Computer mice come in all manner of shapes and configurations. From ultra-high Dots Per Inch mice for hardcore gamers, to the RSI-banishing ergonimic 'Doctor's Orders', to mini-mice which are ideal for laptop use, there are many to choose from.

Asking friends and colleagues to recommend their favourite peripherals is always fun. This is what they liked the best, after many man-hours of hammering.

NB., if some old-skool IT geek recommended a mouse that is no longer made, we tried to find the newer model if possible.

Logitech Trackman
A long-standing favourite, sitting on one colleague's desk for the better part of a decade. Although the use of trackball is fairly rare, when you do need it, this mouse is the king among men. The reasons given for it surviving this long? It almost completely eliminates RSI discomfort - as with a little practise your thumb can take control of the cursor with near pin-point accuracy. And if your desk is on the dinky side, it means you don't have to move the mouse around - let your thumb do the walking.

Logitech MX Revolution
This was far and away the most well-loved mouse in the move-it-all-over category. It looks a bit harsh, almost like someone has already squeezed the life out of it, but that large indent on the left allows for your hand to take a comfortable neutral position on the mouse. In the indentation is also a wheel which acts as an application-switcher. Probably the most revered aspect of the MX Revolution is the scroll wheel. It is free-spinning, rather than click-through, thus allowing for faster movement. Lush.

Logitech VX Nano
This tiny cutie absolutely horsed the laptop category. Its almost microscopic USB receiver made it well loved - it is so small that you can leave it plugged in to your laptop at all times without having to fret that it might get damaged. Your laptop should even still fit into its case with it plugged in - bonus. If you don't want to leave the receiver plugged in there is a slot on the mouse itself for storing it. Great design!

And despite its miniscule scale, the Nano has the same smooth and fast scrolling wheel from its bigger cousins. And five (FIVE!) programmable buttons. That is no small potato.

Microsoft Natural Wireless Laser Mouse 6000
Logitech are effectively the king of mice, though this Microsoft number got some good recommendations. The healthy size and slightly-rotated grip angle was felt to do away with any RSI strain the users might have been feeling in their wrists. Anything that helps our health when we are at our desks is worth a few Brownie points.

Battery life on this item was also noted to be long enough to make it stand-out from the other wireless mice on offer.

It has a similar app-selection button on the thumb, and the scroll wheel also acts as a selector when it's pressed.

The only downside for this mouse is the crazy long name.