Expert

Once, many many years ago, I went over to my friends house and was amazed and very curious about an input device he had plugged into his computer in lieu of a traditional mouse. Ever since then, I've wanted to try out a trackball but never did. Recently I've been using my computer from my bed, my keyboard on my lap, my mouse to my side. This position wasn't that efficient for mouse use, the mouse wanted to slide towards me so i had to put some books under the mouse pad in a very ghetto setup, and prolonged use from that position made my shoulder sore. I decided I would try out a trackball and see if that was better. I did my research and it looked like the kensington expert was exactly what i wanted: a large ball you control with your fingers not your thumb, multiple buttons, had a scroll wheel, the price was decent, it got good reviews, and most importantly looked awesome. And it relieved my sore shoulder. This trackball was everything I was hoping for. - The ball is very large and allow precise movements, which was my primary interest when looking at all the trackballs on the market. I tried out the extremely popular logitech thumb trackball and the thumb movement wasn't for me, it's imprecise and made me sea sick in FPS games. The ball is pretty heavy but once you break it in (ie cover the ball in hand oil) the ball rotates very smoothly and doesn't stick. - The two extra buttons are invaluable. After using a mouse with 2 extra buttons, it would be hard to go back to a mouse with only left and right click. The buttons on this trackball are huge and do take a bit of getting used to. Left clicking with your thumb becomes second nature after a bit of use, but the two upper buttons are more difficult to reach and for me, it took me quite a while to press the upper buttons when I needed to without really consciously thinking about it. Once you get used to it it's pretty awesome though. A word of warning if you enjoying gaming though: moving the cursor + clicking the upper two buttons is kinda difficult, with the upper left button being near impossible (when using your right hand; left hand vice versa). This is probably the worst thing about trackballs in general: you're controlling the cursor with your fingers instead of your hand movement. In order to have smooth cursor movement, it's difficult to press harder to reach buttons or press multiple buttons simultaneously. This negative isn't a deal breaker for me, but it is something to keep in mind. This trackball's software enables button chording (pressing the two lower or two upper buttons simultaneously for a third input [ie press left + right click at the same time to get middle click]) but I hate the software so I can't use it. More on that in the tips n tricks section below. - This trackball has a scroll wheel. It's not bad but I'm not 100% happy with it. The scroll wheel works fine, it scrolls exactly when it's supposed to and it doesn't feel terrible, but sometimes (maybe it's just mine) the wheel doesn't feel very solidly in there, it has a bit of jiggle, but it only feels that way sometimes. In addition the "grating sand" texture isn't amazing but it's not bad. I thought I would dislike it a hell of a lot more after reading all those bad reviews. The scroll wheel isn't bad, it's not enough to drop my review down a star, but I wouldn't say I love it either. - Trackballs are pretty expensive, it seems like they either fall into the overpriced and crappy category, or the overpriced and good category. This trackball falls into the latter. Compared to other trackballs or similar price I would say this is a pretty good value. At the time of this writing, $70 is pretty dang amazing (I bought it for $75). ___ Here are some miscellaneous tips n tricks about my experience with this trackball: * The software that you can download from the kensington website, trackballworks, is the worst piece of crap. Mouseworks or whatever the previous version was called I hear was significantly better and allowed a lot of customization, but sadly it doesn't work past windows XP. The feature I was talking about earlier, chording, is useless if you game AT ALL. The way chording works in this software is thusly: You press a button, but before the input for that button goes through, the software waits about half a second to see if you're going to press another button. This works ok outside of games where you rarely push two mouse buttons at the same time. I thought "oh ok I'll just turn the feature off." NOPE. Even if you don't assign anything to the chord input, there's still a half second delay, AND if you do push both buttons simultaneously, instead of sending both buttons inputs like you would expect, it sends NO INPUT. This effectively makes the software worse than useless for gaming. I called kensington support about this issue I was having and their answer was "that's just a limitation of the software, there's nothing you can do." So I thought "ok I'll just close the software" but for some reason that completely screwed up the scroll wheel, making it act weird as hell. After a few days I had the thought to uninstall the software which disabled chording and restored the scroll wheel's function. If you game, don't install the terrible software. * If you don't install the software but still want to assign different inputs to the buttons than the defaults (left click, right click, button 4, middle click, going counterclockwise from the bottom left button) then install x-mouse button control. I found that program searching for an answer to my question with trackball works. x-mouse button control is amazing, you can assign whatever inputs you want to the buttons, and even have