Logitech T-CL13 TrackMan Marble Wheel Review

Installation of the TrackMan Marble Wheel is a no-brainer. Simply install the drivers and plug the mouse into either a free USB or PS/2 port using the supplied adapter. If you do opt for the USB connection and you use a PC, be sure to have your Windows 98 CD handy, as you'll need it to load drivers. As soon as you've installed the mouse, you can configure it using Logitech's MouseWare software.

For those who are either used to a traditional mouse or who have used a finger-operated scroll wheel, the TrackMan Marble Wheel may take some getting used to. As the thumb generally is not the most dexterous of the five digits, you may find it hard at first to actually get the cursor to point to the right icon. But after about a day, we found that this mouse felt more natural to use.

The only issue we have with the mouse's construction is its scroll wheel. The wheel is very tight, which makes scrolling through Web pages or long documents rough. Unless you're extra comfortable with using a trackball and you've mastered pointing with your thumb, don't try using this mouse for gaming. Getting the mouse to actually aim accurately at your target is a chore, and you'll find you've been fragged in that Unreal Tournament death match before you know what hit you.

But if gaming's not your bag and you're in need of a superior trackball, the Logitech TrackMan Marble wheel is a nice choice that's sure to last you a few seasons.

Pros:

• Scroll wheel doubles as a third programmable button
• MouseWare lets you program buttons and configure mouse
• Takes up little desktop space
• Sturdy construction

Cons:

• Crunchy scroll wheel
• Not precise enough for serious gaming
• For righties only

I had a non-optical trackball before this and loved it as well, although it took a good week to get used to it in the beginning.

This perticular model requires little cleaning and what cleaning it does require has nothing to do with accuracy - the points the ball is suspended on get a little dirty, so you just pop the ball out once a week and run a fingertip across the points to get the dust and dirt off, works great and takes about 20 seconds total, no tools required.

Hope this helps someone decide on it.. me, I'm off to buy the wheel version :)

My first use of the new one was like pulling out in a new Mercedes. The ball responds to the slightest touch -- a most delicate resistance provides precise accuracy of movement. The buttons on the new one have something the old version didn't have, positive tactile clicks.

I don't understand those who have trouble training the thumb. It is, after all, the second most agile digit on the hand. Thirty minutes and you're proficient with the ball. A slight flick of the thumb sends the pointer clear across the screen.

Another complaint I can't understand concerns delicate pointer positioning with the roller ball. The thumb can provide much more precise movement than the hand holding a conventional mouse. I often work with graphics, following irregular lines. The conventional mouse gave me a lot of trouble. Not this one. I can trace the most delicate pattern with ease. As for zeroing in on radio buttons -- Good grief! Nothing to it....

Anyone who gives this mouse a try will love it. You'll not miss running off the mouse pad, having to pick the mouse up and "return to start" to get back on course. All the wrist movement will be a thing of the past. You won't have to push papers out of the way now and then to maintain the airfield a regular mouse demands. Just yesterday I worked on a friend's computer and was cussing his old-timey mouse, wondering why users put up with them.

I secure my TrackMan to the desk with a little patch of Velcro. If I don't like the position I can change it. Once set, your hand falls on it in precisely the same way every time.

As for that wheel ... well, I can scroll with scroll bars better, and I don't need the Internet menu that is provided as the default click. (It can be programmed to do other things, so you might find a use for it.) It does have a function for me -- a nice little ridge that seperates left and right buttons.

Someone below reminds us that all other mouse software (even Logitech) must be removed before installing the Logitech software, and that should be done. Do it through the formal uninstall process (My Computer, Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs, Restart). And remember, since you won't have a mouse during the short installation process, that Control-Escape brings up the Start Menu, arrow keys move you around in it. The Enter key will activate default buttons and Alt-(letter) the others.

We only use two devices to operate these incredible machines -- keyboard and mouse. If you take my advice and get this mouse, you'll be at home with it in no time, wishing you'd made the change sooner. As for keyboards, I had the Microsoft Natural Keyboard a year before I gave it a try. Voila, another one-hour period of adjustment. I was right at home with it in a few days. Now I HATE the conventional one.

The above from a guy that uses a computer and a variety of fairly sophisticated programs all day every day.

Part of the fix for me was to replace my ergonomic mouse with a Logitech Trackman Marble. I LOVE this pointing device! It is comfortable and "falls readily to hand" as it were, it never gets jerky, jumpy or stuck since it is fully optical, and it is incredibly smooth. My wrist/hand pain went away!

As a bonus, I LOVE playing games with this device. Manipulating your character in games like Quake, Heretic or Ultima IX is so much more natural using the thumb-ball on the trackman than it used to be using a mouse... It's easy to feel much more directly connected to the game, to be less conscious of the presence of a pointing device.

As a last note, the quality is great. Mine is now three years old and going strong, with no degredation of any sort. If anything, it is better with use -- the ball and the surface on which it rests have become more polished and more silky over time!