We’re taking another look at the Microsoft curve keyboard and accompanying mouse. The new curve is quite an overhaul over the older model and seems to be targeted more for mass consumption in terms of design. Whereas the old model was a split keyboard, the 6000 takes the curve and applies it to a standard keyboard layout. The result is a keyboard that looks less exotic and has a lower learning curve. Call it a standard keyboard with a bit of a curve to the keys.

In terms of ergonomics, I feel like this keyboard takes a small step backwards over it’s predecessor in order to appeal to a broader audience. To our more conservative readers, this keyboard presents a cheap & easy upgrade in your ergonomics without having to commit to getting used to an wildly different shape/layout. Most of the time when I try a new keyboard shape my typing speed is stunted while I get used to it, but the MS Curve 6000 is so close to a normal keyboard that the affect was very minimal. Being that it’s not a split keyboard and that the keys are flat; it’s less foreign at the cost of being less ergonomic.

Lets talk about the keys. Millions of key presses eventually add up, so the quality of the buttons themselves becomes important. I can’t find a spec for KOH on this guy, but I will say it has a pretty soft touch. What I really like about these keys over your standard keyboard is that the key press is somewhat dampened. Old school 1990’s clicky keyboards had a distinct click sound and they somewhat jarred your finger a little on each key press. With the MS Curve, the kickback is very smooth and minimal by design.. That means less stress on you finger joints and your muscles.

The mouse is quite comfortable, although, slightly larger than your average mouse. The neat part about this mouse is the design of the thumb rest. If you want to you can position you hand so that you don’t even touch the mouse pad, thus controlling it with your hand instead of your wrist. There’s a small extrusion to rest your thumb on. Some ergonomic mice are designed around this principal like the handshoe mouse. You can also place your wrist on the mouse pad and move the mouse with your fingers like most people do. The shape of the mouse works both ways. My generic advise is to change up your input devices or how you use them throughout your day to minimize the repetitiveness. This mouse works out fine in both positions which is uncommon and kinda awesome.

The other features on the mouse are great. The click is exactly what you expect from a typical mouse and the scroll wheel is butter smooth. Some mice have a lot of resistance on the scroll, but this one has almost no drag. While this mouse was designed with ergonomics in mind, it’s not quite at the level of specialization as some of the other mice we talk about on this site. I’d say it’s better than 85% of the standard mice out there.

While I try to keep reviews focused on the RSI aspects, I will say that while the keyboard works great on a Mac, the mouse get’s hung up from time to time. In windows it works flawlessly, so it’s probably just an issue with the Mac driver.

So, in conclusion.. If you’re looking for a cheap wireless keyboard & mouse setup that’s mildly ergonomically minded, you’re looking at a decent product. It’s easy to learn, better than your average peripherals, and it’s mass produced to the point of being very cheap. Amazon’s selling em for $63 a pop. If you have advanced repetitive stress injuries, you should be looking at some of the more specialized keyboards & mice out there. If you don’t have problems yet and want to be preventative or if your discomfort is light, then this is a decent choice for a keyboard. It’s cheap, has an easy learning curve, and it looks pretty normal sitting on your desk.

In the 90’s the answer to RSI was the microsoft natural keyboard which split the keyboard at an angle to avoid bending your wrists. Personally I felt it was such an extreme angle that it almost bent your wrists too much in the opposite direction. The curve keyboards are somewhere in the middle; a compromise between traditional keyboards and old school spilt keyboard layouts. Logitech has a very similar wave keyboard out as well.

Let me start by saying that the MS version has a built in wrist pad that is actually pretty decent. I’m not typically a fan of gel or rubber wrist pads, but this one has a certain build quality that is actually pretty nice.

As for the learning curve; compared to some of the more exotic layouts it is minimal. The touch typists among us will be able to pick up the curve and type right away. For me, I was somewhat error prone for about a week before I eventually adjusted to the shape of it. After that it was smooth sailing.

