The quest for the ultimate keyboard

[JohanAR]

Hi all.

I'm a programmer/gamer who's been using mech keyboards for a while. At home I have a CM Storm TKL with Cherry Reds which I quite like and at work I have some HP crap with too stiff keys. The last couple of months I've got more or less constant finger joint pain so I'm thinking I'd ask my employer to buy me an ergonomic keyboard, problem is that I can't really decide which one I want. So I figured I'd register here and ask you experts for advice, but I'll write a separate post for that in the ergonomics forum I guess.

[tp4tissue]

if your swelling is due to Repetitive stress injury,  then a lighter key board will certainly help.

I'm a fan of mx blue, because it's the lightest switch that FEELS heavier than it is.   and it has less friction mechanically than linear mx models because of the center movable slider.


Also , theres been recent revelation that a diet high in animal products greatly increases the presence of inflammation. Which is arthritis has taken such a central stage for mid-life ailments..

[JohanAR]

I think neither my wife at home or colleagues at work would appreciate MX blues Is there a silent equivalent?

Well, I eat meat/fish almost every day but no other animal products due to food allergies. Unfortunately I'm also allergic to wheat and soy so I'd be extremely limited in my diet if I were to give up meat.

Does the captcha go away when you've been a member for a while or do you also need to fill it out every time you post something?

[algernon]

If you want your employer to buy you one, then I assume DIY kits are out. That does not leave many options, but of those, I'd highlight three:

Kinesis Advantage 2: a well established brand, who know what they are doing. The keyboard has a well, wrist support, and so on. It's also reasonably easy to reprogram it (within limits). A solid choice, and the most recognisable brand, so very employer-friendly.

ErgoDox EZ: a pre-assembled, high-quality build of the ErgoDox keyboard. Comes with an optional tenting kit, and is a split, programmable keyboard. Compared to the Advantage, this can be programmed in much more detail and with a lot more flexibility, and unlike the Advantage, it is a split keyboard, which has a lot of advantages, ranging from being able to place the halves however you want it, to better tenting support.

Keyboardio Model01: Just entering mass production, split, custom sculpted keycaps, also highly programmable.

I have been using an EZ for over a year, both at home and at work, and am very, very satisfied with it. I also have a Model01 prototype, and have been typing a lot on it at home, and love it even more than the EZ. I have never tried an Advantage2, but heard good things about it.

However, the Advantage's programmability is limited (unless you completely replace its firmware), so as far as I remember, you can't have one-shot modifiers. One-shot modifiers are something I learned to love, as they reduced the load on my fingers considerably, and allowed me to put all modifiers on the thumb cluster, moving them under the strongest digit.

In short, if you want something ergonomic, with warranty, buyable by your employer, right here and now, both the ErgoDox EZ and the Kinesis Advantage 2 are solid choices. Which one is better, is up to your needs, I'd say. If you prefer something split, with a better design than the ErgoDox, and don't mind waiting 'till about Q3, then the Keyboardio Model01 would be another option you could choose.

[antquinonez]

I'm an advocate of the type different camp. I guess there's a camp, otherwise I'm all alone. Change how you type. Throw that proper typing technique out the window and type from the wrist. In other words, move your hand across the keyboard and use your wrist for most of your movement. Touch typing is murder on my tendons. Have you tried Glucosamine?

[Gouty]

If the HP board is the same one I had to use in the office then you have my sympathies.  They are probably the only keyboard I have had to use where I could really feel it in my fingers at the end of the day.

[JohanAR]

algernon: thanks for your suggestions (I read them before vacation but didn't come around to replying until now). Haven't had a chance to talk with my boss yet but we'll see what they can get for me

antq: do mean that you move your entire arm for movement towards/away from your body? I don't understand how you'd otherwise do this movement with your wrist. Haven't tried glucosamine lately, but I did many years ago for shoulder/elbow issues. Can't remember if I felt any effect from it, I think what ultimately fixed it for me was having the mouse in front of the keyboard instead of to the side. I'm currently taking Omega-3 supplements which has helped me with other joint problems. My current typing position is based on having the desk quite high up, so that my entire underarm rests against the surface. I had it recommended to me by a person working with office ergonomics, though I think it's different from what many others use.

gouty: it's probably the same, can't imagine HP having many different models. I'd say it's some kind of non-mechanical silent click/tactile with medium high resistance. Feels like I have to press slightly harder than on my old Cherry MX black kbd, which I thought was too heavy and replaced with MX reds

[antquinonez]

algernon: thanks for your suggestions (I read them before vacation but didn't come around to replying until now). Haven't had a chance to talk with my boss yet but we'll see what they can get for me

antq: do mean that you move your entire arm for movement towards/away from your body? I don't understand how you'd otherwise do this movement with your wrist. Haven't tried glucosamine lately, but I did many years ago for shoulder/elbow issues. Can't remember if I felt any effect from it, I think what ultimately fixed it for me was having the mouse in front of the keyboard instead of to the side. I'm currently taking Omega-3 supplements which has helped me with other joint problems. My current typing position is based on having the desk quite high up, so that my entire underarm rests against the surface. I had it recommended to me by a person working with office ergonomics, though I think it's different from what many others use.

gouty: it's probably the same, can't imagine HP having many different models. I'd say it's some kind of non-mechanical silent click/tactile with medium high resistance. Feels like I have to press slightly harder than on my old Cherry MX black kbd, which I thought was too heavy and replaced with MX reds

That's right, JohanAR. When I type. Most of my motion is from my elbow. Forearm moves left to right, up and down and my fingers will move some to press down the key but my tendons won't be flexing (except for the little feedback from bottoming out, I guess), but its's mostly arm movement. I'm an artist and when we work on easels, we're generally instructed to use whole arm movements, very little flexing of the hand/fingers. I guess my typing and drawing with easel co-developed. When I've practiced touch typing, I quit from the tendon pain, so I guess I have a good excuse for not typing 'right'? Then again, I don't have carpal tunnel.