each button do a different thing depending on the program you're in. Just pretend x-mouse button control is the software that comes with this trackball and never look back. * For those of you who are concerned about the reviews talking about the ball sticking, don't worry, after a little use it loosens up. For very precise movements, if the ball is stiff, it won't move at all until you reach a certain level of force, then it will suddenly unstick and the cursor will move way further than you intended. If this is happening, just use the trackball for a few hours and eventually the ball will be coated in natural hand oils. If it becomes smooth and then starts sticking again, trying cleaning the metal contact points the ball rests on with a bit of rubbing alcohol, this always makes the ball roll super smooth again for me. And here's something I recently found out: microfiber cloths are amazing. Wiping the ball for a few seconds with a microfiber cloth made the ball roll like new again and prevents sticking for days/weeks. * This trackball was uncomfortable to me at first. My hand didn't know how to properly use it and my wrist would get sore. After just a few days of heavy use, it became waaay more comfortable to use. It's all about how used to it you are. Don't listen to the negative reviews saying how uncomfortable this trackball is, all trackballs are more ergonomic than mice, and this one is no exception. This is by far the longest review I've written for an amazon purchase but this trackball deserves it. I love this thing. Do your research and buy the trackball you think is best for you, but if you do end up buying this one you won't be disappointed.

After having read several reviews around the web and being aware of the potential downsides as well as the upsides, I decided to buy myself one of these. Boy, am I glad I did. Admittedly, I'm the kind of person who's not satisfied with the typical mousing solution (I have really big hands and I do a lot of delicate work) and likes to try new things, so if that's not you then you may want to try one out before you buy if possible, or at least get one with a return policy. Caveat emptor. That being said, short of building a custom one myself, the Kensington Expert Mouse is pretty much what I want in a trackball, and having used it for awhile any regular mouse feels foreign and less-than-intuitive. First, the cons, in order of greatest to least issue (and they're all minor issues to me anyway). :: It does have a bit of a backward slope to it, probably about 10-15 degrees, which my large hands and already-tilted desk find mildly awkward. If you have a desk that's fairly high above your lap, then that backward slant will probably match the angle your arms are already at and this won't be an issue. :: The scroll wheel, as has been mentioned elsewhere, does feel a little scratchy, like a plastic-on-plastic sort of texture. It's not quite the buttery-smooth, gliding motion you expect after using the ball itself (more on that later) - it feels more like the back of a plastic spoon sliding across a Formica counter. That said, mine wasn't that bad, and probably would go away with a bit of silicone oil, but other reviews range from "not a problem at all" to "nasty-feeling deal breaker" so I suspect that Kensington's quality control could use a bit of tightening up. Again, get one with a return policy in case you don't like it. Common sense. I find myself using the scroll wheel less than I would otherwise anyway, as I've mapped one of the buttons to middle-click and I use that in web browsers to scroll up and down by moving the cursor. Smoother and easier than the scroll wheel. :: Occasionally, a button click won't register if you press the button on the corner or edge - you have to get closer to the middle. Rarely an issue unless I'm gaming, because my hands have a large span and I may physically miss the button at a critical moment when I'm not paying attention. It'll come with practice, I'm sure, just something to be aware of if you have palm-a-basketball-sized hands like me. Now, to the pros! Whee! :: Yes, it's got a pretty big footprint - it's about 5.5" by 9" with the included stiff-foam wrist rest (which I do recommend using, because of the aforementioned back angle) - but it doesn't move around. It takes up about 60% of the desk space that you'd dedicate to a typical mouse pad. Especially on those pull-out keyboard trays, there isn't enough room to use a mouse, but since the Kensington Expert trackball is under six inches wide it'll fit in a nice little rectangle next to the keyboard. Height is another matter, since the ball itself sticks out pretty high, but I don't personally find it to be too much of an issue. YMMV. :: The four large, programmable buttons. I'm not a lefty, but I mouse left-handed, so being able to map the buttons to essentially whatever I want with Kensington's free software is absolutely a blessing. In addition, different people will prefer to use different fingers for tasks of varying frequency, so whereas I don't right-click much and map it to where my ring finger sits, someone else may put it under their index finger or thumb. The software in general is pretty easy to use, and has enough functionality to feel nicely customizable without being so in-depth that only an advanced power user can take advantage of its potential. :: The trackball. Oh, that trackball. Smoother than a greased Fonzie on a Teflon-coated ice rink. Right out of the package it actually feels slightly rough or not as free-spinning, because the ball and its three contact points are completely pristine. Once you get some skin oils on it through use, it's like buttah. Gross-sounding, I