The question we ask here at RSIStuff is always, “is this the key to comfort from my repetitive stress injury?” It depends on the person, so lets discuss it..

Compared to a standard $10 keyboard, the curve is a fantastic improvement. The wrist pad is nice enough that I actually enjoyed having it there. The angle of the curve is a vast improvement over split keyboards from the 90’s. The two work together to provide a very natural hand position. The keys are easy to push which is a big plus.

I would say that for someone shopping for their first ergonomic keyboard who has minor discomfort should give it a try because at $40, It’s a serious bargain for an ergonomic keyboard considering some of the more exotic ergonomic keyboards out there cost several hundred dollars. If your RSI is more advanced, this keyboard may or may not help you. I say that because its layout is not drastically different from a normal keyboard; its more like a keyboard with a twist. People with advanced RSI should certainly consider it, but might also consider a more exotic keyboard layout that puts their hands in a very different position than what they’re used to.

For those with a very developed case of repetitive stress injury who have tried a couple of ergonomic keyboards before, don’t expect miracles from this keyboard. It’s modernized update to the natural keyboards. In my trial, I gave it 3 months. At first I really enjoyed the unique design and it was a huge help in my hand pain.

After some time passed, I found that it was not the cure-all for my hands & arms. At the end of my 3 month trial, I decided that the automation features of the logitech g15 were more beneficial (because it reduced the # of key presses) than the improved layout of the curve. However, that’s mostly due to the fact that my job has me doing nothing but editing code all day. If I were a writer, I would swing more towards the curve for long typing sessions.

My recommendation for people who’s keyboards cause them discomfort is to experiment and try various keyboards to see if they can find one that doesn’t cause them stress. Everyone is different and deciding if a keyboard is good for you can take months to decide. At this price point, this keyboard quite affordable and worth a try.

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.

Although the Logitech g11/g15 keyboard was designed for gamers, we found huge potential for people who use the computer a lot for document editing and web browsing. The key is on the left hand side with 18 additional buttons that are completely programmable. By mapping the keys to common keystrokes you can greatly reduce how many keys you hit. This will not only help you work faster, but reduce how many keystrokes you make overall.

Lets start with the keys. The pressure needed to push a key down on this guy is rated at 50 KOF (grams of force). Most keyboards range between 40-120 KOF which means that the g11/g15 registers a keypress very lightly which is very good for you hands. Why does this matter? The grams of force per key push is very little, but accumulated over time, the difference of how hard your finger has to work to press the key can have a huge affect on your hands’ overall fatigue.

About the layout.. The g11/g15 does not have what we stereotypically consider an ergonomic layout. It’s just a high quality traditional keyboard with extra macro keys. Some people (in particular those with wrist pain) need a slanted/natural keyboard layout, and if that’s you, then perhaps this keyboard isn’t for you. If the pain is in your fingers from making too many keystrokes, then this keyboard presents a way to continue your normal work uninterrupted, and simply automate things to minimize it.

A typical use case and how you might set up your macros. Lets say your day primarily consists of document editing and surfing the internet. If you look at the image above, you’ll see how I mapped my macro’s out.

g1-g6 correspond to ctrl-1 through ctrl-6. This is for switching tabs in firefox. Now you have single buttons to switch b/t the first 6 tabs of firefox without using the mouse.

g9 is a shortcut for save (ctr-s)

g12 is a shortcut for refresh (refresh the page in firefox ctr-r)

g13 is a shortcut for copy (ctr-c)

g14 is a shortcut for cut (ctr-x)

g15 is a shortcut for paste (ctr-v)

g16 is a shortcut for undo (ctr-z)

g17 is a shortcut for select all (ctr-a)

g18 is a shortcut for alt-tab (to switch between applications)

Every time you can cut 2 keystrokes down to one, you’re making progress. There’s infinite variations on how you could map your keys.. This is just an example of how I have mine set up. The bottom line is that setting up macros will make you faster, reduce # of key presses, and reduce mouse movement, all of which are good for your hands. One of my favorite work flows is to use this keyboard for the macros, but set it up as a DVORAK keyboard.

