Author Topic: First trackball recommendations? (Read 14141 times)

snarfarlarkus · « **on:** Sat, 19 September 2015, 02:45:44 »

Never tried a trackball before but thinking of trying one out!

Done some brief research but just need to know which is good overall. I've no idea if I prefer thumb or finger unfortunately. Thank you!

Tactile · « **Reply #1 on:** Sat, 19 September 2015, 08:03:04 »

The most commonly used & liked are probably

Kensington Expert Mouse
Kensington Slimblade
Logitech M570
CST Ltrac

All of the above have some method of scrolling.

DT225
Itac Mousetrak

These are harder to find, generally more expensive & don't have an inbuilt scrolling method. They are well liked because of their industrial strength construction like stainless steel shafts & sealed ball bearings.

I'd recommend one of the top 4 on this list. The finger-operated type are more universally liked while the thumb operated have fewer but very loyal users.

Jokrik · « **Reply #2 on:** Sat, 19 September 2015, 08:19:25 »

Kensington Slimblade

It's very comfy, though I still prefer my mouse

njbair · « **Reply #3 on:** Sat, 19 September 2015, 08:19:56 »

The L-TRAC is in a class all by itself. It's the HHKB of pointing devices. I bought one having never used a trackball before, figuring I'd have a pretty easy time selling it is I didn't like it. In fact, I like it so much I'm considering getting one for home, too.

And apparently there's a new one that lights up. Sweet!

snarfarlarkus · « **Reply #4 on:** Sun, 20 September 2015, 01:57:43 »

Thanks for the replies guys!

Yeah i've read that the slimblade, L-trac and DT225 are the most desired out of the bunch. I am reading mixed reviews of each so I am kind of confused.

I was wondering, do you need a wrist rest for the trackballs? I love wrist rests for keyboards as I have adopted to them and now I cant use a keyboard without one. The slimblade looks good but is a little thin and I am worried it'll be bad on my wrist?

njbair · « **Reply #5 on:** Sun, 20 September 2015, 07:22:19 »

Quote from: snarfarlarkus on Sun, 20 September 2015, 01:57:43

Thanks for the replies guys!

Yeah i've read that the slimblade, L-trac and DT225 are the most desired out of the bunch. I am reading mixed reviews of each so I am kind of confused.

I was wondering, do you need a wrist rest for the trackballs? I love wrist rests for keyboards as I have adopted to them and now I cant use a keyboard without one. The slimblade looks good but is a little thin and I am worried it'll be bad on my wrist?

You're always going to find mixed reviews no matter what you're reading about. Just keep in mind you can't please everyone. What I like to do is, based on someone's writing in their review, figure out what they're like. If they seem very pedantic, like I would hate being around them, I just ignore their negative review.

As far as wrist rests, I can speak for the L-TRAC. It's got a built-in rest of sorts, and that's all I use.

knightjp · « **Reply #6 on:** Sun, 20 September 2015, 12:11:41 »

I know that the L-Trac would get some awesome scores over here, but if you're looking for a place that has done reviews on pretty much every known and good trackball out there, you might want to check this site.

http://www.trackballmouse.org/top-10-trackball-mouse/

The reviews are unbiased and we'll written. Sadly no review on the L-Trac though. I'm leaning towards the Logitech M570, but I've still not made up my mind yet.

FoxWolf1 · « **Reply #7 on:** Sun, 20 September 2015, 13:33:03 »

I use an L-Trac myself and would recommend it if you like the idea of a finger trackball.

In the course of the research I did before winding up with the CST, I also found a business on eBay that not only refurbishes old Microsoft trackballs, but also refits them with upgraded bearings. If I had decided to go with a thumb rather than fingertip trackball, it would have been a Microsoft Optical Trackball upgraded thusly.