know, but pretty much everything you touch gets skin oil on it. Speaking of which, the ball is just dropped into its socket, so to clean out the inevitable gunk that will accumulate in any trackball assembly you just have to turn it upside down and the ball falls out. No disassembly required. The inside of the socket is smooth plastic, so you just wipe it out and get back to work. The ball itself has a nice bit of weight to it, and is positively pleasurable to the hands in use. It's got a solid feel and has some inertia when you move it, which brings me to the next point... :: It has an infinite range of very smooth motion. I currently have a dual-monitor setup, and (besides being very awkward and un-ergonomic) I despise having to pick up a mouse, move it back to the other side of my mouse pad and continue my motion across the screen. DESPISSSSSE. It makes my fingers recoil just thinking about it... Ahem. Anyways. A quick flick of the ball will send the cursor moving across the screen, and the ball's inertia will continue the motion. It doesn't jump around or go crazy, it just follows the ball like it's supposed to. I have the acceleration parameter in the software set to maximum, so a fast motion of the ball will cover lots of ground quickly, but slow motions will still allow fine, precise positioning of the mouse. This becomes an even greater blessing with triple- or quad-monitor setups, and once again, this trackball takes up less desk space than an ordinary mouse. You don't have to have a huge screen to need this, either... for extra-fine work like Photoshop or video editing, you may want to slow the cursor speed down, which effectively makes the screen much larger relative to the motion of the mouse. There is no picking up and putting down with the Kensington Expert trackball - you just keep rolling. If you're not there yet... keep rolling. It feels natural, the way navigating a computer should. So, to sum it all up, I guess I could say that I love my Kensington Expert Mouse because it feels right. It's intuitive to use, customizable, ergonomic, and it just works. There are a couple little niggles, but in my humble opinion they are far outweighed by how they make my computing experience easier and more natural. Because everyone has different needs for their computing experience, not everyone will want or need one of these. If I was just an occasional casual computer user that isn't concerned with ergonomics or ease of use, I would absolutely think twice about spending $75 on a mouse I'm not sure I'll like when the one I have mostly does what I need it to. But that's probably not Kensington's primary market here. For me, and people like me, it's worth the money to make my interface with my computer feel good, because I use it every day.

I have written a complete review of this device in its Wireless Version which is no longer manufactured. Its overall design has been well described in these numerous reviews. I would like to address a few of the complaints registered in some of the reviews on this thread, at least IMHO: 1) The bearings on which the ball rests are different, and overall, there is no significant change in build quality which is more than adequate. 2) Initially I also had some difficulty on Win7/64 with Trackball Works 1.04 and 1.01, the European version which tech support recommends when you call in to complain about the former. In my case, this represented some sort of software conflict which was no longer the case when I gave it another try after having had to reformat and reinstall my system for other reasons. Initially, although I could program the trackball without difficulty, it would intermittently hang, or my computer would crash. Since the reinstall, now for about 3 months use, Version 1.04 works absolutely fine with this Expert Mouse, but install the software before connecting the device, as mentioned. Absolutely NONE of the initial problems have recurred. Trackball Works has some problems with complete programming of the Slimblade Trackball version and Kensington is working on it, with a supposed upgrade to the software due in March, at least at the time of this writing. 3) The ergonomic issues raised by some of the reviewers are legitimate, but it depends a great deal on the individual user. I agree that the "wrist rest" supplied is not a very successful solution. Some will prefer the flatter format of the Slimblade, but I don't think the four buttons work as smoothly as those on the Expert, and are very dependent on where you place your fingers on them, which is not the case with the latter which are nicely designed. At work, I use this trackball for hours on end, now for years, in our radiology department, scrolling through images, and have had absolutely no wrist or finger pain. One of the tricks is to operate the mouse with your hand canted to the right at about a 30 degree angle which helps to obviate more extreme wrist extension. Give your hand and wrist a brief rest by changing position every few minutes which can easily be done automatically during the workflow since you aren't gripping something. Any pointing device without rest will be a nuisance. For those who are particularly sensitive, place a small bean bag place under the palm of the hand, not the wrist. Since you aren't spatially moving the unit, it is not intrusive, if you buy a proper sized bag. 4) Complaints about the scroll ring, IMHO, are entirely unjustified. It works very well. I have had no problems with its function on this unit, my previous wireless mouse, or any in our Department at work. 5) Complaints about the ball's being sticky and insensitive are also groundless, IMHO. You will find slight "newness", reflected in slight stiffness,when you first use the unit. This will clear promptly, and even more quickly if you just spin the ball for a couple of minutes with moderate downward pressure to break in the interface between the support pins and the ball. Periodically clean the ball with a little soap and water, then alcohol to restore a smooth surface, and repeat the conditioning routine, in an abbreviated form. At the same time, inspect the pins on which the ball rests for accummulated dust and debris, and make sure they're absolutely clean. Works like a charm. For those that don't like the scroll wheel, try the Slimblade where scrolling is done via the ball itself, turned transversely. That works well....it's just a matter of personal preference. I personally prefer the larger ball on the Expert versus the Slimblade, and the independent scroll wheel. The interface cable on the Slimblade is a little more robust and less prone to kinking if you move the trackball around quite a bit, for example, if you're also using a graphics tablet on which you seat the trackball. In any case, I don't think it's an issue, particularly if you take a bit a care of how you set the mouse down so that it isn't repetitively stressed with a kink. BTW, I couldn't find the magnet that one reviewer talked about at the bottom of the receiver for the ball. All that's there is the optical pickup. BTW, if you use the Intuous 4 Wacom tablet, the RF mouse they supply is greatly improved over previously, and is nicely programmable, except for no control over acceleration which some users may find a distinct negative. Bottom line: HIGHLY recommended after years of experience using this trackball. Works perfectly well with Win 7/64.

I've been using the 64213 for seven years now (since 7/31/01, paid $99 - it's great and well worth it), and wanted to get one of these as a gift for a friend. They no longer make the 64213, which rolls on stainless steel rollers. I was skeptical about the 64325, because it was different (optical). I thought that it would have a different feel (I was right). I would like to recommend it over a regular mouse - for comfort, to prevent against carpal tunnel, and clutching, and for ease of navigation through virtual worlds like Second Life. I like the 64213 better, though, because of the size and feel. Maybe there's a used one available on e-bay. ********************************************************** Differences I've noticed: 1.) The stainless steel rollers in the 64213 give you more of a tactile connection between where you were rolling, and what the mouse is doing on the screen. You don't have that so much with the optical trackball. Also, the 64325 requires a lighter touch, which may actually prove to be good over time. I won't be able to say, though, because I'm giving it to someone as a gift (it's good). 2.) The length of the 64325 is shorter. I can understand that about the front, since there are no quick launch buttons (I've never used these on a regular basis), but I like the extended length in the front of the 64213 better, because I have a large hand. This isn't a big deal. 3.) The 64325 seems to be angled down a little bit more in front. I like the angle of the 64213 better. Maybe use one or two thicknesses of corrugated cardboard to raise it up. This isn't a big deal. 4.) The scroll 'ring' works ok, although I've read reviews to the contrary. I've never regularly used the scroll 'wheel' in the 64213 - Reason: I set my buttons as follows (please see pic): bottom-left: Click top-left: Drag* top-right: Right-Click bottom-right: Double-Click If I'm viewing a web page (which is when I might use the scroll 'wheel' or 'ring') . . . I don't use the scroll 'wheel' or 'ring' . . . instead, I use the vertical slider of the browser, my top-left mouse button (Drag), and the trackball itself as the scroll 'wheel' or 'ring' . . . in my opinion, the scroll 'wheel' or 'ring' is redundant. *To do Camera Zoom in Second Life, you put the mouse cursor in the distance, press the Alt key, and then Drag the mouse forward / around / backwards . . . I was previously holding down the Alt key, and using my top-left button to do "Single-Click" Drag - but that froze out my keyboard, and then I could no longer type in Local Chat . . . I just figured out that I can program any of these buttons to do "Alt+Drag+Click," which equals "Alt+Left Drag," in the MouseWorks software, under "Other Options... / Standard Clicks / More Clicks..." and now Camera Zoom works with no problem, and with even one less key to press! (the Alt key - please see pic). When I zoom around to build, though, it still does this, sometimes. ********************************************************** Other comments on . . . The Mouse 1.) I tried the included palm pad support that you can attach. It didn't work for me, because my hand is large, and you have to position your hand relative to how it attaches. When I went to left-click on the bottom left button with my thumb, when my thumb came off of the button, I would hear a spring sound that you shouldn't hear. I overcame this by clicking a little bit further down on the button, while using a detached palm pad support that I got somewhere else (please see pic). 2.) It takes a couple of hours for it to be 'broken in,' for smooth trackball movement. 3.) They added rubberized feet to it, which is nice. I did this with the 64213 (it didn't have them). The Software 1.) Use the 'Acceleration' and 'Fine Tuning' settings to get it just the way you want. 2.) It will bring my computer out of Standby when connected as PS/2, but not as USB (same with the 64213 - even when I verified that I had that option checked in properties).

