth system of my computer, simply destroyed it. I don't know if a sort of drivers incompatibility or what, but my brand new computer switched off the bluetooth, then kept it hidden, then it would not allow me to turn it on, and I couldn't uninstall the Arc Mouse, and I had to totally uninstall everything bluetooth related to be able to uninstall the mouse driver. Even after that, after reinstalling all drivers, following Microsoft's and my laptop maker's instructions, my bluetooth has been destroyed. My bluetooth worked perfectly until I started to use this mouse!
I SUGGEST
If I were Microsoft's mice master mind, I would work on improving this mouse clicking and work flow to make it soft, mute and fluid, and, consequently, enjoyable.I personally like dongles as, until now, they work faster than any bluetooth connection, they would work even if the bluetooth fails, and it would be a way of having a two-way mouse that can face any adversity and adapt to any eventuality.
And since this mouse's drivers and my bluetooth did not get well along, I suggest Microsoft dudes to work together so nobody experiences the mess I have after installing this mouse.
IN SHORT
The mouse's shape and surface are great, as well as the overall design and thinness. This mouse is perfect for travellers or if you are on the go quite often, as it can be stored anywhere. However, the hardness of the clicking and the resulting lack of flow in the use aren't good unless your fingers hammer the click a la typewriter. And in my case, the mouse messed up my whole bluetooth system in a laptop that is less than a year old, something unforgivable.I got this as a gift for my birthday, but really, knowing as I know how expensive this mouse is and having used it for such a short time and having such a big problem with my laptop bluetooth, I can bluntly say that it is not worth the money or the hassle.
REMINDER
A work mouse is like a pair of shoes, one needs the right size and fit to be able to move properly; otherwise, one will be in pain. If the shoes are expensive but good, that is an investment; but if hey are expensive but mediocre, then it is a waste of one's money and and one is walking barefoot.Think about that dear mouse designers.
