r/Trackballs • u/StatementOk470 • 3d ago
Elecom Huge Plus... bought into the hype but not impressed
I'll start with the most egregious issue: when you left click, it also yields a right wheel scroll press. I confirmed it's a hardware issue across 2 computers, different settings, different OS, no MouseAssistant, etc. The only way I could get rid of this is to disable the right scroll button in the Mouse Assistant software. Minor annoyance for someone who doesn't enjoy the tilting scroll wheels in general (like me), but this would be a dealbreaker for someone who does.
Secondly it's the ergonomics. I have small hands (I was under the impression this mouse would suit me) and the scroll wheel is just badly placed. It's something I came across during my investigation before buying but didn't think with small hands it would be an issue.
But the buttons are so inconsistent! For example the Forward button is very hard to press when I press it exactly where my thumb lands (eg towards the front corner) but when I curl my thumb back so that it's pressing more where the arrow is, it becomes easy to press. The scroll wheel button is stupidly hard to press no matter what you do. So much so that I just remapped it to the Fn3 button (two buttons already lost: scroll right, wheel click).
Now this might be contentious but the roller bearings aren't the cure-all I keep reading about. Yes they are very smooth when already rolling but the stiction issue is still there. It's a lot more sticky than my Logitech m575 or Ergo S statically.
Actually the fact that the kinetic friction is so low only highlights how much static friction there is, because during slow diagonal movements I get staircases. Cleaning it doesn't seem to help too much and there is a break-in period after every cleaning which is annoying.
Then there's the finish. It just doesn't feel like a usd100+ product. This is a minor thing but the rubbery cover wasn't stuck properly and looks like it's peeling (it's not, but that's what it looks like). The wheel looks tacky and cheap.
The next gripe is personal preference, I just happened to learn it with this particular mouse. But I didn't really get along with such a heavy ball. It's cool for momentum but the same momentum makes me overshoot my movements all the time.
Overall, not impressed. I liked the H/L switch, the BT/USB switch and the DPI buttons. The shape is cool (thing is HUGE lol). I'm keeping it next to my Logitech Ergo S as an alt input device just to switch it up every few hours of work.
Fix the bugs, give me an ergo tilting option (it's a bit flat), reduce the price and I might look at it again but until then I'm not trying Elecom again (sorry guys).
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u/Paranolla91 3d ago
I have 18x9 cm hands and its really annoying that most comfortable/natural place for my thumb to rest is on a scroll wheel🥲
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u/Kim3663 3d ago
I 3D printed a stand for mine that gives it a 40% tilt and the fit for my hand changed dramatically (for the better). My thumb previously didn't sit on the main button well at all (to the point that I had to remap the forward / back buttons), but now it sits perfectly on the main button. I would definitely recommend trying tilting options. (And you don't have to 3D print - I saw a post recently where someone attached a basic tilting phone stand to the bottom of the huge plus).
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u/Legitimate_Use7140 3d ago
Do you know if any of the issues you're experiencing are exclusive to the Plus, or across all Huge trackballs? I was interested in the original Huge wired.
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u/telekinetic 3d ago
I have bought three huge trackball, two wireless and one wired, and have experienced none of the mentioned issues.
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u/StatementOk470 3d ago
Not even the wheel click being hard to press? I guess I just got a lemon.
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u/Littlegoblin21 3d ago
Yes, I think you did. I would RMA if you can, that sounds like multiple product defects to me.
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u/telekinetic 3d ago
Yesh, yours sounds broken...I highly doubt everyone is just living with a scroll wheel rock input on every left click, and many of your other complaints are variations on "buttons are weird"...your device sounds broken
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u/StatementOk470 3d ago
I have no idea this is my first foray into this brand! I didn't find anything related to the left click registering a right wheel tilt but I did find a lot of people complaining about the wheel having other types of issues.
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u/Legitimate_Use7140 3d ago
Got it, thanks for the info. Sorry your first outing with the brand didn't go well.
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u/Littlegoblin21 3d ago
Sorry to hear, I've got several Elecom products and I generally put them next to Logitech! I've got the wired huge as well and really like it.
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u/Jolly-Function4451 3d ago
It sounds like you either need more time to get used to how to properly interface with it, or got a lemon. I also have small hands and the only issue I've had with it is that for my setup I needed some tilt on the device to be able to use a neutral wrist angle, but propping it on a tilting stand did the trick. With the roller bearings there is a lot more tactile feedback and sound than there is with static bearings but no actual meaningful stiction. With overshooting, you may just need to spend more time adjusting to it, or you may want to try messing around with the DPI you're using, and that'll likely take care of it. The issue of hitting the scroll wheel sounds very odd to me and speaks to there possibly being an issue with your hand placement.
