Das Keyboard Professional keyboard

Peter G. 1 Oct, 2008 at 3:47pm ET Article published in Tech

The Das Keyboard Professional keyboard combines modern features with the feel of an old-school Intel keyboard.

Comments

1 Oct 2008 ~ 3:58pm CB Clicking keyboards should be illegal.

also: non-ergonomic keyboards ftl.
1 Oct 2008 ~ 4:12pm BuddyJ I'm with you in regards to ergonomics CB. I cannot type comfortably on a standard keyboard because my left wrist doesn't rotate correctly as the result of a childhood broken arm. I have to position the keyboard at a 30 degree angle and pull my left elbow in towards my body to type on a standard board, resulting in poor typing posture and strain. An ergo board fixes the problem.

I don't mind the clicking of keys. Perhaps if I worked in an environment where there were tons of people typing, but right now it's not a big deal for me. Some people I know have suggested they can't type quickly on a silent keyboard because the lack of a clicking sound leaves them wondering if the key was depressed enough.
1 Oct 2008 ~ 4:43pm Thrax Ergo keyboards feel horrendous, and click is good. Mushy keys are terrible.
1 Oct 2008 ~ 4:47pm Snarkasm I have an ergo and several regular keyboards, and I gotta say I can't really tell the difference between them. It doesn't really change my typing style either way. I'm probably not using my ergo correctly, though.
1 Oct 2008 ~ 5:09pm BuddyJ It's all about feel. For me, using regular keyboards varies from being uncomfortable to quite painful. I just put up with it.
1 Oct 2008 ~ 7:10pm Leonardo

I'm with you in regards to ergonomics CB. I cannot type comfortably on a standard keyboard because my left wrist doesn't rotate correctly as the result of a childhood broken arm.

I hear you! I have shattered both my left and right wrists on two different occasions - wrists and much of the hands. Although each time I was fortunate to be under the care of excellent orthopedic surgeons, I cannot write with a pen or pencil for more than a few minutes without my writing hand hand cramping up. I use both ergonomic keyboards and wrist pads in front of my keyboards and mice. If I don't take good care of both my hands, I'll face severe problems later in life. The only exceptions are one of my work computers and one of my home computers with which I use the small Dell standard-type keyboards.

I much prefer ergo keyboards, but not the large ones with wide separation between the left and right key banks. The smaller boards are great. But then, that itty-bitty, charcoal-colored Dell board works fine, too. Standard rectangular boards? Bah! Trash!

As for the old standard IBM clickomatic? IMO, they belong in museums. To each his own, obviously.

Yep, this little el-cheapo is one of my favorite boards.
1 Oct 2008 ~ 7:36pm BuddyJ WOW! Somebody else who understands! I didn't expect that. I'm sorry you've gotta put up with it too Leo.

My favorite keyboard of all time is my old USB Microsoft Natural Wave. The key layout is such that gaming isn't compromised when using just the left side of the board, but my typing is actually comfortable when I have to write something long.
15 Jan 2009 ~ 12:35am BuddyJ Tech Report:
http://techreport.com/articles.x/16138
15 Jan 2009 ~ 2:07am Leonardo

WOW! Somebody else who understands!

Don't try to pick me up. I'm too old for you.
15 Jan 2009 ~ 9:42am edcentric I think that ergo keyboards are a response to modern keyboards that don't require any down force. I know may people that typed for hours a day on IBM Selectric without ever developing CTS.
If you haven't used a tactile keyboard you need to find one and try it. It is far less tiring than typing on a mush board.
If you check out keyboards you sill find that most of ergo boards require more key force than standard kb.
Some of the old kbs used pieces of rubber under the keys to simulate the springs. They feel pretty good but they don't last very long.