Orbit Trackball Mouse with Scroll Ring (K72337US), 4 1/2X5 1/2X2"

I've had the trackball for about a month now. I bought it to replace the wireless Mighty Mouse that came with my Mac 'cause it ate batteries like no tomorrow. VERY, VERY pleased with the trackball. It took me about a week to figure out how to comfortably use it as I had exclusively using a Wacom tablet in place of the mouse, before deciding to get some sort of mouse. The software: To start off, for those reading reviews of those complaining about the program, you CAN plug and play it. You don't actually need the program for the trackball to work. The mouse adjustments that you can make in the System Preferences will still work for the trackball. However, in order to access the additional features, you will need to download the software. It's a very easy process, just go to the website, download and install it (the instructions come in the packet). The icon will show up in your System Preferences window under the Other header. I don't know where it appears for Windows as I've only transferred the trackball between our Macs. In the trackball program, you can adjust the usual features (scroll speed, click speed, etc) and also the left/right combo click which you can set to do stuff like go back or forward. The program also allows you to choose which direction to have the scroll ring turn to go up or down. The default is set to clockwise for scrolling down. The buttons: overall, they're pretty standard in function. However, I do find that sometimes in certain programs like a Flash game, it won't always want to click on the first try, so I wouldn't recommend this for gaming purposes for games where you do need an immediate response. All other uses, I haven't really noticed any problems. I love the option of being able to set the dual click to do something :) As a first time trackball user, something else I also had to remember to do was take my fingers off the ball before clicking as I often catch myself nudging the ball when I click and then missing the spot I wanted to click. Same goes for the scroll wheel. I seem to subconsciously fiddle with that too. Trackball: No issues with it at all. It took some getting used to with adjusting from a mouse or my tablet and I found myself trying to click on the ball itself a number of times. *lol* But no fault of the device. The scroll ring: So far, I haven't experienced any of the major problems that have been complained about so far. Up till about a week ago, I hadn't gotten around to looking into the trackball's software and once I did, it made a huge world of difference with how smoothly the ring scrolled. It felt a little slow, previously to the point where it sort of staggered sometimes. I love how I can now just give the ring a quick flick with a finger and I'll be back at the top of a web page. I've actually caught myself trying to do that with a scroll wheel on a mouse at work and wondering why it just inched up instead of flying up where I wanted it! Keeping in mind of the complaints though, I have been careful with the wheel and trying not to use it when I don't feel I really need to, as not to potentially abuse it to death as I really like it. So if I'm scrolling to skim an article or search it for something, I'll use the scroll bar on the browser, which with the trackball is pretty effortless. Extras: It includes a wrist rest that you can attach to the end of the base. I didn't bother with it as my desk has a built in one. Size of whole unit: it's a decent size for me. My hand length is about 7 inches and the size of the unit allows me to perch my fingertips on the ball and comfortably roll forward to the middle joint of my fingers if I want to do one long continuous drag. I've play tested some older trackballs in stores many years ago when the majority seemed to be a lot larger, so this works fairly well. Advice: if you find yourself needing to clean your trackball, don't use Clorox wipes. It leaves a sticky residues that slows down the ball's spin. I just pulled out the ball and washed it with hand soap and water, wiped out the dust in the holder, dried off everything and stuck it back in. User troubleshooting: If you find that your hand is more tired using the trackball than a regular mouse, try adjusting your chair height. This can make a very big difference. If you have an arm rest on your chair, take advantage of it and adjust your chair height to make the rest level with your trackball.

I've been an avid trackball user since the 1990s and have used quite a few of them. I've been trying to replace my favorite discontinued model for years, and of the many I've tried I would say this is the best. Pros: Overall feel is very nice in my hand. It was broken-in within minutes (by this I mean the ease of rolling the ball in it's socket; there is typically a bit of drag or stiffness with most of the trackballs I've tried. This usually gets better over a few days' use). The scroll ring also feels nice. I would call the build quality mid-grade. It doesn't feel high end, but it also doesn't feel like junk. The wrist-rest is just a tiny bit lesser quality plastic, and I didn't expect to use it, but after trying it out it really does improve overall comfort of use. The software is simple, although there is room for improvement. Another pro for me is the ball being in the index-finger position. I really dislike models with the ball in the thumb position, but that is really a matter of personal preference. Cons: Not enough cons to impact overall rating. I would like more buttons, although that is probably a limitation of being a low-cost model, as the more expensive Kensingtons do have more. The ability to chord (press both buttons simultaneously to function as a third button) would be nice. I don't know if that is a limitation of the software, hardware, or both. The scroll ring is a tiny bit too sensitive for my liking. In summary, this is an excellent trackball for the price, and is significantly better than more expensive trackballs I have tried (I got this one for $17 during a Black Friday sale). I wish I bought a few of these at that price, because it seems like once a model becomes discontinued, the after market prices get crazy. For example, my all-time favorite is the Microsoft Trackball Explorer, which was perfect in every way. Long discontinued, they can still be found on Ebay for several hundred dollars. I may give one of the higher end Kensington models a try. I briefly tested one in a store years ago and didn't like the ergonomics, so the only reason I tried this one was because it was insanely cheap. I'm very glad I did.

