X-keys L-Trac Blue Trackball

I am an audio professional and in addition to mixing/mastering I perform with my laptop using .vst synths etc. When my Macbook Pro trackpad died, instead of repairing it I began looking into an external replacement option since it is admittedly difficult to edit, mix, and master audio with a trackpad anyway. I went down the rabbit hole and realized that the trackball was the way of the future for me! At that point it seemed that there were only a few options that were highly regarded on the web including the Kensignton, Logitech, and CST trackballs. I did not like the concept of the thumb-driven trackballs from Logitech, so I bought a Kensignton Slimblade. Although I found the Slimblade very comfortable and well designed, the construction of the Slimblade was pretty cheap. The Slimblade trackball routinely got dust in the trackball mechanism and sensors, like almost every day, and I'd have to clean it out and blow on the sensors to get it to track correctly. The Slimblade buttons also felt suuuuper cheap and would not click reliably.I took a chance and spent twice as much money & ordered this one! The CST blue glowing trackball arrived and from the moment I plugged it in I knew it was a much higher quality piece of gear. The click buttons feel very solid and they are accurate & reliable. The tracking mechanism is as smooth as glass and does not get dust in the sensors because it is a mechanical operation going on vs. the optical sensor in the Slimblade. I also love the blue glowing light. If Officer Dekkard in Bladerunner had had a PC in his apartment in the movie, this is definitely the mouse he would've had driving it!Overall, I guess like most things in life, you get what you pay for in terms of quality. $130 is a lot of money for a mouse but for me it is worth it since I'm on my computer all the time for work and all my synthesizer music performance stuff is gradually becoming software based. So I needed the highest quality trackball mouse I could afford and this is it!Thanks CST for making a high quality product for extreme nerds like me.

Great trackball

Ich bin von dem Gerät begeistert:Die Kugel gleitet angenehm leicht und hat auf Grund ihres Durchmessers ein größeres Trägheitsmoment als kleinere Trackballs. Dadurch empfinde ich diesen Trackball als präziser verglichen mit dem Kensington Orbit, den ich zuvor verwendet habe.Die Ergonomie passt gut zu meinen etwas größeren Händen und die Verarbeitung macht einen soliden Eindruck.Außerdem ist die blaue Beleuchtung der Kugel klasse und den Aufpreis meiner Meinung nach wert, außer man hat ohnehin vor die Kugel durch eine Billardkugel zu ersetzen.Mit minimaler Lötarbeit habe ich einen Industrie-Fußschalter mit einem 3,5 mm Audiostecker versehen und konnte den Fußschalter danach ohne Probleme als zusätzliche Maustaste anschließen und nutzen.

I purchased this product and received it within several days of order which was quite satisfying in and of itself. The trackball moves smoothly and feels very comfortable in my hand. The light is quite bright and I rather enjoy it but it should be noted that it does not have an LED off switch/option. When the mouse goes to sleep it does turn the LED off though.The multiple DPI settings are easy to cycle through (middle button + click left or right to increase/decrease dpi respectively also it wraps around from highest to lowest) and very convenient when shifting between activities that require more or less granular control.I do miss having back and forward buttons for web navigation etc. This can easily be remedied though as this trackball allows for the addition of extra switches. CST makes switches you can purchase and plug in or you can engage in a little DIY. there are several guides you can see on YouTube as well as at /r/trackballs.All in all this is a great ergonomic product with large track ball, and easy to press buttons. I heartily recommend this item.

I have been a Kensington trackball user for a while. I have gone through several of them, and it seems like each time the failure point was the same. One of the little ball bearings would come out while I was cleaning it, or the mount for the bearing would stop holding in the ball. I turned to this mouse because the construction appeared to be much more solid. And when it arrived I can say that yes, it is very solidly constructed. Barring some incident, this will be the last track ball that I purchase for a while.I think that this mouse is expensive, but the price is justified with the construction quality. I typically have a mouse/keyboard combo that follows me through many computers. I learned a while back that good peripherals are worth the investment. Monitors, Keyboards, and mice will outlast your PC/Mac.Pros: Solid construction, easy to take apart and clean. This mouse is made for the long haul.Cons: I miss having 4 buttons. I did get the option to add some additional buttons later, but I'm not sure how I will attach them. I think it would be really great if the mouse had the additional buttons already wired up. I do think the expansion ports are a great idea though, maybe one day I'll add some foot pedals, but if I were to go that far, I'd probably opt for something more fancy.Meh: The scroll wheel. It really rubbed me the wrong way initially with its positioning. I wanted to wait a few weeks before I wrote this review though to give it some time to grow on me. The action on the scroll wheel is silky smooth, and I have been getting more used to its location. Initially it felt just way out of place. It no longer feels awkward to me, but it doesn't yet feel as at home as the scroll ring did. Maybe it's just been a long time, but I remember getting very comfortable with that almost immediately.1 year update:The mouse wheel is much more familiar now. The mouse is still solid, functions as new possibly better/smoother. I've taken it apart to clean and it was pretty easy. Internally all solid parts, again this mouse is built to last.I still miss my 4th button. Or even more buttons on the side would be great as well, along with some software to customize them to the current application.Update again:I installed the Clearly Superior mouse software. It does allow you to reasign mouse buttons per app. So I was able to reassign the middle click with app specific functionality I was looking for. So I changed my review to 5 stars, because this was the only thing I was missing. I also ordered the external buttons. I'll update again once I have had those for a few months.3 year update:The right mouse button started intermittently not working. Time to find out if this truly is a lifelong mouse. I contacted support, let them know the right mouse button was failing. Asked what replacement parts are available. The answered my reply relatively quickly with a link to the digikey part. Awesome, Fantastic, who does this these days. I have had quite a few products where a sub $5 part cause a >$100 assembly to fail and you were stuck. Anyway, I ordered the replacement switch, soldered it in, and things are back to as new. So if you are the type that like to fix things rather than throw them out, this is a fantastic mouse from a fantastic company. I would vote this 6 stars after this experience. I think everyone, everything will have an issue at some point. How you handle the issue seperates the average from the excellent. Thank you Clearly Superior.