Kensington Expert Wireless Trackball

 Kensington Expert Wireless Trackball

First, let me point out that I bought this on sale for about $58. At that price, you can't do better than this trackball, and I own and use LOTS of trackballs. At the regular price of $99, I think you can get a better value elsewhere unless a left-handed or two-handed trackball is absolutely necessary.

I am right-handed and use it on my left side to rest my right hand and for when I lie down and browse web pages or documents. For certain programs (certain edition), I will change it in my main hand. Being ambidextrous was vital for me.

Yes, the scroll ring on this trackball feels weird. The other reviews don't lie to you. The ring has a little side effect, but I don't have a rough feel like the others seem to have, but rather a plastic-on-plastic rubbing feels. It doesn't bother me in the least, but you might.

I don't agree with people saying the trackball is too high or the angle is weird. I find it perfect with the supplied palm/wrist rest. If you try to manipulate this trackball with your fingertips, it is at an odd angle, but you are also not using the trackball correctly and you will never be able to reach the buttons. If you are right-handed, the base of your hand/palm should be centered on the provided support, with your index finger on the top left button, your ring finger on the top right button, and using those two fingers in conjunction with your finger to manipulate the trackball.

This brings us to the software and the buttons themselves. Kensington software is fantastic. It works perfectly on my Mac whether it's on Bluetooth or USB (ignore reviews saying the software won't work with Mac when it's on Bluetooth, that's no longer correct). You can customize the buttons globally as well as at the individual program levels.

All in all, I couldn't possibly do better for the price of $58. For reference, I have an Elecom Huge, which I bought at great discounts, a Logitech MX Ergo (Plus version), Logitech M570, and a Logitech Performance MX optical mouse. The Logitech MX Ergo Plus is my primary right-handed mouse with this Kensington on my left, being used roughly equally and often concurrently. Every now and then I go to the Elecom Huge in my right hand to take a break from my thumb. The Logitech M570, which replaced the Ergo Plus, is my travel trackball, as well as the trackball I'll use on the couch or in bed when I'm at the computer.

If you like trackballs and you can get this trackball for or around $60, it should be a buy without hesitation.

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Kensington expert Wired trackball mouse

 Kensington expert Wired trackball mouse

am a film and video editor with over 25 years of experience. I only write reviews when I think I can really help other people by sharing information.

I shoot a lot, but when the editing comes, I can spend 9 hours a day editing. A few weeks ago I started to get some pain in my shoulder, after some research I found out that it was a mild form of RSI.

Of course, I realized that in order to stop RSI it is necessary to address the chair, posture, desk, keyboard, etc. So keep that in mind when reading my review.

So let's talk about the mouse. I've tried several upright mice, I've tried ergonomic mice and even some gaming mice, the pain was the same, some worse.

I tested the Logitech m570 trackball and found that the way it is built requires you to use your thumb to operate the trackball. Also, really precise movements like those needed in graphic design or video editing are hard to perform with the m570, especially if you're a fast editor or a quick-thinking editor who wants to keep what your hands are doing with what your mind dissolves.

I tried the Kensington Expert Trackball (wired version) and liked the great trackball at first, but I didn't find much difference. Yet the precise movements were not easy.

But then I read some helpful reviews and found the solution, and now I love this trackball. I can edit for hours without arm fatigue, and best of all, I can't feel my arm while editing!

Without a doubt, this trackball is the best mouse replacement device ever. My next step is to test a Wacom tablet, but for now, I'm on my Trackball honeymoon!

So the keys to using this trackball effectively for video editing or other activities that require extremely precise movements are:

1. Roll the trackball with your index finger and occasionally with your middle finger. DO NOT use your thumb to move the trackball as this will cause more pain if you have RSI or other problems when you are feeling well.

2. I'm using a MAC, but I think you can do the same on your PC. On Mac, go to Control Panel, Mouse Speed ​​Control (not the specific speed of the trackball but the overall speed of the mouse) and place it exactly in the middle of a line before (slower) than the middle.

3. I'm using a MAC, but I suppose you can do the same on your PC. On Mac, go to the Control Panel and in the Trackball, panel find the tab that controls the speed, set the speed between 20 - 40% (the exact number depends on your editing style, fast or slow movements). This will help you make accurate movements without any problems, but it will reduce the speed of the pointer to quickly cover long distances. So to help with that, on the same tab, set the trackball acceleration to about 40-70%. This will help the trackball pick up some speed as you roll it to move the pointer from one point to another on the other side of the screen or on a second screen.

