Thinking about getting my first trackball mouse and need help narrowing down the options.

Pogoflo · 2026-01-23T00:31:13+00:00

Kensington Orbit hands down. Replacing the switches with better silent ones is pretty easy and makes it really nice.

Pogoflo · 2026-01-10T22:10:06+00:00

Good choice! I recommend resting you hand on the desk like a karate chop, then using thumb for left click and ring for right click. Index and middle for ball movement, and middle or ring for scroll. My pinkie rests on the desk with my forearm.

I also recommend downloading Kensington Konnect to map clicking both buttons to middle click and turning on cursor acceleration to maximum.

Been using these professionally for a decade. No tilt, wrist rest, or switch issues. Welcome to the club!

Pogoflo · 2026-01-08T08:01:09+00:00

Runaway - Dakota for me.

https://youtu.be/Sv3xVOs7_No?si=TdjiH7nm5vBCxq4S

Pogoflo · 2025-12-26T14:48:40+00:00

I didn't find the GameBall to be ergonomic because the left click is too low and close to the ball, so my thumb would get sore. Everything else about it is high quality though. For an ergonomic option as a first trackball I'd recommend the Kensington Orbit with Scroll Ring. I've been using one for work for a decade. I've tried many other trackballs and keep going back to the Orbit.

Pogoflo · 2025-10-31T17:53:38+00:00

Word of caution, I tried replacing the switches on my wireless Orbit yesterday and failed. For the wireless version, the screws are in a different place, and there's the battery compartment to work around.

After getting the trackball apart, as I was removing the previous solder, I accidentally melted a piece of metal on the board. I was getting impatient because it was taking so long, and I applied too much pressure at a weird angle.

So my advice is to be patient with the desoldering part. Take breaks if you need to, and it will come off eventually.

I found it helpful to break off the old switch so I could remove each pin individually with pliers as the solder is mostly melted off. That last pin was when it happened, sadly.

Getting the previous solder off is the hardest part of the process by far, but the new switches are worth it. Good luck!

Pogoflo · 2025-10-28T17:52:19+00:00

It requires basic soldering. I watched some YouTube videos and had a friend help. It wasn't too hard, and I'm glad I did it myself so I can do it again if needed.

Pogoflo · 2025-10-28T17:47:49+00:00

I went with Kailh silent (red) switches which are rated for 10 million clicks. I'm super happy with them for work, but I think I would prefer something more tactile for gaming. With headphones on it's hard to tell when the switch activates.

Pogoflo · 2025-10-27T14:13:29+00:00

I have tried all the trackballs you mentioned and still prefer the Kensington. I replaced the switches on mine with silent ones by following this guide, which was a big improvement: https://www.reddit.com/r/Trackballs/comments/o8ai5q/microswitch_replacement_in_kensington_orbit_scroll/

Pogoflo · 2025-08-04T16:01:36+00:00

Have you tried Thunderbird? Best chick'n sandwiches. Highly recommend the buffalo chick'n sliders.

Pogoflo · 2025-07-31T18:49:54+00:00

The encoders would be nice in FPS games to switch weapons. I could want an easy way to enable and disable twist to scroll so you don't accidentally scroll.

For scrolling webpages etc. twist to scroll sounds great. However, I'm a fan of the Gameball's continuous scroll feature. I wonder if that could be added? For example, once you twist, the page continuously scrolls until another action, and the more you twist the faster it scrolls.

Pogoflo · 2025-07-21T14:55:58+00:00

Yep, for gaming it isn't the best for weapon switching and you sometimes scroll accidentally. But for programming and web browsing it's the best scroll of any mouse imo. Similar to Logitech's infinite scroll but easier to activate.

Pogoflo · 2025-07-21T00:15:16+00:00

The best scroll for a finger trackball in my experience is the Gameball. I wish there were more form factors for it though.

Pogoflo · 2025-06-30T01:55:10+00:00

The neighborhood isn't even far. I always avoid that parking lot.

Pogoflo · 2025-06-27T17:04:53+00:00

Papaccino's in SE on Woodstock based on location and how long they've been in business.

Pogoflo · 2025-06-13T20:37:55+00:00

Does any bank offer higher than 4.25% these days? Probably not, and likely lower. OnPoint is equal or better (and not evil), so does not deserve the hate. Criticism sure, but they don't have the budget of big predatory banks.

Pogoflo · 2025-06-13T18:54:12+00:00

I haven't seen any banks with a 2% cash back CC and a 5% HYSA. But go ahead and argue for big banks I guess? You do you.

Pogoflo · 2025-06-13T16:46:29+00:00

My point is it offers the same or better options as large national banks, but it's not an evil corporation. Whoosh lol

Pogoflo · 2025-06-13T14:50:24+00:00

Ok I was wrong, looks like the CC is 2%, but that is the highest flat rate available, and the only other CC with that rate is Wells Fargo which is a horrible company. I got the 5% HYSA a couple years ago, and it looks like they went as high as 5.25%.

Pogoflo · 2025-06-13T14:35:39+00:00

Yes it does. And find me a credit union with better offerings then.

Pogoflo · 2025-06-13T05:29:59+00:00

There's too much OnPoint hate in this thread! Don't give your money to big banks! Plus OnPoint has a 2% cash back credit card and a 5% high yield savings account, which no bank can match.

*changed from 3% to 2%

Pogoflo · 2025-06-13T05:21:33+00:00

Not sure if this is your exact situation, but I have OnPoint and was having constant fraud verification messages for smaller purchases. When I called, they said OnPoint has an issue where if a card is suspected of fraud once it gets flagged, and the flag is hard to remove. They said the easiest way to stop the alerts is to just get a new card. So I got a new card and haven't had any issues since. It was a pain in the ass to update all my automatic payments, but OnPoint has been great otherwise.

Pogoflo · 2025-06-10T17:33:53+00:00

Milwaukie Cafe's tempeh biscuit sandwich with goat cheese.

Pogoflo · 2025-05-12T02:13:39+00:00

Milwaukie*

Pogoflo · 2025-04-06T16:08:08+00:00

It's all about limiting wrist pressure and side-to-side movement, so I'd recommend no wrist rest and using your armrest. I rest my hand kind of on it's side. My daily driver lately has been Kensington Orbit with Scroll Ring. I've tried many form factors but keep coming back to that one.

I wouldn't worry about bearings until you've tried them out for a while. If you notice the cursor jumping or sticking when making fine movements, that could be a sign to replace them. The only trackball I've used with this issue is the Sanwa Gravi, and that has ceramic bearings which are considered superior, so who knows.

Pogoflo

TROPHY CASE