Kensington Expert Mouse Review: Why I Replaced My Mouse with a Giant Billiard Ball

If you have never used an optical trackball, the Kensington Expert Mouse looks ridiculous: a giant red billiard ball sitting in the center of four large plastic buttons with a rubber scroll ring.

Yet for radiographers, audio recording engineers, and developers with severe shoulder impingement, trackballs are legendary.

Unlike a standard mouse, you never move your arm or wrist across the desk. Your palm rests flat on the padded cushion, while your fingertips gently spin the weighted ball.

The first three days felt awkward and clumsy. By day seven, my cursor accuracy matched a traditional mouse, and shoulder fatigue was completely gone. If you suffer from shoulder tension, give a trackball two weeks before giving up.