The Tourbox Lite: The Tool You Only Realise You Need When You've Used It

When the Tourbox Lite arrived for me to try, I wondered whether I would be impressed. After all, I already have a Tourbox Elite. But after using it for a week, I wondered whether it might suit me better. Two weeks in, here's what I concluded.

Like many photographers, I do not like editing photos. I do it, but any tool that helps to streamline the process is always welcome. At first, I had my doubts about the Tourbox until I started using it in earnest. But, until I got it I hadn't realized it was the tool that I needed.

I should point out that I have been using the Tourbox Elite for a while and found it a pretty comprehensive device full of more dials and buttons than I know what to do with. Because of its complexity, it took a while to learn to drive it. Even now, I do not use every one of its comprehensive range of functions. So, perhaps the Tourbox Lite would have been a better option from the start.

If you’ve not come across a Tourbox, think of a series of knobs, dials, and buttons embedded in an ergonomically designed, palm-sized block that sits firmly on your table. The buttons and dials can be programmed to operate various functions in whichever program you are using.

There are three levels of Tourbox. The Tourbox Elite is the most advanced with the widest range of controls and Bluetooth connectivity. In the middle of the range the Tourbox Neo. As its name suggests, the Toubox Lite is the most simplified model.

Using the Lite got me wondering whether I would use this simpler version. More than that, would I use it more? Often, I still just use my mouse and keyboard.

The Tourbox Lite's profile on my desk is similar to the other models in the range; it's just a little smaller. Its combination of being reassuringly heavy and having rubber feet stop it from sliding around makes you realize this is still a high-quality tool. Made from injection molding plastic, textured with a laser to give a matte finish (there’s no spray coating to wear off), the case feels strong, and the buttons and dials operate with a firm action.

The Tourbox Lite makes browsing and editing images easier. The knobs and buttons are pre-programmed for Lightroom, Photoshop, and other programs, but you can also change these settings if they do not suit your workflow. You can also program them to work with other software and its functions will immediately switch when you swap between apps.

There is a useful onscreen interface – the HUD – that appears when you open an app. That tells you what you have each button programmed for which function. When you get used to driving the device. you no longer need those hints.

The Tourbox Lite in Use

I am now familiar with the Tourbox Elite, so transferring over to the Lite was easy. I did have to learn the new button positions, but my muscle memory soon adapted to using it. However, I expect most people buying the Lite will be trying a Tourbox for the first time and will need to learn to use it from scratch, so switching will not be a problem for them. It does take time to learn, and I highly recommend putting time aside to do so. That time investment will save you hours later.

Also, it is worth planning which buttons and knobs you want to perform those functions that you want. There are both editable pre-installed and downloadable presets for it to work with a variety of common software. However, I found it much better to create my settings for each of the programs I use. So, I have it set up for Lightroom, Photoshop, On1 Photo Raw, DxO PhotoLab 7, DaVinci Resolve, my browsers, and various Microsoft Office programs.

One thing that took me a while to learn with the Elite, was using it left-handed. With the Lite I fell into it very quickly, operating it with my left hand and the mouse, or graphics tablet with my right quickly became second nature. I think a left-handed person, using a tablet or mouse on the left and the Tourbox on the right, would find this easy to use too, especially as the buttons are programmable.

Once I was used to the new layout, I found that the fewer controls did everything I needed in the asset management and image developing programs.

Although I have Photoshop and other editing tools, I do not use them a lot. I prefer getting the images right in the camera and just carrying out raw development. But, overall, the Tourbox Lite seemed to do everything I needed when used in conjunction with a graphics tablet in Photoshop. By far the most useful function was being able to change the size and hardness of the brushes by turning the knobs. I suspect a more skilled digital artist than me – it is not my area of expertise at all – would be more inclined to one of the models with more controls for quick switching between tools and layers. Nevertheless, I was able to make adjustments to the tools I used easily and then apply them using my Wacom graphics tablet. It also worked well with other editing tools, including ON1's layered Effects module too.

Similarly, with development tools including ON1, DxO Photolab, and Lightroom's Development module, using the Tourbox Lite made adjusting the sliders a breeze. Asset management was sped up too, whizzing through the images and applying flags much faster than using a keyboard and mouse.

The layout of the controls is well-considered and easy to access. Being less encumbered than the higher-end models, I found its simplicity to be an advantage.

 It does require you to use a USB cable to connect it so there is a cable running from it. However, I swapped its generously long cable to use a short one running to my USB hub that’s attached to the left-hand side of my work desk. In comparison, the Tourbox Elite has an option to use Bluetooth, which the Lite does not. Neither does the Lite version have the haptic feedback of the Tourbox Elite. I did miss that and thought the two rotary controls would have benefitted from a little more resistance or graduated clicks and not a smooth action.

What I liked and What Could Be Improved

What I Liked

• Its simple layout has all the functionality that a majority of users will find more than adequate.
• Great design that’s comfortable to use with nicely laid out buttons and dials.
• High-quality build.
• Improved fingerprint repelling case.
• The Console is easy to program, if a little time-consuming.
• You just have to hover your cursor over a slider for it to be selected for adjustment; no clicks are necessary.
• More affordable than the higher-end models.
• It works well in both the left and right hands.
• Minimal plastic packaging, although that could be reduced further

What Could Be Improved?

I am hard-pressed to say what could be improved because improvements like more controls are available in the Tourbox NEO and the Tourbox Elite versions. So, these are minor improvements that could be made.

• If there was one thing, I would have preferred was that the action of the dials was tighter to get over it having no haptic feedback. That function only being available in the Elite version is understandable; it costs more
• Some of the presets available could be better designed to reduce the setup time.

In Conclusion

There is much to like about the Tourbox Lite, and I can see it becoming a popular tool for photographers, especially as at just under $95 it's more affordable than the other Tourboxes. You should not consider it as an entry-level version, but one that is simplified for those who, like me, do not use masses of different tools for editing.

I am seriously considering putting the Elite aside and moving to a Tourbox Lite. It is simple to use and works well. Ergonomically, it is well-designed and much more comfortable to use than a mouse and keyboard combination.

The Tourbox Lite is well worth considering for those who, like me, want to speed up the processing of their images.

Specifications

Dimensions: 111 x 106 x 39mm

Weight: 329g

Surface Material: PC+ABS

Manufacturing Process: Material Injection Molding, Laser Texture + Matte Finish (No Spray Coating)

Connection: via Type-C USB (USB 2.0 and above)

Processor: Low Power MCU

Input Power: DC 5V 30mA