This $15 item has kept my aging gaming mouse looking like new

I tend to scuff up my new tech purchases as soon as I get them. Not on purpose, they just come in contact with different paraphernalia that I carry around in my bag, like my headphones, USB cables, and the like. They work fine afterwards, but the shiny-new veneer that gives them their freshly minted look and feel disappears too quickly for my liking.

As an example, I got grazes on the side of my headset almost immediately after buying it and I scratched a line on my smartwatch’s face by carrying it in the same sleeve as my laptop charger.

But this hasn’t been the case with my gaming mouse! Why? Because I ordered a mouse carrying case to arrive at the same time as I got my mouse, and I’ve used it from the get-go.

The case I got is made of a lightweight material with a hard outer shell covered by a woven fabric. Inside is a soft suede-like material that feels nice and tactile to the touch.

The hard/soft combination reminds me of a violin case that I had when I was younger, and I get a similarly satisfying feeling putting my mouse away after each use as I got back then putting my violin away after practice. It’s good knowing that my valuable item is going to be safe and sound.

It means my mouse, safely cocooned inside its case, is perfectly protected from drops, scratches, and pressure put on it by anything that rubs up against it or rests on top of it inside my bag.

Dominic Bayley / Foundry

So far, this case has proved its worth many times over, keeping my gaming mouse in pristine condition, despite it now being several years old and having travelled with me on my daily commute to work (my gaming mouse doubles as my work mouse) and on long trips to places like San Francisco, New York, and Nashville.

Suffice it to say, my mouse’s veneer still looks new, the buttons work perfectly, and there’s none of that annoying grit that tends to seep into the crevices after a few months’ use.

I bought this $15 mouse case off eBay, but the exact same one is available on Amazon. It was actually made to fit the Logitech MX Vertical, but it fits my Razer Cobra Pro just fine, seeing as the Razer Cobra Pro is a similarly compact sized mouse.

If you want to buy your own, I’d recommend searching for one made for your mouse make and model. But if you can’t find one made for your mouse specifically, a generic case could work too. Just be sure to check that the dimensions will fit before you buy. Happy mouse-case hunting!