UPDATE: MAY 2017 I continue to LOVE this trackball. It's smooth, functional and lets me do everything I need in my graphic design/marketing studio. Of the 4 in the shop, one has developed some gravelly sound in the scroll ring and so it will need to be replaced, but the others are all working just fine years after purchase. I've used every version of this 4-button trackball since 1989, and it's been universally wonderful. Disregard the drama queens to who bitch about this product. They either got a defective unit or messed it up themselves, because I've had 29 years of personal experience that proves that Kensington has a SUPERIOR product in this trackball. NOTE TO ANYONE WHOSE TRACKBALL ISN'T WORKING PROPERLY: You have a defective unit! Tell Amazon or Kensington about it and arrange to have them send you a replacement unit. In any run of mass-produced products you'll always get a small few that are defective. Call customer support and get it replaced. UPDATE: OCT/2016: I LOVE this trackball (even though they call it the Expert Mouse). I've used my current model for over 4 years without a single problem. It's fast and does not stress my wrist at all because I control it with my fingers. Every couple of months I take the ball out and turn the unit upside down to dump out any dust and hair that have accumulated in the ball cavity. It's a good idea to take a tissue and gently wipe off the 3 sensor points so they're not clogged with dirt and skin oils. Maintenance is a snap. If your hands/fingers are really oily you might have to occasionally take out the ball and wash it with soap and water, but that's about it. I work for 8-10 hours every single day at my computer with Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator and Muse (all from Adobe Systems) and it lets me be very fast. I set the Trackballworks software so that the cursor flies around the screen with the flick of my fingers. I simply wouldn't work without it. The big ball rolls easily and is essential to my workflow.; DEC 1/2014: The Kensington Expert Mouse is actually not a mouse at all, but a trackball that is well-made and very durable. I've used Kensington's Turbo Mouse, an earlier version of this product, starting in 1989 and its various iterations ever since. It connects via USB 2 to either Mac or Windows, and replaces the standard mouse that comes with your computer. Software drivers for Mac and Windows are available on Kensington's site. Why should you replace your mouse with this product? The Expert Mouse has a large ball about the size of a pool ball that you move with your fingertips. You can rocket the cursor quickly to any part of your monitor with a simple flick of your fingers, instead of having to move your whole arm with a regular mouse. I often work 8-10 hours a day at my computer and a 30" monitor doing graphic design work, and the Expert Mouse prevents stress on my arm and hand. For right handers, left-clicking is done with your thumb on the lower left button. Right-clicking is done with your little finger on the lower right button. However, you can program any of the 4 buttons to do any of these two actions, and custom-program other actions with the remaining 2 buttons. Speaking frankly, I LOVE this trackball, as it keeps me productive and speeds my work immensely. New users may notice the ball may move a tad sluggishly when they first unpack the trackball, but this quickly goes away with a few minutes of use. The speed of the cursor can be easily adjusted with the supplied driver/software to your liking. The trackball takes up very little desk room. It's only 5" x 6" and no mouse pad is required. Around the ball is a scroll ring that allows you to quickly scroll around your documents and web pages in a flash. I could never go back to a mouse. The Kensington Expert Mouse is absolutely the best trackball product I've ever used, and I've been using it or its direct ancestors for 23 years! It may take a day or two to get used to it, but when you do you'll never want to use a regular mouse again. It's really that good. Cleaning is easy. I recommend that about once a month that you simply pick up the unit, hold your hand over the ball and turn it over. The ball will fall into your hand. Tap gently on the bottom of the unit to release dust, food particles, hair, dead skin cells and other gunk that's built up. You may have to use a tissue to wipe out the ball cavity and polish up the ball itself to remove any grime or skin oils from your hand. You can even wash the ball in mild, soapy water if you have excessively oily fingers. It's advisable to use a tissue to remove the gunk that builds up over the 3 tiny balls inside the ball cavity, as these can build up with dirt, fuzz and grime over time. It usually takes only a few seconds to do this every month or so, so it's not a bother. Your trackball should