John,
I am hardly an expert on the various nuances when it comes to mechanical
keyboards and so I'll leave it up to Merv or Robin if they would like to
respond to talk about how these keyboards benefit them. Das, which is a
company that produces mechanical keyboards, has an extremely detailed
blog post
<https://www.daskeyboard.com/blog/mechanical-keyboard-guide/>that
describes the various switches you can find in mechanical keyboards. The
last one that I used was known as a buckling spring keyboard. It did not
require a very heavy touch for the key to make contact and the feel of
that particular keyboard reminded me of what it was like to type on an
electric typewriter, both regarding its sound as well as the fact that
it didn't take a very forceful touch for a key to register.
Consequently, my typing speed did seem to be much faster and typing on
them should be more comfortable and they may even be better for your
hands for extended typing..
David Goldfield,
Blindness Assistive Technology Specialist
JAWS Certified, 2019
WWW.DavidGoldfield.org
On 1/17/2020 10:53 PM, John Holcomb II wrote:
Ok so I’ve heard of this mechanical keyboard thing, and what exactly is that?
Something about cherry switches vs sizzer switches.
And programmable buttons, but what is all this?
I know the one I have is a Logitech, it has the volume up , down and mute buttons on the right, and the f1 through f12 are in groups of four too.
*From:* blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> *On Behalf Of *Merv Keck
*Sent:* Friday, January 17, 2020 12:55 PM
*To:* blind-philly-comp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
*Subject:* [blind-philly-comp] Re: Logitech's new ergonomic keyboard aims to reduce wrist strain and pain
I’ve been using computers since 1984. My first computer was an Apple II e Enhanced. That computer had the keyboard built into the case. I used that computer for eleven years. Once it started wearing out I kept on using it even when it some of the keys stopped working. In 1995 I got my first PC. It was a Gateway 2000 windows 95 machine. It had one of those cheap what we would call throw away keyboards now. In the last 25 years I’ve used everything from that cheap throw away keyboard to the Microsoft ergonomic keyboard to the $250 programmable keyboards that were popular before gaming keyboards were even a thing. I’ve even used the expensive wireless keyboard that you stood vertically in a stand every few weeks to charge and it had a touch pad built into it so you could make your desktop feel like a laptop. But still be as powerful as a desktop. Back when I had vision.
But I love my Corsair K55 because it meets a few of my personal needs: I personally wanted a mute button and volume up and down buttons right on the keyboard. Yes, I can do all of that with Jaws commands. And I have a Bose speaker system on my computer and I can do that right on the speaker controller. But I wanted to do it on the Keyboard.
I also wanted some extra function keys that were programmable. And I did not want to have to load drivers from the net or a disc. I have six of them to the left side of the keyboard. And since I am left handed it works out perfectly for me. I also wanted something that was more firm than my last Logitech keyboard. I may not be expressing that correctly. I have a seizure disorder. My hands are rock steady. I do not have the tremors that often accompany many seizure sufferers. But if I get very tired or very stressed, something which happens all too often lately, when I type sometimes I end up spell checking words lilike thithis. And that is annoying. Laughs! A keyboard that is more mechanical gives me a lesser chance of errors when I am typing perhaps because of the clickety clack. Perhaps because I have to type more firmly and focus on the task. But it works for me.
The keyboard is also very sturdy and the keys are well spaced. I also like that the function keys are in groups of four instead of having all 12 of them in a row like some keyboards have them. I used to bump dot my Logitech keyboards but I have never felt the need to bump dot this one.
Merv
*From:* blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> <blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>> *On Behalf Of *kstarrett5@xxxxxxxxx <mailto:kstarrett5@xxxxxxxxx>
*Sent:* Friday, January 17, 2020 11:30 AM
*To:* blind-philly-comp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:blind-philly-comp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
*Subject:* [blind-philly-comp] Re: Logitech's new ergonomic keyboard aims to reduce wrist strain and pain
I don’t mean to be flippant in any way, but what is so great about that particular keyboard? I worked in IT for over thirty years which adds up to quite a lot of typing on many keyboards, but I have never really preferred one over another. So please, enlighten me to the virtues of this keyboard. <smile>
Kim
*From:* blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> <blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>> *On Behalf Of *Merv Keck
*Sent:* Thursday, January 16, 2020 10:01 PM
*To:* blind-philly-comp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:blind-philly-comp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
*Subject:* [blind-philly-comp] Re: Logitech's new ergonomic keyboard aims to reduce wrist strain and pain
I agree with Robin on every point. Including Corsair. I have a different model but I still have no plans to ever go back. Laughs!
Merv
*From:* blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> <blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>> *On Behalf Of *Robin Frost
*Sent:* Thursday, January 16, 2020 9:52 PM
*To:* blind-philly-comp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:blind-philly-comp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
*Subject:* [blind-philly-comp] Re: Logitech's new ergonomic keyboard aims to reduce wrist strain and pain
Hi,
I’ve yet to meet an ergonomic keyboard that I liked or felt natural to me. I tried the Microsoft natural keyboard I think it was called eons again that was enough of that curvy split sort of half moon design for me for one lifetime. I’m very happy however with my Corsair mechanical keyboard it really takes much less effort to type on it. I never got what the big deal was about that class of keyboard till I tried one for myself and now I’d never ever go back.
Take good care.
Robin
*From:*David Goldfield
*Sent:*Wednesday, January 15, 2020 6:07 PM
*To:*blind-philly-comp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:blind-philly-comp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
*Subject:*[blind-philly-comp] Logitech's new ergonomic keyboard aims to reduce wrist strain and pain
Windows Central - News, Forums, Reviews, Help for Windows 10 and all things Microsoft. - Wednesday, January 15, 2020 at 1:08 PM
Logitech's new ergonomic keyboard aims to reduce wrist strain and pain
Logitech wants to make the time at your desk less of a pain.
What you need to know
·Logitech announced the ERGO K860 Ergonomic Split Keyboard.
·The keyboard includes wrist support and a split design to improve typing ergonomics.
·The ERGO K860 will be available in January 2020 with a suggested retail price of $130.
Logitech announced the ERGO K860 Ergonomic Split Keyboard today. The keyboard features a split design and cushioned wrist rests to reduce strain on your wrists while you type. The Logitech ERGO K860 Ergonomic Split Keyboard will be available in January with a suggested retail price of $130.
The design of the ERGO K860 is similar to other ergonomic keyboards. The split keyboard allows your hands to rest at a more natural angle, and the cushioned wrist rests reduce how much you have to bend your wrists to type. Logitech claims that the ERGO K860 offers 54 percent more wrist support than other keyboards and reducing wrist bending by 25 percent.
The keyboard works with PCs and macOS devices and can connect through either Bluetooth Low Energy or a USB dongle. If you have a Logitech Flow-enabled mouse, you can move seamlessly from one computer to another utilizing Logitech Options software.
https://www.windowscentral.com/logitech-announces-ergo-k860-ergonomic-split-keyboard
David Goldfield
Assistive Technology Specialist
Feel free to visit my Web site
WWW.DavidGoldfield.info <http://WWW.DavidGoldfield.info>