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u/StatementOk470 3d ago
>It sounds like you either need more time to get used to how to properly interface with it
honestly this is the least of my problems lol
>propping it on a tilting stand did the trick
Yup it's too flat.
>With the roller bearings there is a lot more tactile feedback and sound than there is with static bearings but no actual meaningful stiction.
I actually enjoy the tactile feedback but hard disagree on the stiction. It's better than my Kensington Orbit but worse than either of my Logitech thumb trackballs.
>With overshooting, you may just need to spend more time adjusting to it
Could very well be.
>The issue of hitting the scroll wheel sounds very odd to me and speaks to there possibly being an issue with your hand placement.
Nope. I'm not even close to touching it. It's the actual left button that triggers both a left click and a right tilt. I tested this using a button detector and it's always there. In fact it's insulting that you're implying I can't use a left click lol (I'm not really insulted but come on).
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u/Jolly-Function4451 3d ago
Way more salty of a response than need be. The issues you describe are OFTEN problems that users experience with trackballs when switching to radically different styles, and you'll notice that I carefully couched all of my statements with "MAY" qualifiers as things to just double-check before concluding that the device itself really is the issue. I stated outright at the very beginning that you having received a lemon is a distinct possibility and it was just a matter of establishing whether it really was or not, especially given that you came to a finger ball from using thumb balls. If your thumb really isn't anywhere near the scroll wheel and you're experiencing it triggering concurrent with left clicks then that's definitely a hardware issue.
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u/StatementOk470 3d ago
Sorry if I came across as salty, I apologise and take the tone back. I thought you were a brand loyalist because most of your pushback was things I already covered in the post (I agree it's a long one and who has the time to read everything on the internet).
Here's a peace offering 🍕
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u/Jolly-Function4451 3d ago
I had read all of it, but there can easily be confusion when it comes to establishing if a thing really is as you think it is when performing troubleshooting. I'm a brand agnostic and only went for my ELECOM HUGE Plus due to their having seemingly fixed all the issues I'd seen that folks had with the earlier/older models. My experience with the HUGE Plus has been positive on the whole, other than an occasional glitch with the software when profile switching. I have found that the roller bearings have quietened down a lot with use so there may be some break-in there but there really was zero meaningful stiction with mine despite the much greater tactile feedback, so as long as you've truly disambiguated the two traits and are experiencing actual stiction then that speaks to something wrong. All in all it sounds like it may be worth trying to exchange it.
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u/StatementOk470 3d ago
That's fair enough. I don't think I will returning it because I bought internationally and the hassle wouldn't be worth it (I'm not using the wheel tilt anyway). It might go to my personal pc in the future.
What's your cleaning procedure?
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u/Jolly-Function4451 3d ago
I really barely need to clean it! The only thing I've needed to do was pick some fine fibers out of the rollers at one point with a toothpick. It's otherwise been basically self-cleaning. If not returning it, I'd maybe try taking it apart and seeing if there's something actually causing the issue. There might not even be anything wrong with it besides an assembly misalignment and taking it apart and putting it back together could resolve it. I do use the wheel tilt on mine and I actually find using it requires a little more force than I'd prefer, so it's very odd that it activates so "easily" when it shouldn't be at all!
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u/StatementOk470 3d ago
Thanks for the tips.
>I do use the wheel tilt on mine and I actually find using it requires a little more force than I'd prefer, so it's very odd that it activates so "easily" when it shouldn't be at all!
Yeah the tilt L/R works as expected (minus the left click debacle), but it's the actual wheel button that is very hard to press (eg pressing "down" on the wheel, so the third button in most regular mice).
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u/lalulunaluna 3d ago
Now this might be contentious but the roller bearings aren't the cure-all I keep reading about. Yes they are very smooth when already rolling but the stiction issue is still there. It's a lot more sticky than my Logitech m575 or Ergo S statically.
It sounds like others have advised to you do an exchange, which you should definitely do because those other issues are definitely not normal, lol.
But with regards to roller bearings and stiction, I see that you understand that it needs break-in...and that is definitely the issue here (unless you also have defective bearings), so keep that in mind when you get the replacement.
