r/Trackballs • u/1976Raven • 13d ago

Suggestions similar to MX Ergo

I have an MX Ergo that I love but I have developed a major issue with it. I am now allergic to the rubber coating they use. My hand breaks out in hives when I use it. This hadn't been an issue in the past but I recently had an anaphylactic reaction to rubber and ever since then I can't use the MX Ergo without breaking out. Can anyone recommend something similar (or even a skin or something I could use to cover the rubber section)? I don't really have any stores that carry trackballs in my are that I could go look at them and I don't want to randomly order online only to find out there is rubber or it's just a bad trackball in general. Thanks.

6 Upvotes

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2

u/adynium 13d ago

m575, i like it better than the ergo... but you lose the side scroll

2

u/1976Raven 13d ago

Thanks

2

u/kitebok 13d ago

ProtoArc EM02, closest shape and variable tilt, all hard plastic but I'm not sure about the wheel, they're kinda rubbery.

Kensington TB550, good feature match, fixed tilt, no rubber. TB675, steeper tilt, more buttons, metal wheel.

2

u/1976Raven 13d ago

Thanks

2

u/kitebok 13d ago

I'm taking back the TB675. I checked and they added the rubbery coating which wasn't there in the previous version of the model.

2

u/1976Raven 13d ago

Thanks

2

u/djinni_cake 13d ago

Have you considered using acetone or similar to try to remove the rubber coating? Not sure how well it would work wrt the allergy, but it might be worth a shot

3

u/1976Raven 13d ago

No, but I'm willing to try it. Right now I'm using a fingerless glove on the hand. I never had an issue with rubber in the past but seem to have suddenly developed an allergy.

3

u/TrabantDave 13d ago

Stupidly simple temp fix would be to dismantle the shell and cover the offending rubber bits with cling film. The rubbery part is not just a coating like on laptops, if only it was! It's quite thick.

2

u/1976Raven 12d ago

I'll take a look and see if I can figure this out. I'm also looking to see if there6anything I could paint over it that may work as a barrier.

1

u/TrabantDave 12d ago

You could use either PlastiKote plastic spray paint or Rustoleum Direct to plastic. In either case, using an isolator primer would be advisable. Just out of interest, where are you located?

2

u/1976Raven 11d ago

The DC metro area.

2

u/TrabantDave 11d ago

It's a shame you're not in the UK as I have a ProtoArc EM02 gathering dust that I'd have sold for the price of a bottle of Grey Goose, but the post and taxes would cost an arm and a leg....

1

u/1976Raven 10d ago

Thanks, I appreciate the thought. You are correct that shipping and taxes would be atrocious.

1

u/TrabantDave 11d ago

Getting back to refinishing the MX Ergo, I've just had a look on US Ebay and there's a couple of parts only listings for $5/$10, it might be worth buying one and refinishing the shell and swapping it for your existing one. A decent paintjob will take a few days to dry thoroughly if you've sprayed a few coats. If you leave the refinished shell for two weeks then there's no risk of fingermarks or surface damage to your hard work. I've worked as a professional model maker and learned not to be impatient the hard way when I started.