According to you, what is the best trackball?

[ch_123]

I just wanted to take a second to compliment CST on their first class customer service.  I  just got a CST 1350, and like it pretty well with one exception, the middle button is set as a "drag lock" or, if you hold it for 3 seconds, it changes modes to a "scroll lock".  This means that there is no middle click option, and default function of the middle button is to click and hold for easy dragging without holding the mouse button, or scrolling (if you're patient enough to wait 3 seconds for the mode to change each time you need to scroll).  I have very little use for either function, so I tried using software tricks, but nothing worked because no mouse button remapping software expects either of those functions as a default button command to intercept and replace with your remapped instruction.  I then opened the case to look for a dip switch or jumper with no luck.  

I finally decided to email them from their online support form, and quickly received a response that there WAS a fix, but it required soldering, and if I was interested the employee would email it to me.  I was curious about how in depth the fix would be, and willing to give it a shot if it was straightforward.  He emailed me back a pdf with a nice shot of a single jumper on the PCB and instructions of where to solder in the jumper to convert the device to a |true 3 button" trackball.  He also included in the email a reminder not to overtighten the case screws when closing the case back because it can easily strip the plastic.

Wow, what company does that?  I've never contacted a single consumer-level company that will send you a schematic for a modification along with tips for best results.  Any other company would give you some brush off line like "that option is currently not shipping for the model you purchased" and leave it at that.  CST just won my support for life.  Once modified, the trackball will likely replace my long-thought-irreplaceable CH DT225 (no knocks against it, it's still a damn good trackball, but a bit more cumbersome, and well suited for my kids on their game computer).

This kind of experience makes me want to spread the word about CST, and make sure that others looking for a high quality trackball with great manufacturer backing consider CST before any other options.  Their products are slightly more expensive at full retail than say a Kensington, Logitech, or MS trackball, but the quality of products and service makes it worth every penny.  

For the record,  I have no affiliation with CST or any other peripherals manufacturer or retailer.  I'm just a very impressed consumer that wants to return the favor to a company that treated me well!

There was an issue with the 1600DPI LaserTrak where 64-bit Windows wouldnt register it properly. Myself, and some other people around here contacted them, and they sent out a replacement controller board free of cost (additionally offering the facility to send it in)

[Gawkbasher]

As much as I like the Logitech trackballs, their driver is ****ing trash and likes to hook input from other pointer devices, which if they're exotic (non-generic mouse) becomes a problem.  In particular, it seems to HATE Wacom tablets.

*I'm not sure the situation since Windows 7.

[mushupork]

I much prefer the trackball under my thumb rather than index finger or whole hand.  I have used the logitech m570 since it was introduced, and the trackman wheel (corded and cordless) for years beforehand.  I bought one an m570 for work too.  I can't imagine using a normal mouse everyday.

I'd like to replace the trackball with something cool.  Ripster's wiki (thank you) says the ball is 34mm but google hasn't shown me anything fun/interesting yet and Ebay mostly has stones (quartz, jade etc.) that are not necessarily perfect spheres (from what I can see).

Anyone with an m570 tried a different ball with good results?

[Daniel Beaver]

I've used my m570 a lot this point (it's a great companion for my laptop), but I have always been disappointed with the accuracy of thumb-controlled trackballs. I'm looking at some of kensingtons - I already own an Expert Mouse, and am wondering what you all think of this:

[All The Fire]

I'd like to replace the trackball with something cool.  Ripster's wiki (thank you) says the ball is 34mm but google hasn't shown me anything fun/interesting yet and Ebay mostly has stones (quartz, jade etc.) that are not necessarily perfect spheres (from what I can see).

You have to be really careful with gems and stones. Things like Tiger Eye Quartz, or Obsidian seem generally well made to be spherical and smooth but even then you have to be really careful with the measurements that sellers quote.

I just spent weeks rummaging through ebay and asking sellers for measurements and surface qualities for a 55mm ball for my slimblade, eventually found a seller with some really cheap Tiger Eye Balls claiming they were 55mm, it is not, I measure it at 56.3mm with my trusty dental floss circumference measurement. There's also one little flaw on the surface but I think that would be manageable if it were even the right size. Was only $10 and looks neat so I'm keeping it for display. Get some mad positive energy feng shui going.

I'm looking into Baoding Balls, as they should be made to specs with no surface flaws, not sure it they come in 37mm but it's hard enough finding 55mm sizes, baodingballs.com are out until maybe the end of may. Otherwise I'm going to get a friend to check some out when she heads back to china in a couple months.

EDIT: Baoding Balls do come in 37mm sizes. Hmmm, just noticed they quote a 2mm error margin though.
http://www.baodingballs.com/

[mushupork]

What a great idea .... baodingballs ... but I need 34mm and the smallest is 37mm.  Still looking around the site though.

