Customer Reviews:
 Not great September 19, 2001
ew312 (Flushing, NY)
16 out of 22 found this review helpful
I started off using trackballs as a replacement for mice because they caused too me too much wrist and forearm strain. I bought this trackball as a replacement for my Kensington Turbomouse, which was nearly worn out from its years of use. I was highly disappointed with my purchase. Upon first glance, I thought the Microsoft trackball would be highly ergonomic, however I found it causing more wrist strain than my old mouse did. Understand that I have rather large hands (for a point of reference, I can just barely palm a basketball), so what I am about to say may not apply to you.First, the ball was too small. I was used to the Turbomouse's large ball which allowed me to control it with 3 or 4 fingers if needed, however the Trackball Explorer's ball was too small to be accurately controlled in that way. The button placement was also awkward for me. You have to click inwards with your thumb (as if you were making a fist) instead of downwards with the force of gravity in order to press the right and left click buttons. In addition, the buttons were too close to the trackball forcing me to arch my fingers in order to gain fingertip control of the ball. As others have mentioned, the scroll wheels get in the way of pressing the right click button. Finally, the entire trackball device has an upward slope to it that forces you to bend your wrist backwards (towards your body) which causes discomfort. Ideally, input devices should allow your wrist to stay as "limp" as possible, which is the natural resting position of your hand. There is one thing I liked about the Trackball Explorer though. Its optical tracking is very smooth, which accounts for the 2 stars. Overall, if you have large (relatively speaking) hands, this is not a good buy for you.
 There is simply no better trackball available October 22, 2004
Harry Littell (Sacramento, CA USA)
16 out of 16 found this review helpful
I have been using a MS Trackball Explorer for several years. It has saved me as I have carpel tunnel and cervical damage and if I use a mouse for any length of time my hand pain increases. (I also use a Natural Pro Keyboard).
I can't believe that some people are upset and condemn it because the device has a short cord!
The trackball connects by USB and the movements are seamless. Any trackball is going to get dirty but this one is so easy to clean. All I do is pop out the ball, remove the dust or whatever from the three points the ball rotates on, wipe the ball with a tissue and it is as good as new. I would say that the contours are not ideal (nor could they be) as it seems the contours are better fit for me if the device were mounted about 8 inches higher than my keyboard tray. As it is, it causes my wrist to drop and it is uncomfortable in that respect, but using the two right buttons to navigate online (back and forward) is a total breeze and makes going through pages very fast and comfortable.
Intellipoint software allows you to control almost every aspect of its movement, which makes it even better.
Personally I like where the scroll button is as well as the buttons for right and left clicks. I think I am going to try to devise some sort of mount so it will elevate the rear by about 15 degrees or so. This way my hand will go forward and there will be even less strain.
I used Logictech trackballs in the past and I did not like them. With all its faults, and there are some, this trackball is for me by far the best, the easiest to navigate online with, and extremely precise in terms of cursor movement. It does slide around a bit and to solve this I put a small piece of that foamy rubbery shelf liner stuff under it--and where my wrist rests on the keyboard tray--and it works perfectly.
It is simply a matter of using your own ingenuity to make something that is already superb even better!
Ergonomically awful for my smallish hand May 26, 2001
13 out of 18 found this review helpful
This trackball looks very cool, and the big red ball moves incredibly smoothly and accurately. The software provides a nice range of options. HOWEVER.... For my hand, the placement of the buttons is all wrong. I have to reach too much with my thumb to use the lower thumb button (the left clicker)comfortably.The angle of pressure caused tendon stress. The scroll wheel is very much in the way of using the upper thumb button (right click). And the upper thumb button seems too thin to me. Basically, the two thumb buttons and the scroll wheel were irritating to use and caused pain, especially in thumb joints and tendons. The 2 flat buttons on the right side felt too shallow; i could barely feel where they were without looking. Of course, some of this may have been due to the way i had to angle my hand to use the thumb buttons. PROS: the shape worked well under my wrist, which felt much more supported than on other mice. Movement is very smooth and the red ball feels satisfying to use. Not having to clean it/under it is a plus. CONS: The ball FALLS OUT if you turn the mouse to its side; not great if it is on your lap or, as with me, on pillows. I had many freeze-ups after booting up where the cursor wouldn't move. None with earlier or next mouse; don't know why. And, if you have smaller hands, or, as i do, tendon pain/fibromyalgia/arthritis, you may find the button placement puts too much stress on your hand/fingers/thumbs.
Don't let the Price Tag Scare you February 21, 2002
K. Lovett (Long Island, NY)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
As an avid computer user, gamer, and professional Web Programmer, I spend a LOT of time on my computer. Over time, I've resorted to Trackballs because of the strain a regular mouse puts on the wrist. I had purchased and fallen in love with my logitech optical trackball, and thought that was the end of it.However, recently I started working in "Maya", a 3d graphics rendering program that REQUIRES a 3 button mouse. I was distraught because I loved my optical trackball so much, but it only had two buttons. All the other 3+ button trackballs I could find were not optical, which I had tried before. non-optical mice have a tendancy to force the cursor into perfectly horizontal or vertical motions, and makes fine motion graphics impossible. As for optical trackballs with more than 3 buttons, most place the ball under the thumb, which is beyond akward to use. So after much searching both online and in stores, I found this mouse. The price tag made me a little weary at first...not what I'm used to dishing out for something as simple as a mouse. But I decided it was worth giving at least a TRY. so I bought it and took it home. My machine running XP recognized it without problem, though the extra buttons didn't work right until I installed the software that came with it... To try and do multiple buttons with just the thumb proved impossible. Overall, I'm glad I took a chance on this mouse, and I'm looking to soon purchase a second one for my work machine. I would highly reccomend this mouse to anyone that needs the multiple buttons on an optical trackball. If you don't, while it is nice, there are less expensive options.
Love it! March 5, 2001
Gadgester (New York)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
This is pretty much the perfect trackball I had been looking for. It feels comfortable whether your hand is small or big (I have medium-sized hands myself). The only minor downside is it's for right-handed folks only, but most southpaws should find it easy to use, too.The best thing about the optical trackball is you never have to clean the inside. I've been using it for a couple months now and the movement is always precise. The buttons are responsive. Even though it's pricy, I think the Trackball Explorer is worth every penny. (For $20 cheaper, you can get the Microsoft Trackball Optical, but I don't like rolling the ball with my thumb.)
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