This has been a question that has sparked a lot of debate between computer users. Which is better, a touch pad that normally comes with a laptop, or a mouse that comes with a desktop (but may also be installed to a laptop)?
There cannot be any definite answer, of course, as it all depends on one's personal experience and preferences. What I will be telling is my personal experience.
I have used a touch pad for like a month, when my mom is still at home and I could use her laptop. I found the touch pad to be very irritating and annoying. What I immediately noticed was the difficulty to navigate the page. I especially disliked dragging folders because the texture of the pad isn't perfectly smooth, but of course one may say that this difficulty is due to my being new to the tool. I also noticed that my finger tip also gets a sweaty with all the navigation.
On the other hand, I have been accustomed with computer mice for a long time already. I used to use track ball mouse but it got broken, which is why I now use an optical mouse instead. Though not as good as using a tablet, computer mice, in my opinion, are easier to work with. There are less parts of your wrist that moves, so likelihood of having a problem with your bones is less. And mice come with attractive mouse pads, too. Sure I don't need it with an optical mouse, but it looks good on it than on a plain surface.
I make better works with MS Paint using a mouse than with a touch pad, by the way.