ELECOM DEFT PRO Trackball Mouse M-DPT1MRXBK

I felt same after using one for 20 years, finally found Elecom Deft Pro which feels quite good: https://www.amazon.com/Trackball-M-DPT1MRXBK-Bluetooth-High-...

I looked into index finger trackball mice and ended up getting the Elecom deft pro. It's 70usd, can do wired, wireless with a dongle and also bluetooth and you can switch between them with a hardware switch. It has proper buttons and the left and right click uses omron switches. It has proper driver support and pretty decent hardware. I use X-mouse button control along with the original driver which is a native app that hasn't asked to connect to the internet. There's full support to remap the buttons using Xorg config in linux with a relatively new kernel and most buttons remap using an older kernel.

Most people, including me have switched out the factory ruby bearings for ZrO2 bearings. It's a simple disassembly and reassembly, a bit more advanced than install ram. It's not a huge difference but is definitely noticeable. I am planning on replacing the microswitches at some point as well, it's relatively straightforward to disassemble and all you'd need is a soldering iron.

For me the experience has been really smooth and even though it's not open source, it's well supported and easy to mod. I looked at the ploopy but honestly felt the Elecom Deft Pro was a better value for my money. I also appreciate more buttons and an actual plastic shell and not a 3d printed product. I personally like Xbindkeys for when I use it on Arch. I found X-mouse button control let me map a button to switch the trackball into a giant scroll wheel which is really useful. You can remap buttons to copy, paste, and other gestures.

Amazon US link (non-affiliate): https://www.amazon.com/Trackball-M-DPT1MRXBK-Bluetooth-High-...

Disassembly pics: https://imgur.com/a/XzUOey1