RollerMouse Pro 2

[bhtooefr]

This review is of a used RollerMouse Pro 2. Hat tip to kbdfr, who posted this particular mouse in the Great/Interesting Finds thread. I proceeded to jump on it immediately, and finally got it today. (Holy slow shipping...)

I'll note that I'm reviewing it on OS X, with my Matias Tactile Pro 4 as the keyboard. I might also review it on Windows at a later date. (Oh, would THAT be hilarious, as my main Windows box at home is a 7" tablet...)

For this one, I'm not going to bother with pictures other than an official photo, as Contour Design has plenty on their product page.

Setup and Software

There's really not much to it, at least as mine came. Set the mode (protip: standard mode, 1250 dpi - you can always slow down a higher DPI mouse, you can't smoothly speed up a lower DPI mouse, and everything that pro mode does, the driver can do too), set the click tension (I've got mine in the middle right now, Contour recommends maxing it out for newbies, but I found that completely unnecessary), put the keyboard support (mine only came with one) in the middle, put your keyboard on it, and plug it all in. (I've got mine plugged into my Tactile Pro 4 due to a shortage of ports on my Mac.) On OS X, because it has some keyboard functions, OS X tries to handle it as a keyboard. Just close out the ANSI/ISO/JIS check window, and carry on.

Now, on OS X at least, I highly recommend getting Contour's driver (which requires 10.8 - I'm assuming there's an older driver available somewhere).

Here's my config:

Bar Click: Click Mouse Button - Click
Middle Button: Pan - Both (this makes it behave like TrackPoint scrolling)
Wheel Click: Click Mouse Button - Button 3 Click (gotta have a middle button SOMEWHERE)
Left Button: Click Mouse Button - Click
Right Button: Click Mouse Button - Right Click
Upper Left Button: Keyboard Shortcut - Back
Upper Right Button: Keyboard Shortcut - Forward

I'm using default acceleration, and 2 notches down from max speed tracking. Also, I left the wheel settings out of the config as it seems like OS X ignores them (and I'm happy with how they are anyway).

It's worth noting that the damn thing has macro support in the driver! Here's everything you can assign to something in the driver:

Gotta say, impressed with that driver's capabilities. Now if it just didn't require a reboot to install...

But how about actually using it?

It's got a bit of a learning curve, but surprisingly, I didn't find it took me long to adapt at all! I've only been using it for a few hours, and while I'm not completely comfortable with it, I haven't gone for a mouse since plugging it in. It gets the pointing area close to the spacebar, so while thumbing it doesn't work so hot (and Contour explicitly says not to thumb it in TFM), it's not bad, certainly better than going for a mouse. Sensitivity is decent, I can get across my 2880x1800 screen without hitting the end stops, and it's more intuitive than I thought it was going to be.

Gaming... ehh... it's actually OK until you come across the end stop. Then it gets bad, as the end stop shoots the pointer in that direction, so you have to reorient yourself. Better than gaming on a touchpad, but not much better. I'll go for a mouse for that. (Or a TrackPoint!) I do suspect that the Free2 and Red will be better in this regard, due to higher resolution sensors and more usable bar width, so you hit the end stops far less often.

I'll have to post longer-term thoughts, though, as I get more acclimated to it.

Is it worth it?

In a nutshell, no.

Longer version, for the $53.32 shipped that I paid, sure. For the $199.95 that Contour's asking, no. It's not that nice.

[Miko]

Wow, that's quite a deal. So far I tired a mechanical Mousetrapper (although the product has nothing to do with the modern mousetracker, it's essentially a roller mouse) because the they are so expensive. I'm not impressed either but mostly due to the lack of mechanical stability.

[urbancamo]

Good stuff. I've got a Rollermouse Classic 2 and a Red. I actually prefer the Classic 2 but then generally I'm using a wider keyboard and it's just more beefy for that kind of application.

I was a long term Kensington Expert Mouse and HHK Professional 2 user, but I really love the flexibility that the Rollermouse gives in using larger keyboards.

Oh, and I haven't suffered from any kind of pain in my wrists or forearms since switching. I didn't either with the HHK/Kensington combo either. Normal mouse and long keyboard was a definite no-no however.

Mark.

[urbancamo]

Oh, and for reference I paid £50 for the Classic2 and £100 for the Red. The Classic2 was definitely the bargain. The Red is more pose and less functional in my book.

[kbdfr]

My first one was a RollerMouse Classic bought cheap here on DT.
I wanted to give it a try after having used of course a mouse (stupidest thing ever), a trackball and a mousepad, which all imply taking your hands from the keyboard. I tried a laptop with a trackpoint (quite straining in my opinion because of the force and precision required from the finger).

The RollerMouse was a revelation. It is in fact something like an extension of the keyboard, because you don't have to change the fundamental position of your arms and hands. It is intuitive and precise.
My RSI problems completely disappeared within two weeks.

I did not like its colour (silver), though
But the price for a new one is prohibitive, so it had to be an used one.
And as I did not want one of those black computing devices everyone seems to love nowadays (like everyone seems to have blue appliances and even toothbrushes in their bathrooms), it took a few months until I found a (creamy) white RollerMouse Pro for 100€ shipped internationally. Just a few days ago I put white cloth over the wrist rests (which I do not use when typing, only when rollermousing).



It was worth it. I am a professional keyboard user typing hours on end (mostly text editing), and the RollerMouse reconciled me with pointer functions (even if I still find it somehow silly to use an analog device on a digital machine).

If it stopped working, I'd buy a new one, it's as simple as that.