I’ll start with mine: Elecom HUGE (M-HT1DRXBK)
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This is my trusty Logitech M570 I use at work. Scares coworkers away from being able to use my computer easily. I use a CST at home where I have more desk space.
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The orbit was my previous trackball 
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Cool! How do you like the HUGE? I just really want some dedicated nav buttons for browsing and such 
I miss a little bit the scroll ring, but for the rest, the Huge was a great upgrade for me.
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I use an M570 at work and at home have a lot but am currently using an elecom wired trackball. I’m interested in the deft pro also. I think the Huge is a bit big for me, but then again I also still have an MTE.
Is there anyone out there that prefers the CST over the Elecom?
Be completely honest, how often do you have to clean the ball?
I like the idea of a trackball (especially for 3D modelling purposes) but they get dusty/dirty so damn fast, I absolutely regret spending money on it and would’t recommend it to anyone.
I clean it every day or two days.
The thing is, they get as dirty as regular mouses, the difference is that with these you can feel when it’s dirty. No wonder why our phones are full of bacteria!
I mean, they don’t get that dirty unless you don’t clean it for months. When I’m using it regularly I’ll clean once a week. You can feel the ball start to slow down when it’s getting dirty.
Once every week or two.
And I’ve … seen worse both on other people’s mice and my own, when I’ve used them.
The difference is where the build up occurs. For the trackball, it’s more noticeable, because it affects the ball’s rolling. But for mice, you can tell where the contact is made with the desk. …
Has anyone tried the Logitech MX Ergo? I’ve been meaning to give it a shot as my first trackball, but I have been hesitant to buy because it would be my first trackball.
I like the idea of a trackball for ergonomics (I go ga-ga for ErgoDoxes, after all), but I’m worried about cleaning and maintenance (and the fact that I’ve used a non-Trackball mouse for over 20 years).
Sorry if this is a derail, but I love seeing people’s tech regardless.
Unless you’re super neat and germaphobe-y, cleaning and mainenance isn’t that bad. Once a week is more than enough, IMO, and a couple of Q-tips can usually do the job to my satisfaction. I don’t know about the MX Ergo though. I have used almost everything except the recent generation of trackballs. It’s unfortunately a little like keyboards, everyone has their preferences and some feel horrible to others.
I’d say hit up a Best buy or office depot and test out the one they have in store for feel, see what you think.
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On one hand, it is a relief to know the maintenance required isn’t too over the top. On the other hand, the fact that I need to do maintenance at all is a change from other mice I’ve used.
Still, a trip to Best Buy is in order; I don’t think I’ll really be able to make a decision about this without trying at least one trackball before taking the plunge.
Not me posting another Elecom Huge, but has anyone tried the new Deft Pro? I’m pretty interested in it but I’ve been enjoying my Huge quite a bit. 
I love my SlimBlade. I have one at home and one at work (and several Logitech Trackman Wheel and an M570, also at home).
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It’s not about germs, trackballs are not any more filthy than regulars mouses. This is a completely different kind of a problem. Microscopic particles of dust mix with oil and sweat from human skin and clog the rolling mechanism. If it doesn’t feel perfectly smooth, it’s very easy to feel, becuse it’s right under the most sensitive part of your body - fingertips. It’s as if somebody put some sand in your keyboard switch, you would feel that instantaneously. This is the fundamental design flaw of the trackball concept, and it’s been much worse before they invented optical sensors and we had 3 little wheels.
Now, the real question is… why we don’t feel dirt on the bottom of our mouses and they still work perfectly even when very filthy. And what we can learn from that to improve trackball design, since it almosrt didn’t evolve at all from the time it was introduced.
Just off the top of my head, maybe contact surface inbetween body of the trackball and the ball should be much bigger than it currently is, and made of high quality PTFE. In fact, it should wrap around most of the ball, like an eye and eyesocket, so the dirt doest even have a chance to get in there. But yeah, this is a problem because then it would be impossible to get the ball out.
I don’t know, but there has to be some solution, it’s just that trackball market is so small nobody bothered to solve this problem. I’m sure it can be solved somehow.
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