I loved the kensington expert mouse for that (the old one that was exactly same as a poolball) since it had wonderful heft and could do both palm spins and precision one hand.
But, they stopped producing that particular kind (they were also hard to maintain using a special key to open the case) so I just switched to using my left hand for the mouse on half my computers and right hand on the other half. That was easier than moving equipment around from machine to machine for me and coworkers/family. No RSI since.
I was also among the first to get the optical MS mouse - the days of cleaning lint were finally over! I jumped over to the MS Trackball Optical on developing onset of RSI though - until laser mice by Logitech just ended up feeling comfortable enough in my hand (the G9X).
Presently I have a Kensington Slimblade and a Logitech G903 at home - trackball on left, mouse on right.
It feels like I've reached a certain pinnacle of tech here; both products are great. Due to RSI I try to mix up my hand usage; I've become ambidextrous as far as input controllers are concerned.
LAN parties are great. When getting older, it's good for your mental health to set aside some time to just hang out with friends - even if it's just once or twice a year.
Same, although personally I'd prefer a mouse over the thumb-wheels.
I've been using various versions of the Kensington Expert line for the past 20 years. I am on #3 and #4 now (one for home, one for the office). Unfortunately there aren't many good alternatives in this form factor, the X-keys one is probably closest. I am happy with the Experts for the most part just wish there was more competition.
i would love to see one of those in the shape of the Kensington Expert Mouse, the square mouse with the ball in the middle, with the scroll wheel as a ring around the ball.
Its anathema to some people but i highly recommend a ball mouse. Not a finger one, a thumb one. The logitech ergo and M570 (older version) are excellent, and really saved my hand when i was doing a ton of CAD work. Hope you're right handed though, the ambidextrous finger ones are still garbage, IMO.
+1 for the Kensington Expert Mouse, I have 3. The quality of the scroll ring is up for debate but the device overall is much better than anything else I've used.
I also miss the Logitech Trackman Wheel optical. It was cheap, light, and worked very well. I still have one for occasional use.
I got it once while fighting a bout of RSI and it's a bit weird but I really like it.
I had a mouse next to it for quite a while but after not touching it for a year I'm now all in.
Since I trained myself to be "ambimousetrous", I keep two mice attached to my work computer (one on each side of the keyboard) and switch back and forth throughout the day. It significantly reduces the load on each hand and guards against RMS. Switching hands for mousing is basically subconscious at this point.
This is going to be extremely off-topic, but I'm just too terribly curious: the company mandated the use of the mouse? Do you mean that figuratively, as in your tasks were a lot harder to do without a mouse or did they actually make you use one for something like RSI concerns?
Kensington expert mouse has that. I use it, it's the best I found but its still far from great. The way the ring spins feels as you were moving plastic over plastic without any bearings - which is actually what's happening.
Btw I think your picture is a Slimblade model in which you have to rotate the ball.
Logitech Ergo MX is fine, it's built much better but Kensigton design is superior. It's not possible to be that accurate with a thumb and you also move slower because of a smaller ball. With KEM you can be fast and accurate. And scroll design is great, just badly implemented.
I've been tempted to try one of the Kensington offerings (one of my Logitechs has a dying button and I'll need to replace it soon) - have you tried the expert mouse or the slim blade? How do they compare to the Logitech?
Microsoft Trackball Optical. Borrowed one 20-years ago when I hurt my shoulder snowboarding. The person who loaned it to me then left the company and told me to keep it. Still using it.
Haven't had to use a mouse since. Never did like mice as used to find when overly focussed on something I'd end up half way across the desk without noticing.
I've used an Expert Mouse wired for over a decade. I recently bought a SlimBlade for its lower profile. But the Expert works so well, I'll probably just stick with it 'til it dies.
I do a lot of image processing where stability and precision are a big plus. That, and I love that the inertia from one quick flick of a trackball can zip my cursor across three screens.
I use a Kensington Expert Mouse (it's actually an optical trackball, despite the name) which fits very well with the finger arrangement you describe. I use my little finger for the right button, though; I don't know if that's a deal breaker for you.
But, they stopped producing that particular kind (they were also hard to maintain using a special key to open the case) so I just switched to using my left hand for the mouse on half my computers and right hand on the other half. That was easier than moving equipment around from machine to machine for me and coworkers/family. No RSI since.
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