Logitech M570 Wireless Trackball Mouse

I decided to enter the realm of trackballs. This decision was not predicated by me suffering from RSI. Rather it was the thought of better managing my workspace. I'm currently running a 2016 MacBook Pro with a 5K and 4K monitor. All three are fired up when working. The monitors are all set to pretty close to the highest resolutions possible. So that accounts for a lot of real estate to move through! To counter this, I was using a Logitech G502 Proteus Gaming Mouse. The thing rocked for 2 main reasons: high quality scroll wheel and high DPI (1200). This allowed me to move relatively well across the monitors. However, when doing that, I needed alot of deskspace still to move around effectively. It dawned on me that if I got a trackball and could adjust to it, I could simpilify my desk even more. Having made this decision, I did some research and decided on trying the Clearly Superior CST2545(L-Trac), the Kensington SlimBlade, and the Logitech M57. I've listed all the reviews for the items in this review so it is easier to compare for those that are in the market. In the end, the CST2545 won out. And while it won, it is by no means perfect (it is a solid product). -------- Logitech M570 Wireless Trackball - 2 Stars The M570 has a lot of advantages for it coming out of the box. It's shaped and roughly sized to be mouse-like, which makes adapting to it super easy. The buttons are where I would "naturally" expect them, and while the trackball on the thumb seems odd at first, I found it pretty quickly to adapt to. However, once you start using the device, you realize one glaring thing. This thing feels cheap. It feels like an item that would need replacing in a few short years. Next, I found that moving my mouse on screen was rather anemic. Part of this no doubt has to do with my setup. The combination of the small diameter of the ball plus the amount of distance led to one unpleasant experience. To move across the screen, I'd have to spin the trackball with my thumb like a mad man. While I generally don't like to install the driver/customization software if needed, I knew I'd need to do so in order to make this work well. Installing the SW was a snap and I quickly found the settings to adjust the speed settings. I found a setting that seemed to work well and went back to doing things on my computer. What I found was that although the speed of moving the cursor was indeed zippy, it jumpy and inaccurate. This became especially apparent when I needed to some items which required more precision like clicking to insert the cursor into text or wanting to manipulate some pixels. I believe the issue stems from the speed adjustment really being just a scale factor. If they are slick, they have also tried to account for time and acceleration as well to try and better predict when you want speed versus precision. One would believe they are, since they do have a setting for "pointer acceleration". But perhaps the aren't doing anything in regards to better managing when you need more "precision". In the end, I found the Logitech M570 unusable for my case. To be able to manage scrolling around with different monitors required me to jack up the speed settings but as a consequence I would loose precision of movement when needed. If I took the opposite approach and lowered the speed setting, I would be too frustrated by the experience of moving the cursor around. PROS -Nice and compact form factor -Familiar form factor to those coming over from a mouse -While thumb control for trackball may seem odd, it is surprisingly easy to get the hang of -Software easy to install and "looks professional" CONS -Cheap build quality -Trackball is slow with default settings -Trackball, when pointer speed is adjusted upwards, has poor precision when trying to do precise things NOTE: I realize some people will indicate that I should not be able to manipulate pixels with a trackball. I realize that. I have the tools to do that. This is for some quicky stuff I need to do where a trackball should be more than suffice to manage. -------- Kensington SlimBlade - 3 Stars The Kensington SlimBlade is nice looking trackball. It comes thoughtfully packaged and even has a nice piece of tissue paper protecting the ball. Set up is super easy. Just plug it in and go. The first thing I noticed was the noise from the ball moving. Okay, maybe there is a bit of break in. Despite the noise, the movement of the ball is surprisingly smooth and has a nice weight to it. Twist scrolling? Seems pretty cool. Initial thoughts were positive. Buttons? Big and functional. Cursor movement? Slow. Not Logitech M570 anemic, but nevertheless slow. I knew that I would need to install their "customization package." to remedy this. Unlike the Logitech M570, the install process is a bit of a mess. First of all, you end up downloading a file named "a7d905eb-8a38-49e5-b25a-11d59a7e765f.dmg.dmg". Huh? Looks totally dodgy. After you install, the actual software looks like a 3rd grader put it together (sorry for the insult there kids, you probably could have done better). I adjusted the cursor speed. And even better, I could remap the buttons on the SlimBlade. Okay, now we're