KensingtonSlimBlade Mouse - Wired Ergonomic TrackBall Mouse for PC, Mac and Windows with Scroll Ring, Ambidextrous Design and Optical Tracking - Red (K72327EU)

UPDATE 24 FEB 2011Here is an update to my original review. I just as keen on this excellent input device as I was a year ago when I bought it. It has been in constant use and it really is imho the best input device I have ever used.I use it for graphics, mostly in Adobe Illustrator for example and there is so much control and it is precise. Equally it can go very quickly across screens so I can get across my two screens easily.I also use it for editing video in Final Cut Pro and here, it is really superb. It's great big trackball makes it very easy to just creep forward and back a frame at a time.I really do think that people may overlook this terrific input device because it is not slick and cool, but it is very much the best possible thing for the job.My only comment that could be negative, but isn't, is that using it exclusively may risk RSI problems with you shoulder. I think this is true of any mouse of this sort. That is why I also use the Contour RollerMouse Free. This I use for scrolling around word processing documents and that kind of thing.ORIGINAL REVIEW MARCH 2010I bought mine on 30 January so I've had it for six weeks now. I absolutely love it!I do not use it exclusively, I use it in conjunction with a Contour RollerMouse Free. However I use the Kensington Expert Mouse for graphics. I recently just finished doing a lot of editing of a video with Final Cut Express and the Expert Mouse is superb for this kind of thing.Many years ago I used a Kensington trackball, I think in about 1995, and I really like that one, but this is so much better because it has such a large trackball.The negative things about this trackball are that it feels a bit cheap in construction compared with say, a Logitech or Microsoft mouse at this price, however I think it is well constructed nevertheless.It looks rather 70s to me but I don't mind this. In actual use the feel is very good. The scroll wheel bearing surface is noisy in a plasticy way but there is no problem with this in use.From time to time it is a good idea to remove a build up of gunge on the three little ball bearings. I keep an old toothbrush nearby for this purpose. It's also quite good to take the ball out and polish it, perhaps with your shirt :)Any of these small negatives are hugely outweighed by the fact that the level of control over the cursor is superb. That is what an input device like this is for and that is what it does so well.Before I got this I tried the most expensive Logitech mouse, however the software for that on my Mac was a disaster so I had to send it back. IMHO the Kensington Expert Mouse is a far better buy than that more expensive Logitech mouse. The level of control over the cursor is much better.The software for the Kensington Expert Mouse works very well indeed on my Mac. I use it with the default settings and it is fine. The scroll direction can be switched with a menu in the menu bar at the top of the Mac OS screen and this is very handy.If you buy this you will be initially disappointed when you take it out of the packaging. You will think it is a prop from the Star Wars movie.When you first use it you will think it is a bit weird if you have not used a trackball before. You will still be having doubts.After a week of using it you will never want to use a "normal" mouse again!

