Kensington Expert Mouse Optical USB Trackball for PC or Mac 64325
by Kensington
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List Price: Our Price: $68.53 You Save: $59.42 (46%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $35.00 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Kensington Expert Mouse Optical USB Trackball for PC or Mac 64325
Customer Review: Vista or not, best trackball / mouse money can buy
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been a web designer for over 12 years, and often spend more than 10-12 hours a day in front of a computer. I was developing (no surprise) a painful case of carpo tunnel, when a colleague recommended the Expert Mouse/Trackball.
Of course, my profession requires that I be incredibly precise with any device, and I was very skeptical at first. But the wrist conditions pretty much required that I switch from my drawer-full of other mice, including many expensive "ergonomic" models from other manufacturers.
Well, I am still an avid user some 2 years later. Although I can't use the programming buttons with Vista, the pros so far outweigh the cons that I've been recommending it to anyone within an earshot.
I have even better control than with a mouse, and wrist problems almost disappeared. Bottomline: I work faster, better, and healthier.
One more thing - the top-left button broke about six months ago. I thought I needed to buy a new one, but wanted to call Kensington just on a hunch. After two weeks, a shiny NEW one (in retail box no less) arrived at our studio, and even got tracking number while it was en route.
I just can't recommend this device highly enough. Hope anyone who's considering this device give it a go, and not be swayed the negative reviews regarding Vista driver (although it's a valid point nonetheless.)
Customer Review: Great ergonomics, great control, well worth the cost
Summary: 5 Stars
A good trackball is a major improvement over a mouse for those of us who don't have a surgeon's gift for fine motor control. Here's what makes it work:
1. You can use a larger part of your hand surface on the trackball, stabilize by resting your palm on the front pad, and use subtle hand and wrist movements to position the pointer precisely. The key here is that you *don't* need to use fingertip control.
2. A well-designed optical trackball like this one is extremely smooth, with almost no friction, and works on any surface (because it doesn't track the surface like a mouse).
3. It works well in confined spaces, like a sliding keyboard tray, that are a bit too small for a mouse to work comfortably over the full range of screen space, especially with multiple monitors.
Most of the trackballs on the market today miss the first point entirely. If you're a watchmaker or a violinist, one of the small trackball models might work well for you. If you're a drummer like me, a small trackball is harder to use than a mouse, because it requires more fine-motor agility and hand-eye coordination. You need a large trackball like this one.
Small gripe -- Kensington doesn't make a cordless version of the ExpertMouse anymore. I wish they did.
If you've never tried a trackball, be sure to try this one before you decide.
Customer Review: Carpal Tunnel Fighter
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been a fan of Kensington trackballs for several years, ever since a techie friend suggested I try one as a replacement for an ailing mouse. I bought the Expert Mouse Optical Trackball recently because my new computer would not recognize my old version of the Trackball.
At first, I was not entirely pleased with this newest version of the Trackball. The rolling action seemed very rough and scratchy.
But, I stayed with it, and the roughness gradually got better, and is now entirely gone. The motion of the ball and the corresponding motion of the cursor is now as slick as glass. Evidently, a new Trackball requires a fairly long break-in period.
Perhaps the greatest advantage to a Trackball over a mouse is that you use the Trackball without moving your arm, elbow or wrist. You simply put your wrist on the attached rest, and move the ball with your fingers. Although I don't have Carpal Tunnel problems, I have been told that the repetitive motions required to use a conventional mouse can aggravate or even cause that condition. Using a Trackball can help minimize those repetitive motions.
I have spoken with computer users who have used and don't like trackballs, but I definitely am not one of them. I use a computer for hours every day, and the Kensington Trackball helps to take the physical drudgery out of PC use for me.
Customer Review: Purchased two in a week.
Summary: 5 Stars
I must come down on the side of the folks who are happy with their Trackball Mouse. I use a PC all day as a shipping and receiving guy and many nights and weekends as an internet traveler and photography enthusiast using Photoshop. I could feel that my mousing was going to start taking a toll so I purchased this "Mouse" on the company dime and after two days, I bought one myself for my home use. Neither was bad initially but over a few days they did become smoother and I don't think the ball is heavy at all. I move it with my fingertips and it seems rather floaty and moves easily and accurately. The scroll wheel is very useful, (I wouldn't have made the purchase if it didn't have that wheel), and I adapted to it quickly. It does have a slight granularity to it's rotation but that adds a sense of feel that I don't find objectionable. I was a little skeptical even after reading the positive reviews and I was glad that I could experiment with someone else's cash when buying the first, but after trying one, I purchased the second without reservation. It's a real improvement over a standard mouse and works great. I use it with XP and it worked as soon as I plugged it in. And I do believe that it will serve an ergonomic purpose as time goes on. Your hand can be less cupped and isn't held in the same position for the whole time you are mousing.Customer Review: Great Purchase!
Summary: 5 Stars
I haven't really used a trackball before (but understood the concept) and I haven't had this thing hooked up more than 15 minutes and I'm already in love with it. Strangely, I haven't experience much of a learning curve, as its use is pretty intuitive.
The unit looks bad@$$ on the desk with my dual monitors. Build quality seems solid for an input device, granted, I've owned it less than an hour so long-term durability is still up in the air.
Read a lot of bad reviews of the wrist support, but I find it quite comfortable. It puts my hand right where I find it's best suited.
Ball size is perfect (... "that's what she said") and I feel it will prove to be a comfortable size later down the road.
Overall, I'm EXTREMELY excited to have made the switch over to a trackball, and even in the first 15 min I can tell it is going to greatly increase my productivity (between all the extra customizable buttons and the ease of movement of the trackball).
For a little background, I don't game, but I often spend 12+ hrs a day drafting, 3D modeling, or doing web and/or graphic design. I can see that this will benefit all those activities. (The software even allows a hot key to 'toggle' axis constraints on the cursor movement; will be great for drafting!)