EDIT: I see some 35mm

[All The Fire]

Hmmm, my bad, had it in my mind that you said 37mm. Could still be a little risky with even baoding balls though, considering their error margin.

[1839cc]

Ebay has 34mm steel ball bearings from Leicester UK. Might be too heavy though.

[mushupork]

Yeah - more expensive too since I am in the US + shipping.

[ashort]

I really like this idea!  Alternate designer replacement balls for trackballs.  Seems like Logitech is missing something here.  Seems like it should be EASY to automate something like this, and even create the marketing to create demand keep it cheap.  Steal some "laptop skins" revenue from Dell or something.

[JesuswasaZombie]

We need Deathstar trackballs!

[ashort]

We need Deathstar trackballs!

If Logitech is listening, I would pay more than a dollar for that.

[JesuswasaZombie]

I doubt Logitech would find the licensing cost vs popularity of something like that justified. but maybe.

We could DIY, who is the SP of the trackball world?

[All The Fire]

There won't be any market for something like that. Trackballs are pretty rare as it is, and I'm sure it's a pretty low percentage of people using trackballs would even care to/think of swapping the ball out.

[mushupork]

I contacted baodingballs.com and asked if I could get of chrome steel close to 34mm.  They were very nice and did so.  I received them yesterday and tried them last night.  Performance was terrible.  I think the weight is the issue.  

They were inexpensive and I wanted to try so I am fine with the failed experiment.  Just thought I would share the information in case anyone was considering it.

[rknize]

Thumb trackballs FTW!!11!11!!  I started with this:



It was quite a new thing at the time and I loved it.  It saved my wrist.  The only problem was the wheels would get covered in crud and start slipping (as was the case with all mice back then).  I still have it attached to a server in the basement.

Then the marble came out, which solved the problem of the crud build-up:


I didn't like the profile as much, but I ended up with 2 or 3 of these (2 with wheels, 1 without).  One has a bottom bearing that is so worn that the ball rubs on the ring.    I replaced those with these, which have a much better profile.  I have been using them for many years.



I've recently picked up a couple of these for use with my laptop:



They have much finer movement and improved scroll wheel/button feeling and action.  I work mostly on Linux, so I use the middle button a lot.  The extra back/forward buttons are cute, but I rarely use them on purpose.  No issues with these being wireless.

I used to do all my gaming with the trackball, but they do put me at a disadvantage for FPS.  I recently picked up a decent gaming mouse for that and it made all the difference.  For other types of games, the trackballs are fine.  Your thumb gets pretty accurate after a while.

[All The Fire]

Baaalllllsssss Of Steeeeellllllllll

http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?6701-Doctor-One-of-my-balls-feels-heavy

How'd you go finding something weighted more in the middle?

I'm looking at stones on ebay and they're all around 230-250 grams, I think the weight would be perfect but my first buy turned out 1mm too big.

And Baoding Balls have informed me they will not be manufacturing 55mm balls anymore.

[All The Fire]

So no, then.

I have baodingballs.com looking into some 55mm yellow jade balls for me. They've been incredibly helpful and cooperative.

[NamelessPFG]

I've used a CH Products DT225 USB before. The Model M comparisons are pretty apt-it's relatively no-frills, but solid and durable. However, the main selling point at the time was that it supports the same CH Control Manager software that their flight simulation controllers do, meaning it integrates well with those and has an extremely powerful scripting language to make it work the way you want to (provided that it's within the hardware's capabilities).

However, I didn't keep it because I'm more of a conventional mouse person (easier to make twitch shots that way) and I didn't play nearly enough Marble Madness to justify keeping it. That, and the rolling action didn't feel quite right, like it would start changing direction if I gave it a good spin.

Now, what I'd like to know is what arcade trackball to spring for, the sort you'd use to play Marble Madness, Missile Command, Centipede, The Grid, etc. in an actual arcade cabinet. (3" trackball, at the minimum.) There are quite a few varieties for sale out there. Hooking it all up (trackball and 3 arcade pushbuttons) to a USB controller board should be a cinch, so no worries about that.

If I were to put one of those together, that would have to be the best trackball for me.

[NamelessPFG]

Sorry, but I already sold it a while back. I'll let you know if I find any more USB DT225s, though.

Suddenly, $50-55 for a USB DT225 seems like a bargain...that's roughly what I paid and resold it for.

[CreamyNutButter]

I agree with Zamorph, the Trackman Marble is superb and a great deal at $25-29 new.  It is silky smooth when rolling.  I like mine so much, I gave it a kickass custom paintjob.

[davkol]

I have to clean my Marble every week, it awfully collects sweat. Kinda sucks.

