Five Best Budget Computer Mice

A good computer mouse doesn't have to cost a ton of money, especially if you need it to travel, or you're on a budget. This week we're looking at five of the best mice on the market for around $20, based on your nominations.

Earlier in the week we asked you for the best budget computer mice , and put the budget around $20 to keep the bar good and low. We saw tons of nominations, some below that mark, and others pushing $50. We had to trim down your nominations to mice that were no more than $30 at retail right now (besides, we've already talked about your favorite overall picks ), and sure enough some great nominations shone through. Here are your most popular picks, in no particular order:

Logitech M510

Five Best Budget Computer Mice

Affordable doesn't mean you have to settle for mouse that could have been packed with a PC from the 90s. The Logitech M510 Wireless Laser Mouse brings a lot to the table for not a lot of money. For one, it's wireless, and uses Logitech's Unifying receiver to communicate with your computer. If you have any other Logitech peripherals, you already have one of these, and this mouse will work without you having to coil a mouse cable or plug in a new dongle. It's technically a right-handed mouse, with back and forward buttons on the left side where your thumb would rest, but it can be used with either hand, thanks to its symmetrical design (lefties just won't get use of those buttons unless they use other fingers). A soft rubber grip on both sides offers a soft, comfortable grip. The scroll wheel also doubles as a side-to-side button, and all of the buttons are programmable. Battery life is solid, the mouse has its own on/off switch, and it's powered by two AA batteries.

The M510 was one of our more popular nominations, and many of you praised it in the discussions for its programmable buttons, the left/right clicking scrollwheel, and its durability, even for a wireless mouse. Many of you pointed out it's your preferred general-use mouse, especially for travel, and its battery life and reliability make it a winner. One of you even pointed out that anyone in the pricey, high-end mouse camp could come to this model and not think for a second they were downgrading. If you want one, they're available at Amazon for $25. Read more in the nomination thread here .

Microsoft Basic Optical Mouse 2.0

Five Best Budget Computer Mice

The Microsoft Basic Optical Mouse 2.0 (yes, that's its official name) is a no-frills, wired, optical mouse that trades frills and features for rock simple-but-solid build quality and reliability. It's available in black and white, connects via USB, is made of wide molded plastic, and offers a wide grip so you can rest your hand on it comfortably. The scroll wheel is satisfying, and while you're not going to find programmable buttons, side-to-side mouse wheel clicking, or rubber grips on this mouse, it does feel good in the hand and it's super-affordable. If your goal is truly a budget mouse that gets the job done with no bells and whistles, this is about as simple as you can get and still buy something that feels like it can take a bit of regular use.

Those of you who nominated the Microsoft Basic Optical Mouse 2.0 pointed to its no-frills design and low price as some of its high points. You noted it felt good to use, the optical sensor tracks well enough on most surfaces that you don't need a mousepad, and it's comfortable in either hand thanks to its ambidextrous design. It's a staple in businesses—places that need the ability to order cheap mice for workstations that don't have a lot of frills and can be ordered affordably in bulk, but it doesn't feel like punishment when you get one. If you want one, they're available in black and white at Amazon—$13 and $8, respectively. Read more in its nomination thread here .

Logitech M310

Five Best Budget Computer Mice

The Logitech Wireless Mouse M310 is another great mouse that offers features like wireless connectivity without costing a fortune. The M310 is a step down from the M510, but while it trades some of the frills, it doesn't compromise build quality, wireless connectivity, or comfort. It's a truly ambidextrous mouse, designed for use with either hand, and like other Logitech peripherals it uses the Unifying receiver to connect to your computer. The body is made of molded plastic around the top and rubberized, soft plastic around the sides and base for a comfortable grip, and Logitech boasts that you'll get a full year out of the single AA battery you'll need to power it. No programmable buttons or fancy contoured grips here—just a simple, affordable wireless mouse that'll last forever and take a beating in your laptop or travel bag.

The nominations thread for the M310 noted this too—those of you who nominated it praised its reliability, and pointed to the fact that this mouse is often available with Logitech keyboards, so one Unifying receiver is all you need to keep everything connected. The price is nice too—this mouse is available for $20 at Amazon, in a variety of colors, if you're interested and want a mouse that stands out or reflects a little of your own style while you work. Read more in its nomination thread here .

