Hi guys & gals,
this being my first post to the forum, first thing I'd like to say hi to everyone, this looks like a great community - been lurking for a while.
That said, I'm looking for a trackball due to carpal tunnel - the keyboard side is more or less covered (moved from Thinkpad laptop keyboards to a Model M, and then to a split adjustable Fujitsu KBPC-E), but the trackball side is a problem. I borrowed a friend's Logitech Cordless FX for a while and found it great, but the two I Cordless FX I ordered afterwards both had problems maintaining a connection (I checked in various locations, with the original receivers as well as my friend's). Now I'm looking for a new trackball with a large ball, preferably driven by the fingertips, and some kind of wrist support.
Large-ball trackballs I've tried out:
- Logitech Cordless FX, this is great, but I can't seem to find working specimens and, having sunk into non-working ones something like 50 EUR each, I'm not too enthusiastic.
- Logitech Cordless Trackman Marble: doesn't work with my hands. The smallish ball might be OK, but in particular the rather difficult-to-press thumb button moving inwards (rather than downwards with the FX) basically spoils it.
- Logitech Marble FX: armrest doesn't for my big hands due to the symmetric construction; I see the appeal of a symmetric model from a marketing viewpoint but the shape doesn't cut it.
- Kensington, an older model. Feels awkward because there is no armrest - either my hand rests at an awkward angle which gets painful after a while, or my hand lies flat on top of the ball which feels even more awkward.
I haven't tried a Microsoft Trackman Explorer yet, but they're hard to find and sell for prices that are well beyond buy-to-test territorry.
Does it only seem to me that what I'm looking for doesn't really exist anymore, or is being traded used for astronomical prices? Or am I missing a model here?