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Ask HN: What are good compact keyboards for programming?

12 points by smrtinsert ↗ HN
Lately I HATE the arrows/home/end etc keys on the right and want something where either they are removed, or shifted to the left hand. I'd rather have my right hand move my mouse, but for now I'm using the mouse on the left.

I do this because of shoulder pains caused by the mouse on the right.

I tried the Genius i200 keyboard after I saw the reviews on Amazon, but the keys are very hard to press, so I'm probably going to return it.

18 comments

[ 3.7 ms ] story [ 64.9 ms ] thread
username111
There is the happy hacking keyboard (the mechanical one is quite expensive and the regular one is hard to find, and usually comes out to ~$100 if not bought from the company).

You can find a few here: http://www.elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=special&f...

Those are pretty expensive though.

The typematrix is also an interesting option:

http://www.typematrix.com/

vidoc
While I love typematrix keyboards, and I also have to say that their tech support is really outstanding, the build quality is pretty weak and my experience with those keyboards is that they are not very robust. Still, the typing experience is awesome and they map particularly well on Linux.

tip: while they can be expensive, a coupon search on google will relax the price a little bit.

smrtinsert
I like the layout of the type matrix, thanks for the tip. The directionals might be more useful to you closer to the resting position. Also, the separation between left and right hand keys probably helps with overextending as well.
hga
I moved to keyboards from the first link, the Tenkeyless ones, for exactly the same problem that the OP has. That plus getting my mouse at exactly the same height, so my forearm doesn't move up or down when moving between them, did the trick.

One of the best $100 I've ever spent.

gcb0
buy an old microsoft natural keyboard, hacksaw the numpad as it's a different logic board.
simplyinfinity
I have one of these and it's not a bad keyboard ... except the space bar ... it's hart do press 90% of the time or you have to press it twice. but i would recommend the MS Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000. i use one at work and at home and i'm in love with it.
gcb0
completely opposite experience here.

have one natural keyboard at work another at home. Space bar is flawless! i can press with any force on any part of it.

then there's the comfort desktop 5000 or 7000 or some large number that i bought just to hack the "zoom" slider in the middle to be a mouse scroll wheel simulator... i ended up trhowing it away because i simply couldn't press the space bar anywhere! also, it was louder then the old natural keyboard (which is a huge flaw for both models. since they are all membrane and should be near silent)

DanBC
If you have pain you need to make sure that your ergonomics are correct before you do anything else.

As for little keyboards: People like the Happy Hacking Lite; proper keys and nice travel and small without being too cramped.

MS keyboards are often recommended, especially their ergonomic range.

But maybe a chiclet style keyboard would suit more?

smrtinsert
I actually prefer my current mechanical keyboards for typing. I like the responsive ness. I would love a chiclet keyboard's profile so long as they provide the same typing speed performance.

The HH keyboard looks great except for the fact that the compact directional combo is FN and minus, add. That means the right hand would have to lift and strain to press both at the same time. If only it offered another Fn on the left hand side to accomplish the combo with both hands...

kps
>I do this because of shoulder pains caused by the mouse on the right.

As much as a I love a good keyboard, you need to fix this.

For keyboard reviews, see http://deskthority.net/ and http://geekhack.org/

smrtinsert
bookmarked! dunno why I could find these after days of searching on my own.
subsection1h
I don't understand. You want a good keyboard for programming because of shoulder pain caused by your mouse? Why are you using a mouse while programming?

(I have a Kinesis Contoured Advantage keyboard. I use Emacs and I've configured Firefox so that I rarely need my mouse. I experience no physical pain while using my computer.)

hollerith
The Logitech K810 is a good compact keyboard. It uses scissor-switch rubber-membrane keys, like Apple keyboards do, but unlike Apple keyboards, the keys are of standard size (.75 inches between the line through the center of one row and the line through the center of the next row -- same as almost every desktop keyboard since the keyboard on the original IBM PC but different from Apple's keyboards) and they are slightly curved (spherical, to be exact, as opposed to cylindrical like most desktop keyboards or flat like Apple keyboards).

It is wireless, illuminated, light, only a few mm high and able to be picked up with one hand. (I value lightness and ability to be picked up with one hand highly; maybe I pick my keyboard up more than most people do.)

(Disclaimer: I do not actually own a K810, but compactness is not a requirement or a desire for me -- time spent moving my hand to and from the mouse is not something I seek to reduce. I did test drive a K810 for a couple of weeks and own similar Logitech keyboards (two K750s, which shares the Perfect Stroke system with the K810).)

I tried a mechanical keyboard (with Cherry Brown switches) and it was nice and all, but when you press a key, the feel of the Logitech keyboards with the Perfect Stroke system (the K750, K800, K810, wired Illuminated) is sufficiently close to the feel of the mechanical keyboards that the other advantages listed above -- plus the fact that the key tops are spherical rather than cylindrical -- put the Logitechs in the lead.

Note however that the keyboard I am recommending is more expensive than a mechanical keyboard when you account for the fact that the mechanical keyboard will last for about 10 times more key presses.

codemonkeymike
Rosewill sells mechanical keyboards without arrow/numpads. I will only use mechanical keyboards after I got my Das keyboard.
swah
I haven't tried the Topres yet. But I have bought a Leopold MX Brown TKL (elitekeyboards.com), then a CM Quickfire MX Blues (had to resolder the PCB several times), and now another Filco MX Browns TKL, which hasn't arrived. And shipped them to Brazil. I'm very satisfied with them.

One is at home, another at work.

In the first moment the MX Blues felt nicer, but after a few weeks I'm back prefering the MX Browns, and my colleagues really complained about the MX Blues noise.

I'm actually waiting for keycaps from a Deskthority Round4 order (Cherry MX keyboards have an active customization community).

I'll buy a ergonomically weighted Realforce when I feel that I deserve it.