Logitech Ergo M575 Wireless Trackball Mouse – Easy Thumb Control, Precision and Smooth Tracking, Ergonomic Comfort Design, for Windows, PC and Mac…

The box has been tampered with and feels like a used product sold as new, although it works fine!
Although, I wonder if this counts as consumer fraud, as I believe I paid for a NEW PRODUCT!!??

As for the mouse itself, the product is efficient and extremely comfortable to use. The build quality is good as well, could be better though!

I’ve been using the Kensington Orbit trackball for a while ( 3-4 years) and got this as a replacement. Compared to the orbit, this has buttons very similar to a regular mouse (an actual middle click instead of a combination). Unlike my initial apprehensions, the thumb trackball is actually more comfortable than the index and middle finger trackball on the Orbit.

The other reviewers in this product page appear to be transitioning from regular mice and I figured there is some value in a review from someone who has used trackballs for a while.

I didn’t care much about the ergonomic tilt feature, my main motivation in using trackballs is to reduce the strain in my shoulder and right upper back. The M575 and trackballs in general help quite a bit with this. As an added bonus you can place the unit in tight spaces where a regular mouse would be hard to move around and also on surfaces that aren’t mice friendly. After a few days of use, the M575 appears to be very comfortable to use, even more than the Orbit.

As for the use case, I use it for CAD on a 27 inch screen and everyday point-and-click. While it was not used for gaming, I suspect that it should be quite feasible to use for casual non-competitive gaming.

For large cursor movements, you flick the ball so that it spins freely in the direction you need. For fine movements, you’d control by holding the ball with the thumb. I didn’t feel any strain in my thumb, but I think it’s important to not overextend your thumb while using the mouse. Keep the sensitivity high enough that fine finger movements will let you use the pointer nicely but low enough that it’s not too difficult.

It can connect via bluetooth as well as the Logitech dongle, which allows you to switch between computers easily. It uses a standard Logitech usb dongle, which means that if you lose it, you could reconfigure the one from another Logitech unit (doesn’t have to be this mouse model). I think you can also configure the dongle to connect to a Logitech keyboard as well, simultaneously.

Now, coming to the downsides:

1. It’s optimized for the right hand. If you’re ambidexterous or a leftie, you’re SOL.
2. The 2 extra buttons are mapped to forward and back. You need to keep the logitech software running to reconfigure this. –It appears to not remember the change–
This can be an issue when you work in an environment that disallows installation of software like logi-plus that downloads additional stuff from the internet. It’s also an issue on Linux where logi-plus isn’t officially supported.

My preference is to map these buttons to page up and down but on this mouse, it’s not that viable.
3. The trackball needs to be periodically cleaned. You’d need to take it out, wipe the insides of the cavity and the ball using a damp cloth or a tissue wetted with IPA (alcohol). Then lightly lube the ball with silicone grease or maybe vaseline.

4. The trackball doesn’t give you the finest of movements. It’s slightly jerky. You’d need to find a sweetspot with the sensitivity settings where this is not an issue for what work you do.

Pros –
1. I love it after using for few days. The feeling is great – i don’t have to move my whole hand anymore. I can adjust my fingers once while holding and since there is no movement, they will always stay right there while clicking.
2. I can quickly reach any part of the screen, by flicking the ball and then adjusting. It’s easier to drag select some text now than with normal mouse.
3. It is tilted similar to a non-aggressive vertical mouse.

Cons –
1. Remember to clean it about once a week. I moisturize my hands often and that very quickly built up sludge in the bottom rollers of the trackball. The trackball movement was getting more jarring, so i checked and cleaned it.
2. I was initially little confused with which finger to use for left click and middle click. I tried using middle finger for middle click, but that just didn’t feel natural. So, now i am using index finger for both left click and scroll/middle click.
3. I just wish it allowed horizontal scrolling in any way, like with a tiltable scroll wheel.

I create a lot of process diagrams and promotional videos for our product, recently my hand slightly moves when I click and that is considered as drag and drop sometimes creating a copy of the selected object. With this mouse, I am able to isolate movement and click action which solves my problem. You can work in narrow spaces and any type of surface that’s amazing. It’s Bluetooth so all USB ports on my laptop are free. tracking is really good and 2 programmable buttons can help you get the work done faster.

Make sure you use the “Logitech Options” app, it shows battery level and lets you change the sensitivity of the trackball plus you can configure the buttons if you feel like it. Clicks are not as silent as M331 but silent enough that they will not disturb people around. Batteries last long enough that you won’t bother thinking about it.

For me, the price wasn’t a problem as I have been using the likes of T400 for long and they do last for years and years. But think of usage before buying as it doesn’t change anything for a regular user who does basic browsing or media consumption.