last you for many years of lightning-fast, smooth cursor action if you do this. My current Expert Mouse is over 5 years old and going strong, without a single problem in that time. UPDATE: JUNE 10, 2013 These trackballs last a LONG time! I'm buying a new Kensington Expert Mouse to replace one I bought over 4 years ago. I must have had something on my fingers that has caused the scroll ring rubber to start breaking down and get sticky (possibly bug spray). I'm putting in my order for a new Expert Mouse in the exact same model because it's the best computer trackball I've ever used--and I've been using the various versions of this product since 1990! There's just no other trackball that works as well and is so durable. I use mine with a Mac Pro at work and an iMac at home, and sometimes even take it along on the road to use on my MacBook Pro 17" when I travel. Simply the best! I give it another 5 stars.

I have tried them all, and this one is the best. Is it perfect? Is it for everyone? No. The big advantage this unit has over the others has been overlooked by other reviewers. When I use this track ball, there are many hand positions that work well. Quite often I drape my hand over the whole thing and move the ball with the callouses of my pointing and ring fingers that are on the palm of my hand. I can rest my hand on the table and use a fingertip or two. One of those that I like the best is cradling the top of the ball in the nook of my #1 and 2 fingers, just under the knuckles halfway back on the fingers. I use five or six different positions, and they are all comfortable and easy to be accurate with. The large diameter ball makes this possible, along with places on the housing that aren't buttons that fingers can rest on. I also put some of my hand weight on the ball. By using many different combinations of positions, the chances of injury is as low as it is going to get. I never get sore from the track ball, and I have been computing for a long time (please don't ask). The scroll ring is also easily turned with a finger or two, or thumb. From the top or either side. It's way better than those thumbwheels. The ring to has a clicky feel when turned. It's made that way. If you don't like it you can take it apart and remove the magnet. The screws are under the feet, which are just stuck on, and there are a couple more under the ball. Sometimes the ball is sticky out of the box. For a track ball to work, the friction of the ball has to be very low. This high friction goes away after a while, but you can't wash it away with soap and water for some reason. Another reviewer suggested greasing and polishing and I expect this works. Perhaps a solvent wash with alcohol. Maybe the oil from your skin gets in the plastic and lubricates it. If I give mine a spin right now it will go for 3 revolutions. I have large hands, and this thing is perfect for me. If you have small hands it may not be for you. I threw the wrist rest away. It's useless. I often put the track ball on the arm of an easy chair, and my whole arm and hand are supported perfectly. Setting it up for your own tastes with the software is important. It makes a huge difference. I use my computer mostly for programming and browsing, with some photoshop thrown in. Although I have a tablet, I can actually do better with the track ball in most cases when I use photoshop to fix pictures. For browsing, I have one of the upper buttons programmed to be the browser back button. That and the scroll ring will spoil you big time. Fair warning. The one thing I would like is to be able to adjust how much pressure it takes to trip the buttons. I sometimes screw up and inadvertently hit the upper left button (back) when I don't want to. I can see Kensington rolling their eyes - it's always something... I tried their new track ball, the slimblade, and it wasn't quite as good. The case and buttons were one and the same, so finding a place to rest hand and fingers resulted in a lot of unwanted button presses. Also, the buttons take different pressures depending on where you hit them. This unit doesn't behave that way. The buttons take the same pressure no matter where they are pressed. The rotating ball vs scroll ring was a non-issue. I went back to this unit because it's more ergonomic, even though it's a lot thicker. I am about to buy my fourth one of these. I have managed to break several in different ways, through no fault of the manufacturer. In general these are pretty tough units. I have dropped mine off the chair arm many times and it has been ok. The cord is not tough enough to withstand a battle with the vacuum. The unit works well with a 10 foot usb passive extension cable (even though it's too long for spec). I can tell you that if you put it on the floor, and the dog steps on the ball, one of the bearing holders is likely to break off...