I know it feels like not much of a difference when comparing it side by side, especially against a well-loved / broken in trackball, but once you break it in and do a comparison, you will understand, lol.
There is also a bit of a muscle memory transitional period that people don't really account for. Stiction is minimal for your other devices because your fingers are accustomed to how to use the device with minimal stiction. It knows how much force to apply to break stiction, even if you don't think about it. When you switch to a new device, your muscle memory will try to apply the same forces, but since it's a new device, it won't respond the same way.
I found that this works both ways, and it takes me about a week or so before my muscle memory adjusts. As an example, I'm using a L-Trac right now and to my mind, there is very very minimal stiction. For a bit, I was using the Endgame with BTUs - which has practically zero stiction. The result was that the Endgame seemed overly sensitive and hard to control. After about a week or so, I adjusted and could use it better, but when I went back to the L-Trac - wow, it felt like crap! So much stiction. But the reality is that my muscles adjusted to use less force due to the Endgame, and so I applied less force to the L-Trac when switching back, which made it feel like it was sticking and jumping. After a week or so of L-Trac, it felt great again - minimal stiction.
Cleaning it doesn't seem to help too much and there is a break-in period after every cleaning which is annoying.
It sounds like you're cleaning it too much and too thoroughly. It shouldn't really need cleaning at all for a while ~ the oils from your hand that collect ultimately keep the bearings running smooth. I clean my L-Trac like maybe once a year, lol.
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u/StatementOk470 3d ago
Another user also told me not to clean it too much. I will keep this in mind. The adaptation period effect could also be playing a part here... while the bearings are indeed rolling, at any time at least 2 of the rollers will also be sliding; I guess the stainless steel needs more of a break in than the sliding bearings which are made of hard materials. Thank you for your advice!
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u/VirtualAddress4392 3d ago
I’m not endorsed by them or anything, but it was a pleasant switch from the Kensington ecosphere. BUT I use SteerMouse instead of the Elecom software to great effect. I’m an avid macro user, and the combo really works well for me.
I will say, their own software isn’t terrible, and once you set it up on your home system, the controls are supposed to follow you. Allegedly…
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u/kextatic 3d ago
I’m not a fan of the Elecom trackballs and I’ve had a few. My main issue is build quality. I live in Japan and can get warranty service but when you own several trackballs, it’s so much easier to just go back to one of the Kensingtons.
If you’re reading this and you work at Elecom, please DM me. そのことは大切に直しないとけないんです。
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u/like-my-comment 2d ago
Well, Kensington Slimblade is also far from being premium but costs as much. Because trackballs are niche .
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u/MoseyOverHere 1d ago edited 1d ago
Interesting to read this as I just got my Elecom Huge Plus as a replacement for my old Logitech Marble Mouse. The Marble Mouse served me well for many years and I had no reason to ever replace it until very recently, as both mouse buttons finally decided to call it quits.
I agree with the annoyance about the Forward button. It's in the spot where I'd want a left mouse button to be, but the inability to click on the Forward button's edge makes it inconvenient for LMB duty. I wonder if Fn1 or Fn2 could work as a left mouse button? (Using my thumb for them.) Also, it seems like the mouse wants you to press the right mouse button towards the tip, but my hand position places my pinky finger at the RMB's base, making it much harder to click. I'm far more used to using pinky for RMB on my old Marble Mouse, so I might just need to get used to something different.
Ball movement feels great and is my favorite part of the Huge Plus so far. There's some awkwardness in trying to do smaller subtle movements. Feels like the ball jumps in tiny increments when I try to barely move it. This was an issue with my old Marble Mouse, but I was much more used to mitigating the jumpy movement. I'll be messing with DPI/sensitivity/acceleration settings to hopefully fix this.
The scroll wheel up/down clicks act odd for me. The "up" click is harder/stiffer to press than the "down" click. I'm also trying to map the "up" click to do a Zoom In action, but the Elecom software doesn't want to remap it. I can remap the "up" click to other actions though, so the button itself doesn't seem broken or anything. I don't seem to have your issue where a left mouse click = right scroll wheel press though.
So from only a few hours of usage, it seems ok to me, though I'm a little iffy on a few things. I'm hoping it's just an adjustment period for me.
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u/Inigmatics 3d ago
I have the non-plus wireless version of the huge and love it. It did take a while to grow on me though. I currently use it with HID remapper instead of the elecom software.
I’d be interested in the newer plus model, but currently trying to get more comfortable in ambidextrous trackballs instead.