Trackball

Thusie

Have any of you had any experience with the Kingston Expert Optical TB? Need to do something since hand/arm cramping. Looked at the Wacom and I just don't think me and it would work well together.

Thanks

David_S85

Thusie wrote:

Have any of you had any experience with the Kingston Expert Optical TB? Need to do something since hand/arm cramping. Looked at the Wacom and I just don't think me and it would work well together.
Thanks

No experience with the brand and model you mention, but I feel your pain - been there; am there.

I have for many years worked with either two mice or a mouse and a trackball. The mouse for intricate or quick navigation on the right, and when wrist and arm pain begins I then switch over to the left hand.

Originally I just moved the mouse over to the other position, but since we had about eight mice or trackballs about the house, I plugged them both into a PS2 style Y adaptor for fast hand switching. Both mice/trackballs can't work concurrently; whichever device is currently moving becomes the master.

These days, you could just plug in a couple USB devices and configure them to both be working. No need for the Y thingie. That, or a wireless device and just move it over to the other side.

cabbey

I've used one on a friend's machine, would never buy that model myself. If I were to go help him with his machine again, I'd bring along my own usb mouse. He seems to like it however, so I suspect it's all about personal taste. There are two things about it that really irritated me:

1. The buttons are out of reach, you have to move your hand too far to click most of them, which for me at least meant lifting my entire hand off the ball, lest I move it accidentally while trying to click.
2. The wrist wrest that comes with it has a "lump" in the middle, right where the soft fleshy part of my wrist landed... I really hated that.

Personally, I like the Logictech track man marbel series... they're more of a 'thumb ball', so you get a fairly standard mouse button set for your fingers, and a thumb scrolled marble to control location. It may sound a bit odd at first, but that opposible digit has a LOT of agility that can be put to moving the marble. Look for the ones labeled "thumb-operated" here. (That list is basically only the "current" versions... if you look around at stores you'll find a variety of other older versions/styles.

Thusie

Thanks David and Crabbey!

Guess I'll keep looking and experimenting.

Stef

I have this one:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005T406/qid=1136076694/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-1918018-9909429?n=507846&s=electronics&v=glance
It took me forever to get use to it. Now when I use my old crappy mouse at work it makes me think I should buy another one for there. I am left handed and this one can be used either way. I bought it for PS work, but I decided it was still too hard to control. I ended up getting the graphire 4x5 tablet to try... and well... it's still sitting here unused. Go figure!

Thusie

Stef wrote:

I ended up getting the graphire 4x5 tablet to try... and well... it's still sitting here unused. Go figure!

Stef

That is exactly what I'd probably end up doing, I do understand:D What is it with PP that turns your hand/arm into (feels like anyway) a claw, wicked witch of the west deal

Art Scott

I have a trackman wheel...great track ball...also have a MS trackball..don't like it....now for the wacom tablet....I have an older one and I like it for the inticate work on photos....I have never been able to draw with a mouse of any sort (used to catch'em with sticky pads and dip'em in ink to draw...never work well couldn't get straight lines), even track balls don't work well for me..however TB's are better than mice....but for inticate work I like my old Wacom (4X6)......

Thusie

ART SCOTT wrote:

I.I have never been able to draw with a mouse of any sort (used to catch'em with sticky pads and dip'em in ink to draw...never work well couldn't get straight lines), .

Akkk! That is bad Art, about spit coffee all over the monitor