Slimblade Trackball

By Xah Lee. Date: . Last updated: .

The Kensington Slimblade Trackball came out in 2009.

This is one of the better trackball loved by the trackball users community. Featuring large ball, and 4 large buttons.

Kensington Slimblade trackball 78432
Kensington Slimblade
slimblade d80ed
[image source https://twitter.com/ginsukeMonitor/status/1003262843469250560]
Kensington Slimblade trackball TEK 92960
โ€ข Truly Ergonomic Keyboard โ€ข Slimblade Trackball

Slimblade Trackball Pro (bluetooth)

new. wireless version came out in 2022-11-08.

Ball Size

Ball diameter: 55 mm.

Buttons

The 2 buttons on the north side are harder to reach. The buttons near you easier to press, by thumb.

Twist Ball to Scroll

You twist the ball to scroll, like rotating earth. It's awkward. Not the best.

Work in Linux?

Yes. Works in Linux out of the box.

  1. Lower left button is left click.
  2. Lower right button is right click.
  3. Top left button is double click.
  4. Top right button is browser back button.
  5. Twisting for scroll also works.

You can remap mouse buttons in Linux using xinput. [see Linux: How to Swap Mouse Buttons]

Slimblade vs Expert Mouse

Kensington Expert Mouse and Slimblade
Kensington Expert vs Slimblade Trackball. [photo by ronin ยฉ https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/1.0/legalcode ]

Of all web reviews, there is no consensus of which is better. Some prefer Slimblade, some Expert Mouse.

Kensington Expert Mouse and Slimblade side-view
[photo by ronin ยฉ https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/1.0/legalcode ]

Slimblade vs L-Trac Trackball

Trackball Size Comparison

Where to Buy