When it comes to a creative work such as video editing, 3D design, and music production and so on, there is a special mouse that is called a trackball. Trackball looks like a normal mouse and often shaped like that, but it features a special ball that is used to adjust many things in creative software. For those people we have prepared a list of few good trackball mice in a different budget from Amazon and Ebay.
Best Trackball Mouse: Top 10 Most Effective
Logitech M570 Wireless Trackball Mouse
The Logitech’s M570 Wireless Trackball is a very popular and famous trackball mouse available in Amazon. It is an ergonomic mouse with great accuracy and good laser tracking. You can connect as much as six compatible devices at the same time by using Logitech Unifying receiver. Because it is a wireless mouse it does require a AA battery to run and there is one battery in the box when buying this mouse. One of the main strengths of this model is that it can go up to 18 months in a single battery. The mouse can go up to 30 feet from the device and that is the farthest it can go. It is compatible with both Windows and Mac OS.The pros of this trackball are that it is very ergonomically shaped, the battery life is great, great customization option yet simple to use mouse, strong wireless receiver and great performance at its price point. The disadvantages for this mouse is that this mouse is only for the right hand users as it is shaped to fit only right hand use. Other than that this trackball just might be the best option to replace your regular mouse.
Logitech MX ERGO Advanced
This mouse is also from Logitech and it costs much more than the previous one. However, there is a reason for that. This mouse uses much more advanced internal and better design. It is specially designed to fit any hand perfectly, and due to this design it can provide a comfortable working environment for hours of use. It comes with integrated battery with up to 4 months of use and it is rechargeable through USB cable. It also features an adjustable hinge for adjusting the angle of the mouse from 0 to 20 degrees. Other than that this moue has more precise and improves sensor and multi-device use function through Bluetooth. The software for this device even allows files to be transferred between computers. Strength of this mouse is that the battery is now not removable and rechargeable, the shape of this mouse is even more ergonomic and comfortable, the adjustment for the mouse angle makes it even more comfortable for long usage sessions and improved sensor over the M570 mouse. This mouse also have weaknesses and they are the price, which is almost four times over the price of M570 and this mouse is still for right hand users only. Despite all those weaknesses this one great mouse with great shape and most premium feel.
Kensington Orbit
This is an odd shaped mouse as it does not look like a normal mouse. It features a ball located on top instead of on the side. This makes scrolling easier and faster in applications. Furthermore, the shape of the mouse makes it comfortable for left hand users. Kensington is one of the companies that makes trackballs that are suitable for both right and left hand usage. This trackball mouse also features Scroll Ring for comfortable and precise scrolling. This Scroll Ring allows fast and easy scrolling of web pages, files and documents. It is also comes with 2 customizable button design andTrackballWorks software to customize the mouse functions. This mouse is compatible with a variety of operating systems such as Windows and Mac OS. This mouse uses optical sensor which is precise and accurate for almost any type of use. This mouse uses USB connection to connect to the computer and it is a wired mouse. The advantages of this mouse are the ambiguous design for left or right hand use, small size to preserve the desk space, Scroll Ring for click-free scrolling and the price that is the cheapest in our list. The disadvantage of this mouse is that uses USB cable and it is not wireless. This is the best mouse for left handed users at a budget.
Kensington Expert
For this mouse Kensington decided to use the similar design as its older mice. However, the company has changed the quality and performance of the mice to be better. The Expert Wireless mouse is versatile, ergonomical, with amazing features and performance. It has ergonomical design with a detachable wrist rest, which is very soft and comfortable for hours of use. Just like their other trackball, Expert mouse is suitable for both right and left hand usage. This mouse has four buttons with different functions. Company’sTrackball Works software lets you customize all 4 buttons and adjust cursor speed. The mouse uses Diamond Eye optical tracking technology and together with a large ball they provide exceptional accuracy and precision. Their Scroll Ring returns with this mouse also. Now it is improved to provide easy scrolling. The mouse is connected via Bluetooth 4.0. The mouse is powered with one AA sized battery and it lasts long due to the special sleep function that preserves energy. Mouse is compatible with almost any operating system, whether it is Windows, Mac, Linux, Chrome OS and so on. The strengths of this mouse are the design for long comfortable use and left hand usability, simple yet powerful, easy to customize, and precise and accurate sensor. The weaknesses are larger design and much more expensive price tag.
3Dconnexion 3DX-700028 SpaceNavigator 3D Mouse
This mouse is specifically designed with 3D designers in mind. This is not a cheap mouse and it’s been around for quite some time. Due to its unique design and functionality it has received many positive feedback. This mouse is carefully designed to make sure that it is functional and comfortable. It can be used by left or right hands. This mouse is just simply the best trackball mouse for the 3D designing, as it allows you to control all the functions available in 3D software much simpler and easier. It is an ideal product for 3D designers, engineers and architects. It uses advanced 6 degrees-of-freedom optical sensor unique to this product. It allows simultaneous pan, zoom, rotate and other functions for the 3D software. This unique combination of a sensor and the technology allows you even more precise movements that were not available from other mice. It also features 2 programmable function keys that user can customize based on the needs. This is a very high quality product with great functionality that allows you easy usage and high accuracy in 3D designing. However, this product is not all perfect, as it is meant specifically for 3D software only, which makes it hard to use for other application. Furthermore, the rice is too high for a product that is made for a single type of usage only.
