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Comment by zikzak | Hacker News Reader

Not knocking this product, but I personally prefer a trackball on top with buttons to either side. My thumb get very stressed out using the "on the side" arrangement where the top I can vary how I interact with it more (hover hand, rest a finger on it, flick it with index/middle, etc).

~~Either~~ Both are preferable to the standard mouse for me, though!

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I'm similar. I prefer a symmetrical trackball so I can alternate hands and give the other hand a rest. I have been happily using a Kensington Orbit [1] for many years now. It has a scroll ring surrounding the track ball which I also really like. Absolutely love this trackball!

[1] https://www.kensington.com/p/products/electronic-control-sol...

I have the Kensington Expert Mouse [1] which is just great.

[1] https://www.kensington.com/p/products/electronic-control-sol...

For me, it's Kensington Slimblade¹ sunk into a desk cutout, since wrist extension (bending up/back) is an RSI problem for me.

¹ https://www.kensington.com/p/products/electronic-control-sol...

That looks pretty nice too although the angle of it concerns me a bit. I use a standing desk so it looks like it might require me to bend my wrists backwards a bit more than the Orbit. I might give it a try though.

Yeah, I used to use these, the angle is a problem. The Slimblade I think it's called is much better in that regard.

Same here. For this reason, my preferred trackballs have been the L-Trac[0] and more recently the Gameball[1].

The former of those two is built like a tank but lacks buttons (though some models have jacks that allow you to add your own buttons), while the latter is more ergonomic and has more buttons. The Gameball’s capacitive scrolling is nice too.

[0]: https://www.amazon.com/CST2545-5W-Ambidextrous-Performance-E... [1]: https://www.gamingtrackball.com/

+1 on the L-Trac. Also you can stick a billiard ball in it... https://twitter.com/__mharrison__/status/1515078064866091009

Same for me, although personally I'd prefer a mouse over thumb-wheel.

I've been using various versions of the Kensington Expert line for the past 20 years. I am on #3 and #4 now (one for home, one for the office). Unfortunately there aren't many good alternatives in this form factor, the X-keys one is probably closest. I am happy with the Experts for the most part just wish there was more competition.

Very much the same here. I had a Logitech thumb trackball that I used for a long time, but my thumb started to twitch uncontrollably and I had to drop it.

I was using it for CAD, so I used it quite a bit all day long, which may have something to do with it.

If your use case works with it, and you're not susceptible to this kind of RSI, thumb trackballs are great. I loved mine.

I switch in between both kinds of trackballs (as you say, thumb or finger) as well as using a regular mouse at times.

My reasoning is that I'm trying to avoid repetitive strain injuries, so by varying my position and the fingers doing the work, I'm basically giving everything time to rest.

That's how their classic trackball is set up. I've had mine for at least a year and really like it.

https://ploopy.co/classic-trackball/

Same. The Logitech Cordless Optical TrackMan is my favorite device. I wish they still made them (or something like it.)

I long for a modern Corless Optical Trackman. Last I checked the few you could find on ebay went for hundreds.

I think that’s one of the points of the Ploopy mice/trackballs. They are all open source, so it’s possible to reposition components (if you’re into 3D printing, etc…).

Maybe it won’t be long before someone does come up with a similar design.

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