Ergonomic Keyboard Guide Overview

What is an Ergonomic Keyboard? Full Guide With 7 Options

An ergonomic keyboard is a keyboard designed to reduce strain on the hands, wrists, and arms during typing. Once you get used to it, it’ll be more comfortable and easier to use than a traditional keyboard. They’re becoming increasingly popular as people spend more time on the computer, especially with home offices. Inside we’ll take a closer look at their benefits, what features you should pay attention to, and the best ones you can buy.

Ergonomic Keyboards—The Big Picture

Ergonomic keyboards come in various shapes and sizes, but they all share some common features. One of the most common types of ergonomic keyboards is the split keyboard. Split keyboards are separated into two halves. This allows the angle of the keys to change to match your wrists. This design will help to reduce strain and pressure on the wrists and hands, as well as improving posture and reducing the risk of repetitive strain injuries like carpal tunnel. Some ergonomic keyboards also have built-in wrist rests that provide additional support and reduce strain on the wrists (but I am not as big on these.)

Benefits of Ergonomic Keyboards

Ergonomic keyboards are designed to provide a more comfortable and neutral positioning. Anytime you can get the body into a more neutral/natural position, you’ll be able to do more actions with that body part before running into any issues.

This plays out with the ergonomic keyboard, the ergonomic mouse, the ergonomic desk, your monitor height, your computer chair, etc. Getting into a natural position will reduce the chances of health issues such as carpal tunnel syndrome, repetitive strain injuries, and muscle strain.

As someone who has suffered from chronic tendonitis since being a teen, diet and lifestyle plays a large role—maybe the most important role. But positioning does help, especially as you try and figure out other ways to improve your health. Research seems to show that ergonomic options do help, without affecting speed/accuracy.

Ergonomic Keyboards Help With Upper Body Pain Issues

Split Or Unibody

Split keyboards are designed to be separated into two halves, while some keyboards are a single unit. 

While split keyboards can offer greater flexibility and comfort, they can also be more difficult to use at first. You can angle them. Some of them you can “tent” (change the vertical angle), and some splits are fully detached, allowing you to spread them out to match your shoulder width. 

On the flip side, unibody keyboards can be more stable to type on, there are fewer moving pieces making them more durable, and they can look a bit cleaner on the desk as just one piece.

Negative Slope Typing / Tenting

Ergonomic keyboards often feature a negative slope, often called tenting. The keyboard is angled downwards towards the user.

Some ergonomic keyboards also have ways to choose the tent angle (through legs or locking mechanisms) that allow the user to adjust the angle of the keyboard to their preference. This helps to reduce palm pronation (palms down), which can cause muscle strain and discomfort. When you stand, your palms go at your side naturally. The more that you can keep that natural angle as you type (such as with a handshake), the easier it’ll be on your forearms, etc.

Palm Rests

Ergonomic keyboards often have palm rests built right into them. Theoretically, these can help to reduce the strain on the wrists and palms, which might help some people who type all day. You might need to experiment to see if you like these or not. I personally don’t like them, and don’t like when they’re built in. You might want to try buying it as a separate accessory to see if you like them. There are soft ones and hard ones, like this wooden palm rest from Keychron below:

Keychron Wood Wrist Rest
https://keychron.ca/products/keychron-keyboard-wooden-palm-rest

Split Keyboards & Shoulder Support

Split keyboards could help reduce shoulder strain by being placed further apart, making the keyboard stance wider. This can help to keep the shoulders back and in a more natural position, especially if you’ve got wider clavicles.

Customizable Designs

Ergonomic keyboards are more expensive than run-of-the-mill keyboards. They’re designed for intensive office workers, people in pain, or gamers. Because of that, they often have quite a lot of customization.

  • Keyboard tenting
  • Keyboard keys (mechanical vs quieter scissor keys)
  • Visual look (LED lighting, one-of-a-kind 3D printed keys, etc.)
  • Programmable keys, etc.

Key Switches

Ergonomic keyboards may use different types of key switches, including mechanical switches, scissor switches, and domed switches. But you can get deep into this topic…

Mechanical switches include subsets of linear, tactile, or clicky switches—depending on how you want the keystroke to feel and sound.

Scissor switches are commonly used in laptops and have a low profile. They usually use the dome as a way to return the key. They are quiet, and your finger needs to travel less distance. But there’s also less tactile feedback.

Budget

Ergonomic keyboards might seem like they cost a lot of money upfront. But if you’re trying to optimize your work environment or get out of pain, that cost will seem like nothing compared to the benefits. Even if it only improves your output by just 1%, it will pay itself off in no time. For those in pain, getting pain-free is priceless. As for gamers, any improvement at getting better will be worth it more than most things they spend their money on (Bric-a-brac, limited edition merch, etc.)

