Verdict: Buy ($99.99)
These days, I spend about 12 hrs of my time in front of a computer screen (I know!). I estimate that about half of this time, I’m actually clicking or typing. I’m almost certain that I’ve been doing this since the day I started this career in programming. (At least far as I can remember). It’s therefore not surprising that I started feeling mild wrist pains and early signs of RSI 2 years into this profession. Back then, ergonomic concepts were foreign to me. This encouraged me to do some serious reading into computer ergonomics and led me to experiment with quite a few different computer peripherals and some changes in personal habits. Eventually, all signs of RSI went away.
During my experimentations, I found out that the biggest contributor to the pain and other RSI symptoms in my wrist/arm was my constant mouse-dragging and clicking movements (Not typing, surprisingly). Back then, I had a standard (PC) two-button mouse. I eventually switched to a trackball. I started with the Kensington Expert trackball. It’s a great product and I still have one attached to a spare computer in the house.
Since then, trackballs have become my pointing devices of choice. The biggest advantage they have over mice is that they reduce the strain on the operator’s wrists because:
- The trackball does not require lateral dragging motions. My wrist remains almost stationary.
- To operate it, a user uses multiple fingers at a time, instead of just one, thereby distributing the strain on different muscles.
- Clicking is primarily done by the thumb, instead of the forefinger.
This year, Kensington released an updated version of their Expert Mouse, the Kensington Slimblade Trackball and I ordered one a few months back for my primary computer. I am happy to report that this model performs even better than the Expert mouse and, while also being cheaper than the Expert.
The Bad
The only thing negative I can think of is that the scrolling functionality produces a mechanical clicking sound which was not present in the Expert. Unfortunately, since the sound is mechanical, I cannot change its volume or get rid of it entirely. This could be a problem if you work in a crowded environment, for instance.
The Good
Where do I begin? This trackball is a definite improvement over its predecessor. The design has been streamlined to age more gracefully (glossy surface, flush buttons, thin design). The scroll ring has been removed. (Scrolling is done by rotating the ball itself!). Low maintenance. The area below the ball is actually hollow. Thus all dirt and dust that usually accumulates on the ball simply falls through onto my desk instead of getting trapped inside the base. This is essentially the ultimate trackball on the market. Period.
MouseZoom allows you to speed up your pointer beyond what OSX normally allows
Usage Notes & Tips
- The Slimblade is much, much easier to maintain than the Expert. Almost zero cleaning necessary.
- If you’re on a Mac, I suggest you find and download MouseZoom.
- From time to time, clean the desk area under your trackball, especially this one.