Have you created any good key mappings on your g11/g15? Post below:

The QWERTY keyboard layout may be what you’re used to, but it’s not the best for your repetitive stress injury. DVORAK and Maltron keyboard layouts are designed to reduce overall finger movement and relieve stress on your hands. For some people, alternative keyboard layouts have been key to their recovery.

Lets start with a brief history lesson on how the QWERTY keyboard layout was created. In the 1870’s when typewriters were being invented, the biggest problem was the tendency of the typebars to clash and jam if struck in rapid succession. In other words typing too fast would jam the typewriter, so the inventor rearranged the letters until he found the perfect layout that spaced out the commonly used characters away from each other, thus reducing how often things get jammed. Some people say it was designed to make typing slower.

The Dvorak layout is a completely different key layout designed to address the problems of inefficiency and fatigue which characterized the QWERTY keyboard layout. The idea is that reducing hand movement when typing which will make us not only type faster, but cause less stress on our hands over time.

DVORAK places the most commonly used characters on the home row. Words like ‘the’, ‘has’, ‘do’, ’so’, ‘no’, ‘to’, ‘and’ can all be typed without moving your finger up or down a row. The next lesser common characters are on the upper row, and the least common are mostly on the bottom row. The idea is that reaching up to the next row is less stressful than reaching down a row. It’s also designed so that typing often alternates each button push alternating between hands, thus evening out the load a little bit better. I should note that for those who type with one hand, they also have single handed versions of the DVORAK layout that put the common characters all to one side.

There was never strong enough of a movement in society to shift everyone from the QWERTY to the DVORAK layout like some had hoped. Fortunately for you, you don’t have to live with the de facto standard (QWERTY) because every modern operating system including Windows & Mac have native support for turning you current keyboard into a DVORAK keyboard. You can even buy a keyboard with the DVORAK layout if you so choose, but it’s not crucial if you learn to touch type. Here’s instructions on how to set up DVORAK on a Windows PC or Mac OSX.

So what is the Maltron layout? Maltron Keyboards is a manufacturer of specialty ergonomic keyboards. They’ve been around since the 70’s and became well known for a concave keyboard design that follows the contour of your hands. Interestingly, their engineers invented a completely unique keyboard layout that’s specifically tailored towards reducing stress on your hands. This layout is best illustrated on their executive keyboard.

[.. The use of the Maltron letter layout reduces the amount of individual finger movements required to type and the vertically aligned keys reduce the sideways micro movements which are very stressful on the fingers. ..]

Unfortunately we don’t yet have a Maltron keyboard for testing yet, but we did procure a DVORAK keyboard and put it to the test.

The question we always ask at RSI Stuff is will this make a difference with my RSI? I went under cover to answer that question and at the time of writing, I have been on DVORAK for 6 months now. Since I was a very fast QWERTY touch typist, I have to say learning DVORAK was miserable. You just about have to give up your QWERTY skills to switch because your muscle memory really only has room for one layout per keyboard form factor.

It’s an all in or all out type of proposition, but if you’re very dedicated to learning, it’s worth it. I’d describe the impact to RSI as a small to medium difference depending on how exactly you hands hurt. You still have to push the same number of keys with the same pressure per push as before, so getting the right ergonomic keyboard is still very important. DVORAK simply reduces overall movement, which has a subtle and pleasant impact over time. Now that I’m over the learning curve I can see myself being pretty content to stick with using DVORAK.

