Kensington Expert Mouse Pro Trackball – Clumsy at Best
Written: May 20 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Has the potential to help reduce repetitive motion injuries
Cons: Very Clumsy
The Bottom Line: While it can reduce repetitive Stress injuries, it is far too clumsy to prove useful.
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| OpalMan's Full Review: ACCO Brands Expert Mouse Pro (K64245) Trackball |
In the past few years we have had to deal with providing an ergonomic workplace. Adding different devices to help make the computing experience more comfortable for the employee and reducing the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome when possible. This was one of the first devices we purchased to try to tackle this problem.
The Device
The device itself is rather large and unwieldy. It measures roughly 8 inches by 5 inches and is about 2 – 3 inches high. There is an array of six buttons across the top divided by a wheel slightly below the center two buttons. There are another four buttons arrayed around the central trackball. The trackball’s ball measures roughly 2 inches in diameter. All of this size makes the trackball too large and for many, not terribly comfortable. It is connected to the computer through a USB connection.
Quality
Unfortunately, I have come to associate the Kensington name with over-priced, cheaply made products. This unit does nothing to change that opinion. The construction of the trackball will hold up to some abuse, but is still cheaply made. I don’t think I would opt for this model myself. We did try the Turbo version as well. Its not much better.
Features
One of the nice features of the Expert Mouse Pro is the flexibility. All of those buttons can be programmed to do different things. Unfortunately the default layout seems to be somewhat backwards. While the simplicity of clicking a single button to perform common tasks like (Ctrl+C) is fantastic, the layout of the trackball detracts from the benefit.
Ergonomic Benefits
Despite its bulkiness, this device is effective at reducing the wrist strain for those who have used it. Several employees who were having problems with the beginnings of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome no longer have pain when they use their mousing device. This factor alone makes the device worth every penny that we had to pay for it.
The Bottom Line
This device is not cheap with its $110 price tag. The construction of the device is nowhere near being worth the cost associated with it. However, the simple fact that it does make a difference for some of those using it makes it very worthwhile. Would I recommend this device to anyone? No, there are many other options, many of which are better. Those that are not necessarily better but on a par with this one are at the very least less expensive.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 99
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