Rating: 
Summary: Return of the King
Review: About 6 years ago I was blessed with my first Kensington trackball, the TurboMouse, after reading rave reviews. I had never used such a perfect input device! When I got a new computer with USB, I couldn't use the TurboMouse so I tried several other Kensington products and also a Logitech trackball. All were very good but when I heard about the new Expert Mouse 7.0 (check out the Kensington website for a photo--it is gorgeous!), I was very excited. All I can say is that the experience is back! And it is better! Solid, responsive, precise and now with optical tracking and the ingenious scroll wheel, this is the finest input device ever made. Try it out and you will not be disappointed!
Rating:
Summary: Return to form
Review: After years of adding web buttons and other silly features, Kensington has returned to form with the new expert mouse. Integration of the scroll ring is great, and the software is still unparalleled. The mouse is supremely comfortable, both with and without the included wrist rest. The large ball allows you to change hand positions easily to prevent repetitve strain. The ball lifts out easily, which is great for cleaning (not that it needs much, being optical now) or just to play around with (I fidget a lot). Not to mention the fact that it comes with an unheard of 5 year warranty. I have had to replace 1 Kensington item under warranty before, three years into ownership, and the process was completely painless; their support is wonderful.
Rating:
Summary: Buy Without Fear
Review: Almost every day I work for hours using a Computer Aided Design program, and over the years have found the Kensington Expert Trackball to be an indispensible labor (and arm) saving device. You get so much with so little movement! I was looking to buy a new one.
I had misgivings about this product after reading some "Worse than Bad" reviews that were in this forum. Still, either because hope springs eternal or a fool and his money are soon parted, I went ahead and ordered one.
Out of the box ball rotation was _The Worst_ as others had said. I had deadlines, however, so decided to use it to see if anything would improve. Two hours later it had "broken in".
Trackball Wizards, my number five is on the trophy shelf. The Seven is AAMMAAZZIINNGG. Totally silent movement; virtually frictionless rotation; excellent functionality, and it has GOT to have one of the most eloquent designs of any input device on the market.
As an added bonus the scroll ring beats any scroll wheel I have used, anywhere.
Congratulations to Kensington for creating a truly superior product.
Rating: 
Summary: cost reduction reloaded!?
Review: Had I read nicho1as's review and taken it seriously, I could have saved myself a trip back to Fry's returns line.
I am using the 'old' Kensington expert mouse (i.e. Kensington's classic opto-mechnical, four-button trackball, that is built like a tank) for over 6 years, the non-optical tracking system gets annoying once in a while when is starts losing tracking, and needs some cleaning to get back to working order. After also using traditional optical mouse and learning to appreciate it's merits over old ball mouse I though the optical trackball would be a real improvement over the opto-mechanical trackball circa 1997... - BIG mistake!It could be, in theory, sure - but Kensignton have tried to save few bucks on their manufacturing costs, and, it's really easy to tell. Gone are the massive, smooth, steel bearings, instead you'll find cheap red miniature plastic balls that support the "diamond eye" trackball. The result is an unpleasant movement feel, perhaps folks using trackball for the first time aren't aware of it, but the older version trackball clearly had a superior feel, and higher quality plastics as well. I can easily say that this optical trackball, taken out of the box, feels about the same as the mechanical trackball when it gets dirty after months of use, and the old trackball is not such a pain to clean. Returning it was as easy decision - I did not even have to connect it to the PC to make the decision. I guess I will be using the mechanical trackball for another six years unless Kensington decide to design a professional quality optical trackball before.
Rating: 
Summary: Solved uneasiness in my fingers and forehand
Review: I bought this expert mouse after testing two other products. First one being Logitech Marble Mouse, which was quite small for my hand. My hand felt squeezed using it. Because of how the buttons are arranged, it just shifted the pain to a different area. I liked the way it functioned, though
Second one is the Kensington Orbit mouse. The buttons on this mouse are laid out wider than on the Logitech mouse, but for me they felt little too wide and the buttons are a little bit tighter than the this expert mouse or the Logitech marble mouse. The same thing happened with this, pain has found a new home. The other thing I didn't like about this is the lack of separate scroll button. The Kensington MouseWare software tries to supplement it, but isn't sufficient. It just didn't work for me.
Then I upgraded to this Expert mouse. I should say, the pain is completely gone. The buttons are not very tight. The scroll ring is very nice(except for the scratchy noise and feel). The 4 buttons can be customized to do a variety of things. The wrist rest supplied is quite good. The wrist rest can be hooked up to the mouse so that it moves along with the mouse. The ball rolls quite smoothly. The precision is not very much different from a normal mouse. The ball hold points need to be cleaned once or twice a week else the ball movement feels jumpy/sticky. All in all it is a great mouse. It might take a little bit of getting used to(May be a couple of days).
I do recommend this mouse to anyone experiencing pain in the fingers or fore hand. But, I would suggest to try out couple different options. Depending on the size and shape of the hand, you may need a different mouse. Also how you sit in the chair plays a role in choosing the right product for you.
Do I still miss my regular mouse? Yes, I do. I just like the feel of a regular mouse.
Rating:
Summary: way overpriced for such a plasticy flimsy item
Review: I bought this mouse with high hope as I played with an older Kensington big trackball mouse several years ago. This mouse, in contrast, is much lighter. The ball has good weight, but the body feel very light and flimsy. The worst part is the feel of the scroll ring. It is not smooth. You hear it and feel the friction as you move the ring. The wrist rest is comfortable though.
Overall, it's a workable mouse. But it cannot justify the price. I am not sure where you can find the older Kenginston mouse which felt more substantial.
Rating:
Summary: Seems acurate, but is stickey, flimsy
Review: I had just bought the Kensington Expert Mouse. My first impressions were that it was huge and bulky, but since others gave it good reviews, I decided to buy it. The unit is flimsy and feels very cheap. The ball sticks (not high resistance, it sticks). The scroll wheel also needs much improvement; I can hear it grind when using it and the resulting scroll is very jumpy. Also, you have to push the buttons much past the point where it "clicks" in order for it to register the click. I would not recommend this product for others.
Rating:
Summary: Got for son, I am ordering one
Review: I have been a long-time Kensington Expert Mouse user. The original one with the big cue ball was flawless, in use. However, it would break down fairly quickly. Then, about 3 years ago, the mechanisms got cheapened. The feel was just not as good. I was forced to the Dark Side and got a Microsoft Optical Trackball. It was pretty good. When my son's Kensington Expert Mouse 4.0 gave out, I orded the 7.0. Wow! The feel of old, if not better! Or buttah! I am now getting our second one for the household.
Rating:
Summary: SMOOOTH!--Works great with Linux too.
Review: I just bought the Kensington Expert Mouse 7.0 for home after using the Kensington Pro Trackball in my office for over a year. First off, it was extremely easy to hook up in linux (I just switched my driver to a USB wheel mouse and restarted the xserver and it worked). For the first 10 minutes it was a little jumpy, but after breaking it in it became extremely smooth. The new wheel design, now a rotating ring around the trackball, though takes some getting used to, is a HUGE improvement over the small wheel at the top that was difficult to use without accidently clicking. All in all, the new optical trackball with its new wheel ring design is a true wrist saver!!
Rating:
Summary: Great Trackball
Review: I love the smoothness and precision of this mouse. It's the best I've ever used. One star off, since I'd prefer a slightly smaller version for those of us without giant hands.
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