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Logitech Trackman Wheel Optical

Logitech Trackman Wheel Optical

List Price: $34.99
Your Price: $24.79
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Why my review was removed?
Review: This is much better than the Optical Marble trackball.
However, the form is not as good as those from the Kensington.
To be more comfortable, the finger portion should be less cursive.
I think Logitech is not good at making comfortable trackball.
Most Logitech trackball lovers seem to be new users of trackball.
If you compare it with Kensingtons', then you will find out what are better.

The software for this is not good. With Kensington's software, the buttons can be used as usual and be used with modifier keys. Well, the Logitech's software seems to work like that at first, but it's not really. (With Mac version )
The advanced click mode for using the buttons with modifier keys just let you use it with modifier keys and as a predefined simulated buttons, like 1 ~ 5.
But you can't assign that button 1~5 what they should do.

This H/W itself is good. But the s/w is not.

I recommend Kensington's Orbit trackball for its ergonomic design, good H/W, and better S/W.

Don't erase my post, administrator.
People need more frank review. Not "Evey prodducts are good."

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Logitech Trackman
Review: This is my 2nd Trackman. This one has the additional feature of a scroll wheel. I ditched the mouse years ago. The
Trackman is so much nicer, smoother and operates on the most cluttered of desks. You'll never go back

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Logitech Makes the Best
Review: This is my third Logitech trackball. The trackball it replaces is a Logitech Trackman that I bought in 1995. Nothing attached to my computer was anywhere close to that old.

I finally got tired of cleaning the ball on the old Trackman. My wife has both an Logitech marble trackball and a Logitech optical cordless mouse, and I wanted the best, too.

While each new Microsoft OS has had problems with the older version of Mouseware software, in my experience, Logitech is always the first to have updated drivers available shortly after release of new OS's.

After using the trackball for about 5 months, I'm still thrilled. Sure, the gunk from my oily, sticky, food-covered hands still builds up on the ball, but unlike mechanical mice and trackballs, it doesn't cause sticking and jumping of the cursor. The action was still smooth. I had not even noticed that it was getting harder to move the ball until I popped the ball out, and gave the contact points a quick cleaning.

So even with five months of built-up grime, it was still working just fine.

Now not everyone likes trackballs. I use a mouse at work, and it's probably better for me to be moving my whole arm. But at home my desk is too messy. There's no room to move a mouse, and even if I were able to, I'd hit my elbow on something else.

Not for one minute have I regretted buying this trackball.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Still the best, but not as good as it used to be
Review: Unlike "most Logitech trackball users", I'm not new to trackballs. Prior to this one, I've had two Trackman Wheels over the course of about 6 years or so.

The old white one was great in that it was very comfortable on the hand. It fit what I'd call the "3 finger" style of button pushing where the middle three fingers never moved horizontally. The ring finger rests on the right button and stays there, while the middle finger rests on the wheel and stays there. This new style one seems to stray from that feel and cramps things up. It seems to assume more of a "roaming middle finger" style where the middle finger handles both right-click and wheel duties. My hands are quite small, and I still have a hard time holding it in a three finger style on this thing.

I don't know, it just seems most mice, as well as the old Trackman and the MS counterpart to this, all feel pretty comfortable in the three finger style.

Positives:
-Thumb trackball moves well under most conditions unlike the Microsoft version.
-Still curvier than MS's, which conform well to the curvature of my hand in a resting position.
-Seems more accurate and less flimsy than Microsoft's thumb trackball.
-No wrist movement whatsoever. And, IMHO, my thumb seems to be able to work trackballs better than my finger on the finger trackballs from Kensington and Logitech. Plus, those non-thumb trackballs are totally different than any mouse out there. They just seem very tough to use for precision work like Photoshop. I feel like I should be playing Missile Command or Marble Madness with them!
-And seriously, it's just as easy to play games once you're used to it. No problems with getting smoked in Call of Duty or other shooters and RTS games!

Negatives:
-You need "piano fingers" to do a three finger style of clicking around. Otherwise, people with double duty middle fingers will feel very comfortable with this one.
-Would love at least one more little button somewhere, for double-clicking or whatever, to relieve wear on the left button. Microsoft has two extra buttons. Most Logitech mice have extra buttons.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Still the best, but not as good as it used to be
Review: Unlike "most Logitech trackball users", I'm not new to trackballs. Prior to this one, I've had two Trackman Wheels over the course of about 6 years or so.

The old white one was great in that it was very comfortable on the hand. It fit what I'd call the "3 finger" style of button pushing where the middle three fingers never moved horizontally. The ring finger rests on the right button and stays there, while the middle finger rests on the wheel and stays there. This new style one seems to stray from that feel and cramps things up. It seems to assume more of a "roaming middle finger" style where the middle finger handles both right-click and wheel duties. My hands are quite small, and I still have a hard time holding it in a three finger style on this thing.

I don't know, it just seems most mice, as well as the old Trackman and the MS counterpart to this, all feel pretty comfortable in the three finger style.

