health impact of mechanical keyboards vs. rubber domes, etc.

[precarious]

so, my left index finger is in a splint right now from repeatedly smashing my hands into a keyboard 24 hours a day for the better part of 15 years.  it's not too bad, but i figured i'd better let it rest for a while.  as much as we may all love plate-mounted thick doubleshot keycaps, i'm wondering if anyone has really taken a look at the implications of this as opposed to a possibly softer landing on a rubber dome or flexible membrane.

are o-rings the answer?  pcb mounted switches?  robot hands?  who knows!

just kind of wondering what others thoughts on this may be.

[Cindori]

just dont bottom out?

or go with smoother switches

as for health impact, I think general ergonomics like wrist rest, height of keyboard, placement of arms, height of table etc affects your health alot more (yes in your hands too!) then the keyboard itself

[absyrd]

As I've stated before, I personally have problems with plate-mounted MX switches after long hours of typing.  I really liked the soft feel of the Poker when I had it because of the PCB mount, but I just couldn't get used to the layout.

The partial plate on the Cheat seems ideal for me. I also think the PLUM 96 is a viable option for me to try next (and probably easier to get).

[metalliqaz]

Stop raging on your keyboard.

[Computer-Lab in Basement]

Well, when you think about it, rubber domes are more healthy... they are less addicting than mechanical keyboards.  And I'm sure we all know how unhealthy addictions are...

*Says Dr. House whilst popping some Vicodin...*

[IvanIvanovich]

I've had a lot less hand/finger/wrist pain since I've been using MX. But I generally don't bottom out and use pcb mount 90% of the time. I also primarily use red boards, but also blue, and very infrequently black. All of my keyboards have Cherry doubleshot or dyseub keycaps. I prefer Cherry profile as I find them more comfortable, but they also of course look great as an added bonus.

I had to use a domes board for a short time when I started my first office job in many years recently. That time was not pleasant as my hands hurt a lot at the end of the day due to having to crush the barely responsive domes into the desk to make it work. Fighting to get permisson to use 'non standard equipment' was defineatly worth the hassle though.
Domes are defineatly a lot harder in my view due to having to bottom out quite hard in comparison to get keystroke to even register. All of that impact is not good on joints.

[esoomenona]

.

[daerid]

The best thing I've ever done for my professional career was learning to type properly in 8th grade. Most people I see typing make me cringe. They're usually so tense, and keep their fingers stiff and bang on the keys much harder than they need to.

Typing with relaxed fingers, applying only as much pressure as needed to register the stroke, has allowed me to be on a keyboard every day for much the same time, without any pain or complications (except for when I recently went back to a rubber dome, go figure!).

[fohat.digs]

I have not suffered with this, thankfully, but O-rings certainly remove a good deal of the "shock" inflicted on those of us who do bottom out.

[Saturn]

The basic movements used in typing aren't too different from the basic movements involved in playing the piano.  With the exception of course that pianists typically need to apply far more force in order for the key to actuate, and also need to incorporate a vast repertoire of movements into their playing which typists will never use.  Nevertheless, the basic positioning and usage of the fingers, arms, and hands is similar.

Many pianists develop RSI, and many do not.  Similarly, many typists develop RSI, and many do not.  People can ask all sorts of questions about whether the making the key action lighter or developing a different layout might help, or whether the hard landing of bottoming out on a plate would be contributing to it.

The answer is the same in both cases.  It is the technique at fault, not the equipment.  If the technique is poor, then changing the equipment may help, but it won't get to the root of the problem.  If the technique is good, nearly any set of equipment is safe to use.

[daerid]

I have not suffered with this, thankfully, but O-rings certainly remove a good deal of the "shock" inflicted on those of us who do bottom out.

I tried those. Gave me the same feeling as nails on a chalkboard.

[AKIMbO]

Get a 45g topre keyboard.  Softest landing ever.

[WhiteFireDragon]

Practice float typing where you press only halfway down until the key actuates, but don't bottom it out. Add O-rings to dampen out the shock in case you do bottom out. O-rings would make plate vs PCB boards feel the same in terms of shock. That way you can actually choose any MX switch KB you want, because there are very few PCB mounted boards in TKL and full size.

[Magna224]

Bottoming out hard on cherry switches hurts my fingers too when I have to press keys hundreds of times a minute. Clears help prevent bottoming  or at least soften it for me quite well.

Edit: Topres are excellent at it too like was previously mentioned

[Neo.X]

The reason I switch to mechanical is no need to bottom out. If you are used to bottom out, then try topre switch.