Truly Ergonomic Computer Keyboard Review: One Month with the TECK
by Jarred Walton on March 7, 2013 12:35 AM ESTClosing Thoughts: A New Spin on Ergonomics
At this point, I can say that I like much of what has been accomplished with the TECK. Truly Ergonomic claims that they’ve created a “revolution in typing”, but that’s probably a bit too far in my book. On the other hand, I’m not sure most people would be willing to invest in a "true" revolution—for example, I’ve toyed with the idea of trying out the Dvorak layout to see if it would improve my accuracy and speed, but it’s such a massive change from QWERTY that the learning curve is even worse than moving from a standard keyboard layout to the TECK; reportedly, it can take around a month of typing four hours a day to reach your previous QWERTY proficiency. Likewise, as someone who has used a “natural” keyboard for years, the modified layout of the TECK feels like a better take on a split key arrangement—the staggered keys on most keyboards really start to feel taxing once you get used to something else. The thing is, Truly Ergonomic isn’t the only company to “reinvent” the keyboard, and in fact they’re not even close to being the first.
One alternative is to go with keyboards from Kinesis, a company founded clear back in 1991 (when I was still in high school and carpal tunnel was so far in my future that it never even crossed my mind). I don’t know how much Kinesis has changed their design over the years, but the core design of their latest Contoured Advantage looks to be largely the same as the original Contoured introduced in 1992. What’s more, the Cherry MX Brown switches used in the TECK were actually created at the request of Kinesis as an alternative to the clicky MX Blue switches; that’s a pretty strong pedigree. Kinesis also offers their Advantage with Cherry MX Red linear switches for those that prefer a slightly different feel, though I’ve heard (and tend to agree) that reds are designed more for gamers than for typists. Still, I wouldn’t mind seeing TECK or others offer a selection of MX switches as an upgrade option.
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For their part, Truly Ergonomic points to their clearly original design and says they’ve worked to make their keyboard more ergonomic than other options. I haven’t put the Advantage through the paces yet, so I can’t say which is (subjectively) better, but they are certainly different. Pricing is in favor of the TECK, as you can pick one up for $248 compared to $299 for the base Contoured Advantage, but the Kinesis keyboards also include macro functionality which might be worth the additional cost for some. The Advantage also includes USB hub functionality, and the Advantage Pro comes with a foot pedal that can be used to further improve typing performance. (As someone that is in awe of a good pianist or organist, however, I suspect learning to use your foot/feet while typing is not something that everyone will take to.)
Ultimately, I can’t recommend the TECK as a keyboard that is ideal for every user out there, but if you’re suffering from RSI/CTS (or think you might be), I can say that personally I feel like the past month of use has resulted in less discomfort after lengthy typing sessions than the MS Natural I’ve been using for years. That’s a pretty strong recommendation for a subset of users, but it comes with the caveats I’ve mentioned already. The learning curve on the TECK requires a serious commitment to change, and now that I’ve been typing on the TECK for a solid month I’m finding that my typing on regular keyboards has deteriorated somewhat (e.g. 57 WPM on the Rosewill RK-9100 compared to 70 WPM last month). It’s not as bad as what happened when I first switched to the TECK, but it’s definitely something that will take a bit of time to readjust, so if you happen to have multiple PCs that you use regularly (e.g. at work and at home), you might have to purchase two keyboards to avoid disorientation.
Then there’s the price. $248 makes this the type of product that you likely won’t be buying on an impulse, and when you look at other mechanical keyboards that sell for closer to $100 it can feel quite extreme. On the other hand, if you’re suffering from RSI/CTS, all it takes is a quick look at the cost of surgery and rehabilitation to make the TECK look far more enticing. For my part, it’s simple economics: not as many users are willing to commit to an ergonomic keyboard, particularly one like the TECK where there are enough changes that it requires effort to make the switch. When your market is smaller and you have to put more money into R&D to come up with your initial design, prices will be higher. That’s also why you don’t see other extras like a USB hub or keyboard backlighting on the TECK, as both items would take an already expensive keyboard up into the $300 range.
