I got introduced to the trackball mouse back Jamaica in the late 90s when I used to tag along with my brother in law, Mike Chung, pro musician and producer, to the top level studios in Jamaica eg. Tuff Gong Studio, Studio One and Bobby Digital Studios. What they all had in common were that infamous trackball mouse with those four buttons surrounding it. I asked Mike why they all used a trackball and he said it was easier to edit in Pro Tools and took up less space on a mixing desk.

Today, the trackball has become an extension of my hand. I do the bulk of my work at my home studio but when I am on tour, I would throw my Kensington Expert Mouse in a carry case, when I got to the hotel I would then set it beside my laptop and get down to mixing in Avid Pro Tools or editing video in Blackmagic Design Resolve; for the most part this work flow has served me very well.

Recently, I was sent a Kensington Pro Fit Ergo TB550 directly from Kensington, to do a review. This trackball is significantly small, as you can see in the photos. I first impression was the build quality was very good but I did not like the feel of the mouse. It felt too small and I was not able to get precise control of the mouse pointer. After using the TB550 for a couple of weeks, and reading the manual and tweaking the software to match the way I work, I was able to get the TB550 to feel very similar to Expert, I must say that I really like TB550 a lot. The next time I get a new piece of gear, I will reserve my judgment for a few weeks of using the gear. The moral of the story is do not make the first impression be your conclusion.

So… Is the Kensington Trackball the industry standard? I must say… YES! There is a good reason why professionals choose Kensington trackball over the competition; it is for the precision, feel, design and customization features that makes it the obvious choice for most.

Speaking of design, do you know that the TB550 is a Red Dot Award Winner for 2023.

Here are a quick rundown of the stand out features:

• 51% of overall plastic is recycled material
• All plastic has been removed from shipping and has been replaced with tissue paper
• Rechargeable Battery
• Dual Wireless Connection – Bluetooth Low Energy + 2.4Ghz
• 4D Scroll Wheel
• Patented Trackball Ejection Button for easy cleaning
• 128-bit Government Grade Encryption

Having said all that… enjoy the video!