Kensington TurboBall Trackball (PC/USB Mac)

by Kensington

Product Details

Product Manual [298kb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00004YMY4
• Item model number: 64227
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #70 in Electronics > Computers & Add-Ons > Computer Accessories > Keyboards, Mice & Input Devices > Trackballs
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1999

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For me, the benefits outweigh the problems, December 2, 2002

By 

"tjgoetz" (Minocqua, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kensington TurboBall Trackball (PC/USB Mac) (Personal Computers)

I generally prefer trackballs over a mouse, and for me this one has the best combination of features and ease of use. Most of the other trackballs I've tried have felt awkward or put stress on different digits. Some reviewers have complained about the position of the hand when using this device, but for me that is a strong point. You are supposed to rest the edge of your hand on the desktop, and let your hand curl naturally around the high centered design.

I do agree with the other reviewers about the need for frequent cleaning. Several suggestions - try using a Q-Tip swab dipped in rubbing alcohol for cleaning the rubber rollers and the various inside parts. Also, an old toothbrush works wonders to loosen and scrub away deposits on various parts, inlcuding the small red beads that help hold the ball in place (which I have never needed to remove to clean). The ball does need to be cleaned frequently, or the buildup of skin oils on it will begin to gum up the rollers. Ironically, the problem with the rollers is that they get too smooth when they are dirty, and are unable to obtain traction against the ball, which is why they the pointer doesn't move on the screen.

The rubber rollers do eventually deteriorate, as others have noted. That is my only real complaint about this product, as when the rollers have degraded enough they can no longer make good contact with the ball, and it becomes very difficult to move the pointer. It is possible to replace them, but it can be a tricky and frustrating job, and it is almost simpler just to buy a new one.

I have owned several of these trackballs, and even with heavy useage I expect to get 1-2 years of good use out of them. After that, the rollers are worn, and it is either replace the rollers or buy a new one. I like the trackball enough that I have done both of these, rather than switch back to a mouse or a different trackball.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Scroll wheel position stinks, April 1, 2003

By 

Bill Kearney "wkearney99" (Bethesda, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kensington TurboBall Trackball (PC/USB Mac) (Personal Computers)

I had a Kensington TurboRing and LOVED it. The TurboBall is their current warranty replacement as the TurboRing is no longer available.

Using a trackball with the fingers is, for me, much more comfortable than using one operated with the thumb. I get a pain similar to old Atari joystick thumb cramps when using thumb-movement trackballs. The finger movement on the TurboBall is quite smooth and very precise.

The scroll wheel on the TurboBall is in a USELESS location. There's no way to use the wheel without moving the entire hand off the unit or contorting one's thumb into an extremely uncomfortable angle. This makes the wheel all but UNUSABLE for any frequent use.

That and the roller mechanism used here is essentially the same thing as the TurboRing. Which means frequent cleaning and possible loss of the little red bearings. The bearing races do appear more sturdy than those used on the TurboRing (which is what broke on mine). But the rollers are still the same and probably just as likely to gum up. Mine tended to gum up once a week with daily (8+ hours) of use.

It's really a shame, the best feature of the TurboRing, and what sold me on it, was the ScrollRing. Kensington has seriously missed the mark with design of the TurboBall. It'd have been OK if the scroll wheel wasn't in such a horrible location.

Oh, but only if they'd put a ScrollRing around the ball of their Expert series trackball! I'd buy it in a heartbeat. It too suffers from a poorly placed scroll wheel.

Kensington warranty support is excellent but getting this as a replacement for my TurboRing just doesn't cut it.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent trackball, but they need an optical version, December 26, 2000

By 

secondadd "secondadd" (Dublin, OH United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kensington TurboBall Trackball (PC/USB Mac) (Personal Computers)

Updated AUG 2006... Still My favorite trackball after 6 years. It has has been durable, although it does as others have noted require periodic cleaning (particularly of the rubber pieces inside) that would be lessened greatly if they'd move to an optical design. The Turboball is the BEST design I've ever seen with a trackball, so I live with the cleaning. It fits my hand perfectly and the number of buttons allows you to basically have the same functions on both sides so that this can be used right handed or left handed. For example, I use top left and right as single click, bottom left and right are double click, clicking both bottom buttons is a right mouse click, and pushing in middle scroll button closes an application. I dislike Kensington's other optical trackballs. Their Expert Trackball is harder on the hand and less comfortable to use, as you can't comfortably grip the trackball (I've had one at work for several years), and their other optical trackball only has two buttons, which makes it much less useful. KENSINGTON: PLEASE MAKE AN OPTICAL VERSION OF THE TURBOBALL!!! IT IS THE BEST DESIGN ON THE MARKET!