The SteelKeys 6g keyboard is a nitch keyboard designed for gamers as an extremely high quality keyboard with gold plated connectors, solid metal mounting surface, and a very nice 59.5 grams per key push. RSI Stuff asks, does all this stuff make a difference for people who suffer from RSI? We gave it a 3 month trial to see..

Let me start by saying that as an old school computer user, I really want to like this keyboard. It’s very reminiscent of early 90’s clunky keyboards, before membrane based keyboards became popular. Many people call this ‘Clicky’, which old school geeks love. Each keypress makes a distinct sound and touch, feeling very responsive, and fulfilling. That’s what this keyboard is; an very luxurious and updated version of old school ps2 keyboards.

One of the important numbers to consider when buying an ergonomic keyboard is how many grams it takes to push a key, known as key on force (KOF). SteelKeys rates at 59.5, which is about the perfect number. Keyboards range from 40-120 KOF, but anything below 55 is very uncommon because it would feel too sensitive. At 59.5, this keyboard has the perfect feel to it.

Nostalgia aside, for someone who suffers from RSI, this keyboard did not do the trick for me. First off, it has the standard straight keyboard layout which notoriously bends your wrists inwards. While the KOF is 59.5, the backing is all metal, and the keys are rather ‘clicky’, which for me created a whole new problem:

I gave the keyboard a 3 month trial. Up til now my RSI was focused on my wrists & forarms, but this keyboard introduced arthritis in my fingers’ joints which is new for me. I’m 25 years old btw. My theory is that the metal backing combined with the old school clickiness of 90’s keyboards causes a jolt to your finger with every key push. Those jolts add up, and eventually you have a problem in your hands. Once I realized what was happening I switched keyboards back over to the logitech g15, and the problem went away after 3 weeks.

It’s a shame because the build quality from Steelkeys just so phenominal. Compared to a standard QWERTY keyboard, I would take the SteelKeys any day of the week. It beats any OEM keyboard I’ve seen.

In conclusion, this keyboard was created for another nitch market (gamers). After my 3 month trial I find it hard to recommend it to someone who suffers from RSI. Simply put, 90’s style clunky keyboards just aren’t good for people with hands sensitive to RSI.

If RSI is not an issue for you, I’m sure you would find it to be a very nice keyboard; the build quality is incredible which is hard to ignore. If RSI is an issue, for the $100 price point, there’s plenty of other keyboards you should try out first that are more tailored towards your needs than this keyboard.