That is why this Kensington model is such a good first choice. It is inexpensive, the ball is smooth and responsive, and it has the major advantage of being ambidextrous. Like most trackballs, it is very simple to maintain.

Be forewarned! Trackballs take getting used to. It takes time to learn to click the button with your thumb without sending the entire mouse skating, which also sends the cursor flying. That is why many folks find themselves switching to a mouse that puts the ball under the thumb and the buttons under the finger (in my opinion, a much more stable configuration).

Nonetheless, this Kensington model is an excellent value and will perform well. As a first choice in trackballs, you can't go wrong.

12 of 12 found the following review helpful:

Sad to say this just won't do the job  Mar 22, 2005
By Catspec "Catspec"
I did my homework, and though I knew this trackball was mechanical and rather an old model, I still thought that overall many people had been happy with it. I have used trackballs before to a limited extent, and my husband has the Kensington Optical Trackball with the cool red glow, but I wanted something that would better match my Mac. Well, forget about that. The Orbit got very difficult to manipulate very soon after use...I had cleaned it several times in the first week, and I am a clean freak where the area around my Mac is concerned. I found that the tiny springs inside were very fragile and one was not really in the right place. After two weeks I sent this back to AMAZON. It is pretty, it SHOULD work better, but after thinking it over I ditched "matching", went out to Staples and tried the Logitech Marble Mouse. It is a great fit for my hand, and now resides on my desk. The marble mouse is cheaper too, which is odd. If I hadn't wanted a trackball right away I would have bought it at AMAZON. Your options aren't that great pricewise as far as trackballs go, which makes the Marble Mouse a really good deal, unless you are a power user of photo manipulation software or other specific apps which need many buttons programmed.

9 of 9 found the following review helpful:

simplicity holds the answer.  Feb 09, 2001
By K. Olff
this is quite possibly the greatest input device ever. Besides the fact that you never have to deal with moving the mouse around. running out of mousepad space. or tangling the wires. It is large and fits your hand perfectly. Over the course of my 10 years of using computers. i have seen it all. mice, optical mice, touchpad, touchpoint, and trackballs. and i can honestly say that this is the best input device i have ever used, great for photo editing (photoshop) flash movie making, and playing games. including RTS games (red alert, starcraft, homeworld) and FPS games (unreal tournament, jedi knight) this is the one you want. and you cant beat the price!!!

8 of 8 found the following review helpful:

Excellent trackball! Never go back to a mouse again!  Feb 03, 2001
By Takuya Arai
I've been using this trackball for well over a year now and I have to say, next to my Microsoft contoured keyboard, it's the best "upgrade" I've made to my computer. It does take some getting used to and it does lack some features like the middle scrolling wheel and the like but I'm willing to give those up for the confort and ease of use of this mouse.

Once you get used to it, this trackball just "feels" right under your hand and you have maximum control from just twitching your index and middle finger. I wouldn't suggest playing any video games with this but for common everyday use, you'll never go back to a standard mouse again.

The only reason why I didn't give it 5 stars is that, unfortunately, it's kind of a pain to clean. Because it's not an optical mouse, you need to, on occasion, pop the ball out and clean the rollers and the teeny little red beads that hold the ball in place.... If you have extremely dry hands, I guess it's not that big of a deal but cleaning the gunk out CAN be an excersize in a bit of frustration. Essentially, you'll get to the point where you'll never get it completely clean. Just clean enough....

But that complaint aside, this really is a great trackball, and though there's a holy war between the users of this type of trackball vs. the logitech type with the little ball on the thumb, in my opinion, after using both, this give you the maximum in control and confort for a really good price. If you're looking to get rid of that clunky mouse, at least give this one a chance. You just might like it.

10 of 11 found the following review helpful:

I'll Never Go Back To A Mouse  Jan 03, 2002
By Matt
I've been using this trackball professionally (I'm a graphic designer) and at home for the last 3 years. I bought it because I was experiencing cramping in my forearm from repetitive stress. From the moment I first started using the trackball, I could tell the difference. The cramping ceased almost immediately.

I've tried other trackballs (Logitech and the Kensington Expert) none of them offered the control and comfort that the Orbit did. Because of the intense focus on the thumb, the Logitech model I tried actually made my problem worse.

The best thing is that with programmable button behaviors, you don't have to give up your scrolling wheel. You can program the Orbit to act just the same when you click the right and left buttons at the same time!

On top of everything else...you can claim back your desk. No more wandering mouse syndrome. No mouse pads. No falling off of the mouse pad. And no more revving up your mouse like it was a Hot Wheels car to move it around the screen.

It can be difficult to clean, especially after 3 years, but I've had no complaints and recommend this model to everyone I know.

See all 44 customer reviews on Amazon.com