ynari wrote:

I've decided to try a Logitech Marble Mouse (still supports PS/2) as something a little different

I've used one of these and got a cramp in my hand in less than 20 minutes. You have to keep your finger raised while using it and it gets pretty tiring after a while. But it works differently to different people, you might find it awesome. 😀

And I probably shouldn't have thrown all those MX518's away had I known it was a pretty sought after model. 😵

sf78 wrote:

And I probably shouldn't have thrown all those MX518's away had I known it was a pretty sought after model. 😵

I agree. Towards the end of its shelf life I bought a new one for $20. Now you can't even get a used one for this price.

I did get myself a package of three MX310 (the symmetrical model) in bulk cheaply from Korea when they were still available. Still have one left unused. Should have probably gotten 6 or 9. 😉

What about this MX518 from China for $34 and free shipping? Are their import charges in the UK even for such small amounts?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Logitech-MX518-Ga … A-/322215776875

sf78 wrote:

ynari wrote:

I've decided to try a Logitech Marble Mouse (still supports PS/2) as something a little different

I've used one of these and got a cramp in my hand in less than 20 minutes. You have to keep your finger raised while using it and it gets pretty tiring after a while. But it works differently to different people, you might find it awesome. 😀

I've been using a Marble Mouse for over 15 years and never had to keep my fingers raised off the ball or the buttons. If the pointer moves too quickly whenever you touch the ball, then you need to adjust the pointer speed (like with a normal mouse, really).

The only case for which I cannot really recommend it is if you use any kind of program requiring quick mouse actions (e.g. mouse-controlled FPS) because the ball is hard to move fast enough for such things.

yawetaG wrote:

I've been using a Marble Mouse for over 15 years and never had to keep my fingers raised off the ball or the buttons.

I didn't mean you have to float your finger above the ball, but the location of it makes it uncomfortable for me to use. Then again, I'm used to flat gaming mice that don't stress your fingers or wrists at all. Many "normal" mice are also too thick for me to use for extended periods of time.

I'm generally liking it so far - haven't tried it for any real gaming yet, though. It also behaves itself with my KVM (the MX518 works with the KVM but upsets it so the list of active devices doesn't display). The only thing that's irritating is a lack of a scroll wheel, I really miss that. I've been working on changing the configuration in Xorg, but it's not playing ball at the moment.

Once I've configured a wheel substitute (probably the small right button used with the ball) I'll see if I prefer mice or trackballs on a longer term basis.

Will definitely check out the MX518 auctions, but yes, import VAT is on anything over 15UKP, and there's a customs duty for a higher amount (135UKP or so). The real issue though isn't the 20% VAT, it's that it usually involves a handling fee of 10-15UKP, and sometimes collecting from a distribution point in the middle of nowhere.

On mine, there's two small buttons with arrows on them just above the main two buttons. If I click on one of them and then move the trackball it acts like a scroll wheel. I don't think I had to install a specific driver on my Mac to get that behaviour, don't know whether it works that way by default on Linux.