Review of the Totally Ergonomic (TEK) Keyboard
When you've bought your third expensive keyboard it's time to admit you have a fetish. Or that you spend most of your day glued to the business end of a computer. Or both! But face it: if you spend a lot of time writing, a decent keyboard is worth more than its weight in gold, for reasons of efficiency, health, and comfort alone.
I was in the mood for a keyboard built around a linear (not-staggered) layout, and a few reviews of the TEK ("Totally Ergonomic Keyboard") made it seem appealing. So I bought one and have used it for the past couple of weeks. Here are my conclusions, and a few notes of comparison with the Kinesis Ergo keyboard, which I also like and use daily.
I was in the mood for a keyboard built around a linear (not-staggered) layout, and a few reviews of the TEK ("Totally Ergonomic Keyboard") made it seem appealing. So I bought one and have used it for the past couple of weeks. Here are my conclusions, and a few notes of comparison with the Kinesis Ergo keyboard, which I also like and use daily.
* http://www.typematrix.com
I was both trying the new layout, and learning Dvorak. The later was a miserable process taking months, despite promises that almost everyone learns it fast. In the end, my typing speed improved, and I no longer had to stop typing due to wrist strain. Incidentally, I can seamlessly switch between Dvorak (home) and QWERTY (at work), no problem.
But at least the early TypeMatrix prototype wasn't very durable, and I wasn't happy with the $100/ea. price, so after the second one, I looked around for cheaper, simple keyboards that would give me most of the advantages. I wanted something without a num pad (much less distance to mouse), flat and 0.5" high with no incline... I found only one at the time, and it was just a quarter the price. With a nice durable steel backing plate, and key caps that only required a little sanding to reorder to Dvorak, my first couple lasted for quite a few years (unlike the TypeMatrix'eses). These days, they are available for just $10/ea. on Amazon.
* http://www.amazon.com/Gear-Head-Windows-Keyboard-KB1700U/dp/B0041A5OGA/
* http://www.amazon.com/89-Key-Mini-USB-Windows-Keyboard/dp/B0036WTWX0/
I only hope they still build them like they used-to...