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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: tranceFusion on Mon, 13 August 2012, 13:43:16

Title: Please recommend a keyboard for me
Post by: tranceFusion on Mon, 13 August 2012, 13:43:16
If someone can give me a recommendation or even a comprehensive list of keyboards that meet this criteria, that would be awesome:

1) Must be tenkeyless (or at least left side numpad)
2) Must have angled/split keys.
3) Not dome

I am looking for ergonomic reasons. Here's some keyboards I have tried (that don't meet all this criteria) just so you can get an idea..
- CM Storm Quickfire Rapid - really love it except that my shoulders are wide and the straight keys kill my forearms.
- Microsoft split natural - space bar really hard to push and killed my thumb.
- A4 Tech - angled keys with numpad on the left. For some reason the space bar bothers my thumb. I don't know why. Probably just because it's dome.

Also, FYI, I code for a living.. so lots of space bar, enter key, and punctuation going on..

Thank you!!!
Title: Re: Please recommend a keyboard for me
Post by: boost on Mon, 13 August 2012, 14:08:57
1) Must be tenkeyless (or at least left side numpad)
2) Must have angled/split keys.


Not sure keyboards came with the numpad on the left side you might wanna get a tenkey pad. For question 2, can you explain this a little bit more.

Thanks
Title: Re: Please recommend a keyboard for me
Post by: daerid on Mon, 13 August 2012, 14:25:26
If you're talking ergonomic (ala MS Natural series) style split keys, then your options are severely limited.
Title: Re: Please recommend a keyboard for me
Post by: boost on Mon, 13 August 2012, 14:33:38
If you're talking ergonomic (ala MS Natural series) style split keys, then your options are severely limited.

$600+ for that cherry split KB..Don't know that name at the moment -_-
Title: Re: Please recommend a keyboard for me
Post by: tranceFusion on Mon, 13 August 2012, 14:51:08
If you're talking ergonomic (ala MS Natural series) style split keys, then your options are severely limited.

It doesn't have to be split.. It could be angled or elongated keys.. anything that will help keep my wrists from being bent inward while typing.
Title: Re: Please recommend a keyboard for me
Post by: Icarium on Mon, 13 August 2012, 15:13:30
As usually I will recommend a Kinesis.
Title: Re: Please recommend a keyboard for me
Post by: daerid on Mon, 13 August 2012, 15:44:48
If you're talking ergonomic (ala MS Natural series) style split keys, then your options are severely limited.

It doesn't have to be split.. It could be angled or elongated keys.. anything that will help keep my wrists from being bent inward while typing.

I've been using straight boards for years now. I used to use the MS Ergo series, but now they actually make my wrists hurt more. I don't know how/why people bend their wrists inwards when they type, I've never done that. Maybe it comes from having abnormally long fingers, Idunno....
Title: Re: Please recommend a keyboard for me
Post by: dorkvader on Mon, 13 August 2012, 17:38:55
If you're talking ergonomic (ala MS Natural series) style split keys, then your options are severely limited.

$600+ for that cherry split KB..Don't know that name at the moment -_-
G80-5000's are expensive. The utron (Topre keys?) is also expensive. So is the IBM M15.

If you want to wait a bit , we should have the ergoDOX made sometime, and that'll be good.
---
But your best bet is probably a kinesis
Title: Re: Please recommend a keyboard for me
Post by: tranceFusion on Wed, 15 August 2012, 21:58:43
The Truly Ergonomic keyboard looks very promising. Is there a general consensus on this keyboard?

My only concern is the placement of the Enter key. It seems like it will be a lot of thumb'ing if I am using it for both space bar and enter key. I suppose I could re-map though.
Title: Re: Please recommend a keyboard for me
Post by: vorxaw on Thu, 16 August 2012, 02:32:16
check out maltron, they are not the prettiest though :P
Title: Re: Please recommend a keyboard for me
Post by: hoggy on Thu, 16 August 2012, 12:02:54
I'd happily recommend either the Kinesis or the Maltron.   If you are in the UK (or Europe), then you can hire a Maltron for forty pounds for a month.  If you are in the USA, then I believe you can buy a Kinesis with the option of returning it within sixty days.
Title: Re: Please recommend a keyboard for me
Post by: hoggy on Thu, 16 August 2012, 12:06:38
For me, I find that the Kinesis has the edge as you can program it easily, and it's trivial to set it to dvorak.

That said,  Maltron are due to bring out a programable keyboard in the next few weeks.