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Ergonomic Keyboards That Aren’t a Pain in Your You-Know-What (Wrists)

I know this is a total shocker, but the human body isn’t built to type on a keyboard comfortably for long periods of time.

By Matt Jancer | Reviewed by Ysolt Usigan

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Prepare for the shock of a lifetime: I, as a tech journalist, type on a computer a lot.

Did you climb back up into your seat from off the floor? What, no? What about if I told you that not only do I use a computer all day long, but I do it every work day, and even for bunches of time after work, on the weekends, and even holidays, too? You, me, and everybody, you say? Ok, fine then, tough guy.

What if I told you that I once suffered from the searing bite of keyboard-inflicted wrist pain and that unlike most trials in life, I solved it with a simple purchase? Yeah, now I got your attention. Ergonomic keyboards do all sorts of creative things with their shapes to promote a healthy typing posture that reduces a person’s tendency to twist their wrists, elbows, and shoulders in ways that aggravate nerves to the point of pain. Buying one could be just your ticket to finally rid yourself of that all-day typing pain.

a quick look at the best ergonomic keyboards

The Tented Keyboard: Logitech Ergo K860

The Windows/Mac Agnostic: Logitech Wave Keys

Split Decision: Kinesis Freestyle2

Two-Piece Gaming Special: Kinesis Freestyle Edge

The Throwback: Incase Sculpt

Everything and the Kitchen Sink: Keychron Q11

Teeny Tiny: HHKB Professional 2

Not every ergonomic keyboard is a mechanical keyboard, in which beneath each keycap there’s an individual, physical switch. Many of them are, though. The market is in an intense honeymoon period with mechanical keyboards, and it doesn’t show any signs of cooling down.

There are many types of mechanical keys, and some of them can be loud enough to annoy your roommates, family members, and coworkers into a frothing rage. Ask me how I know… Cherry MX are a family of the most widespread key switches, and they’re often used as a benchmark for other brands’ switches, such as Gateron, Kailh, Outemu, Razer, and Logitech. Check out this explainer for an idea of which ones will be quiet enough not to drive you or your neighbors crazy.

You’ve probably heard of carpal tunnel syndrome. It occurs when you bend your wrist at awkward angles repeatedly, such as when typing. It compresses your median nerve, which runs through your wrist, and the strain is cumulative. It can get quite painful. I’ve lost count of the times in my life where I’ve got it.

Bending or twisting your elbows unnaturally in front of a keyboard can aggravate your ulnar nerve. Yep, I’ve suffered from that one, too. Your hands, arms, and fingers tingle as if they’ve fallen asleep, but it lasts for days. Longer if you don’t give yourself a rest from typing, which is hard when so much of modern life happens in front of a computer screen. Good ergonomic keyboards correct your typing posture so that you don’t aggravate your median or ulnar nerves.

the tented keyboard: logitech ergo k860

Ergo K860 (opens in a new window)

Logitech calls it a split keyboard, but that’s not accurate. Unlike the Kinesis Freestyle2 and Freestyle Edge RGB also in this guide, you can’t separate the keyboard into two halves. Rather, the Ergo K860 is what’s known as a tented keyboard because it rises to a sloping ridgeline in the middle of the key layout that gently slopes down, as if Logitech had baked the keyboard in a pizza oven and let an air bubble into the dough.

The Ergo K860’s hump lets your arms rest in a more natural position when using it. Think about it. When you’re typing on a typical flat keyboard, you’re holding tension through your arms to get your hands flat against the keyboard, but if you relax your arms they’ll naturally rotate away from each other a little. The tented keyboard lets you relax your arms at all times, removing tension that inflames your ulnar and median nerves.

Aside from the hump, the Ergo K860 is remarkably conventional. There are no mechanical key switches underneath the keycaps, so it’ll feel and type just like an ordinary keyboard, without any noise. There’s a large memory foam wrist pad that you shouldn’t use for more than occasional, short breaks, because it’s best to raise your wrists off any surface when typing for long periods. And while there’s a USB cable, I’d just use the built-in Bluetooth wireless connectivity and bypass trying to find a USB-A........

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