I solely use the Kensington SlimBlade on my desktop.
It's fantastic especially for general purpose work and browsing, browsing is so much more easier with the SlimBlade, turning the ball to scroll.
The only time I find a mouse more efficient is if doing lots of selecting text and copy/pasting or diagram type apps. I have a backup mouse for when a mouse is more useful but almost never use it.
I was getting minor RSI which is why I originally thought i'd try a trackball. Glad I got one, it's so much more comfortable and wrists / arms now stay relativity still. It's just a shame the form factor isn't that great for carrying about with a laptop.
Another Slimblade user here - it's the best pointing device I've ever used.
The scrolling with the ball itself is a killer feature.
I'm using it for ~2 years now, before I had the expert mouse for about 10 and before some PS2 trackball.
The Slimblade is by far the best - both ergonomically and and mechanically.
(previous trackballs tend to collect a lot of dirt and required frequent cleaning, this one have a hole beneath the ball that prevents accumulation)
I've been using the Slimblade for years. I even contributed a small change to Xorg evdev input driver (the Emulate3Button option) to work around the weird internal numbering of the buttons on the device.
On my couch / entertainment computer I use a Logitech M570, but for work nothing beats the Slimblade.
It’s a good question. I’ve been exploring various dual handed input/UX patterns lately. For GIS/mapping applications, being able to use a mouse with a secondary trackball in the other hand, has shown dramatic results in testing. I can see why 3dConnexion has done well in CAD/3D apps, but I think a resurgence in designing creative combinations of input hardware is long overdue.
I only use them. It's just more comfortable and accurate for me. It's like using a track pad, but with real weight and momentum. And I never got into bolting vim bindings on every app I use, so my trackball gets a good amount of use.
I usually get people to start with the Logitech M570[0]. If they like it they usually stick with it and since its small they tend to set it perpendicular to their body in front of their keyboard. So far only one convert has upgraded to a larger Logitech one with a wrist guard.
I am rocking CST2545W(GL) BLUE[1] now-a-days. With plenty of other track balls you can see over on r/trackballs[2].
I use a keyboard for most interaction (XMonad, vim shortcuts in most apps) so YMMV, but really enjoying it so far. The weighting is beautiful, there's four map-able buttons, but the nicest element is a ring that sits around the ball. Spinning it in each direction acts as a scroll and is one of nicest feeling inputs I've used.
Yes, I've used the logitech one (with the blue marble) for probably over 15 years now as I was getting wrist pains from using a mouse. Advantages are that you can just rest your hand in one spot, and even rest the trackball directly on the laptop (bottom right corner) if it is large enough.
My only complaint is that the trackball (on the M570) should be 2X it's current diameter, I don't know why they make them so small.
Yep! I like that the mouse is always in exactly the same place on my desk (s), so muscle memory always lands on it (especially useful in my home office, because the keyboard tray doesn't have much room to move a traditional mouse.
My mice have thumb trackballs: my fingers stay on the mouse buttons while I use my thumb to scroll, so I don't need to lift them to move the mouse pointer.
Trackballs date back to the 60s, at least. The original design advantage of a trackball was pursuit and target acquisition. They were developed for military radar operators to quickly move the focus to an inbound bogie, potentially supersonic. If they could acquire and track the target on air search radar, they could mark it twice on two consecutive sweeps of the air search radar, giving the fire control system a course and speed so the fire control radar had a better shot of getting a lock.
My first four years out of college I spent a lot of time in that space, so I got quite comfortable with trackballs. Now I use them exclusively on my desktop. My only complaint is they aren't embedded flush in the desktop :)
The main draw is that you don't have to move your entire hand / the mouse along a surface.
That means your wrist sees less strain + motion, and you have no need for a mouse-pad, to name two possible benefits. Some people find it to be more precise as well, but I don't know if there's any evidence apart from personal preference.
Of course, your wrist still moves some as you manipulate the ball with your fingers, and if you use a trackpad you already don't need a mousepad-like-surface.
> Some people find it to be more precise as well, but I don't know if there's any evidence apart from personal preference.
Well, for me it is much more precise. Or at least seems more natural.
But... ergonomic warning... I switch up between three different trackballs to keep “trackball thumb” from setting in. I get pain in the base joint if I don’t vary the angle, and also spend some time using a finger-positioned trackball.
The trackball always does stay on the same place. You can have the trackball close to your keyboard, so you can click the "Enter" key from your numpad .. sometimes this is useful. I use mostly a trackball on work and at home.
I managed to get half of my department to switch to a trackball. Even the secretaries got one (after that the department head stopped buying them because MX Ergo are expansive compared to a cheap mouse that comes with the computer...).
I also got my SO and her parents to switch. My SO plays games a lot and had started getting problems around her wrist. She never came back to the mouse.
I've been using a Logitech trackball (where you control the ball with your thumb) for years, since the TrackMan Wheel Optical iteration all the way to the current MX Ergo line.
My hands are too big for most normal mice; trackballs are just way more comfortable for me.
I have used them for years, and almost exclusively for the past three or so. I own about 8 (3 in active use, ~2 only useful for parts). Kensington Expert Mouse (USB, not wireless) is my main model - I use three of them daily (2 at home, 1 at work).
I still consider this model the apex of trackball design, and I have regretted selling mine for over a decade. The way it allows the use of both thumb and index fingers for pointer control is something I haven't seen replicated elsewhere.