For years, I have used this trackball despite it's egregious functional flaw because it has the best design for my shoulder issues. On the good side, I don't have to move my arm around. All functions are done with the fingers. The scroll ring is a must, even though it is rickety. Having the mouse button under the thumb allows me to hold down the mouse while scrolling, which I use a lot for graphic design work. If other manufacturers would design trackballs this way, I would switch in a heartbeat. the larger ball adds much to the ability to be precise. This mouse has great potential. The reason I am frustrated is because Kensington refuses to properly insulate the trackball against the galvanic electricity in my fingers. If I am working with my last two fingers raised and then unconsciously lower them onto the trackball body, it can cause an imperceptible shock that makes the cursor jump across the screen. I've bought, sent back, and bought again several of these trackballs over the years for this problem and it never gets fixed, as has happened again now. Customer service says it's probably due to a faulty GPU. I can assure you that Apple does not make a GPU that can detect when you touch the frame of a trackball, much less in a 2018 Mac Mini. Big Brother was not there yet in 2018, though who's to say now? I've even tried sitting on a grounding mat. It made no difference. It's bad enough that you never get the software for MAC that lets you take advantage of all its features that you can get with Windows: That's pathetic but tolerable. However, not insulating the device over the years, knowing this is a problem is simply terrible business acumen. So, I go on having my concentration disrupted several times a day, swearing and cursing at the company each time, occasionally being compelled to check the market for some other company to design one like it so I can switch. Are you listening Logitect???

The first time I bought this trackball, it took a little to get used to using it, but, over many years of using it, and as many as five purchased over those years, its been my "normal" device. Placement of the "ball", left & right buttons, and scroll wheel are unique, and can take some practice, but I now find them easy to go to by touch, comfortable, and not having to give up any desk real estate to move it about, is a welcoming feature of any trackball mouse. Large ball for moving is excellent for precise mouse movements, with the ability to make large "across the desktop" movements, and I don't think anyone could play "Missile Command" without a large ball. Running Linux, I don't have the option of using the programming of the buttons software, but *nix appears to see the four buttons without extra software. Left and right buttons are seen as lower left & right buttons, and the above left & right buttons are seen as (in Chrome) as open link in new tab. So even though I can't use the provided driver software, I still get extra benefits of the additional buttons. The trackball is built pretty sturdy, even though you don't have to move it around your desk, it does become a focal point for dust bunnies and cleaning. Which other than the buttons clicking needing to be cleaned, which is also an issue with a normal mouse, the movement ball is really easy to clean. Simply turn the trackball upside down and the ball comes right out, leaving a large open "cavity" to clean. I usually use a soft cloth to wipe the ball of oils and build up, and a toothpick to go after the three "glide" balls that always seem to be a collection point for light dust and "gunk". Lastly, I either give it a good blowing over with either breath of canned air to ensure the cavity is clear of debris. Once done, simply "drop" the ball back in, and its good as new. Another area of dust collection is the optical sensor, which I usually clean my trackball "live". I don't power off the computer to do this cleaning, so the red sensor optical light can be seen easily. Using either a toothpick or brisk air (either by blowing or canned air) will ensure proper tracking of movements of the ball. I usually get a years of service from this trackball, ensuring that when movements start to get sluggish that it is cleaned. The only two areas you can't get to are usually what causes it to fail over time; the scroll wheel or the buttons. I've been able to blast air clean these two areas to get a little more life, but eventually they start failing, and require complete replacement. Nothing negative here about these issues, its a common problem, even with normal mice, sooner or later, they just fail. I've found the Kensington Expert Trackball to last far better than anything else, trackball or mouse. They usually last years, and as I said, I've had over five of them, lasting well over a total of ten to fifteen years. I think that's better than I got with a normal mouse. Over all, this is my go to for computer pointing devices.

Não tem como não gostar dele Lindo! Agilidade! Obrigado.