And that’s basically my recommendation right now: if you’re in the market for an ergonomic keyboard and want something more advanced than a simple split key “natural”, the options are quite limited. For ergonomic keyboards with mechanical switches, you have Truly Ergonomic’s TECK, the Kinesis Contoured Advantage, Maltron (the most expensive of the bunch), or if you don’t mind going the DIY route you could try the open source ErgoDox (which you can get for $200 via MassDrop). Depending on personal preference, I would imagine any of those three could end up being the “best”, but it’s a lot like shopping for clothing: there’s no such thing as “one size fits all” when it comes to keyboards. To that end, Truly Ergonomic does offer a 60-day money back guarantee on the TECK. I’m still well within that 60 day period and at this stage I’m more than happy to keep the TECK and continue using it. We’ll have to see if that’s still the case after I spend some time with Kinesis’ Advantage offering.
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pubjoe - Thursday, March 7, 2013 - link
By the way, I think you're missing the word "feel" on this sentence on page two: "at least I don’t like the TECK might fail in the near future".jonkullberg - Thursday, March 7, 2013 - link
Interesting read Jarred, I've been looking forward to this since your preview. I just wanted to share my own experience of going from QWERTY to DVORAK (or the Swedish SVORAK, actually) back in 2007 or so when I was writing for Tom's Hardware. I was also living in Berlin at the time, so the hipster allure of being the only one with a weird keyboard layout was very tempting.I too was using the same white and blue MS Natural before becoming smitten with the looks of the then new TypeMatrix EZ-Reach 2030: http://www.typematrix.com/ezr2030/dvorak.html
The switch was indeed huge! I mean, just look at the layout of the damn thing! =) Not a single button was where it was supposed to be, and my typing speed was severely crippled for a very long time. I think it probably took me 3-6 months to get where I didn't ever have to look at the keys again. I eventually stopped using DVORAK/SVORAK alltogether.
I'd say this on the matter:
Pros: I found the DVORAK layout noticeably more relaxing for my arms, hands and fingers. I'd probably even go so far as to claim that it is more relaxing for your whole brain, since you don't have to move your fingers around so much (my typing is fairly fast, but I probably only use 2-3 fingers on each hand most of the time). If I remember correctly, TypeMatrix themselves claimed that DVORAK would reduce finger movement by 50% or so. I wouldn't dare to second that, but it was indeed noticeable. I saw someone in the comments here say that their fingers had a lazy feel, and that's probably an accurate description. I would be typing fairly fast, but completely without the focus and strain that comes from doing so with qwerty.
Cons: The time it takes to get used to it of course. The hassle of rebinding keys for every game you are going to be playing. Not being able to use normal hot keys (ctrl + c and so on) like you are used to. Frequently switching between qwerty and dvorak was pretty horrible for me since my "muscle memory" would dump whatever layout I wasn't using.
I'm a bit interested in the TECK, and I might actually even consider going dvorak on it if I ever get it. As for recommending dvorak to others: it's really awesome to use, but there is a looot of hassle involved.
evonitzer - Thursday, March 7, 2013 - link
Steam and other modern games automatically handle key binding correctly with dvorak. Meaning I don't have to switch. But the easy solution is just to leave both keyboards as options and switch between them in game. For me, it is Left Ctrl + Shift. If I enter a game that requires qwerty binding, then I just use qwerty in game and change when back at the desktop.I don't understand how there is a lot of hassle? You just change the language options in Windows, spend the time to learn, and then you have Dvorak.
Do you need the keycaps changed? I thought everyone was a touch typist these days. In my experience, I just had a piece of paper sitting next to the keyboard with the key assignments, and I played typer shark or some other silly game to learn where the keys are.
The copy paste thing is a real issue, I will grant. You can still use them, but now they are two handed operations or else awkward with the left hand.
Belard - Thursday, March 7, 2013 - link
"! Finally, I switched to a split keyboard back in 2004, a Microsoft Natural that Istill have today—it’s so old that it doesn’t even have a USB connection if that helps"
They still make ps/2 connector keyboards to this day, which I have no problem using... They still tend to just work better since the OS doesn't have to load up USB drivers to detect the keyboard.
Anyho... MY keyboard IS SO OLD, it doesn't even have a ps/2 connector! I got it in 1995 as ATX was just coming out. Yep, it uses a huge AT connector. I use an adapter which is heavy and 2" long, so I also use a ps/2 extension cable so the adapter doesn't (A) require 3-4" rear clearance behind my desktop and (B) add a lot of weight and fall out of the ps/2 port. And (C) possibly break the connector on the motherboard.
They of course stop making My keyboard long time ago. As of today, there are no good replacements for it. When it dies its going to SUCK. Not only because of its style but that most of today's keyboards are crap. Using cheap decals for letters and short life spans. I don't have cts, but I'm also a light typist... I don't have much key wear after all these years.
