This self-made engraved metal mouse is craftsmanship at its finest

We’ve seen a few interesting takes on the computer mouse, most of them trying to put a more ergonomic spin on a device that has changed little in the past decades. Some people are able to defy the norms and create a masterpiece that isn’t usable. There are also those who make a simple piece of technology into a luxury product. It might not be made out of gold, but this metal mouse puts those expensive mice to shame by the sheer amount of details and the fact that it was all crafted by hand at someone’s personal workshop.

Designer: Uri Tuchman

The basic design of the mouse hasn’t changed that much ever since the day it was first revealed to the public in 1968. You have a mostly rectangular piece of plastic with buttons on its head for clicking and some mechanism to actually map hand movements to the digital cursor on the screen. The mouse design was not intended to be comfortable or efficient. Engineers and designers have worked together over time to improve the design.

There are also some that have instead tried to glorify the electronic rodent with a different form or representation. We’ve seen transparent or leather-encased mice, mice that look like whales, and mice that can be flat-packed when not in use. The handcrafted mouse is definitely the best, as every component of it, save for electronics, are made entirely from metal.

There’s almost something mesmerizing about seeing metal getting whittled down to size and shape, presuming you have your speakers muted. It’s even more mind-blowing when you learn that each piece of the mouse, other than the electronics where cut and shaped from raw pieces of metal. Not a single part, including the slots for the screws as well as the mouse wheel, was bought from stores. But that was only the tip of the iceberg.

Each visible side of the mouse except the bottom is filled with ornamental patterns. All of these patterns were created and then hand-engraved. Yes, each of the flowing curves and shapes was painstakingly chiseled manually, with no assistance from a computer or a robot. The time-lapsed video makes it look too easy, but the intricate details clearly took hours and days of work.

This beautifully engraved mouse does also work, though it’s hard to imagine it will be a comfortable experience in the long run. The project was not designed for ergonomics, so it’s unfair to criticize. This is a beautiful piece of art. The fact it works is the cherry on the cake.