ProtoArc EM06 Production Unit: A Week In Review
Disclaimer: I was selected as one of 20 testers for a free Production unit of the ProtoArc EM06, to keep. ProtoArc did ask for an online review, feedback & engagement data in exchange. They did not provide any direction on what my review should say, and I have attached a screenshot of the email communication they sent on the subject.
TLDR: Feels good, works good, would buy.
Quick Summary about How I use a Trackball (probably boring, skip if uninterested):
I typically use an Elecom Deft Pro and spend large amounts of my day using CAD (mostly SolidWorks, but also Inventor and Creo). Unlike a lot of CAD users, I don't use a Space Mouse.
As a result, I do a lot of scrolling and spend a lot of time using the scroll wheel and holding the middle mouse button to zoom and orbit 3D models. I also read lots of manuals and datasheets, which means even more scrolling.
For context, I've comfortably used the following trackballs long-term:
- Logitech MX 570
- Logitech MX Ergo
- Elecom Deft
- Elecom Deft Pro
I've also returned the following after shorter-term use:
- Elecom Huge: Felt too small, uncomfortable to use.
- Nulea M512: Gave me serious arm pain, probably from using the scroll wheels.
- Nulea M505: Fine but felt "flat" and cheap.
- Addesso T50: Position of the scroll wheel & smaller buttons was uncomfortable & slow to use, and felt cheap
Comfort & Feel:
I've never seen a "square" trackball that met my needs (middle click, multiple connections) and was comfortable, but this does. I have used this 8+ hours a day since last Wednesday when I received it and have experienced no real discomfort since the second day. In fact, my usual daily driver Deft Pro was exacerbating a minor middle-finger injury, which has all but resolved after using the EM06 for a week.
When I first started using it, the ball had a little bit of excess "stiction". After lubricating the ball with an application of some organic, all-natural, forehead oil, and a bit of use, the ball is quite smooth to roll now; better even than my well-worn wired Deft, or my months old Deft Pro. The EM06 does use white static bearings, rather than the "rubies" seen on Elecom mice.
I like to pluck out the uncaptured ball & play with it during meetings, which is another plus for this trackball in my eye. My children agree, and I cannot leave the EM06 unattended for longer than a couple minutes, lest someone acquire the ball for their own uses. I can attest to the durability of the ball; it can survive falls on tile, being thrown across the room, and dunked in bowls of cereal, with no sign of wear and tear.
I wouldn't go so far as to call the feel of the trackball "premium", as it is largely hard plastic but it does feel well put together, and certainly doesn't feel cheap. The soft touch wrist rest does feel upscale, although i am worried about the longevity of this part. It is lighter than I expected given the size, but doesn't slide around on the desk during use. There is a small rattle when shaken, even with the dongle & ball removed. It does come with a nice molded soft case which some might appreciate, but i don't see myself using it.
Buttons:
The buttons feel nice, and when depressed feel more like the buttons on the side of my cell phone than a traditional mouse button. They make a deeper "dun dun" (almost like a keyboard), rather than the tin-y high pitched "tik tik" most mouse clicks make. The mouse buttons do not displace very far, and don't really wiggle or float.
Drag Scroll works as advertised, and I have quickly adjusted to using it; it's particularly nice for scrolling long pdfs and feels much better than a scroll wheel for that purpose. It is still awkward to orbit & scroll in CAD, which I am hoping will come with a couple more weeks of adjustment,
I've never met a wrist rest I liked but must admit this one works for me. It is very firm, essentially a thin layer of faux leather (silicone?) molded into the mouse. There is very little give. I am a little worried about how the soft plastic layer will last long term use, as in my experience soft plastics like this often break down & get sticky over time, but unless that happens, I am satisfied with it.
Connectivity:
I particularly like how I can have multiple Bluetooth connections. I regularly switch between my work laptop, and my personal computer, and don't love moving dongles back & forth (I often forget). 2 Bluetooth connections make this very easy, and I’m glad to see it as an option here.
Button Configuration, and On-Board Memory
I was pleased to see that any customization's to the mouse buttons persist across multiple computers. I am a little annoyed that the ProtoArc Hub website only works on Chrome or Edge. I am very annoyed that the Configurator only connects to the mouse when it is connected via dongle or wire, but not on Bluetooth. There's also no way as far as I can tell to change profiles without going to the configurator, which I see as a miss. I don't really use DPI adjustments, so I removed that function because I found myself accidentally clicking it often when I pick up the trackball. You can program 2-5 DPI settings, and you can even assign buttons to “+ DPI” and “-DPI” if simply cycling isn’t enough control for you.
I do feel that the default assignment of "Forward" to the middle-left button, and "Back" to the middle-right button is simply wrong, and switching those assignments was the first thing I changed.
You get 4 profiles (there’s no option to delete any either) that you can adjust however you like, and every button except the "Connection Option" button can be modified. The only limitation forced on you is you cannot entirely remove left click (to prevent making your pointing device totally useless). I figured this safety feature out in the exact way one would expect. I would like to see ProtoArc add a "cycle Profile" option to the mouse Configurator, for changing your profile “on the fly”, but otherwise I found nothing obvious missing, other than:
Twist to Scroll
I’m not going to spend a lot of time discussing Twist to Scroll. Kensington appears to have it locked away behind US patent US20110221677A1 "3-Axis Trackball", which is active until 2030. Be mad at Kensington, not ProtoArc for its absence on the EM06.
Conclusion:
Overall I like this trackball mouse, and plan to continue using it after my obligation to ProtoArc is over. It is comfortable, configurable, & nice to use, and has enough buttons for extra functions that I really appreciate. I think the advertised price of ~$65 is fair compared to its competition & given it’s features like extra connection options & on board memory. (at time of writing: Elecom Deft Pro $55, Elecom IST Pro $129, Nulea M512 $46, Slimblade $99, Addesso T50 $50, Expert Pro $90; all on Amazon).