Portability

If you frequently travel with your keyboard, look for a portable option that is lightweight and easy to transport. My first ergonomic keyboard, the Goldtouch Go!, could be folded up, and I often brought it with me when working on the road.

Wireless Vs Wired Ergonomic Keyboards

Wireless ergonomic keyboards were made to get rid of the clutter of cables and to provide more freedom with distance. The downsides of wireless need to deal with batteries/charging, taking time to connect via Bluetooth initially, and not everybody looking for more EMF exposure.

The wired options add a cable to your desk, but there’s no lag, there’s no wake-up period, and there’s no battery or charging to worry about. There’s also no wireless EMF if you are trying to limit exposure.

Additional Features

Consider whether you need additional features such as F keys, a numerical keypad, a cushion for your wrist, etc.

Heads Up: Ergonomic Keyboards Have A Learning Curve

Before we look at options, keep in mind that when transitioning to an ergonomic keyboard, it’s going to get worse at first. The adjustment period for an ergonomic keyboard can vary depending on the individual, but it typically takes a few days to a week to get used to the new layout and feel. During this time, you’re going to notice new muscles being used, and you’ll be typing more slowly and making more mistakes. But this is only temporary. I now use a split and tented keyboard, and I wouldn’t switch back, given how much easier it is on my wrists.

The One Big Downside Of Ergonomic Keyboards

Once you get used to them, using anything else feels like a downgrade. Now when I use someone else’s conventional keyboard, it’s annoying.

The Best 7 Ergonomic Keyboard Options

Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Keyboard

Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard
https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/d/microsoft-sculpt-ergonomic-desktop/8xk02kz6k69w

The Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Keyboard has a split design and a cushioned palm rest that provides support for your palms. The keyboard also has a separate number pad you can buy that can be positioned anywhere you like.

Logitech Ergo Ergonomic Keyboard

Logitech Ergo Keyboard
https://www.logitech.com/en-ca/products/keyboards/k860-split-ergonomic.920-009166.html

The Logitech Ergo has a split and sloped curved design that helps to keep your hands and wrists in a natural position. The keyboard has a cushioned palm rest and adjustable feet that allow you to experiment with the typing angle.

Kinesis Freestyle Ergonomic Keyboard

Kinesis Freestyle Pro
https://kinesis-ergo.com/shop/freestyle-pro/

The Kinesis Freestyle is a split ergonomic keyboard that allows you to position the two halves of the keyboard in a way that is comfortable for you. You can buy lots of different versions, such as the mechanical or a quiet version. Wired or wireless. PC or Mac. Optional palm pads. There is also an additional tenting purchase, called the “Ascent,” that can transform the angle of it.

ErgoDox EZ Ergonomic Keyboard

Ergodoz Ergonomic Keyboard
https://ergodox-ez.com/

The ErgoDox EZ is not only beautiful, it’s a workhorse. It has a two year warranty because they’ve overbuilt it. The split design allows you to set the two halves as wide as you need it. It has RGB LED lighting. The keys are in straight columns, one on top of the other. It’s open source, allowing you to program each key to your liking. You can get it in white or black. Printed keys or blanks. (You can even swap the keys out for custom ones.) A tilt/tenting kit—everything!

MoErgo Glove80 Ergonomic Keyboard

Glove80 Keyboard
https://www.moergo.com/collections/glove80-keyboards

The Moergo Glove80 is a unique ergonomic keyboard that has a concave design to match natural finger curling. It has all the bells and whistles—palm rests, tenting, lighting, thumb keys for quick shortcuts, etc. For all the hardcore geeks, there is also threaded under mounting, like a tripod, for custom mounting. If you’ve ever wanted a split keyboard custom mounted to your chair, this might be something worth building around.

Split Keyboard Mounted To Office Chair
https://www.moergo.com/pages/glove80-split-ergonomic-keyboard-wrist-hand-pain-free

Goldtouch Go! Ergonomic Keyboard

Goldtouch Go Keyboard

https://shop.goldtouch.com/products/goldtouch-go2-wireless-bluetooth-mobile-keyboard-pc-mac

This isn’t the fanciest ergonomic keyboard, but it’s reasonably priced. It’s also time-tested. This is the first ergonomic keyboard I bought, and it performed well. You can angle it and tent it. It works on both PC and Mac. What I still like about it today is how little it folds up. Because I work from “home,” I often find myself staying at other locations for a long period of time and work there, too, before exploring in the afternoon or at night. I bring this keyboard to make my work on my laptop much more efficient.

Dygma Raise Ergonomic Keyboard

Dygma Raise Ergonomic Keyboard
https://dygma.com/products/dygma-raise

The Dygma is an ergonomic keyboard that allows you to style it exactly how you want. Pick the aluminum panel colour, braided USB-C cables, switch out the keys, tent and angle it, etc. It also comes with a travel case, should you need to bring it with you.

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