Wireless mouse with longest battery life?

[BestMouse]

My system is a year-and-a-half-old Dell Dimension 8400 running WinXP,
with a Dell wireless keyboard and mouse, and is left on 24 hours a
day. Unfortunately the mouse, which requires two AA batteries, uses up
batteries very fast, so I'd like to replace the mouse with a more
efficient one (but keep my current Dell wireless keyboard).

Which wireless mouse has the longest battery life?

I know that rechargeable batteries are an option, but would prefer to
keep using regular Duracell's, but with longer life.

 

[Bucky Breeder]

My system is a year-and-a-half-old Dell Dimension 8400 running WinXP,
with a Dell wireless keyboard and mouse, and is left on 24 hours a
day. Unfortunately the mouse, which requires two AA batteries, uses up
batteries very fast, so I'd like to replace the mouse with a more
efficient one (but keep my current Dell wireless keyboard).

Which wireless mouse has the longest battery life?

I know that rechargeable batteries are an option, but would prefer to
keep using regular Duracell's, but with longer life.

I've got a Micosoft which shuts itself off when you don't move it, and
quick as you put some motion to it, it lights back up. It uses 2 AAA's, and
instead of the provided alkalines, I use NiCads and recharge them.


Best wishes to you and yours for a safe and joyous holiday season.

--

If trees could scream,
would we be so cavalier about cutting them down?
We might be so mean,
if they screamed all the time, for no good grounds.

 

[PeeCee]

My system is a year-and-a-half-old Dell Dimension 8400 running WinXP,
with a Dell wireless keyboard and mouse, and is left on 24 hours a
day. Unfortunately the mouse, which requires two AA batteries, uses up
batteries very fast, so I'd like to replace the mouse with a more
efficient one (but keep my current Dell wireless keyboard).

Which wireless mouse has the longest battery life?

I know that rechargeable batteries are an option, but would prefer to
keep using regular Duracell's, but with longer life.

I have seen Wireless Mice where the USB receiver also doubles as a charger,
the idea being you just drop the mouse into the receiver/charger while you
are not using it
I've seen Logitec ones, not doubt there are other reputable brands.
I personally have a no name Supermarket one that has not gone flat in over a
year by just popping it into it's cradle when I not in use. (Not a
particularly good mouse though)

Best
Paul.

 

[Adam Russell]

My system is a year-and-a-half-old Dell Dimension 8400 running WinXP,
with a Dell wireless keyboard and mouse, and is left on 24 hours a
day. Unfortunately the mouse, which requires two AA batteries, uses up
batteries very fast, so I'd like to replace the mouse with a more
efficient one (but keep my current Dell wireless keyboard).

Which wireless mouse has the longest battery life?

I know that rechargeable batteries are an option, but would prefer to
keep using regular Duracell's, but with longer life.

I have a logitech LX7 now. It lasts way longer than other mice I have had.
It doesnt have the recharger cradle, but thats fine with me cause I always
had problems with those. I keep a battery recharger behind my desk with 2
spare batteries topped off. Even using the rechargeable batteries it goes
about a month of heavy usage before I swap them out. I guess if I used
regular batteries they would last 6 months.

 

[DaveW]

The BEST wireless mouse overall and the one that has it's batteries last the
longest is the Microsoft Wireless 6000 Laser Mouse. The Duracell batteries
last well over 6 months of all day, every day use.

 

[thanatoid]

My system is a year-and-a-half-old Dell Dimension 8400
running WinXP, with a Dell wireless keyboard and mouse, and
is left on 24 hours a day. Unfortunately the mouse, which
requires two AA batteries, uses up batteries very fast, so
I'd like to replace the mouse with a more efficient one
(but keep my current Dell wireless keyboard).

Which wireless mouse has the longest battery life?

I know that rechargeable batteries are an option, but would
prefer to keep using regular Duracell's, but with longer
life.

Costco brand (Kirkland) AA's cost half of what Duracells cost
and last longer. I know it's hard to believe but it's true.

Rechargeables (a REAL brand, not some no-name crap) are a MUCH
better option and will cost you hundreds of dollars less in the
long run. But it's your money and your choice.

