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geekhack Community => Keyboard Keycaps => Topic started by: e_l_tang on Sun, 22 November 2015, 23:22:17
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Looking at this thread (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=75814.0 (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=75814.0)) by Oobly, most people press their Alt keys (Command keys for Mac users like me) with their thumbs. However, I've noticed almost every Alt keycap I have seen has a profile that is both concave and sharply angled, causing the thumb pressing it to contact it on one of its edges rather than on its top surface.
So, who thinks that the Alt keys (and by extension the number pad 0 keys) on keyboards should have a more ergonomic zero degree convex profile?
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Flipped space bar. Heck, flip the whole bottom row.
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Flipped space bar. Heck, flip the whole bottom row.
Some people have ;)
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Flipped space bar. Heck, flip the whole bottom row.
No, that profile is fine for the other keys on the bottom row because they are pressed by other fingers. It is only problematic for the keys I mentioned because they are pressed by the thumbs. However, I did try flipping my keys, but then a) those keycaps look like they are hanging off the edge of my keyboard, b) my thumbnails start hitting them instead, and c) they still weren't convex.
I should probably mention that I float my wrists as I type.
Anyway, I was asking about convex thumb keys, not about other (lesser?) solutions to this problem ;)
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The issue isn't so much to do with the curvature of the top, but rather the angle. The reason why thumb keys hurt to press is because you are usually pressing on the edge of the front.
While a convex design would help, it does not do all that much.
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Just use lighter switches, I don't get this thumby hurty thing, I type 8-9 hours a day and I never had this problem. If your fingers hurt you have the wrong switch weight and not wrong profile. People use MX Clears for example because those are "in" but for example I find them crap, way too heavy and weird feeling.
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Just use lighter switches, I don't get this thumby hurty thing, I type 8-9 hours a day and I never had this problem. If your fingers hurt you have the wrong switch weight and not wrong profile. People use MX Clears for example because those are "in" but for example I find them crap, way too heavy and weird feeling.
The issue isn't so much to do with the curvature of the top, but rather the angle. The reason why thumb keys hurt to press is because you are usually pressing on the edge of the front.
While a convex design would help, it does not do all that much.
I don't have any pain while I type, I just think that the thumb keys on my mechanical are not as comfortable to press as the spacebar on my old rubber dome, which has a zero degree convex profile. I was wondering if anyone would personally prefer that mechanical thumb keycaps had a similar profile.
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Convex bottom row is very nice, I have some from a Dell Alps board. But again Cherry profile caps are nice to press in the bottom row, but only if you use the right switch weigh, that influences the whole feeling. I use light 55g MX Black and 68g on the spacebar. But I have a friend, he has big hands he types on blacks like they were 30g :)) If pressing a key doesn't feel right for me the problem is the switch weight.
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The issue isn't so much to do with the curvature of the top, but rather the angle. The reason why thumb keys hurt to press is because you are usually pressing on the edge of the front.
While a convex design would help, it does not do all that much.
If that's true, then why would spacebars be designed with convex profiles?
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Convex Cherry profile Alt keys? Yes please!
I use only my thumbs on the bottom row, unless I use someone else's machine and need to press a Control key that is in the wrong position. (IT SHOULD BE TO THE LEFT OF THE LETTER 'A'!!!)
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I like them. I've used some rubber dome boards with convex bottom row and although I think the CTRL keys should remain concave and angled since I use my pinkie for those, the keys next to the spacebar do feel better as symmetrical convex shapes that match the spacebar.
I'm undecided about the WIN key, though, it could be either for me.
Many people like the Row 3 bottom row on some sculptured SA sets due to the lack of angle, convex tops takes it one step further.
One possible downside (but it only affects those who like to use novelty caps) is that it limits you to either using only caps with the ALT logo in those spots or makes the GB more expensive by including the novelty caps also in the convex profile, but I would prefer that the option existed than that it didn't.
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Convex Cherry profile Alt keys? Yes please!
I use only my thumbs on the bottom row, unless I use someone else's machine and need to press a Control key that is in the wrong position. (IT SHOULD BE TO THE LEFT OF THE LETTER 'A'!!!)
How do you like the layout of modifiers on Mac keyboards?