Useful upgrades

For a long time it has been bothering me how my mouse didn't quite respond as i wanted it to, that the mousepad was neither steady nor precise, how the keyboard shortcuts are often not as short and reachable as i'd like them to be, how the wrist starts to ache after a while... Then later how the cable on the drawing board kept breaking and the pen is always at the bottom of the sofa at any given time. I'm sure you can relate to that in one way or another. So, i decided to settle this once and for all with the mouse. I gave away the old mouse and mousepad to my mother, then proceeded to the electronics store for a nice upgrade. Here's what came out of it:

Gaming mouse, steelpad. And, to ease up the wrist pressure, a bike glove (as i couldn't find proper gaming gloves). Logitech MX518, s&s steelpad. Although it's marketed mainly towards gamers, this comes in handy for photoshoppers as well. Let's take a closer look at the mouse.

As you can tell from the picture, the buttons are customizable, which reduces the need to use the keyboard or sidebar menus as often. It's also more ergonomic and precise than the regular mouse.

Next out, the steelpad. For those who have never heard of such thing, it's a more advanced mousepad. It's stiffer, so if needed you can keep it in your lap and still have a relatively straight surface to work on. The grip to the table is an awful lot better than the average ones (i've even tried to move it with the "dj-scratching" method, and it didn't move a millimetre). Included are some little dots called padsurfers, that make the mouse (when attached under it)  move even smoother across it. It also boosts the preciseness of the mouse.

Last there's the gaming glove. As a biking glove is relatively similar in its construction, this is my temporary solution and what i will be basing this section on. It eases tension on the wrist, which is one of the first things to tire in a longer photoshop session - at least it is for me. It also gives some more grip on the mouse, which of course is useful as you tire and would otherwise keep sliding down until you hardly reach the buttons.

All in all, these will improve both the stamina, efficiency and preciseness - and, as a bonus, it looks awesome.

Questions are more than welcome.

Until next time, live long and prosper.

- Gunn