While it will give you a cable, just a different one, which will
not be attached to your computer but to wherever you want,
another option to perhaps consider is to buy a 3V AC adapter for
five dollars and have someone solder the wire into your mouse -
or do it yourself if you know how. Those things use less AC
power in a year than a lightbulb does in a few days (more or
less, no arguments "you know who you are" please) and you would
never have to worry about batteries again.

I know this is just my opinion and you don't care, but I never
saw much point in wireless m/k's unless you have a 40 inch LCD
monitor 10 feet away and like to compute from your bed. Even
then, the AC adapter cable going into the mouse would not impede
you from doing that since it can be plugged in anywhere.

There are also extension cables for both keyboards and mice and
everything else.

 

[Plato]

My system is a year-and-a-half-old Dell Dimension 8400 running WinXP,
with a Dell wireless keyboard and mouse, and is left on 24 hours a
day. Unfortunately the mouse, which requires two AA batteries, uses up
batteries very fast, so I'd like to replace the mouse with a more
efficient one (but keep my current Dell wireless keyboard).

Which wireless mouse has the longest battery life?

I know that rechargeable batteries are an option, but would prefer to
keep using regular Duracell's, but with longer life.

All batery powered mice are limited. Use a standard mouse for best
results.

 

[CBFalconer]

Costco brand (Kirkland) AA's cost half of what Duracells cost
and last longer. I know it's hard to believe but it's true.

Rechargeables (a REAL brand, not some no-name crap) are a MUCH
better option and will cost you hundreds of dollars less in the
long run. But it's your money and your choice.

I have had good experience with Walgrens house brand batteries.
They are quite economical, especially when on sale for half price.
My experience was confirmed some years ago by a Consumer Reports
article. Stock up at sale time.

 

[kony]

The BEST wireless mouse overall and the one that has it's batteries last the
longest is the Microsoft Wireless 6000 Laser Mouse. The Duracell batteries
last well over 6 months of all day, every day use.

False

It might be the right choice if the shape is ergonomically
correct for your uses, but Logitech's "Invisible light"
opticals use less power, tend to run for closer to a year.

I don't know "all" of the Logitech models that use this
technology but at least the V200 Notebook, LX5, LX7,
MediaPlay, and probably one or two more though availability
in any particular geographic region may vary.

 

[UCLAN]

My system is a year-and-a-half-old Dell Dimension 8400 running WinXP,
with a Dell wireless keyboard and mouse, and is left on 24 hours a
day. Unfortunately the mouse, which requires two AA batteries, uses up
batteries very fast, so I'd like to replace the mouse with a more
efficient one (but keep my current Dell wireless keyboard).

Which wireless mouse has the longest battery life?

I know that rechargeable batteries are an option, but would prefer to
keep using regular Duracell's, but with longer life.

Why? Logitech's cordless mice with NiMH AA and charging cradles are
the way to go. I've been using my MX700 with the same included NiMH
AA cells for over three years. I simply put the mouse in it's cradle
about every other night. Buying alkaline AA cells for a mouse is dumb.

BTW, there are now 2900mAh NiMH batteries available (soon to be 3000mAh)
which hold a charge as long as Duracell or Eveready alkalines. I use
NiMH AA cells in all of my remote controls as well. I haven't bought
an AA alkaline battery in years.

 

[UCLAN]

I have a logitech LX7 now. It lasts way longer than other mice I have had.
It doesnt have the recharger cradle, but thats fine with me cause I always
had problems with those. I keep a battery recharger behind my desk with 2
spare batteries topped off. Even using the rechargeable batteries it goes
about a month of heavy usage before I swap them out. I guess if I used
regular batteries they would last 6 months.

2700mAh and 2900mAh NiMH batteries last just as long (if not longer)
than standard Duracell or Energizer AA batteries (which are ~2700mAh.)
Depends on the application.

 

[kony]

2700mAh and 2900mAh NiMH batteries last just as long (if not longer)
than standard Duracell or Energizer AA batteries (which are ~2700mAh.)
Depends on the application.