[All The Fire]

So back to custom balls...

Kept looking and came across this really nice looking golden sheen obsidian ball. Was more than I would have liked to spend but I was completely taken by the looks of it, so I asked the seller about the size and means of measuring anyway and got a well enough worded response about it being right on 55mm and having measured it with vernier calipers...

It fits... and I can get motion and tracking but it's... 'scratchy' and no where near smooth, the more and more I slowly test it out it seems to be getting smoother and smoother and I feel it's just rubbing up against the frame of the well. I'm very cautious about how far I should go with this as I don't want to damage the bearings. So I'm going back and forth between the obsidian ball and the ruby ball quite often so I can track any changes in feel with the ruby ball so as not to end up with a shot slimblade.

Meh, phone camera. Beautiful ball though.

[CreamyNutButter]

If you like custom balls, the Kensington Orbit will work.  It can use any kind of ball that is 1.5 inches.  Just for fun, I used my Logitech trackball in it.

[All The Fire]

The slimblade has a 55mm ball, which comes to somewhere between 2.16 and 2.17 inches. Seems like nice even 55mm balls aren't so common as I thought they would be.

Persisting with the stone, it's smoother (though still scratchy) and a little easier to push around now but jams in the frame on occasion and I don't feel like it'll wear much more of a groove in the well from here on, I have a feeling it's not so perfectly spherical. Haven't seemed to cause any extensive damage to the slimblade though and the ruby ball still works great.

[treigle]

How does the Slimblade compare comfort-wise to the Logitech Marble Mouse? And if you prefer the Slimblade, is it for features/resolution at the expense of comfort?

For all it's limitations, I haven't seen anything that looks more comfortable than my 10 year old Marble. I just got a CST L-Trac, and while I enjoy it's resolution, it's just not as comfy so far...

[kbafewx]

a 6000 DPI laser mouse undoubtedly.

[dippingriz]

[ Attachment Invalid Or Does Not Exist ] 53857[/ATTACH]Still looking for a guide to the dip switches on a gen 2 dt225.  Great trackball, dip switch nightmare.

Found the dip layout if anybody wants it.

[Pixel Eater]

This thread is a little light on Microsoft Trackball Explorers, so here's one vote. Despite its well regarded status it's not perfect, in fact I find my hand gets a little warm against its surface and my pinky would benefit if it were even broader. I also wish the buttons didn't have that classic plasticky sproing sometimes when you lift your fingers off them and I wish the ball rolled just a little heavier and more freely, but these cons are smalltime compared to the effectiveness of its design. So far my mission to find a better trackball has been fruitless.

I want to check out one of the old Kensington Expert Pro Mice with the stainless bearings. Something old school because I'm searching for the highest quality, sexiest roll in trackball history and I'm really not sure where I'll find it.

[do_Og@n]

I've just been introduced to the trackball world recently and I have been going nuts over different ones for the past couple months. Here is what I have found so far (keep in mind this is my opinion):

 - Logitech M570 - Great trackball but only for basic computer use. It doesn't work well for gaming or image editing because the thumb just isn't as precise as the pointer finger.
 - Logitech TrackMan Marble (newest) - Works really well and it's inexpensive. My only dislikes were the lack of scrolling and the Trackball was to small.
 - Logitech TrackMan Marble FX - GREAT Trackball for its day. It's comfortable, good size Trackball, and it very accurate. Cons are that all the buttons don't work with newer OS's, it has a ps2 connection, and it doesn't work so well for gaming.
 - Microsoft Trackball Explorer - This Trackball was comfortable, has newer drivers for Win 7, and you could customize the buttons. I didn't personally like it because it felt cheap. One big upside to this Trackball is there are a lot of spare parts and companies who will fix it up for you.
 - Kensington Slimblade - I am in love with this Trackball. It's smooth, buttons feel and sound nice, good software, the scrolling is awesome, and it works really well for gaming. The only problem I have with this Trackball is the price. If you get lucky you can find a new in box one for cheap on Ebay otherwise you are stuck paying $85 to $120 somewhere else.

  Next up on my list is going to be a CST-LtracX. I emailed a couple companies on if they were going to get anymore of these in stock and they informed me that the laser used in the LtracX is no longer in production and CST hasn't been able to find a viable replacement for it. Therefore they are discontinuing that model line. So if anybody out there wants to get rid of there CST-LtracX feel free to PM me.

  On a different note I want to thank user All the Fire for informing all of us on the size of Trackball used in the Slimblade. Unfortunately in my case it was a little to late that I came across this post. I just ordered a 2 1/8" Aramith 8 ball off ebay. I did hop onto the boadingballs.com site and found one ball left in the 55mm size.

http://www.baodingballs.com/yellow_jade_baoding_balls.html