Ergonomic

Ergonomic keyboards are designed to be efficient, comfortable, and beneficial to your health in most cases. Some ergonomic keyboards vastly different from most other keyboards. This means that although they may be quite beneficial to use, they can take a long time to get used to. There is more information on layouts on the Home Page. If you are someone with RSI, these can be very beneficial for you.

Know that I included regular "Split" keyboards in this section, even though they are not necessarily very ergonomic in comparison to some of the other options. They are far easier to get used to however.

I also want to mention ahead of time that some of these keyboards cannot individually be purchased, they have to be created in a DIY fashion. This is not as simple as doing a DIY build of a normal keyboard, some of them require far more work and research. Keep this in mind. I will make sure to label the DIY boards in the comments section.

I want to point out that all prices are "estimates" as they were the prices at the time this was created, and there is no guarantee that these keyboards are currently in stock either. I also did some rounding with a few prices, for instance I would have rounded $99 up to $100.

Another note: Many ergonomic keyboards are very expensive, but this isn't without reason. Many of them are not mass produced, and they require far more designing/engineering than something like a full sized mechanical keyboard. Although the price may be steep, I would argue the health benefits of some of these keyboards are worth it. If you have RSI, I highly suggest you get one of these options if at all possible.

Price: $165

Manufacturer: Mistel

Model: Barocco

Switches: Cherry MX

Keycaps: Double-Shot PBT

Case Material: Aluminum with Acrylic

Backlighting/RGB: RGB (Or None for $155)

Detachable Cable: Yes

Other Notes: This would be a nice option if you are looking for a split board, but want to keep the board fairly similar to what you're used to.

Price: $235 (without keycaps, wrist rest, and tenting feet, and backlighting) - $355

Manufacturer: Ergodox EZ

Model: Ergodox EZ Original

Switches: Cherry MX or Kailh

Keycaps: Choose between none, blank sculpted PBT, or flat Double-Shot ABS.

Case Material: Plastic

Backlighting/RGB: Optional Underglow

Detachable Cable: Yes

Other Notes: There are many different customizations that you can make that will change the price. For instance you can order the board with or without keycaps, the tenting feet, the wrist rests, and the underglow if you would like.

There is also a "Shine" model that comes with underglow. This model is a little more expensive but not by much.

This keyboard is "Ortholinear" which means that the columns are staggered rather than the rows. This is an ergonomic feature, but will take time to get used to.

The "Ergodox" itself is completely open source. Due to this, many DIY kits have been produced that are very similar to the Ergodox EZ.

Price: $320

Manufacturer: Kinesis

Model: Advantage 2

Switches: Cherry MX Brown or Silent Red

Keycaps: Likely Double-Shot ABS

Case Material: Plastic

Backlighting/RGB: None

Detachable Cable: Yes

Other Notes: The Kinesis Advantage 2 is probably the most popular mechanical ergonomic keyboard out there, but probably not in the Mechanical Keyboard community. That likely goes to a board like the Ergodox. It is, however, probably the most popular with the "sculpted" design. Overall it seems like a pretty solid keyboard.

Price: $375-$435

Manufacturer: Maltron

Model: L90

Switches: Cherry MX

Keycaps: ABS Double-Shot

Case Material: Plastic

Backlighting/RGB: None

Detachable Cable: Yes

Other Notes: The Maltron can be purchased with either QWERTY, DVORAK, or MALTRON as a key layout. As far as I know, the MALTRON layout is one of the most efficient layouts out there, but know if you are coming from QWERTY keyboards, it will take a long time to get used to.

This keyboard can come with or without the trackball in the center. That is where the price varies. Having a trackball is ergonomic, since you would not have to reach for your mouse on most occasions. That's the idea anyways.

This keyboard is "Ortholinear" which means that the columns are staggered rather than the rows. This is an ergonomic feature, but will take time to get used to.

Maltron also has other keyboards available, such as a 2d model of this version, an expanded keyboard, single hand keyboards, and a head/mouth stick keyboard.

I want to mention: This company has done wonderful things, they have designed products with the disabled and individuals with RSI in mind.

Price: Extremely Varied

Manufacturer: You (Matt Adereth was the creator)

Model: Dactyl

Switches: Up to you

Keycaps: Up to you

Case Material: Up to you, 3D Printed

Backlighting/RGB: Possible, but required tons of extra work

Detachable Cable: Yes

Other Notes: The Dactyl as well as a few other ergonomic keyboards are Open Source, and there is no specific manufacturer. Information about these keyboards can be found online. These keyboard cases are 3D printed, and you would have the option to print it yourself somewhere, or you could go through a company like Shapeways to print it for you. Know that a keyboard like this will require a lot of work to make. Tons of research will be necessarily for this to be built correctly. Keep that in mind.

Price: Extremely Varied

Manufacturer: You (Jeff Gran was the creator)

Model: Dactyl

Switches: Up to you

Keycaps: Up to you

Case Material: Up to you, 3D Printed

Backlighting/RGB: Possible, but required tons of extra work

Detachable Cable: Yes

Other Notes: The Manuform as well as a few other ergonomic keyboards are Open Source, and there is no specific manufacturer. Information about these keyboards can be found online. These keyboard cases are 3D printed, and you would have the option to print it yourself somewhere, or you could go through a company like Shapeways to print it for you. Know that a keyboard like this will require a lot of work to make. Tons of research will be necessarily for this to be built correctly. Keep that in mind.

Price: Extremely Varied

Manufacturer: You (Tom Short was the creator)

Model: Dactyl-Manuform

Switches: Up to you

Keycaps: Up to you

Case Material: Up to you, 3D Printed

Backlighting/RGB: Possible, but required tons of extra work

Detachable Cable: Yes

Other Notes: The Dactyl-Manuform as well as a few other ergonomic keyboards are Open Source, and there is no specific manufacturer. Information about these keyboards can be found online. These keyboard cases are 3D printed, and you would have the option to print it yourself somewhere, or you could go through a company like Shapeways to print it for you. Know that a keyboard like this will require a lot of work to make. Tons of research will be necessarily for this to be built correctly. Keep that in mind.

The Dactyl-Manuform as you may have guessed, is a hybrid between both the Dactyl, and the Manuform keyboards.

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