I have a Lite-On ergonomic keyboard, it's a knock off from the MS natural keyboard from the 90s with their own arrangement and of course lower price of $23. What makes it good or different (even thou it's not mechanical but still rather noisy by today's standards.)
1- the split is staggered, unlike MS or Logitech... Also angled differently.
2- the number 6 key is on the right side of the split.
3- it has somewhat useless TAB and ENTER keys in the center, while it does have them in the normal places.
But what I really like about this keyboard is the following:
4- the large L shaped ENTER key
5- along with a large BACKSPACE key. Try finding that combo on the same keyboard! They were able to do this by placing the pipe &\ key ( |\ ) below the ENTER key on the right corner, making the little used R-SHIFT key a bit smaller than usual. But look everyone, the R-SHIFT key is the longest key there is!
6- the keyboard is white/beige so you don't need as much light to see the keys in the dark.
The only thing IMHO would make this layout/keyboard better is if the INS & DELETE key were turned into a single large DELETE key and the INSERT key was used to replace the useless SCROLL LOCK (make it into a shift key activation) and of course then swap locations with the PRT SCREEN key.
7- there is a slight cutout at the front of the wrist rest to make it very easy to pickup or grab the keyboard... While on others, there is no grip on the front.
When this keyboard dies... I'm in trouble. Even thou I'm used to standard keyboards for the most part. There pics of this on the net.
( typed from my iPad touch screen )
Juddog - Thursday, March 7, 2013 - link
Am I the only one that went "WTF" with regards to how the 6 key was used by the author on the MS Ergonomic keyboard picture? I don't understand why someone would use their right hand to reach way over to the key that's purposefully put on the other side of the split keyboard.I always use my left hand to hit the number 6. Good article in general, just thought that one odd bit bothered me for some reason.
JarredWalton - Thursday, March 7, 2013 - link
On the MS, I use the left hand for the 6, but the TECK basically requires you to learn to use the right hand for it. I didn't intend to imply this is "better" (and the TECK image showing you using the right hand for the 6 is a bit much).savagesword - Thursday, March 7, 2013 - link
Not just you.I hit '7' with the first finger of the right hand, and '6' as you said.
The other odd thing was the slant of the right hand described in the diagram. My hands 'center' on the two split layouts, and the thumbs rest on the space bar. It's as comfortable as it gets. No aches, and no problems, even for extended hours.
The exceptions are of course, if I want to use the number pad for lots of numerical entries, (I'm also used to those +, -, * and / keys there now). The num pad is also used extensively for shortcuts (like in Nikon View NX2) - use the number keys to assign a color or star rating to a photograph.
My only gripe is that they do not make a backlit natural split keyboard.
savagesword - Thursday, March 7, 2013 - link
I just tried sitting and positioning my hands on the MS4000 the way the nutcase drew those lines. In this case, I'm at an angle, about 35-45 degrees to the monitor. My eyes are almost in line with the left edge of the monitor (at about 2.5 feet away of course). It's highly uncomfortable. I can't type at half normal speed in this scenario.The person who did this was obviously high at the moment he thought this up.
TeamSprocket - Friday, March 8, 2013 - link
You're supposed to hit 1-5 with your left hand, and 6-0 with your right hand. After all, you're supposed to hit T (on QWERTY) with your left hand, and Y (on QWERTY) with your right hand, and 5 is above T and 6 is above Y.marvdmartian - Thursday, March 7, 2013 - link
As an OLD GUY, who originally (in high school) learned to type on a manual typewriter (55 WPM, thank you!), and later had to use electric typewriters (what the heck is a RETURN key??), I think I'd find this keyboard to be more painful to learn, than beneficial to use.Pretty sure that I'd learn to hate the location of the keys on the lower left & right (PgUp/PgDn, etc, and the arrow keys), as I generally don't use them a lot anyways, and like having them out of the way. I do utilize the "natural" keyboards for day to day use, and haven't had any medical problems (though I do notice, if forced to use a straight keyboard, that my forearms ache after about 10 minutes of typing).
One thing I did notice in your article, is the relocation of the number 6 key to right side. Actually, if you ever learned typing on a typewriter, you'd know that the number 6 was taught to be pressed with the right index finger, not the left. It was one of the harder things I had to get used to, switching to a natural keyboard, was using my left hand index finger to hit the 6 key. So I guess there'd be at least one thing I'd like about this layout!