This product has found its home in almost every professional recording studio in the world. It is extremely dextrous and such a comfort to the wrist. Long hours at the studio don't seem so long anymore! The only issue I have noticed is with the scroll wheel not performing smoothly, but it still works. The trackball is weighted and has sufficient momentum to sen e cursor flying to the other end of the wide screen display. Integrates very well with Pro Tools, and general workflow. I am yet to try out the customisable top keys to instantiate macros. Very satisfied with the product finish and quality.

Ganska stor, stadig, och exakt. Vilsam att arbeta med. Rekommenderas:)

AMENDED - I GOT THE RIGHT SOFTWARE, SET IT UP, REBOOTED AND IT STILL WORKS - OH FRABJOUS DAY... BUT YOU HAVE TO RUN IT MANUALLY AT STARTUP - ROYAL PITA! Generally I only use the lower buttons, uppers are set at double click & back, so used to control click / open from Mac Contextual Menu. MAYBE it's just me, but for an optical device it can stick after cleaning; polish the ball carefully afterwards. I LOVE Kensington products. BUT since the end of software on a disk, it's tricksy. I downloaded & installed the software for my all in one printer no problems, but this! I made one last try as I was getting sick of only 2 functional buttons. IT HELPS IF YOU HAVE ANOTHER POINTING DEVICE AS A BACKUP!!!!!!! I have a cheap wired trackpad, PITA to use but works. 1: goto KENSINGTON site. 2: find EXACT picture of device, select. 3: scroll down to downloads, you want KENSINGTONWORKS - NOT TrackballWorks - check INSTALLATION NOTES that it has the driver for the EXACT device. 4: download, launch from start menu. 5: play with the settings - there are TONS of them, keep fine tuning until it's right for you. 6: if you're still not happy you are a bigger PITA than me - well done you! I have rechecked EVERY setting I can find - Oh how I miss Apple Macs (but TOO expensive and poncy these days) - as far as I can tell, my system is STILL recognising it only as a "Kensington Expert Mouse". BUT the software works now so who cares if the PC calls my Trackball "Felicity Bumsquash". Trackball Works DID NOT detect my trackball, Kensingtonworks does; also does not crash the computer like TW. I know, i'm demanding. WHY Kensington do not just ship with the software on a USB stick is beyond me. Or even a DVD - it costs around £30 to buy a DVD-RW drive AND you can play CDs and DVDs AND burn CDs & DVDs! Showing my age I suppose. I remember my first home computer - Sinclair QL128 (Kb) with MICRO drives on a portable telly! Hours of fun waiting for programs to load; then crash ... repeat until the drive cartridges broke - happy days! Then Atari ST 520, 2, 4 with Disk drives and WINCHESTER drives as an expensive optional extra... PC, Macs, Android and back to PC. ANYTHING but Uni mainframe terminals! ALSO, I recommend >>>Kensington Mouse Mat with Wrist Support - Ergonomic Duo Gel mouse mat, compatible with laser and optical mice for comfort when at computer, laptop, office, PC, gaming - Red/Black (62402).<<< WITH an extra mouse mat wrist rest if you lean your elbows over the table, not freeishly hovering. Essentially you need around 4 inches of support to use this device, go by the supplied one as a guide - but it hurts (me anyway) to use it. Not that colour particularly, but it has plenty of space for the device and, for me sits above another mouse mat wrist rest so is MEGA comfortable. The one supplied just does not cut it. All in all I am satisfied NOW that I spent £80 for a trackball. I had a non optical one on Macs, wasn't around when I had my previous PC; now there's no mucking around with alcohol, Q Tips and tweezers trying to clean the rollers. Minivac and a screwriver if it got too bad. Just wipe the ball and innersocket. They are different, expensive, but so much easier and actually reduce wrist stress especially combined with an ergonomic keyboard. GREAT for arthritis / rheumatism / nerve damage (i'm dyspraxic, nature of the beast). Oh and finally I found the scroll wheel - it's a flipping dial - it's a ring surrounding the ball - PITA to avoid pressing a button! slight ridging so easy to find by touch and use. BUT you CAN adjust it in the Kensingtonworks settings too!!!!!!! Yes I do love playing around with settings, 50 something going on 5 with technology.

I've exclusively used trackballs with my desktop for the last 30 years, and Kensington's is by far the best I've ever owned. Such quality, and so many extra features to make writing and coding easier.