Logitech Couch Mouse M515 Review

Logitech’s Couch Mouse M515 is the ultimate peripheral for you lazy bones out there. Why exert the effort of using a mouse pad when you can comfortable mouse directly on the couch cushions? While this may seem like a small audience, the mouse also doubles as a fine, comfortable desk mouse.

The Good: Comfy (as a couch mouse should be), Hyper-Fast scrolling, receiver placeholder

The Bad: Hand Detection response a bit jerky at times

Mousing on unconventional surfaces is nothing new to Logitech -- they've had a line of mice with Darkfield Laser Technology for quite some time. What separates the Couch Mouse from its Logitech brethren is its sealed base, meant to prevent fabric fuzzies from jamming up the works.

I couch moused for a few days, and the M515 was true to its word -- no fuzzies to be seen (although there was some dust … note to self: vacuum more). The sealed base also allows for easy gliding without getting snagged on threads or textures.

With a fairly simplistic design, the M515 can be used with either hand. This means that it’s not truly ergonomic, but it does have some comfortable finger grooves. It uses Logitech’s Unifying technology, so you only need one nano receiver if you’re also using a Logitech keyboard with Unifying tech. Another bonus: there’s a nano-receiver placeholder in the battery cover.

The M515 also has what’s possibly my favorite Logitech detail: Hyper-Fast scrolling. Hyper-Fast scrolling lets you choose between flying through documents and spreadsheets at light speed, or you can press the scroll wheel to have the more traditional click-to-click scrolling. I always appreciate the choice, and switching between the two becomes quite intuitive after no time at all.

Logitech, which eliminates all batteries in its K750 Solar Keyboard , tries to stretch battery life with the M515 by enabling the mouse to turn on and off simply by detecting whether a user’s hand is on it (known as Hand Detection technology). This, according to the company, enables battery life to be extended up to two years. There is also an on/off switch on the base.

While this sounds great in theory, in practice it proved to be a bit jerky and distracting. There were many times that it felt more like the mouse’s batteries were dying because of the delay for the mouse to register movement. It didn’t happen consistently, but it did happen enough that I noticed. It did seem to happen more often when I was mousing on my wooden desk.

It’s important to note that the Couch Mouse M515 does not have Logitech’s Darkfield technology, so if you’re using it on a glass surface, you will need a mouse pad.

The Bottom Line

At $49.99, the M515 is pricey for your everyday wireless mouse, but its sealed base and Hyper-Fast scrolling makes it a great option for couch surfers (ba-dum-dum). The Hand Detection technology seemed a big buggy, so if you’re not into long-term couch use, look at Logitech’s other, more traditional, wireless mice.

Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.