4. The trackball has 4 buttons that you can customize in the same tab as mentioned above. By default, the bottom buttons are configured for left and right clicks. I suggest you set the top left or top right button to drag the padlock, that way it stops one of the worst activities for RSI, dragging. With drag lock, you click on an item with the drag lock button, move it and then release it with another click of the same button.

I hope this review can help other video editors, graphic designers, or sound mixers, who want to protect their hands/arms or try to stop RSI or even carpal tunnel.

Logitech M570 Wireless Trackball Mouse

Products Description:

The Logitech M570 Wireless Trackball Mouse is a wireless mouse that lets you control your laptop, desktop computer, or home theater PC from up to 30 feet (10 meters) away. Its USB receiver plugs into the USB port on your computer and remains unobtrusive to offer continuous connectivity. It employs a laser tracking method for precise tracking on a variety of difficult surfaces.

Reviews Round:

I have 5 of these mice. I'm crazy? Yes, but not because I have 5 of these mice.

I am a professional software developer; I'm on the computer all the time. Using a normal mouse hurts. Using these thumb trackballs doesn't work, and they work really, really well. They are comfortable, with an AA battery they last about 3 to 6 months. I don't even think about drums.

The transceiver is extremely small and unobtrusive if left connected. I've played thousands of hours of Steam and Origin games (Battlefield, Borderlands, Terraria, etc.) and I've used these mice just for that. I'm not that bad at FPS (I have a kill-to-kill ratio of 1.5:1), and these mice give me no problem. I'm not a crazy gamer so I guess I don't mind having a mouse resolution of 16 million dpi. Sounds like an exaggeration to me, but hey, maybe I'm a newbie.

The forward and back buttons are a nice bonus. The ability to disable the mouse with a physical slide switch should not be overstated. I like to be in control of the battery that way. If I pack the mouse or leave it for an extended period of time (if I'm going away for days-weeks), I turn it off to save battery. Deep sleep mode will probably last for months anyway, but I turn it off anyway.

Since it's a big ball, you'll need to remove the dirt from the small, low-friction balls (in the "eye socket"; yes, I know it's dirty, but it'll be fine). I just use a plastic tool or rotary flange to get the dirt out there once or twice a month and it still glides on smoothly.

Since the jockey balls are plastic, they will not scratch the mouse ball. I had that problem with many older mice (Microsoft Trackball Optical) that used normal metal balls (the metal balls eventually burst and started marking the mouse ball, rendering it useless).

I've had two major issues with these mice and they only occur on my first purchase (I probably did them 3-5 years ago).

1. Left mouse button unexpectedly double-clicked when pressed. Sometimes the button stays pressed even though the catch is released, other times it just clicks many times. Considering I've played hundreds of hours of FPS games with that mouse, it's no wonder. I replaced the faulty microswitch with one from an old optical mouse and that kept it alive for a while. Since the mouse has probably been used for millions of clicks and thousands of hours, this really isn't a problem.

2. With the first version of this mouse (the old one mentioned in #1), I experienced random permanent disconnection of the mouse from the transceiver. This is very annoying and difficult to fix. Sometimes the mouse can just rest (go to sleep) for an hour or two and wake it up to successfully pair with the transceiver again. Other times I had to try special key combinations (hold the middle button for 30 seconds with the left button pressed, etc.) to try and reboot the firmware. This is not documented and does not work uniformly. Finally, at other times I just used Logitech's unifying receiver software to disconnect and repair the transceiver. This usually works. I didn't experience this problem with any of the newer versions of the mouse so I think it was an early firmware bug that has been fixed.

3. The rubber feet on the bottom have a stickier adhesive than you might expect. This leads to them eventually slipping as dirt and dust enter the grooves around the feet. There's not much you can do about it. If you're holding your feet when they fall off, you can remove the fabric sticker (it's basically double-sided fabric tape) and just stick it on. Just know that the screws are underneath so if you want to get to the circuit board to replace the microswitches it will be difficult to stick it on. Yes, I know I'm weird trying to fix my mice, but I want them to last as long as possible.

Conclusion:

The compact footprint of the Logitech M570 Wireless Trackball Mouse makes it easy to take with you anywhere, and it's easy to throw into your laptop bag. The ball even stays in place when you turn it upside down. Should you need to clean your trackball, removing the ball is a snap.

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