A little over a year ago I tried out a number of Elecom trackball mouses and determined that no matter what the ergonomics of each were, the problem was the ball motion was not smooth. Kensington has been in the trackball business for a long time and they definitely have this part down. The ball moves perfectly and as smooth as any Logitech trackball I've tried.
The reason for trying the Orbit Fusion was I wanted the ability to switch between a thumb operated trackball to finger operated and I wanted better scroll functionality that my old Marble Mouse offered.
There are two reasons for the thumb to finger switch. I find that precision movements, highlighting and the like are easier with a finger operated trackball. I also like being lazy and sometimes I will rest my arm on my chair armrest with my fingers just dangling over the trackball and mouse around that way. You can't really do that with a thumb operated trackball. However, I like the thumb operated for faster movements and I prefer it for directional movement in gaming. I'm weird like that.
The scroll function was another selling point on the Kensington. They've been producing the scroll ring for a long time and I've never tried it until now. I have to say, I really do like the functionality it offers, but there are some drawbacks too.
Let's start with the pros. It's a nice smooth movement. Again, the dangling fingers thing - I can lazily scroll through long articles with this ring and there's no sound or detent, so it just moves smoothly. I also like that there is so much real estate to scroll with. I can put my fingers to the bottom, the top, the left, the right, etc. I can put a finger on and just circle the ball for a long continuous scroll. I definitely dig this functionality.
Now the cons. The actual rotation could feel a bit smoother. I feel like something like this should be on a set of bearings, not just plastic. In fact, make it metal, or give it a touch of weight, put in ultra smooth bearings and allow for momentum scrolling. That would be awesome. The other con is it is easy to hit. I accidentally scroll all the time with this mouse and it has been getting annoying. Lastly, it's just a little big. I feel like there's way less trackball access and that limits my use of the trackball. Compare to the Marble Mouse where nearly 3/4 of the ball is exposed and the Orbit has about half, it's a big difference. Lastly, the scroll doesn't always pick up. I've read the same comment in other reviews. Where a normal clicky scroll wheel almost always scrolls if the mouse focus is in a scrollable window, the ring doesn't. Sometimes I have to fiddle with it to get it to scroll, click out of the window and then back. So reliability is a factor. Oh, and I forgot that I can't find a good way to make the ring scroll side to side.
There are lots of buttons on this mouse, which is nice for someone who wants to customize. You can even customize on a per app basis. It is a decent weight, but I would not have minded just a few ounces more. It does a decent job sticking to the desktop and not moving as well, something I couldn't say about the Logi MX Ergo.
However, my biggest issue with the mouse is the ergonomics. One thing every Logitech mouse I've ever used has is buttons that are super responsive and easy to use. The reason I am now using my Marble Mouse and not the Orbit is because the left and right click are just so easy to get to and operate. The Orbit Fusion I find to be both difficult to get to the left and right clicks and that they are stiff. What this means to me is that extended use is going to result in my thumb and ring fingers hurting and eventually spasming. So that's the ultimate deal breaker for me. Add that only half the ball is exposed and the ring is just too easy to hit and I find I'm struggling to use this mouse rather than enjoying its features.
With these drawbacks in mind, I'll still consider other Kensington mouses as they are clearly well built, have a long history of making trackballs, and a strong following among trackball fanatics. Usually my biggest deal breaker is a trackball that sticks, but that is something Kensington clearly doesn't have a problem with and so there may be other trackball designs that will fit my ergonomic issues. Nice effort, Kensington, but not for me.
| 商品尺寸 | 17.27 x 10.92 x 7.62 cm; 27.22 克 |
|---|---|
| 产品颜色 | 黑色 |
| 制造商 | Kensington |
| 型号 | K72363WW |
| 型号年份 | 2021 |
| 保修说明 | 2 years manufacturer |
| 商品重量 | 27.2 g |