In this application, NiMH cannot power a mouse as long.
NiMH inherantly has a self-discharge propensity that will
result in lower usable power over the course of several
months time. If the mouse were power hungry enough that it
drained the batteries within a month or two, NiMH would be
more competitive.

That doesn't mean it isn't a good idea to use NiMH, as
certainly it'll be more cost effective and kinder to the
environment. The remaining option that somewhat contradicts
what I wrote above is the new breed of NiMH by Sanyo,
eneloop. Their capacity is lower than their other NiMH but
self-discharge rate is much lower. Unfortunately most
places don't carry eneloop yet, of the major retailers they
might be cheapest at hhgreg.com

 

[Adam Russell]

Why? Logitech's cordless mice with NiMH AA and charging cradles are
the way to go. I've been using my MX700 with the same included NiMH
AA cells for over three years. I simply put the mouse in it's cradle
about every other night. Buying alkaline AA cells for a mouse is dumb.

I had one of those but had a problem that if I wasnt very careful putting it
in the cradle just so, then it wouldnt make good contact and wouldnt charge.

 

[Rod Speed]

I had one of those but had a problem that if I wasnt very careful
putting it in the cradle just so, then it wouldnt make good contact
and wouldnt charge.

Trivial to check that its charging because the
green led on the top flashes when its charging.

 

[Adam Russell]

Trivial to check that its charging because the
green led on the top flashes when its charging.

Yea but I forget alot when its late. Also was kind of a pain when it
wouldnt. Set it down, wait, set it again, wait, clean the contacts, try
again...

 

[//// Owen \\\\\\\\]

I have a logitech LX7 now. It lasts way longer than other mice I
have had. It doesnt have the recharger cradle, but thats fine with me
cause I always had problems with those.

It seems everbody has problems with Logitech's recharger/cradle. I wonder
when they will fix this problem.

 

[UCLAN]

I had one of those but had a problem that if I wasnt very careful putting it
in the cradle just so, then it wouldnt make good contact and wouldnt charge.

Yeah, it's tough. If the green light comes on, then it's in right and
it's charging. If the green light *doesn't* come on, it's not. I started
having difficulty, but cleaning the contacts on the cradle and on the
mouse ended the problem.

 

[UCLAN]

In this application, NiMH cannot power a mouse as long.
NiMH inherantly has a self-discharge propensity that will
result in lower usable power over the course of several
months time. If the mouse were power hungry enough that it
drained the batteries within a month or two, NiMH would be
more competitive.

Some cordless mice ARE power hungry, being in the on/active state
if they are not in the charger. *In these applications*, the 2700-
3000mAh NiMH rechargeables hold their charge just as long as the
alkalines do. Using the cradle, well...NiMH is a "no brainer."

The remaining option that somewhat contradicts
what I wrote above is the new breed of NiMH by Sanyo,
eneloop. Their capacity is lower than their other NiMH but
self-discharge rate is much lower. Unfortunately most
places don't carry eneloop yet, of the major retailers they
might be cheapest at hhgreg.com

http://www.hybriousa.com/

 

[UCLAN]

It seems everbody has problems with Logitech's recharger/cradle. I
wonder when they will fix this problem.

What problem? Once it starts giving me trouble, I simply clean the
charging contacts of the cradle and the mouse (about once a year.)
End of trouble. The batteries acted up once. A charge cycle in my
Maha ended *that* quickly.

 

[kony]

Some cordless mice ARE power hungry, being in the on/active state
if they are not in the charger. *In these applications*, the 2700-
3000mAh NiMH rechargeables hold their charge just as long as the
alkalines do. Using the cradle, well...NiMH is a "no brainer."

It's doubtful those cells actually achieve upwards of
3000mAH. Even the majors are only now achieving 2700mAH,
and only then when batteries are new which can dismiss as
the point of rechargeables IS to keep using them.

Given the context of wanting long runtime, why would anyone
choose a power hungry mouse that doesn't have it's own
charger? I suggest that if it has it's own charger, it
doesn't matter much which batteries one uses, even the old
1100mAH NiCads should last a day or two till it's put back
into that charging cradle. Perhaps traveling with a laptop
is anther story, but there are laptop mice meant for this
use.