Logitech Trackman Mouse - First Impressions

[Heisenbleurgh]

Logitech Trackman Marble

I’ve been using this mouse for little over a week now and there’s no reviews on it in the site so I figured I’d make a relatively extensive one.

 

Why I got this mouse.

A little history as to why I got this. A year or so ago I experienced wrist pain from my keyboard for the first time and it was pretty bad. It lasted almost 2 weeks and as a drummer and programmer I figured I should really start taking care of my wrists. I started by getting a wrist rest and a better keyboard. After that I got an “ergonomic” Razer DeathAdder Black Edition. It’s comfortable, but not perfect for wrist positioning.

My wrist always ended up on the table in a relatively weird angle:

It’s not perfect but it was comfortable enough to deal with it. Recently I was considering a new mouse so I didn’t have to carry this one around to the office and back daily and since I don’t play any games at work I didn’t need a “gaming mouse” and looked into more options. A friend caught me browsing some used Trackball mice in eBay and said I could borrow one he never really got into himself.

I’ll compare it in many ways to the DeathAdder because it’s a very popular and common gaming mice.

Build Quality

I don’t have the specifics (and sadly couldn’t find them) but the Trackman has some decent weight, not exactly heavy but I can lift the DeathAdder like its paper. I’d say almost twice the weight, but I’m just guessing. The bottom has 3 piece of rubber to keep it from sliding on mouse pads, wooden desks or glass.

 The side buttons are large, perfect for the thumb, not so much for the ring finger and pinky. Not sure if my technique is off but I like to rest my index and middle finger on the trackball, my ring finger on the button and my pinky below the button. The smaller button on the right side is very easy to access, the one on the left, not so much. I can’t really get it without taking at least my middle finger off the trackball.

 

 

The body has no flex, and the ball isn’t going to fall off if you put it in your bag or upside down, yet still loose enough that you can take it out for cleaning. The buttons have a nice click noise and feedback, similar to the DeathAdder. I don’t really press them without meaning to, they’re not that light.

Usage & Software

How is this supposed to reduce wrist pain? By practically removing any traveling your wrist does. Going back and forth in a horizontal way is not a natural wrist movement, they’re meant to move vertically. To compensate, we usually end up moving our forearms which is better but still a lot of work. The trackball works as a laptop’s touchpad would, but without the multiple finger recognition. A Logitech touchpad to have next to your keyboard is anywhere between $30 to $45 and Apple’s is $65 (current Amazon US prices). The Trackman can be found as low as $15, so losing the extra functionality reduces your costs. A benefit over these is the dedicated buttons.

Logitech software called SetPoint can be downloaded to configure functionality of buttons and responsiveness of the ball. Having the pointer speed at half is already enough to go from one corner of a 1080p screen to another with a single (strong) movement. Personally I lower it since clicking small buttons can be a little hard when you’re starting to get used to it and don’t feel doing one or two extra swipes (is that what they’re called?) requires a lot of work. By default, the smaller buttons to the sides are back/forth, personally I changed the right one to a scroll button which is more functional and removes one of the biggest cons – lack of dedicated scroll option.

Comfort

Does the Trackman deliver in its ergonomic design to conserve your wrist comfortable? I really think so. Compare the pictures of the way my wrist ends up positioned between the DeathAdder and the Trackman. No need to rest my wrist on the table at an uncomfortable angle.

Gaming

I was so bad at FPS with this. At most, maybe for a sniper, but it’s horrible at close combat, it’s too hard to get a good precise mark in a single “swipe”. I’ll stick to using this for productivity and programming.

Summary

I really liked this mouse, I bought it off my friend for very little and I don’t regret it. It’s comfortable and works great for what I need at work, browsing, taking calls and moving within code. I’d recommend it if you’re not planning to use for gaming and although it’s not perfect (lack of scroll, ball can get dirty/sweaty, small buttons aren’t very nicely positioned) it’s such a low cost I say give it a go. It's my first review and first one of this mouse in the forum, so input is appreciated and questions are welcome.

Thanks for reading!

[MrYuriy]

Damn, these types of mice (mouses?.. idk) bring back so many memories. All the way back to my good ol' Command & Conquer games. Original ones, of course.

 

Last time I used one was probably over 6 years ago.

 

Cool review, thanks for doing it. Good, healthy, nostalgia.