I had to use a pointing device as part of my job to the point where I would start getting various aches and pains from overuse. So I'd change devices periodically.
I've used a mouse, track ball, touchpad, and a pointing stick built into the keypad of an IBM Thinkpad.
It's all a matter of what one is accustomed to using.
I think that if I currently had the pointing stick, that is what I'd use.