optical mice

This is my 3'rd trackball and it is very good - fast, smooth, very silent and easy to point. I like this better than the K64226 because of its quietness. I bought this to use with my laptop and the trackball is much quicker and easier to work with than the pressure pad.

K64226 Orbit (2nd) trackball -My wife & I both like this one.She was a mouse user but finds the the ball much better for the same reasons that other user-reviewers have touted.Particularly, no more sliding, lifting, banging the mouse around on the table or pad.

K64210 Turbo Mouse with 4 buttons - my first trackball - is also very good.The larger ball does provide better pointing, however slowing down the pointer speed will improve pointer accuracy.

Feel /Touch-wise, both Orbit trackballs are about the same - fitting the hand comfortably (mine are not large). The center rubber-like strip does provide a wee-bit more traction for the hand to rest on. Which Orbit to choose? Basically which look do you prefer? These 2 orbit trackballs would be the ones to go with if you are looking for a mouse replacement or for on-the-go laptop use. Both work well, works like a mouse using the pc's given mouse controls and zips me thru my excel, word and graphics applications - cut, paste, edit, crop, enhance, etc.

For the turbo mouse, if you like having 4 buttons to control menu functions (via the free Kensington download software) that is fine too. I have tried earlier versions, but left and right button functions are more than adequate.

I have tried the L-tek t-balls. They are much smaller to carry but the control via the thumb is not very good vs. index & middle finger movement. Other slimmer models with the ball in the center are too narrow. One still has to curl one's fingers to trigger the buttons. With all of the Kensington's, you just rest your hand on top of the trackballs and your fingers will naturally fall onto the trigger buttons. No gripping, just clicking.

Get a Kensington. Dare I say that you will have a "ball":)

Note : I am right-handed but use my left hand to use the track-ball - the ring finger triggers the left click button while the thumb bangs the right click button. Frees up the right hand to input numbers via the 10-touch keypad, scroll or quickly bang on the enter key. Muscle fatigue in one arm and wrist is reduced since the right and left hands share the workload.

I used to have a Kensington Orbit PS/2 for about 5 years. Spilled some soda on it so the buttons began to stick. Well decided to move an optical setup as they require less maintenance. This product is great. The trackball is smooth and basically maintenance free. I would recommend it to anyone who wants less stress on the wrists or wants to reduce the space allocated to a mouse device.

I've been a trackball user for over 5 years now. The last one I had was Kensington's one with the big clear blue ball. It lasted a good 4 years before the lil rubber rollers gave out. So I decided to replace it with an optical trackball. I chose this one because it had the same layout and left/right click capabilities as my previous one. I am pretty pleased with it. I am amazed at how little I have to work to move the ball... I never realized how much effort I needed to move the old non-optical one. There are only a few design issues I wish I could fix.

1) My old one you could turn the whole thing upside down and the ball wouldn't fall out. On this model the ball has no locking-in device. I use this with my laptop and have to search for the ball at the bottom of my bag every single time.

2) The lil indent the optical lense is sitting in is a prime place for dust and crap to settle, disrupting the performance. They should cover it up and make it flush with the rest of the interior.

3) I wish the buttons were moved a lil more towards the front. It's the fine for clicking with your thumb... but a lil too far back to click on the otherside with your pinky or ring finger.