Slimblade Trackball

By Xah Lee. Date: . Last updated: .

Slimblade Trackball Pro

new. wireless version came out in 2022-11-08. Buy at amazon

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

Buy at amazon

slimblade d80ed
[image source https://twitter.com/ginsukeMonitor/status/1003262843469250560]

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.

Kensington Slimblade trackball TEK 92960
Truly Ergonomic KeyboardSlimblade Trackball

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 © 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 © https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/1.0/legalcode ]

Slimblade vs L-Trac Trackball

Trackball Size Comparison

Kensington orbit ring slimblade trackball-s-s
Kensington OrbitKensington Orbit Trackball + Scroll RingSlimblade 3278×1359 [image source imgur ]

more: Trackball Size Comparison

Buy at Amazon

Buy at amazon