Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 for Business - Wired

I work at a software company, and spend 9-10 hours per day pounding away on this thing. Pros: 1. Im able to type extremely quickly on this, and its very comfortable. 2. No wrist fatigue 3. Little to no readjustment period from traditional keyboard angles to the more ergonomic style here Cons: 1. Key strikes are very loud. They can hear me typing two offices away. 2. The letters have completely rubbed off of all letters aside from Q, W, Z and X. Good thing Im not a "hunt and peck" typist 3. F lock is intermittent - you only realize its off when you try to use it and get some other function popping up instead

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I transcribe for a living and this keyboard has been a godsend, but . . . It fails. The retail version fails quicker than the business one, and feels not quite as sturdy. Its really responsive and I love the layout, and I find myself wishing I was able to find a mechanical keyboard that is identical. No such luck. My first one of these was bought February 2014. I thought I mustve gotten something onto it as keys pressed themselves when I wasnt using the keyboard. Bought a replacement in January 2015. Amazon replaced that one in May 2015 due to keys getting stuck after being struck. Microsoft replaced *that* one in November 2017 due to keys just not responding to strikes. And now theyre replacing that one (literally now, I made the call this morning - July 23rd, 2018) thanks to ... the space bar. It had to be the issue eventually, right? The letters on the keys wear off quick. Basically all of my letters labels have been gone since a month of getting this keyboard. Q and Z are pretty good, still, but there is a legit divot in the H key. Dont ask me how. There is a THREE-YEAR MANUFACTURER WARRANTY on this product. At least, as of this writing. They are aware of issues - theyd told me when I made the initial warranty claim that it happens a lot. So, if you fall in love with this keyboard and it gets finicky on you, Microsoft DOES stand behind the product and will issue you a replacement. You do have to ship the old one back at your expense, however. AND! Microsoft itself does not carry the business version of this keyboard, so, they will send you a retail. The actions and performance are the same, the physical integrity of the keyboard is not. Im a snob and will not buy shoddy products if I can help it. The fact that I keep this keyboard is a testament to how easy it is to type on it for long periods of time. Its extremely comfortable once you use it for a short while — like a trackball mouse, once you get used to it, anything else feels wrong. At under $50, its not going to last anything like a beast of a mechanical keyboard does, but when it works, it is a joy to use.

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I was having persistent pain in my left thumb, so I bought this keyboard (as well as getting an anti-inflammatory from my doctor and a splint). I do like the keyboard a lot. I initially had trouble with the space bar requiring too much force, but I adjusted to that within a few days. My main complaint about this keyboard is that there is no information about the "f-lock" key. I had never heard of such a thing, and I use my function keys (particularly Shift + F3 to change case) a lot. I could not figure out why my function keys werent working. I am a medical writer, so I spend a lot of time on my computer, and I tend to be fairly technically savvy about such things. Neither I nor my editor could figure it out. When I finally figured it out (with help from yet another person), we realized the f-lock key was the issue and located it and toggled it back on. I then needed to reset the functionality for the Shift + F3 key because in the process of trying to reset it earlier, I had erased its function. It was a big pain and took way more of my time than it should have. I guess some people need an f-lock key? It seems like overkill to me, and it caused me quite a bit of frustration. I wish the keyboard didnt have one (or at least that more information had come with the keyboard about how this key might make you want to tear your hair out).

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Ive been using Microsoft ergonomic keyboards for about 20 years now. I have one at work, AND at home. I almost cant type without one. I had to replace my old PS/2 with this USB for my new computer. The only reason I gave it four stars instead of five is because the space bar is noisy (loud) compared to the quiet letter and number keys. I also read that they break (stop working) for some people, but Ive never had one stop working for me. I just think its a shame that Microsoft seems to have a monopoly on this style/design, or seems to, because I cant find a similar one made by another company. There is one other supposed ergonomic keyboard out there, but its shape is a lot more subtle - almost flat, compared to the Microsoft. Another complaint I have, besides the noisy space bar, is that the number six (6) key is on the wrong side. It should be on the right but isnt. They should have made the seven key the standard size (width) and put the six next to it on the right. The G, T, Y, H and N keys are also wider than standard probably to make it look good. It certainly doesnt hurt the feel, but if every key were where it should be, and the standard key width, it would probably look a little strange. I hope there is competition for it soon, that would probably bring the price down.

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