Ten ergonomic keyboards to ease the typing load

• Tags:
• RSI,
• Keyboards,
• Ergonomics

Jack Wallen

Published: 28 Aug 2009 09:00 BST

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If you or your staff do a lot of typing, ergonomic keyboards will prevent the strain that standard keyboards place on the body, says Jack Wallen.

I type a lot. As well as writing a substantial amount each week, I am also subjected to a daily barrage of email. Because I have issues that stem from elbow and wrist overuse, an ergonomic keyboard is a necessity.

In the corporate environment, keyboard-induced injuries such as carpal-tunnel syndrome can result in a loss of work.

There are those who dismiss ergonomics as nothing more than a waste of time and costly resources. I generally tell those people to wait and see how it feels when continued overuse of their hands and arms brings them to their knees in pain.

But no-one need suffer like that. There are too many ways of preventing such disorders and discomfort. These issues can be avoided with exercise, rest and the right keyboard. But which one?

Many keyboards claim to be ergonomic — and some of them do work well. The ones I highlight here live up to their claims. These keyboards are in no particular order, and you will notice a number of keyboards from one company — Kinesis — because it has come close to perfecting the ergonomic keyboard.

1. Kinesis Freestyle VIP
The Kinesis Freestyle VIP is my own personal choice of keyboard. Not only has the keyboard been split in half, but you can also adjust the splay — the horizontal plane angle — to any degree of separation that the tether will allow. And with the addition of the VIP kit, you can adjust the tent of the keypads.

The tent refers to the tilt of the keyboards. You can go from flat to roughly 10 to 15 degrees. You can even have each keypad at different tent angles and different splay angles.

The only downside to the Freestyle, with or without the VIP, is the learning curve your fingers have to go through. Some of the keys — in particular the Delete, End and Home keys — are not in their standard locations or reach.

Apart from that, the Freestyle is the ideal candidate for anyone suffering from pain associated with poor keyboards and improper use. For more details on the VIP, see this Product Spotlight.

2. Kinesis Advantage and Advantage Pro
If you can pay the price for one of these keyboards — about £210 for the Advantage — your arms and wrists will thank you for it. So will your back, your shoulders and your neck. This keyboard forces you into good habits. The keypads are on the outer edges of the physical keyboard and rest in a scooped-out hollow, obliging your hands to work in a near-perfect position.

The Kinesis Advantage and Advantage Pro also have programmable keys that allow unlimited remapping of keys, with 24, 36 or 48 macros of up to 56 characters. You can switch these keyboards between Qwerty and Dvorak layouts. You will not find a more versatile keyboard that focuses on proper typing position, ease of use and comfort.

3. Kinesis Maxim
The Kinesis Maxim takes the standard 'natural-wave' keyboard and gives it the ability to pivot on an axis. What is good about this product is that it can be used as a standard keyboard or it can be easily configured into a naturally fitting position.

The beauty of the Maxim is that it can resemble the layout of the Freestyle VIP without requiring a kit of any sort, although the tent and splay do not expand as far as they do on the Freestyle VIP. It is also good to have the option of using the Maxim as a standard keyboard, which will come in handy when you have little space to work with.

4. Adesso Tru-Form
The Adesso Tru-Form is for those who do not want to fork out for a Kinesis keyboard but need as many of the benefits as possible at a lower price. This keyboard has what seems like the standard split and contour of the Microsoft Natural Wave keyboard.

However, when you use it, you realise it has taken the idea of the Natural Wave and improved it greatly. The split and the contour are much more in line with the natural typing position. One feature you may enjoy is the added trackpad beneath the space bars.

This feature keeps you from having to use your mouse, which is another culprit responsible for wrist and arm problems. It also offers both USB and PS/2 connections.

Although the keyboard will not save you from carpal-tunnel syndrome, as the Kinesis devices will, it will not break...

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