Logitech Cordless Optical Trackman Review

Up next is another once highly regarded Logitech trackball that has also been absent from their lineup for a little over a decade at this point: the Cordless Optical Trackman. Despite it's chops, and some promising features, you probably shouldn't buy one. Here's why.

The Logitech Cordless Optical Trackman (LCOT) was initially released in 2002 in it's original silver and black colorway, but it was later revamped in 2008 with a new black and red look that it maintained up until it's quiet discontinuation in the early-2010s. 

I managed to snag two, and while some people have reported the earlier variant has better build quality than the one's I have here, I can't confirm this, nor have I seen anything that does.

First off: the design. This is an ergonomically sculpted trackball that's quite similar to the Microsoft Trackball Explorer of similar vintage. Both trackballs have relatively simple, rounded designs with a prominent rightward angle designed to relieve tension in your hand and wrist. However the LCOT is a little smaller than the MTE in terms of footprint. It also sports a less extreme arch and no flattened wrist-rest at the rear.

Before we dive much further into the usability of this trackball though, let's talk about the big elephant in the room - what the hell is wrong with the finish on this thing?

Yuck.

A good portion of the body of the LCOT is covered in a thin rubber coating that gives the device an almost soft, velvety texture that's really pleasant to the touch - or at least it was when the stupid thing wasn't over a decade old. Now it's turned into a sticky sludge that collects dirt like a lint roller and scratches when you just look at it funny.

This type of coating was all too common on 2000s-era electronics like the LCOT, and I've had many a remote or headset turn into nasty garbage because of how poorly this crap ages. The only real way to deal with it is get scrubby with some isopropyl alcohol and completely remove the coating from the afflicted gadget. 

I did this with one of the two trackballs I have and it made handling the device so much nicer. Unfortunately it doesn't have that velvety feeling factory finish, but it looks better and no longer feels like sticking my hand on a glue trap when I hold it.

All cleaned up, I really adore the looks of this trackball. The organic shapes make it fun to look at and while I think the old silver/black model is very slick, the later black/gray/red looks even better to my eye.

The buttons are laid out in a similar manner to Logitech's preceding Trackman Marble FX, with a cluster of three prominently raised buttons by the thumb and a single large button by the ring and pinkie fingers. They fall right under my fingers when the trackball is held naturally and they have a nice, meaty click to them - though I'd imagine some might find the buttons on the thumb cluster weighted a little too heavy.

The ball is a decently sized 44 mm, riding on synthetic ruby bearings. Unlike Elecom's notoriously bad ones, these ruby bearings feel exceptionally smooth. I'd go as far as to call this the smoothest of the trackballs I've tested so far. Stiction is totally non-existent and it coasts very nicely. Being that these ruby bearings, they're also much more resistant to wear - which probably explains why they still feel good on both of my LCOTs despite their age.

Logitech also positioned the ball slightly more to the right than on something like the MTE, so it sits predominantly under your middle finger opposed to between it, and your index finger. This doesn't feel even remotely unnatural and it helps keep your fingers from hitting the leftmost controls when working the ball.

The LCOT is also the only fingertip operated Logitech trackball to feature a scroll wheel: a very welcome addition. They curiously positioned it along the top left side of the device by the index finger which makes operating it feel more like a normal mouse than the usual thumb operated variety, but it's also quite small and pretty damn stiff. The notched detents are really strong and it has the deepest middle click I've ever felt. I'm assuming Logitech made it this way to help prevent accidental hits, but it mostly just feels a little weird to use as a result.

Along with the scroll wheel, Logitech also included three small buttons in-line with it. The two smaller buttons printed with arrows are "Cruise Control" buttons, which is just Logitech's name for scroll buttons. I genuinely don't know what the point of these buttons are when the trackball already has the scroll wheel literally right in between them.

What's slightly more useful; is the larger button with a lock symbol on it that toggles a feature called "Drag Lock", which effectively just holds the left mouse button down so you can comfortably select text or use something like the crop tool without having to hold down your thumb. I really can't say I've found much more precision using this feature than without it, but it's there if you need it.