The difficulty with most review sources is that they tend to focus on the high-volume mass-produced stuff. Lower-volume stuff either gets left out altogether or treated unfairly (since there's a lot less pressure from the audience to give such things high ratings). CH and CST will probably always get left off a lot of review sites and left out of a lot of rankings for the simple reason that you don't bring any traffic to your website by writing reviews of products that nobody is searching for, and don't increase your perceived reliability among your audience by having top-10 rankings that are very different from what the audience thinks-- even if the reason for the difference is just that the audience doesn't know about the products that are better than the ones they do know about. And of course, all of this is not taking into account the companies themselves and differences in their extents of media outreach.

Not that different from what happens with keyboards, really.

SamirD · « **Reply #8 on:** Mon, 28 September 2015, 22:28:38 »

You know your hand best, especially from using a keyboard and wrist rests. I have both the logitech thumb and finger version of their wired trackball. And I find that my hand will hurt with the finger version because of the 'stretch' that my fingers do to use it. Now, my senior citizen parents love it and they have 10x less hand strain than with a regular mouse.

So what am I trying to tell you? Use what you know about your hands to try to predict how they will feel--and then put that thought out of your head and try one out to see if you're right. Once you can predict what your hands will like, you'll be able to steer yourself in the right direction.

Good luck! And tell us what you end up with!

knightjp · « **Reply #9 on:** Tue, 29 September 2015, 05:15:42 »

Got my first trackball. I got the logitech M570 because that was the only one available really I was looking to try out the others before purchasing, but they didn't have any.. Apparently it doesn't come here to Dubai. So I'm going to have to make do with this.

So far, so good. It is so comfortable. I do feel a loss on speed in getting things done and clicking. I suppose to be expected when using a trackball of for the first time. I suppose in time it will get faster. But I'm loving the thumb action. I understand why the M570 gets such good reviews.

If I'm to be picky, I would say that the scroll wheel of the logitech feels a bit rough moving as compared to the smooth movement of the Microsoft mouse it replaced.

mrgoldenzombie · « **Reply #10 on:** Mon, 26 October 2015, 22:36:35 »

If you want to go cheap you can find Logitech Trackman Marble for a good price on eBay

edb5s · « **Reply #11 on:** Wed, 04 November 2015, 09:01:09 »

That L-Trac looks awesome. For those that have one - does the build quality justify the high price?

SamirD · « **Reply #12 on:** Wed, 04 November 2015, 11:48:38 »

Quote from: edb5s on Wed, 04 November 2015, 09:01:09

That L-Trac looks awesome. For those that have one - does the build quality justify the high price?

These were a $20 plain jane trackball available at walmart (that's where I got one of mine). They're nothing special other than that they do their job splendidly well for years on end. I have two that I've been using for almost 10 years now.

If you can find one of these at a garage sale or something like that, it's worth the difference in price as I'm shocked to see these that expensive. While I do enjoy mine, I'd be hard-pressed to pay that much for one. But that being said, I come from a mindset that $10 for a mouse is too much.

heroinbob · « **Reply #13 on:** Wed, 04 November 2015, 12:02:26 »

I use a MS Explorer trackball (finger controls) - took a little adjusting to after years of mice, but I really like it.

Paul (HB)

Nalor · « **Reply #14 on:** Fri, 11 December 2015, 22:02:11 »

I've been using the Logitech M570 for a few years for ever day work. You can find them almost everywhere.

Connly33 · « **Reply #15 on:** Sun, 20 December 2015, 22:00:28 »

When i first got into computer's ( probably age 6 or 7 playing with windows 3.1 and windows 95 desktops and laptops that would get thrown out or or sent to the recycler when a business would upgrade) my first pointing device was a trackball, either a logitech or a Microsoft intellimouse trackball ( thinking back i had a microsoft trackball that was finger positioned and a logitech trackman that used a thumb positioned ball) , i used that for maybe 5 years until it died, i was still at a point where i didn't choose what pc hardware or peripherals i used, i had to use whatever someone else was getting rid of, so i haven't had a trackball since, mice still just dont feel as nice to me.