Positives:
-Thumb trackball moves well under most conditions unlike the Microsoft version.
-Still curvier than MS's, which conform well to the curvature of my hand in a resting position.
-Seems more accurate and less flimsy than Microsoft's thumb trackball.
-No wrist movement whatsoever. And, IMHO, my thumb seems to be able to work trackballs better than my finger on the finger trackballs from Kensington and Logitech. Plus, those non-thumb trackballs are totally different than any mouse out there. They just seem very tough to use for precision work like Photoshop. I feel like I should be playing Missile Command or Marble Madness with them!
-And seriously, it's just as easy to play games once you're used to it. No problems with getting smoked in Call of Duty or other shooters and RTS games!

Negatives:
-You need "piano fingers" to do a three finger style of clicking around. Otherwise, people with double duty middle fingers will feel very comfortable with this one.
-Would love at least one more little button somewhere, for double-clicking or whatever, to relieve wear on the left button. Microsoft has two extra buttons. Most Logitech mice have extra buttons.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Can't live without it
Review: Well, I'm buying yet another one of these.

No, they don't fail - I simply must have one at every computer that I work with. This little gem stays put on your desktop and allows your hand to rest naturally over the buttons and permits your thumb full control over the trackball. I have been a fan of trackballs for years and I've used just about all of the variations...everything from the cue-ball size monsters to the pinch between the thumb and forefinger beasts and nothing else quite works as well for me.

I have large hands (size 9.5 surgical glove) and the start of the bane of arthritis. . .but this little tool does not cause me to cramp or otherwise suffer any problems with long hours of use.

What else could I ask for? How about a BlueTooth enabled model so that I can carry one in my laptop case and have my favorite "mouse" everywhere?

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Better than Logitech Optical Marble trackball, but..
Review: Well, most reviewers of Logitech trackballs seem to be new trackball users.

I've used kensington's large ball trackballs, and orbit ( mechanical ) trackballs.
So, IMHO, I think my opinion can be more accurate than others.
Before reviewing this device, I'd like to state that trackballs are, unlike mice, should fit your hand. If not, a trackball which is very comfortable to one's hand, can be inconvenient to others' hands.
And I'm not biased to any companies.

Trackman wheel optical mouse is more comfortable than its optical marble trackball. The problem of the marble trackball is that it's too nannow, and the buttons are located higher position than it should be. Probably people with small hand, for example, kids, can be satisfied with the trackball, but to others, it may not be. I don't have big hands, but my thumbs located comfortably on the lower portion of the left button and far right side of the right button.

However, this trackball, trackman wheel optical, is different.
It's more comfortable.
However this also has some defects.
First, it's too much curved. To be comfortable, the curve should be lesser when it approaches to the end of fingers. it should be more rounded on the palm side and less on the finger portion. However it's too much curved on the finger portion.
Most comfortable one is just to put your hand relaxed. However this trackball doesn't allow it.

Second, the mouse control panel software is another problem.
It doesn't allow pressing two button at the same time.
For example, Kensington's one allows it. So, you can set left and right buttons as usual. And pressing two buttons can work as click-and-lock. However with Logitech's program, you can assign it only with left or right button.
So, you should give up one of the two buttons if you want to use
"click-and-lock" feature.
OK. You can use the scroll wheel as a thrid button, though.
However, it's not so convenient.

With trackballs, click-and-lock is very important, I think.
It's a little harder to click and move mouse cursor than you do
with mice. So, good "click-and-lock" feature is a must, IMHO.

And I doubt if the scroll wheel is convenient. As I said above, it's too rounded on the finger portion. So, scrolling is not so convenient.

Some people mentioned that Kensington's trackball doesn't have scroll whell.
However, you know, the trackball itself can work as a wheel, and it's more convenient. With kensington's software, the trackball itself can work as a scroll wheel very conveniently.

I've also read that the Kensington's Optical orbit is not so resistant to dirt.
So, I can't judge how convenient it is.
However its orbit mouse ( not optical ) is much better choice than any trackballs from the Logitech. ( I'm sorry. Logitech's mices are great, but their trackball is not so good as Kensington's. )

Well, problem with Kensingon is that their products are somewhat expensive, and is not as widely available as Logitech's. Most retail stores have Logitech's but not Kensington's.

I recommend this Logitech's trackball more than its marble trackbal.
And if you are more more hardcore user of a trackball, the Kensington's one will be yours.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Wonderful for Arthritis
Review: When I got a computer I managed to use a mouse for the first three years, though I had frequent pain from my arthritis after long sessions. Finally my hand, wrist and shoulder say "No More, Period." I did some research and got the predecessor of this trackball. It relieved my pain immediately. Took me about a week to get used to it, then it just became natural to me. When I bought my new computer a year ago I didn't want to deal with software updates, so I bought this model. Same wonderful service for a year now--except it's a little easier to clean than the old one. The old one is still in service on the older computer, where my husband uses it to play games and I use it as a back-up when this computer requires service. My arthritis is the rheumatoid type and I've had it for 25 years now. The fact that this device stopped my pain from using the mouse is high praise.


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