After a full day of typing every day for 8 hrs, my hands don’t ache near as much as they used to. The change is subtle enough that I didn’t notice anything different 3 months in. However after ~6 months, it’s becoming evident that there’s something to DVORAK. I’ve read dozens of stories from people with RSI who made the switch such as this one and the consensus is that the learning curve is frustrating, but that long term the benefits are well worth it. Some people claim it cured their RSI, and others say it just helped a good bit. Results vary from person to person.

If you’ve already found the right keyboard, still feeling pain from the muscle movement, and you’re willing to do whatever you can to relieve the pain from typing, then switching to an ergonomic focused keyboard layout is quite likely a good move for you. For those who suffer from RSI, there’s dozens of small things you can do to make it better from stretching to massage to better keyboards to a better chair. Learning a different keyboard layout is one change you can make that often goes overlooked due to the learning curve, but it certainly has a positive impact.

The AlphaGrip is one of the most unique keyboards on the market, taking the form factor of a gaming controller. It has all the keys from a standard layout and a trackball to use with your thumb. Comming in at $100, it’s not the cheapest keyboard we’ve seen, but compared to some of the other specialty keyboards on the market, it’s not too shabby either.

So here at RSI Stuff, the big question is: Is this the keyboard I’ve been looking for to help with my typing injury? The answer is neither black or white, so lets talk about it.

When using the AlphaGrip the first bit of relief I felt was being able to hold my hands in a completely different positon than a traditional mouse and keyboard. It also enables you to kick back in you chair, stand up, lay down, or choose any position for you body you’re in the mood for. One of the best things you can do for repetitive stress injuries is, well, be less repetitive about it; and this device enables you to move around a lot more easily while you work. While there are several keyboards and mice on the market that put you hands in a vertical position, this is the first usable device we’ve seen where it’s all in one unit.

The keys are pretty easy to push. The pressure needed to push a key down on this guy is rated at 80 KOF (grams of force needed to push the key in). Most keyboards range between 40-120 KOF so that puts the Alphagrip right in the middle. Why does this matter? 80 grams of force is very little, but accumulated over time, the difference of how hard your finger has to work to press the key can lead to fatigue. Too low of a number and the keyboard will feel unresponsive and a number too high will be clunky and strenuous. For our sake, and given the form factor, a rating of 80 is pretty decent and has a very natural feel to it.

Unfortunately, the trackball is somewhat low quality, so precision leaves a bit to be desired. Compared to other trackballs, they could have done a little better. It’s also slow, even with the speed turned up all the way, so I found it taxed my thumb a bit more than a normal logitech trackball.

How hard is this keyboard to get used to? I’m a computer programmer, so on a slow week I brought it into work and forced myself to learn trial by fire. It took ~5 days before I knew where all the keys were. It took another 3 weeks before I built up much speed. I ended up using it for 6 months, and although I never got as fast as I am on a normal keyboard, I was able to get fast enough that I was satisfied. The nice thing is that the odd form factor is different enough from your normal keyboard that learning it doesn’t have a huge impact on your normal typing abilities.

I’m going to get very subjective for the long term use part because everyone’s RSI is a little different. I used the device for about 6 months and it was a good 6 months. The welcome change up to my normal setup nearly saved me from having to take a leave of absence, but after 6 months, I found that I’d traded one set of pains for another. If you ever played halo on the original xbox for hours on end, you may have noticed your hands got cramp just because of how large the controller is. The alpha grip is even bigger and holding it in your hands for 8 hours a day was a little much for me.

If you’re is search of the magic bullet and you have enough will power to learn a completely new keyboard layout, I say the Alphagrip is a good candidate, and they offer a 30 day return policy. For casual use it’s wonderful. For heavy use, I suggest combining it with an ergonomic keyboard & mouse and swapping between the 2 setups throughout the day. Some people use the alphagrip to surf the web and their normal keyboard for typing a lengthy email for example. And yes, you can have the Alphagrip and another keyboard plugged in at the same time. Switching between the 2 is merely a matter of putting it down, and if you’re lucky, the added variation to your daily computing routine might be what makes the difference for you.