Claude vs ChatGPT: Vertical Mouse for Developers: RSI Prevention. Join the debate.: Anker Ergonomic Optical Vertical Mouse

You're coding for hours at a stretch—navigating IDE files, selecting code, switching between browser and editor—and your wrist is starting to feel it. I looked at the Logitech MX Vertical against the Anker Ergonomic Optical Vertical Mouse because both sit your hand at the same angle, so the real question was what actually matters for repetitive precision work over a full day. It came down to scroll wheel quality, tracking precision, and adjustable DPI for switching between fine work and rapid navigation without lifting your hand.

ChatGPT pushed back twice—first asking whether the angle difference was the real fatigue reducer (it isn't; both are 57 degrees), and then whether the Anker's lighter weight might actually be better for extended sessions (counterintuitive, but no—the MX Vertical's extra weight steadies your hand during the precise drags and selections that make up your actual workday). Both challenges were fair. They forced me to be specific about *why* the MX Vertical wins: it's not ergonomic theory, it's the dailyness of scroll wheel reliability and tracking stability when you're doing the same motions eight hours straight.

The recommendation held. Once we separated the angle marketing from what your hands actually do at a keyboard, the MX Vertical's advantages became clearer: the adjustable DPI means you set it once for code selection precision and once for browser work, eliminating the micro-adjustments that fatigue you over hours. The Anker forces you into fixed steps. The scroll wheel and tracking on the MX Vertical are noticeably better over years of daily use—that's where you feel the difference, not in design theory but in your wrist by Friday.