in business! Or so I thought. The sound of the trackball moving I originally mentioned? It still persisted. I posted a question about this and people indicated ths should not exist so I got a replacement. The second unit still exhibited this problem. I could actually overlook the noise (which was slowly diminishing each day). There were a couple of items which made this unusable for me. While I managed to get the cursor speed up so I could easily move around the screen, I found the cursor jumpy and inaccurate. I could not properly select text/insert cursor into text or manipulate pixels. I also started to find that the Twist Scroll I originally liked suddenly became my enemy. I'm a dev, so I do end up selecting text and then copying/cutting it around quite often. Depending on the editor I'm in, I'll use different techniques to do this. One way happens to be the select and then using the scroll wheel to scroll the text downwards. The unfortunate thing is this action usually results in also moving the trackball. So for me, it was ending up with sections of highlighted text that were incorrect. PROS: -Nice design -Trackball movement is smooth with a nice weight CONS: -Trackball is a bit slow in default settings -Trackball, when cursor speed is scaled up, has poor precision when moving when trying to do precise things -Twist Scroll while seemingly a great concept, can result in issues of trackball movement. So if you performing actions which "chain" on top of the scrolling, you may have issues -Customization software is terrible -Trackball is noisy. Noise will subside. When I returned it, it was still present, but I do believe it would have eventually diminished to the point of not being noticeable -------- Clearly Superior CST2545 - 4 Stars There are many products out there that believe in form over function. Then there are products that forgo any form of aesthetics and cater the needs around functionality. Enter the CST2545. This is not one of those items you are going to conspicously leave on your desk so when that hot date that stops by later she'll notice and say "OMG, is THAT the CST2545"? It's more likely to get a "Oh, you didn't mention that you live with your Dad." instead. There is really no walking around it. The CST2545 looks like a relic. When researching trackballs the CST2545 caught my eye because of higher CPI, people talking about build quality, and it being made in the USA. When I received it, it came in an unassuming box. It comes with a CD, which doesn't mean much if you're on a Mac, which I am. Hooking up is easy. It just works. Upon first usage, I noticed cursor movement was a bit slow. There are no drivers required for this device. The default setting is 800 cpi. What I wanted was 1600 dpi. To change the settings you hold the center button and then press the right button to change. The LEDs are off for 400, red for 800, and green for 1600. The LED is on the back of the device, so you need to turn it to see it, which I find a bit cumbersome. Once set to 1600, the thing worked like a champ. The issues I had had with the other trackballs I used was gone. I had the speed I needed and it was pretty precise when needed. Previously where I'd find the wrong text would get selected or other mishaps whilst using other trackballs, this one provided me with accurate selections and even pixel manipulations. However, I did notice one thing. The ball did not feel smooth and was loud. I ended up calling the company and was pleasantly surprised to find how helpful they were. They had indicated to me that they actually had an issue during production that could be the cause. They thought they pulled all the items with the part, but mine might have slipped through. They said they would replace it for me directly so they could be sure I got a model which was fine. Awesome! The unforunate thing here was that while it was a little bit better, the roughness/loudness is still there. There are times when I work where I need total silence to concentrate. During those times, I'll turn off all music and work. And this is when it's pretty evident how loud moving the trackball is. Keep in mind, that it may not bother everyone, but it does bother me. However, I don't always need to do this so the overall pros of the product beat out this by a long shot. One other thing that has been concerning me as of late is a mystery cracking noise it will make when initially using the trackball at times. I'm not quite sure what it is, but it sounds like maybe the roller moved out of place and then back? I'll probably eventually take it apart to see, but it does raise my brow a bit on build quality. PROS -Works really well for multi-monitor setups -Moves quick when needed and maintains precision when needed -Ball has a good weight to it for scrolling -Fantastic customer service -Nice scroll wheel. I have used better. If it was weighted, it would give it a bit better of a feel CONS -Not a visually pleasing form factor -Ball movement feels rough and is noisy -Have noticed some cracking at times which does make me wonder about longer term viability -Seeing LED setting for resolution is hidden. It would be helpful if you actually could see the status more easily