ELECOM Wireless Index Finger
ELECOM is another company that is manufacturing trackball mice. The company makes both wired and wireless version of this mouse and if you don’t mind cables and want to save money, you can grab wired one few dollars cheaper. This is a well-designed product, with ball located on top of the mouse. This mouse only support right hand usage as it shaped for right hand usage only. For around 50 dollars, this is a nice trackball mouse. It features highly programmable 8 buttons. ELECOM is the only company that makes trackball mice with many buttons. The mouse is built with good quality products, it feels good at hand and feels durable. The ball is precise and accurate. It is located on the top of the mouse and allows index finger use, instead of thumb used by other mice. The ball can be easily removed and cleaned. This mouse comes at a size of normal mouse, which makes it easier to use, however, for those with larger hands it might be small and uncomfortable. The strengths of this mouse is that it comes in both wired and wireless version, the unique ball design for index finger use, the price is budget friendly, it features 8 programmable buttons and the build quality is great. The weaknesses of this mouse are that it can only be used by people with small hands and it is designed for right hand only.
ELECOM M-XT3URBK Mouse Wired Trackball grip 6 button
This is a budget oriented ELECOM trackball mouse as it comes at very cheap price point. This mouse looks and feels just like Logitech M570, with comfortable design and great build quality. Just like other ELECOM mouse this one comes with wired and wireless versions. It uses advanced optical sensor which provides smooth and accurate tracking experience. This mouse is designed for right handed use with ball located on the left side for thumb usage only. The left side is ergonomically shaped for better comfort. It features Back/Forward quick navigation buttons on the top left side and one function button for pointer-finger. The buttons made by OMRON, which makes very high grade switches and buttons for keyboards and mice. The resolution can be changed and it features two sensitivity levels of 750 and 1500. The ball is removable and can be easily cleaned. Lastly, this mouse features a scroll wheel for better navigation. The strengths of this mouse are the great build quality for its price, great quality buttons, several programmable buttons, comfortable grip and good sensor with sensitivity adjustments. The weaknesses of this mouse are that this mouse is meant for right hand use and that it does not provide anything over its competitors.
ELECOM Wireless – Extra Large Ergonomic Design
This mouse is ELECOM’s top of the range premium mouse. It also comes in wired and wireless versions. This is a very good mouse, with good built quality and great functionality. Unlike many other premium mice, this one features trackball on the top for index finger use. This mouse uses improved sensor with high level of accuracy and sensitivity, which provides good responsiveness and precise movements. This mouse is also larger than the company’s other mice, which makes it much more comfortable for the people with large hands. This mouse is still for right handed use only as it is designed for right hand grip only. This mouse also features several buttons, eight to be precise. They are highly customizable and programmable, which makes it easy to record many macros or shortcuts on those buttons. This mouse features three level DPI adjustments, 500, 1000 and 1500 DPI. Lastly, it features tilt wheel for further enhance the comfort level. To sum up, the strengths of this mouse are that it is much cheaper than the competition, it uses precise sensor, features many buttons and comfortable for long sessions. Weakness of this mice is that it is shaped for right hand use only.
Y-10W 2.4 GHz Portable Finger Wireless Ambidextrous
This is a last mouse in our list. This is a unique product as it is shaped just like a game controller. I am not sure if it is possible to play games using a trackball. However, this wireless mouse is great for those who are using the trackball to present their work and need to do it far from the computer or present while standing. Due to its design it does not require a table to use it. It uses wireless receiver to connect to computers and can go as far as 10 meters from the pc. It uses USB interface and works with almost any operating system. The sensor features four levels of DPI: 400, 600, 800 and 1200. The strengths of this mouse is the unique design suitable for standing usage, great quality for the price, can be used by right and left hands and 10 meters distance for the receiver. Weakness of this mouse is that it is oddly shaped and might not be as functional as other mice in this list.
Bottom Line
There are many great trackball mice available on Amazon and Ebay. For those who are looking for best budget options, then Logitech M570, ELECOM M-XT3URBK Mouse or Kensington Orbit will be a great choice, with Orbit being only ambiguous mouse suitable for left and right hand use. For premium mouse Logitech MX ERGO and ELECOM Wireless Trackball Mouse are way to go. For left handed user best premium product is Kensington Expert mouse. SpaceNavigator is the best mouse for the 3D designing. Y-10W is a unique mouse suitable for using as a presenter.