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This is a section dedicated entirely to my search for the perfect trackball mouse. There seems to be a trend in the trackball community to wind up with a drawer full of trackballs before you find the one that's "just right." This is also the case for me! I currently have 4 trackballs (2 of which I use on a regular basis), and I've used a 5th one that I returned after 2 weeks.
I grew up using a mouse, but have started using trackballs in the pats few years, mostly for ergonomic reasons. When I do use a mouse, it's usually a vertical mouse for work, or a Logitech G502 for gaming. I can get bad RSI in my wrists in hands if I don't keep them stretched out and minimize my repetitive motions. Trackballs and vertical mice help a lot with this.
Beyond the ergonomics, a trackball can be is much more precise than a mouse, and with the right one, can also make using your computer much quicker, and, I think, more fun. It's also good for smaller workspaces and desks, because you don't need to move your hand around. You also don't need a mousepad or to worry about what kind of surface the trackball is on!
What makes a good trackball?
For me personally, the following requirements also apply:
These are my mini-reviews of the various trackballs I own or have used in the past.
The GameBall is my almost-perfect trackball.
The GameBall is one of the few (if not the only) trackballs on the market that meets my requirements. The ball is controlled with the fingers, it has a scroll ring with toggleable continuous/fixed scrolling modes, plenty of buttons, and basically every setting can be tweaked on the hardware itself. Importantly, the GameBall is ambidextrous: I can use it with my left hand without messing with the OS mouse controls, which allows me to make use of a mouse right-handed, and the trackball left-handed (I am left-handed, but grew up using the mouse right-handed).
The ball motion is extremely smooth, and the bearings are high quality. There are 5 primary mouse buttons plus vertical and horizontal scroll wheels. Additionally, the trackball has a fairly comfortable grip in my hands. I feel like it could be a bit thicker/taller, though. The device is a bit too flat for my tastes, but I've adapted to it over time.
The biggest downside of the GameBall is that its 6th mouse button cannot be remapped. The secondary middle button serves as a "precision mode" button that lowers DPI. But this cannot be remapped on the device itself or via software.
The Orbit Mobile is my primary 'on the go' trackball.
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The device is smaller and simpler than the GameBall, but it has much the same feeling. It's a suitable replacement for the GameBall when I can't fit the GameBall or be bothered to unplug it from my desktop. The ball is smooth and controlled with the fingers, and it has a scroll ring on the top, around the ball. The design is ambidextrous, allowing me to use it with either hand.
My main criticism of this trackball is that it only has two mouse buttons. This can be worked around somewhat depending on the OS, but I feel like there's enough room on the device for at least one extra mouse button.
The DEFT PRO comes so close to being what I want.
This was the trackball I was using before getting the GameBall. It's so close to what I want, but the bearing quality means that the ball does not move smoothly, and it creates a very jarring experience. It's possible to swap out the bearings, which many people have done, but I'm not ready to take that leap yet.
The main advantage of the DEFT PRO is that it's quite large, and has a ton of buttons. I program the extra function button on the side to act as a "scroll wheel mode," which allows easy scrolling of web pages and documents using the ball itself, rather than the scroll wheel.
I think the DEFT PRO is better than the HUGE, because despite the name of the other trackball, the DEFT PRO is ACTUALLY huge, whereas the ELECOM HUGE itself lies flat.
The HUGE was what started my trackball journey.
The HUGE was the first trackball I got, along with a Logitech MX Ergo. I used it for quite a long time, but eventually grew disillusioned with its form factor. I got it specifically because I have large hands, and it delivered in that regard. The problem for is that it's too flat. Despite its name, the HUGE is only large in length. The shape of the thing doesn't really fit my hand well, and that eventually made it a non-starter for me.
It boasts most of the same features as the DEFT PRO, including 8 programmable buttons. I would recommend the DEFT PRO over the HUGE, simply because the DEFT PRO has the same amount of buttons, but a much better form factor.
In the beginning, I got the Ergo along with the HUGE.
The Logitech MX Ergo looks very nice, and feels very nice. It's got a design similar to a mouse, so it's a less jarring transition for someone new to trackballs. I'd probably have kept using it, and might never have even discovered the GameBall, if the thumb ball didn't strain my hand so badly. For whatever reason, using a thumb ball seriously strains my right hand and eventually leads to injury. A trackball controlled by my pointer/middle fingers is much more comfortable, and doesn't cause injury.
If you prefer a thumb ball, or are new to trackballs, I would recommend trying the MX Ergo to begin with. It is on the larger side, so it is best for people with larger hands. It's the successor to the Logitech MX 570, which was basically the same thing, but slightly smaller and didn't have a tilt mechanism built in.
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