Rollerball (ergonomic mice)

[Sam]

Thinking of getting a trackpad/rollerball mouse. I'm sure some of you lot use them. So: if you had a choice between the Logitech M570 and the Logitech MX Ergo, which would you get?

Bizarrely, I can add the qualifier that money isn't an object here, because although the M570 follows the normal Argentine electronics rule of being much more expensive here than it is elsewhere, I have found a few vendors on the Argentine version of eBay who are selling the MX Ergo for the same amount as the M570. So if I were in the UK I'd be asking 'do you think the MX Ergo is twice as good as the M570?' whereas here I'm asking 'do you think the MX Ergo is literally any better at all than the M570?'

I've looked at some reviews on YouTube and on Amazon, and I'm moving towards the MX Ergo, but I'd be interested to hear if anyone's got a strong opinion either way.

I'll be using it for work, internet browsing and podcast editing, and for Football Manager, so I don't need any of the features a full-on gaming mouse would offer (whatever the bloody hell those might be).

[Stumpy Pepys]

I don't know anyone who uses one. Unless normal mice are painful to use, what's the advantage?

[3 Colours Red]

Unless normal mice are painful to use, what's the advantage?

Pretty much this - the positioning of the ball hardly looks likely to alleviate signs of CTS (if that's Sam's issue with using a regular optical mouse, that is). A vertical mouse would be better for that; I'm seriously considering getting one for that very reason.

[Levin]

I loved my M570, despite it coming from Logitech. Sadly they and Kensington are the only companies who make rollerballs and the Kensington one looked awful. Very tempted by the MX Ergo despite the price.

They're just more comfortable to use than normal mice. Not a pain thing just preference.

[Sam]

Yeah, mostly want one for the reasons outlined by Levin. Plus the new line of work requires a lot more mouse use than I've had before, and I'm getting some carpal tunnel soreness from the normal mouse I currently have. Also quite like the idea of being able to loaf on the sofa to play Football Manager with the laptop on the footrest and a trackball next to me so I can control it without having to lean forwards and use the trackpad on the laptop. I considered a vertical mouse, 3CR, but of course they still have to be physically moved around in order to control the cursor.

[3 Colours Red]

Fair enough, I've just never got on with trackballs personally.

[Stumpy Pepys]

Fair enough, I've just never got on with trackballs personally.

Me neither. Trackpads are fine for general tasks, but if I'm using Photoshop or Illustrator, I need a mouse.

[3 Colours Red]

Vertical mouse arrived today. Half an hour and no wrist twinges yet. Trust me, that's a promising sign.

[Hot Pepsi]

I just got a new expensive rollerball thing because the left button on the old one wasn’t really working. I had to push down on it very hard whenever I needed to highlight text.

[Sam]

Me neither. Trackpads are fine for general tasks, but if I'm using Photoshop or Illustrator, I need a mouse.

Not trackpad, trackball. Different barrel of fish entirely.

Anyway, just realised I never updated this. I got the MX Ergo. I love it. Before I'd switch between the laptop's trackpad and the standard mouse depending on which I'd been using until I was fed up with it most recently, but I can use this thing non stop. Also, I thought that controlling the cursor by moving the ball around with my thumb would be at least a very small learning curve (I'd never used a trackball before), but it felt intuitive as soon as I started using it.