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AURACLE · Mar 13, 2003, 09:07 PM

Hi all...

I've been experiencing some pain in my right wrist and forearm, and even in the fingers on my right hand, from mousing, and I'm strongly considering replacing my Logitech Optical Wheel Mouse with an optical trackball.

Do any of you out there have any suggestions as to what the best trackball for OS X would be? Right now I'm thinking I'll go with another Logitech, but if anyone has some other suggestions, I'd love to see them.

Thanks in advance for any and all responses.

-- Jeff

Macola · Mar 13, 2003, 09:39 PM

I'm not an MS fan by any means, but I've found that the MS Intellipoint Explorer trackballs are the most comfortable for me--I have a couple of them.

Mr. Blur · Mar 13, 2003, 09:53 PM

the kensington turbo mouse pro trackball is worth checking out. i would highly recommend finding a store where you can go and try out a few different ones......if you are having troubles with arm/wrist etc then get the one that feels best to *you* - not to us.

lunaticbunny · Mar 14, 2003, 12:50 AM

ever since my very first computer - way, way, waaaay back in the days of my 486DX/2, i've been using a trackball(logitech). i've always thought that a mouse was really clumsy. and now i've moved up to a wacom tablet and use it about 95% of the time, but still keep my trusty trackball beside me. I'd recommend the logitech trackman wheel, the scrolling is nice and smooth and is fairly comfortable but not as comfortable as the older model because it's slightly narrower now. i've bought the MS one before and returned the next day, the ball movement is not very smooth.

schalliol · Mar 14, 2003, 02:27 AM

Kensington Expert/TurboMouse (Pro or not). Use it for 30 minutes and you'll never use another prouct. Excellent quality, good software, doesn't jam, A+!

jamez bond · Mar 14, 2003, 08:35 AM

I have this one:
Logitech

It is pretty good, with all the buttons etc.
The left button is however placed a bit too far back, so your thumb is making a strange arc. It is not really a problem. More an observation.
Whichever ball you choose, get one with a "heavy" ball. It is then easy to spin from one side of the screen to another.
I also have a wacom tablet, and would recommend that as an alternative to trackball/mouse again. I am using the pen most of the time now actually, with the ocassional use of the trackball, when I am not in a hurry...

bbxstudio · Mar 14, 2003, 10:18 AM

Try the Kensington TurboMouse Pro - it's a product I'd heartily recommend to anybody...

... not only does it fit nicely into small and large hands alike, but is extremely well-built, has a total of 11 programmable buttons (right click, middle click, right click, any key modifier or URL or Macro of your choosing), the nicest-feeling ball of any I've ever used, and a scroll wheel to boot. Kensington's Mouseworks software is also brilliant and works in both OSX and Classic. My only regret is that I didn't splurge on the wireless model.

There's a reason why the basic TurboMouse design has seen little in the way of change over the years - it's hard to improve upon perfection. This is actually my 3rd in the last 10 years (the first 2 are still alive and well and getting used every day).

Macola · Mar 15, 2003, 10:26 AM

I used Kensington Turbo Mouse trackballs for a while, but kept waiting for them to come out with an optical version, and they never did...hence my switch to MS. My main problem with mechanical trackballs is that they get gummed up far too easily--if you look at the FAQs on Kensington's website the majority of them deal with cleaning the trackballs. If there was an optical version of the Turbo Mouse I'd buy it in an instant. However, as someone else said: go to a store and try them out for yourself.

schalliol · Mar 15, 2003, 11:00 AM

I've been using the Turbo Mouse and Expert Mouse Pros for quite some time and actually don't have a problem with gumming up, though it did seem like it for the 1st week or 2 of usage.

I use my computer all day and frequently late at night and have no problem. Perhaps once every couple of weeks I lift out the ball and rub my finger across the rolling mechanism to clear the tinyest amounts of debris, but it's not really necessary and only takes about 10 seconds to do.

AURACLE · Mar 19, 2003, 08:03 PM

Well, I got my Kensington TurboBall optical trackball from the Apple Store today, and I must say, it's pretty sweet. Four programmable buttons, a scroll wheel, and a big, honkin' marble at the top. Basically, it looks like a mouse on steroids, but I can already tell that my wrist and fingers will like it a lot better than my old Logitech Optical Mouse.

Thanks to all of you who responded to my original question. It's much appreciated.

-- Jeff