I've been suffering from mouse-related elbow tendonitis since late last year, so I have been through various pointing devices trying to find one that will not keep damaging the tendons. Finally, with this trackball, I have found a solution ... not just in helping with the tendonitis, but also in feeling easy and natural to use.As a hardened mouse user, I was initially wedded to the idea that I needed to find a better mouse. So I tried various "ergonomic" alternatives, but I realised that my problem came from the left-right pivoting of the elbow, and not from the angle of my wrist or the stress of pressing the buttons. In fact the "ergonomic" mice I tried made things worse, since being wireless they added the weight of a battery to the mass I was pushing around. One or two small batteries doesn't sound like much, but it's all extra load on a problem joint/tendon.Next, I went for a Logitech M570 trackball. I found steering with my thumb clunky, and the trackball was not pixel-accurate; it jerks by several pixels when you move it, rather than rolling smoothly. Cleaning and lubricating helps but does not completely solve the jerkiness (in fairness it's fine for general desktop use, just not for pixel-perfect control). The final drawback is that the M570 is right-handed device; I used it for a period with my left hand in order to allow time for my right elbow to heal, but it's not designed for this at all.I also tried a Wacom tablet, but again moving the stylus put stress (if less than with a mouse) on the damaged elbow.Then a few weeks ago, I happened to see one of the large Kensington trackballs (it was in a producer's intro to the Battlestar Galactica box set; he was sitting in front of an editing system with a Kensington Expert trackball front and centre). As soon as I saw it, I instinctively felt it was the kind of thing I needed. I searched for "Trackball with large ball" and soon identified it as a Kensington device; a SlimBlade soon arrived and now, a few weeks later, my elbow is not troubling me at all and I'm as comfortable using this, as I used to be with a mouse. The large ball has a definite feel of "heft", running smoothly and allowing pixel-perfect placement. So for me it has been worth every penny, even allowing for the rather high price. I have spent more than that price on trying other solutions that didn't work for me.The initially-released software was rightly criticised but the latest version is fine, allowing each button to be programmed with a different function, as well as being able to detect when the top pair or bottom pair of buttons are pressed simultaneously, giving six functions overall. The "twist ball to scroll" feature feels completely natural, and is the main feature that sets the SlimBlade apart from the slightly cheaper Expert. But I'm sure that an Expert with its physical scroll ring would do just as well, and it offers the benefit of coming with a wrist rest ... however I don't personally feel that the SlimBlade needs a wrist rest because of the way it slopes gently down to the desk -- and it would be easy enough to improvise or purchase one if needed.-----Updates following a few more weeks of use:LUBRICATION: lanolin is apparently what Kensington uses for lubrication at manufacture, and is thus perfect for re-lubricating the ball if necessary. I just moisturised my fingertips with a tiny amount of solid, 100% pure anhydrous lanolin, and then used the ball for a few seconds, and a day later it is still gliding like new.GAMING: I got around to playing a first-person shooter with the trackball, and am happy to report that it works for me just as well as a mouse. Equivalent control, but no more running out of mouse-pad! The only disadvantage is that your index finger is naturally used to steer the ball, so you may need to map a different control to fire weapons etc. But overall, FPS gaming is at least as enjoyable for me with this, as it was with a mouse.

I'm buying this one to replace one just like it that I purchased maybe 5 years ago. I am not a fan of mouse pads and moving a mouse all over my desk, so I use a track ball, it's much easier to manage! This one is easy to clean out and keep in great shape! I recommend it to anyone who doesn't like a mouse!

Big trackballs are an uncommon peripheral. Though, in my case, once I'd tried one many years ago (back when floppy disks were still a common media format), and it always seemed superior to a normal mouse. I could move from the far end of one display to the far edge of another with just a flick of the finger instead of moving my hand. I had a Kensington Expert Mouse for many years prior to getting the Slimblade.Adjusting to the Slimblade shouldn't be too different coming from a Expert Mouse, but it's definitely a little bit of a learning curve if you come from mousing. The biggest difference is using your mouse "clicking" finger to do your pointing nearly exclusively, while using your thumb to left-click. However with practice you'll be rewarded to a far more precise pointing experience. Then, scrolling by just rotating the ball can be a little bit to get your head around, however in practice it works nearly identically to the scroll ring on the Expert Mouse. Just drag your finger along the surface of the ball against the silver ring, and you can scroll easily.Why do I say the Slimblade is better than the Expert? I'd say the ergonomics are a wash, but the Slimblade has a lower profile and is definitely sleeker looking. It helps to pair with a low-profile wristrest, not unlike the one Kensington makes. But the switches seem to be holding up better over the years of use, and there's less to break than on the Expert with the deletion of the individual buttons and scroll ring. It's super easy to keep the bearings and wheel clean, and just blow out any dust accumulation inside, though you have to do this somewhat regularly to keep the ball tracking correctly. This would be the only downside I could think of after getting over the learning curve. Keep it clean and you'll be rewarded with years of good service.If you want to take advantage of the two top buttons and the macro functionality allowing for chording buttons as well, then you'll have to use the KensingtonWorks software, which is unobtrusive and doesn't consume much resources these days. There are a few things missing from the software I think, such as mapping for a scroll-click which many games use for triggers or other functionality.Overall, I wish there were more large trackballs like these on the market, but Kensington is really the only game in town for these. That said, if you make it work for you, I doubt you can find better.

Amor ao primeiro toque. Aliviou bastante as dores nos meu pulso.

Mi papá necesitaba otro de estos ratones porque se acomodó con la forma y estilo, este es muy parecido al que tenía y aunque creo que los botones podrían estar en mejores posiciones le gustó.

Muito bom e prático, ponto negativo, não tem botão de rolagem de tela, mas no geral é bom e está aprovado.