[cmeisenzahl]

as far as trackballs go?

Thanks in advance,
Chris

[olePigeon]

I liked the original Kensington Expert Mouse for the Macintosh. Unfortunately they now only make a flimsy USB one that looks like it'll fall apart if you look at it wrong.

I used to have a Logitech trackball that you guide with your thumb. I liked that one, but the Kensington is best because you can play Marble Madness with it.

[larrinski]

I have used the Logitech Trackman Wheel for over 10 years. It is fantastic! I haven't used a regular mouse for so long!
TrackMan® Wheel

[abbaZaba]

I used to use this trackball a ton:


I absolutely loved it. I was never a fan of the trackballs that were under your thumb (like previously posted). I think this one was called the Trackman Marble FX or something like that. Again, I loved this mouse so much. Unfortunately, it is PS/2 and I never found a working PS/2->USB adapter so I've not used it in a long time. But to reiterate: I loved it and it's probably the only trackball I would ever use. You can even sorta see in the picture how the logitech logo is nearly worn out.

[CharlesS]

I used to like the Kensington Orbit a lot, although I eventually had to switch to regular mice since trackballs can be carpal-tunnel inducing. They were great for playing marble games like Oxyd (and its modern open-source remake, Enigma), though, I have to admit.

It looks like Kensington now sells optical versions of the Orbit and the Expert Mouse. Should be a lot easier to clean. I'd probably go with Kensington, no one else ever compared to them, even back when trackballs were popular.

Trackballs - Kensington Trackballs

[-Q-]

I'm with CharlesS - loved my Kensington Orbit. But got away from using them as optical mice became much more popular (and didn't require the cleaning the Orbit did).

[amazing]

I've got at least 9 trackballs in my old equipment morgue. All of them use the index finger to twirl the trackball, mainly because the one time I tried a thumb-activated trackball, I had excessive thumb fatigue (which is no fun whatsoever.) Even Wikipedia mentions that aspect:

"Some computer users prefer a trackball over the more common mouse for ergonomic reasons. There doesn't seem to be conclusive evidence of one being better than the other for most tasks[citation needed]. Users are encouraged to test different devices, and to maintain proper posture and scheduled breaks for comfort. Some disabled users find trackballs easier since they only have to move their thumb relative to their hand, instead of moving the whole hand, while others incur unacceptable fatigue of the thumb. Elderly people sometimes have difficulty holding a mouse still while double-clicking; the trackball allows them to let go of the cursor while using the button."
Trackball - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I'd recommend the Logitech Cordless Optical Trackman if it weren't for the horrendously clunky receiver: Why can't they do the mini-USB receiver that barely sticks out of the USB port?

Amazon.com: Logitech Cordless Optical Trackman (USB/PS/2): Electronics

If you don't mind the USB cord, I'd recommend either the Logitech Optical Marble mouse
Amazon.com: Logitech Optical Marble Mouse (USB/PS2): Electronics

or the Kensington Orbit Optical Trackball Mouse
Amazon.com: Kensington Orbit Optical Trackball Mouse 64327: Electronics

I even bought the bluetooth MacMice The Ball
Amazon.com: The Ball Bluetooth Wireless Trackball: Electronics

which wasn't rugged enough to carry around in a backpack, exhausted batteries too quickly and had serious bluetooth lag.

The best trackball I've ever used was the Macally Q-ball
Amazon.com: Macally - Trackball - optical - 5 button(s) - wired - USB - retail: Electronics