So i'm really looking into getting an L- trac or a cheaper Kensington trackball to at least augment my pointing device selection now that i will have the room on my desk with a 60% keyboard. I really dont do anything that needs a lot of precision so i may just go with something cheap to start out like one of these

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Trackman-Marble-Four-Button-Programmable/dp/B001F42MKG/ref=pd_sim_147_7?ie=UTF8&dpID=41Nm1jUxnaL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=1E8A5RW512AWMZKANA3G

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-910-001799-M570-Wireless-Trackball/dp/B0043T7FXE/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1450672278&sr=1-1&keywords=trackball

SamirD · « **Reply #16 on:** Mon, 21 December 2015, 04:21:21 »

Either of those is a solid choice for a first trackball in many years. I'd figure out if you like fingers or thumb better and then just buy it.

Connly33 · « **Reply #17 on:** Wed, 30 December 2015, 15:25:32 »

Quote from: SamirD on Mon, 21 December 2015, 04:21:21

Either of those is a solid choice for a first trackball in many years. I'd figure out if you like fingers or thumb better and then just buy it.

I ended up getting a cheap logitech PS/2 trackman marble on an ebay auction with a thumb positioned ball... Now i need a finger oriented one to compare it to, but so far i'm liking it. I had to pull it apart and clean it really well, then to the advice of someone on a forum post i read forever ago i used a dryer sheet to rub the ball and bearings to basically wax them and make it really smooth again without any kind of oily residue on the ball.

SamirD · « **Reply #18 on:** Thu, 31 December 2015, 10:29:17 »

Sweet! Welcome to the club.

The finger Logitech one is really easy to find for $20 or so. I'd grab one of those and then if you don't like it, you can probably resell it for almost the same amount as they're still in demand.

studentben · « **Reply #19 on:** Sun, 07 February 2016, 04:13:29 »

I've been curious about trying out a trackball, but does anyone here know how it's like for gaming? Specifically csgo?

katushkin · « **Reply #20 on:** Sun, 07 February 2016, 17:21:57 »

CST L-Trac is on Massdrop. I'm in for one. Four days left on the drop.

FoxWolf1 · « **Reply #21 on:** Wed, 10 February 2016, 16:44:21 »

Quote from: studentben on Sun, 07 February 2016, 04:13:29

I've been curious about trying out a trackball, but does anyone here know how it's like for gaming? Specifically csgo?

I still switch back to a mouse for FPS, but use the trackball for everything else. For some kinds of games, it's actually better than a mouse, since you can move it infinitely without ever having to lift and reposition it. For FPS, I just find the mouse to be a little bit steadier, though, if you don't play at a high level, you might find that a halfway decent trackball is still good enough for you.

LXXXIX · « **Reply #22 on:** Thu, 11 February 2016, 10:26:16 »

I think trackballs are great for slow-paced MMOs or Strategy games like Age of Empires. I would never recommend using one for competitive FPSers, unless it's like a single player campaign or something.

I have an M570 and at first I liked it, but now I find the left and right buttons to feel too mushy, and the scroll-wheel rotates so awkwardly. I haven't tried the other trackballs mentioned, but I can honestly say I would not recommend the M570 unless you want for a laptop.

Pinkachu · « **Reply #23 on:** Sat, 13 February 2016, 20:18:39 »

Just got a mouse for CSGO, been using trackballs other than that. Couldn't get on with a thumb-ball at first (M570) but I got a Kensington Orbit Scroll Wheel and it's similar to using a trackpad, the way your fingers do the pointing, so it was very very easy to learn to use.

After a few months with that, the M570 magically was easy to figure out! So keep that in mind, a thumb-ball is VERY different than most people are used to for an HID. Finger controlled ones (Logitech Marble, Kensington [any model], etc) will be much easier to get straight to work with minimal adjustment period.

oneproduct · « **Reply #24 on:** Tue, 23 February 2016, 13:00:02 »

I've tried most of the common ones and my vote would be for the Kensington Slimblade.

