Kensington Expert Mouse Optical USB Trackball for PC or Mac 64325
by Kensington
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Kensington Expert Mouse Optical USB Trackball for PC or Mac 64325
Customer Review: Excellent ergo product, reasonable price
Summary: 4 Stars
I support roughly 45 computer users, primarily Mac and laptop. These people work long hours, and do a lot of graphical data presentation and modeling (they are scientists). They do not pay attention to ergonomics until they hurt, and I have to go around with a figurative 2x4 forcing them to change habits. The Kensington trackball is one of the 5 items I recommend first (the others are GOOD chair, large (24"+) display at right height, external keyboard, and gel wrist pad). It takes users about 3-4 days to get used it -- some protest vigorously, but if I can get them past those 3-4 days, it usually resolves their mouse-related ergo issues. The large fat ball is much healthier for the kinds of scrolling across the screen that graphics programs require. The 4 click buttons provide great flexibility, and it's user-friendly for the mac people to program them. It's a great group solution, as well, because both left and right hand users can use the same mouse, so I can reassign these. Since we started using these (about 4 years ago), we have not had a single failure of any sort.
My only negative is that I wish Kensington would revamp the appearance. For some of my users, they were tremendously off-put by the (now that I think of it) old-fashioned body, and its nerdy (vs elegant) appearance. I realize that it's an old workhorse in the Kensington stable, but I do think a little bit of redesign of the case could help me persuade more of my users to use it. I've had one user who is supersensitive to esthetics, and she refuses to even put it on her desk (sigh). But overall it's the best mouse, ergo and functionally, that I've found on the market over 15 years. Expert Mouse Programmable Trackball
Customer Review: Best trackball I've used
Summary: 5 Stars
I use a trackball out of necessity to prevent a recurring repetitive-stress injury from recurring. I've probably tried 7 or 8 different types, and this one is by far the best:
- It's big, which in a trackball is good. The bigger the ball, the less fine motion you need to control it. The miniature trackballs make my hands hurt more than than a mouse does, and the trackballs that you manipulate with your thumb instead of your whole hand cause injuries (my thumb hurts to the point that I can't use it after a couple days).
- All four buttons are programable to do useful things. I have the upper right one programmed to toggle track-ball-as-scroll-wheel mode and the left one to flip between horizontal and vertical scrolling.
- The movement of the ball is silky smooth.
- The scroll ring works well, though it does rattle around a bit when you use it. The cheesy feel doesn't affect the functionality, however.
- The wrist pad is wonderful.
There are two negatives, which I can easily live with:
- Two-dimensional scrolling isn't supported. You need to hit a button to go from horizontal to vertical scrolling, and can't move diagonally, for example, to scroll simultaneously in both dimensions.
- There's a bug in Apple OS X 10.6.4 that prevents the machine from (sometimes) recognizing the device. I have a ridiculous workaround ----- close the cover, open the cover, plug in the trackball --- that solves the problem, but it's an annoyance. This problem is Apple's, however, not Kensington's. I've observed the problem with several external keyboards and mice, and also on several machines. OS versions up to and including 10.6.2 don't have this problem. Of course, Apple's own hardware works fine :-).
Customer Review: My first trackball: Better than a mouse but could be better
Summary: 3 Stars
This is my first trackball. I use it at work for where I do mostly graphic design and desktop publishing. I chose it based on other positive reviews and because I couldn't imagine not having a scroll wheel.
The scroll ring works OK. I agree with other reviewers that it feels a little "plastic-on-plastic" cheap, but it's not awful--just not what you'd expect from a $100 device, maybe something more like $25. I think it would be nice if it was acceleration-sensitive to help with longer scrolling (but maybe that would be bad in practice?).
I do use the wrist rest that is included because the unit slopes upward. It would be more comfortable if the whole thing was sloped sideways so the hand and arm could rest in a neutral position. (I sometimes find myself tilting my hand to emulate this.) If the whole thing was smaller, maybe with a "virtual" half-ball, that might help, too. But the large ball is very nice. Also, the top buttons can be a little difficult to reach.
I cannot comment on the MouseWorks software because Kensignton says not to install it on Vista, which I am running, because it is unnecessary (see the FAQs on their website).
I have been using it for about a month now. I only notice how I like it more than a mouse when I have to use a mouse. It also helped my forearms, along with these braces (Futuro Reversible Splint Wrist Brace, Medium (6.25 to 7.5 Inches) (Pack of 2)), as I was beginning to develop some sort of repetitive strain injury (RSI). I would have purchased on for home, but it is a little too tall to fit in my keyboard tray and let it still slide under the desk.
Customer Review: Not broken in - Heavy ball
Summary: 2 Stars
I bought two of these and have only used them a couple days. What I dislike most about it is the weight of the trackball. It is too massive to expect to be able to use delicate movements of one finger. It looks like a pool (table) ball that is especially painted. I have a little arthritis and at first I thought I would have to return it. It was annoying to see that the three little red balls that hold up the trackball were so stiff it made the trackball hard to turn. Turning it upside down and rolling it around helped but the stiffness was noticeable for hours. Not what I expect in a quality product. I use the ball with two fingers. The weight of the ball makes the whole thing topheavy so it is difficult to balance on my lap (where I usually use it). I did not like the size and placement of the buttons because there is no really comfortable position for my large hand. I think if Kensington kept the radial design of the buttons but made more of them and if the buttons extended further then I could use their programmabiltiy to get a good fit.
On the plus side the switches seem exellent and the correspondence between the cursor and the trackball (Once you get it rolling.) is great. There is no comparably priced trackball out there besides Logitech's but I have never had a Logitech mouse last for more than 18 months. A five year guarantee speaks for itself. I use both on one computer and have had no problems with that.
Please understand my two star rating is not comparing this to any other trackball but what I expect from ordering (and paying for) the best one available and a first impression. I'm sure if I continue to use it my opinion will improve over time.
Customer Review: The Best And Most Durable Trackball I've Ever Owned! (A Report From 3 Years In)
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had this trackball for 3 years now and it is still working like new. The ball was stiff when I first got it, but that went away after a day or so of use.
Look for the instructions left by "Eric G" in these comments as they make the scroll ring much nicer. I modded my 3 year old model just now by removing the magnet (held in by a springy piece of plastic with a post on it going through a hole in the magnet's center) and lubing the ring mechanism from the rear with "TDL Dry Lube" from the hardware store - TDL works really good on vertical blind mechanisms BTW). I first removed the left plastic button assembly (3 screws) in order to more easily remove the cup assembly (2 screws). I wish I had modded it when I first got it.
I also just removed the wrist rest - it was getting loose anyway (pad kept falling off of the plastic bridge piece) and it was causing a sore spot on my wrist. The desk seems like a better rest for now, though I keep feeling around with my wrist for the missing pad to locate the trackball - old habits...
This is the best and most durable trackball I've ever owned, and I've owned a ton of them over the years. Mechanical ones die very quickly if the bearings and rotors aren't hardened steel, optical is really the only way to go. Now if they could only put trackballs back in laptops I might consider buying one - touchpads and that stupid IBM rubber eraser tip thing drive me crazy!
If I could, the only thing I'd change about it is the angle - I'd rather rest my hand on the trackball case and have the ball itself located more forward. The angle my wrist takes when I use it is slightly uncomfortable.