Dell Optical Laser Mouse

Five Best Budget Computer Mice

Another mouse from the "you probably got it with your PC" files, the Dell Optical Laser Mouse (sometimes referred to as the Dell Optical Wheel Mouse) is a simple three-button wired mouse that's built like a truck and shipped with every Dell PC for home and office for probably 10+ years. It's rock solid, shipped in a plastic bag, and was the mouse that probably introduced a lot of people to optical mice in the first place. It's perfect for use with either hand. They're still available in varying iterations, including the familiar silver-and-black model shown above, and an updated, slightly wider-gripped all-black model. Again, no frills, no special features, just a left and right mouse button and a scroll wheel. Nothing else to it—but where they shine is in the fact that somehow Dell managed to find someone to make mice that were really satisfying to use, well weighted, and can take a serious beating, whether they're parked on your desk or at the bottom of your laptop bag.

The nominations thread for the Dell Optical Laser Mouse was full of similar sentiment. It's not impressive, it's not fancy, but it's solidly built and solid to use, and it's difficult to describe unless you've ever actually used one. The buttons have a particularly responsive click and the scroll wheel is distinctly not-smooth, which adds to the overall feel of the mouse. Some of you speculated that Logitech made these for Dell. Either way, they're still available. Ironically, the older version will set you back $26 at Amazon, while its slightly newer counterpart is about $15. The most recent iteration in the family is available at Amazon for $12. Still, if you're nostalgic, look around—these mice can be had for as little as $5-$10 if you find someone offloading a bunch of them. Read more in the nomination thread here .

Anker C200 Ergonomic Wireless Mouse

Five Best Budget Computer Mice

The Anker C200 is a full-sized ergonomic wireless mouse that brings features you might expect from full-sized, more expensive gaming mice to the table for very little money. While many more affordable wireless mice are small, travel-sized portable mice, this one is the size of a desktop mouse, sports firm molded plastic around the outside and a wide, comfortable grip, along with rubberized left and right sides with a textured rubber grip molded into the contour on the left where your thumb would rest. It's a right-handed mouse, there's no getting around that. Perhaps most surprisingly, it sports a 2000 dpi optical sensor, with a sensitivity control on the top of the mouse that lets you toggle among 1000, 1500, and the full 2000 dpi. Anker notes that their mouse may be affordable, but it's designed for PC gamers who also need to get some work done—so you can crank the sensitivity up or down to suit your needs. Forward and back buttons near the thumb rest let you move back and forth on the web, and the scroll wheel has a satisfying click (not smooth) as you use it.

The C200 isn't listed on Anker's site anymore, but it's still widely available. Good thing too—it earned a lot of praise from you in the nominations thread. Many of you pointed to the fact that the mouse is impressive for its price, both in terms of features and build quality. You also noted that the tiny receiver dongle—very similar to Logitech's Unifying receiver—is tiny and unobtrusive, and almost all of you praised Anker for making great hardware at low prices, and offering incredible support if anything goes wrong. Also worth noting: The C200 is a full-sized mouse, but only runs on a single AA battery. We imagine how much fiddling you do with the features may have a say in how frequently you replace that battery. Best of all, it's available in two colors at Amazon for a mere $15. That puts it below a number of others in the roundup, and bursting with more features. Read more in its nomination thread here .

Now that you've seen the top five, it's time to put them to an all out vote to determine the Lifehacker crowd favorite.

This week's honorable mentions go out to a couple of mice that just missed the cut, including the Logitech M100 Optical Mouse and the Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 3000.

The M100 is available for ten bucks at Amazon or direct from Logitech, and represents the company's simplest wired mouse. Many of you praised it for being a no-fuss, no-frills mouse that can go anywhere, wrap up neatly, and give you a reliable pointing device to use at home or on the go without worrying about dongles or receivers. On the other hand, the Microsoft Wireless 3000 is a small, portable notebook mouse that feels good in the hand even for its small size, offers sturdy molded plastic and a slightly rubberized ring around the top for texture, and impressive tracking in a small package. It's tiny but reliable, and while it's technically been discontinued in favor of the Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500, you can still find them. Amazon carries the 3000 for $30, and the 3500 in a variety of colors for $15.

If you have a few more bucks to spend, here are a couple of mice worth mentioning that didn't make the cut because of price: The Logitech Anywhere Mouse MX (available for $38) and the Logitech M705 Marathon Mouse (available for $33) both fell above our $30 cap, but if you have the money for either of them, they're both powerful, feature-rich options that don't cost a ton more than the $20-ish mice above. Both were popular in the nominations round, regardless of price, and we can vouch for them too.



Title photo by Johannes Gilger.