Perish · « **Reply #25 on:** Thu, 10 March 2016, 10:42:28 »

Subscribing to the trackball meme.

mrbishop · « **Reply #26 on:** Thu, 10 March 2016, 10:57:44 »

dear god i've been looking for a trackball. been looking at the kensengtion ones but that l-track looks nice too

katushkin · « **Reply #27 on:** Thu, 10 March 2016, 14:57:28 »

Quote from: mrbishop on Thu, 10 March 2016, 10:57:44

dear god i've been looking for a trackball. been looking at the kensengtion ones but that l-track looks nice too

It's really good man. It's my first trackball but it's so awesome. I thought it was huge to start with but it's actually the perfect size.

Bucake · « **Reply #28 on:** Thu, 10 March 2016, 21:01:00 »

i have 3 now, and a 4th one coming in..

the Logitech Trackman Marble and Logitech Trackman Wheel (Optical) are both nice. i've overclocked them both to 1000hz (up from 125hz) which makes tracking considerably smoother.
neither of them seem to have any acceleration, which is how i prefer it.
the Wheel seems to have some 'angle snapping', but it's hard to properly test this since the ball doesn't move around smoothly enough.
overall cursor performance seems smooth and precise on both.
nice buttons on both. not sure what the marble uses, but the Wheel uses chinese Omron switches.
M3 is a bit mushy on the Wheel, but it's no biggy in my opinion.
i can definitely recommend these two trackballs. i do wish the balls were a bunch smoother, though...

the third one i have is a Microsoft Trackball Explorer. its polling rate becomes unstable when overclocked, so i returned it to default 125hz.
tracking is very jittery, and there's obvious acceleration. M1 is extremely mushy.
the ball moves considerably less smooth than the Logitech ones (and the Logitech ones aren't even that smooth).
i got this one because i read good things about it and that got me all hyped up, but i really can't recommend this thing.. ( unfortunately i paid a ridiculous amount because it was NIB and i wanted a scratch-less ball

)

i'm considering Kensington and CST, but they seem to be a bit more expensive.
are the ones from Kensington and CST plug-and-play? (i prefer not having to install any drivers or software because i use so many different peripherals, and i'd rather not install 20 different pieces of software for all of them..)
is the tracking precise? is the glide of the ball smooth?

katushkin · « **Reply #29 on:** Thu, 10 March 2016, 21:12:08 »

The CST is plug and play. There is some software you can get to change what certain buttons do in certain programmes, but you don't have to download it.

I use mine plugged straight into the ****ty thin clients at work and it works straight out of the box (Y)

Kompanion · « **Reply #30 on:** Sun, 20 March 2016, 15:05:01 »

This might not be the right thread, but what's better about using a trackball? I've been toying with the idea of getting one because of the ergonomics but don't know if I want to sink the money in, especially seeing as a good number of people still prefer their normal mouse.

chroness · « **Reply #31 on:** Sun, 20 March 2016, 16:22:07 »

I've also been considering a trackball... Is there a good place to find used trackballs for sale (specifcally CST) besides ebay?

davkol · « **Reply #32 on:** Sun, 20 March 2016, 16:59:08 »

Quote from: Kompanion on Sun, 20 March 2016, 15:05:01

This might not be the right thread, but what's better about using a trackball?

Have you tried to put that question into a search engine? STFW is the answer to the majority of generic questions like this.

LXXXIX · « **Reply #33 on:** Mon, 21 March 2016, 12:39:12 »

Quote from: chroness on Sun, 20 March 2016, 16:22:07

I've also been considering a trackball... Is there a good place to find used trackballs for sale (specifcally CST) besides ebay?

I have an mx570 I barely used that's want to part with. Pm if you want to grab it.

sek1ne · « **Reply #34 on:** Mon, 21 March 2016, 12:56:32 »

Quote from: LXXXIX on Mon, 21 March 2016, 12:39:12

Quote from: chroness on Sun, 20 March 2016, 16:22:07
I've also been considering a trackball... Is there a good place to find used trackballs for sale (specifcally CST) besides ebay?

I have an mx570 I barely used that's want to part with. Pm if you want to grab it.

This is an awesome deal. I've been using an mx570 for years and it's really comfortable. I wish there were more options for track ball mice that you can control with your thumb.

News:

Author Topic: First trackball recommendations? (Read 14141 times)