I got a 3Dconnection SpaceExplorer at work without asking for it, but now I can’t live without it. Seriously, I can’t stand rotating the model with the mouse any longer.
I do use the buttons on it, ctrl, shift, alt, esc and “fit to view”. The only one I have added myself is “rotate to normal” (ctrl+8) in Solidworks. I hardly ever need to take my hands of the spacemouse and the mouse, and often it is the right hand that gets moved to the numpad to punch in a dimension when needed. The left one moves only to sip coffee.
There are bigger fancier versions like the SpacePilot, but I don’t want it to take up to much desk space either.
Those who say it’s just a gimmick and doesn’t speed up workflow probably aren’t very used to it, because it does take time. I think it took about a week or 2 of serious use and you start to get it. I found it helps to think of it like you’re holding the model in your hand, so when you push it forward - you zoom out.
The cintiq argument is just ridiculous. I can understand it substituting the mouse itself, but not the 3D mouse.
Oh, and it being handy for “handing over the wheel” is just nonsense. As most mentioned they never got comfortable with it, and the person who is not even used to CAD will touch it, send the model 2000 miles away out of view, and let you get back to work.