2.5 Months into ownership review Things I love about this mouse: - The trackball makes maneuvering 3 screens incredibly easy - Switching from mouse to keyboard is so much easier to transition to for some reason. Not sure why but it feels faster and easier - The hand's resting position is comfortable even for all day use. As a cubicle worker, this was a must. - The resting position also makes it very easy to reach each button, and use the track ball at the same time Things I don't love about this mouse: - The trackball needs to be cleaned regularly. More specifically the little nodules that hold the trackball in place do. They get clogged with oils and dust from your hands, which can impact the trackball's smoothness. I have to clean those off every few days or the trackball loses all fluidity - Sometimes "disconnects" so you have to unplug it and plug it back in. Not super annoying, but annoying nonetheless All-in-all I do really like this mouse, but there were some things I hadn't thought of before I bought it. Wouldn't stop me from buying it again though. Likely has better applications than what I'm using it for, but if nothing else, no one else in the office has one, which is fun.

After using a laptop trackpad at work all day, my wrist was beginning to give out. I was worried a regular mouse would not help much, so I took a gamble on this wacky device. It has turned out excellently, and I am able to do work tasks without issue using the Orbit. The clicks are satisfying, the trackball itself is very precise and enjoyable to use, and the scroll ring is a lovely convenience I wonder how I lived without. Thoroughly recommended.

Excellent mouse in all regards, but the 3rd year in and the right click button stopped working. There is no way to take it apart to see what is wrong with the contact point. I downgraded the review to 3 stars because of the lack of longevity. All other parts are working well, so it's frustrating when one little part stops working and the whole thing has to be thrown away.

The trackball works well. The wheel is nice for scrolling - a feature missing on other trackballs. The push buttons contacts were a little bit un reliable, a problem easily fixed with anti corrosion spray along the side of the buttons. I have added blobs of hot glue so that i can feel where to press buttons without looking.

I had the older Kensington trackball, and started to order another one. The old one has lasted 6-7 years, lots of use, but started having subtle problems. It was just worn out, I guess. This one looked like a good upgrade and with the warehouse deal pricing, not much more than the old one. I had a little trouble setting it up. I tried to plug the USB into a little converter, that the old mouse was using. It would not work. I downloaded the current software from the Kensington website, and it still would not work. Then I tried not using the little converter, but simply plugging it directly into a USB slot (my computer has plenty.) It worked just right, immediately. I have mild carpel tunnel and use a small beanbag wrist rest. Alone the mouse isn't too bad. With the bean bag it is great, better config than the old one, it is shorter/wider. My medium sized hands may neeed the beanbag, maybe a person with bigger hands might not, but I still need the padding. The extension piece does not hook on, simply has a small rubber tab at the bottom, so it prob won't stay together with the small amount of movement that even a stationary mouse will have. We'll see. Using the extension support is pretty nice, too. I still will use my bean bag padding, with or without the extension. The operation of the mouse, prob primary to the comfort of using it (although if it is not comfortable, the function becomes unimportant, I guess) is really excellent, actually. I am already used to a trackball, which was under duress. My husband wanted one, so I got used to it, since we shared a computer all those years ago. A trackball is great, for people who are on the computer a lot. This particular model makes a click when the buttons are pushed. The scrolling ring fits just right under my ring finger, and is very convenient. I have only used this new mouse about a total of 4 hours, and have not remembered to use the scrolling function very often, since it's new to me....but so far it is very nice to have available, I just have to remember to actually use it. Since the alternative is to click and hold and roll the ball, this should be a real effort-saving item. It is smooth, and the ball has not needed any "break-in" as I read another reviewer mention. It gives a nice amount of resistance, rolling easily but not too easily. I'll update this review if I have any problems. Regarding the choice between a trackball/rollerball type mouse and a regular one, it is so much nicer to use one with a ball. I get my desk so cluttered that finding space for a moving mouse, would be hard. I need a wired mouse, or I'd lose it, and I hate having to replace batteries.

4 1/2 stars from me. This isn't quite comfortable as my favorite little track mouse which is no longer made. However, Kensington includes a really nice little ergonomic pad that attaches to the back of the body of the mouse. That helps immensely. The track ball moves really freely and feels very nice and easy to manipulate. The left click is slightly weird as when I utilize that ergo pad, my reach isn't quite perfect for the left side of the unit. Overall, this looks and feels like a good quality trackball. I'm pleased with my purchase.