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Rodrigo Harrison photo
Macao, Los Angeles
1 Level
721 Review
37 Karma

Review on πŸ’» Enhanced Microsoft Ergonomic Desktop by Rodrigo Harrison

Revainrating 1 out of 5

Worse than the original - seems cheaper, more expensive

I have been using the original Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 for many years both at home and at work. With proper chair and elbow brace setup, your wrists will be in the position of least stress and minimize the risk of injuries like carpal tunnel. I am appalled that the original good tried and tested keyboard is no longer being made and the few new keyboards that are left are on the market for 10x their original price at the time of writing! Obviously people are panicking that they can't find an exact replacement. I bought this new version only to find out how awful the new version is. And it really is a relative disaster. First, it looks and feels a lot cheaper (although it costs more). The softness of the palm rests is noticeably less. The keys are squarer in shape, and the keys' vertical travel range (the depth to which they can be pressed) is smaller, closer to the feel of a laptop keyboard. The width of the gap in the middle of the bottom row of keys has increased. The different shape of the "T" and "N" keys (on the "4000" keyboard they were wider than the rest of the keys to make them easier to hit) has disappeared. The keyboard is thinner overall, sits lower, and feels like the front of the keyboard is slightly less raised (when the front side lifter is installed). The lift is attached with just two pins instead of four. The mouse that comes with it is a bit small and certainly not what you would call "ergonomic" these days. This is a typical medium sized mouse. It may be comfortable for some, uncomfortable for others. I don't understand why Microsoft stopped releasing a well tested, proven and respected keyboard. This new version is definitely an improvement over the look and feel of the original.

Pros
  • Best
Cons
  • Ugly packaging