Kensington Orbit Trackball for PC's and Compatibles

by Kensington

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00000JKKH
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #53 in Electronics > Computers & Add-Ons > Computer Accessories > Keyboards, Mice & Input Devices > Trackballs
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1973

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Entry Level Trackball, May 30, 2009

By 

William Bagley (Ashland, Oregon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kensington Orbit Trackball for PC's and Compatibles (Personal Computers)

This Trackball is an older version which comes with an adapter so that you can use either serial or PS/2 ports (the adapter itself is worth the price of the unit nowadays - converting 9 pin serial to PS/2). I like trackballs because they do not have to be moved around like a mouse. You simply roll the ball to get the cursor to move. This particular version seems equally adaptive to right and left handed individuals. It is easy to zip around and click the controls. Having said this, there are some reservations. You do need to periodically pop the trackball out and clean it with warm soapy water on a paper towel and also clean the two rollers inside the same way. The main problem is that finger oils eventually lubricate the rollers and make it slip some, causing the performance to get sluggish. This version uses the regular mouse driver that is already in the computer and can be calibrated to whatever PC you have. You will probably need to calibrate it so that it has the right feel, since its sensitivity is different than a mouse. I got my present version at a Thrift store and have happily used it for a long time and it never ceased to function. The modern optical trackballs do work better and are more responsive, but they are mainly for USB ports and are more expensive.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars High maintenance!, May 15, 2002

By 

Sherri Davidge (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kensington Orbit Trackball for PC's and Compatibles (Personal Computers)

This trackball worked great for about the 1st 6 months. Of course, I had to clean it at least once a week because the mechanisms that operate the trackball get extremely gummed up and any hair or fibers will get wrapped around the small rollers inside. I loved this trackball because I am a left handed mouser & I have very small hands, this trackball allowed me to be on my computer for hours with minimal discomfort. But after 6 months the bliss ended with a trackball that wouldn't track. I sent it back to kensington & they repaired it & sent it back to me. Meanwhile I went out & bought another just like it while my old one was being repaired. I thought it was just a defective unit. but after about 6 months the new trackball stopped tracking too.
So I wouldn't buy this product unless you don't mind shipping it out to repaired every 6 months for 3 years & then buying a new one (because Kensington only warranties this product for 3 years).

It's shame because out of the box it's the best trackball I've used. I'm now using an Logitech Marble Mouse. I experience more discomfort in my wrist with this one but I've had this one for over 2 years now & it still works great.

Kensington needs to come out with an optical version of this trackball