On the software end, Logitech uses SetPoint to handle button remapping, scrolling and pointer speed settings. It's not quite as fleshed out as Microsoft's software for the MTE since Logitech didn't include a macro builder or automatic profile switching for specific programs, but it's good enough for most basic needs. I do particularly like having the ability to recalibrate the forward orientation of the device depending on how it's held, so it can be dialed in perfectly for the induvial user.

So far, any major complaints I have with the LCOT's handling are pretty few and far between. It feels great in the hand (once you clean off all the junk) and it's got more than enough buttons for remapping - although I think the topside buttons by the scroll wheel feel a bit shit and I wouldn't prioritize them for anything important.

Nevertheless, I would still compare it favorably against the MTE, and certainly recommend it over Logitech's older fingertip offerings - if it wasn't so critically flawed in two very significant ways.

The LCOT uses a similar 300 DPI sensor to the older Marble FX and unfortunately; this sensor is just as lethargic. It's somewhat easier to live with than the Marble FX since SetPoint allows pointer acceleration to be set independently of Windows - so I find there's no real need to mess with the default pointer speed, but it will still stall if you fling it too fast.

My biggest gripe with the LCOT though? The wireless connectivity. It's a complete fucking farce.

Being a device from 2002, the LCOT doesn't operate off Bluetooth or the 2.4 GHz standards we're accustomed to these days. Instead, it uses old school 27 MHz RF, complete with a receiver that's almost half the size of the trackball itself with a massive cable. Unlike most modern compact USB receivers, the trackball has to be manually paired to the receiver whenever it's plugged in.

Logitech says the receiver has a range of 7 feet, which other than already being complete garbage by today's wireless standards; is actually a bit worse than that. I found the usable range closer to 4 to 5 feet before the connection drops. That's actually within the cable length of many wired pointing devices - including the Marble FX and MTE.

Also, the polling rate over wireless is so low that it makes using the LCOT on anything higher than a 60 Hz display feel exceedingly jittery. I didn't find any specs for the device on what it's actual polling rate was, but I measured an average of 50 Hz using the polling rate test on cpstest.org. 

All this makes the wireless functionality seem completely pointless. It's not practical for travel because the receiver is almost as big as another mouse, it has no range for anything beyond confinement to a desk, and the low polling rate just makes it feel imprecise. You can't even argue that "oh, it's just old technology" - it doesn't even hold a single benefit over wired devices from the era. 

I honestly cannot believe the LCOT was actually sold until the early-2010s with that sluggish sensor and equally ancient wireless technology. For the record, Logitech had 2.4 GHz optical mice with 800 DPI sensors as early as 2006, and they couldn't be bothered to update the LCOT with either? 

It's just laughable. This thing is cordless just for the sake of being able to say that it's cordless.

It's also worth considering that prices for used LCOTs are bordering on extortionate - with most good conditioned, complete examples going for anywhere from $70 to $120 on eBay. Most modern wireless trackballs offer more range and connectivity options with better tracking for less money. Alternatively, if you don't need a wireless connection and don't mind buying vintage - just buy an MTE. 

In short, I can't recommend the Cordless Optical Trackman. It's still a perfectly usable device for browsing, productivity and light gaming - there just really aren't many reasons why you would want to buy one over an alternative. Logitech once again crafted a great design that's unfortunately held back by it's electronic hardware, with the wireless connectivity being the most egregious offender.

Like the Marble FX, I like it enough to where I'm tempted to see if I can't rebuild it in the future, but for the average user? Save your money.

What's Good

• Cool looking design that feels great in the hand.
• 44 mm ball with super smooth ruby bearings.
• Ample buttons. 
• Decent software customization.

What's Crap

• Laughable wireless capabilities.
• Slow 300 DPI sensor and 50 Hz polling rate make for a jittery experience on modern displays.
• Factory rubber coating gets nasty with age and needs to be removed.
• No macro building or automatic profile switching.

Verdict

You're better off buying just something else that isn't kneecapped by antiquated wireless technology.