New Trackball Thread 2025

[fohat.digs]

It looks like all the old threads are pretty old, so I will start a new one.

I used a trackball for a while in the late-1990s-early-2000s but went back to mousing for light CAD work.

But now I am thinking about giving a trackball another try. I don't care about multiple buttons, just basic scrolling and clicking. Small or large, I don't know, my first guess is that a larger ball is better?

Opinions would be appreciated, both philosophical concepts and specific products. Also, price is a concern so nothing extravagant.

Thanks!

ps - I am not a gamer so speed does not matter, but I do need accuracy for photo editing.

[YALE70]

What trackball/s did you use back in the day and what did you like about them - if anything?

Small or large, I don't know, my first guess is that a larger ball is better?

I wouldn't say either one is objectively better - it's really all about what feels best to you. Personally, I'm a fan of medium sized fingertip trackballs in the range of 40-44mm since to me they strike a nice balance between speed and precision, and fit nicer in my hand. IMO, they don't feel any less precise than a large 50mm or greater ball does on decent bearings, but again it's all down to personal comfort. I think the overall shape of the device is going to be as equally important in your search: whether you prefer/don't mind something ergonomic or ambidextrous in shape.

Haven't used any thumb-balls so I won't be any help there. They scare me.

[noisyturtle]

All I know is my hand refuses to train to a trackball. Every time I state I will dedicate myself to using it, after a few minutes I notice my hand has inevitably wandered back over to the mouse. Again, I scold my appendage and determine to have it remain on the trackball. But alas, after some undefined amount of time I will look down only to notice once again my hand is disobeying my brain and has retreated back to the familure comfort of the mouse.
I should try to train my hand by removing the mouse altogeather, but then it just takes a piss on the carpet in protest.

[blondie]

I have a few of these. One of my favorites has been the Logitech Trackman Marble FX. It's an old one that hasn't been made nor updated (to my knowledge) in a while. There's no scroll wheel.

I also have a left-handed Ploopy. It looks like they no longer sell the left-handed version in their now renamed classic line. It is okay-ish. The ball roll is not as smooth as I'd like. Perhaps changing the rollers out for ceramic or ruby beads would help there. But even worse is the scroll wheel. It rubs against the body, and is not very nice to use. So I ended up setting one button to change the ball into a two-way scroll wheel when pressed. It is QMK compatible.

Finally, I have the Elecom Huge. I think this one is probably my favorite. It is indeed huge, but also comfortable with a nice padded rest. Lots of buttons, but I like that.

In terms of scrolling, the best I have ever used was on the Logitech MX Master. If you scroll fast enough, a relay would disengage the scroll wheel detents and it would spin very fast and smooth. This is perfect for scrolling through a long document.

[mmayhem17]

I get used to MX Ergo with a 3d print base to increase angle, it is pretty comfortable for my use (use for 3 years now). Also used Elecom as well but it's very big for my desk, very nice though.

In terms of scrolling, the best I have ever used was on the Logitech MX Master. If you scroll fast enough, a relay would disengage the scroll wheel detents and it would spin very fast and smooth. This is perfect for scrolling through a long document.

Also this, I wish the new revision of MX Ergo came with infinite scroll, this would be a perfect upgrade for me.