Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Keyboard for Business (5KV-00001 )

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I bought one for my office and liked it so much that I bought another one for home. The ergonomic structure fit my hands perfectly and I really appreciated that I could place the numerical unit and the mouse separately. That gave me loads of options, which I need because the standing desk I use has a keyboard tray that really isnt big enough, yet it is at just the right height for putting paper documents to sign, edit, etc. without going to the trouble of lowering the desk. It is a delightfully fluid arrangement. The keys are farther apart than on a standard keyboard, which reduces the chances of accidentally hitting two keys at once. And doesnt feel cramped. I can use it all day without fatigue. As I read through the reviews I noted that professional typists were unhappy with the unusual placement of some of the auxiliary keys (back space, delete, end, etc.) and the response time. Im far from being a proficient typist, so those differences did not bother me much. The feel of the keys takes a little getting used to, but once I got the hang of it, it was smooth sailing. Then, about 4 months after purchase (November 2018) the keys began responding slowly, then intermittently, not at all. It took about a week for it to become unusable. I was dismayed, to say the least. The only hesitation I had when I selected this keyboard was the problems some people reported with durability, describing a progressive deterioration after a few months of use. But I decided to take the gamble. I lost. About four days ago I sent a message to the manufacturer through Amazon, explaining the failure and asking if it was still under warranty. To date Ive gotten no response. I would gladly buy another if I were assured that I would get support, but Ill have to buy a different keyboard (actually two, because switching between two different keyboards would be a pain) if I dont get a response soon. Too bad.

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I really liked this keyboard for the first three months that I had it. Its got a lot of great features like negative incline, a lack of number keypad, and sloping/tilted keys. Its really quite nice and very comfortable to type on. However, after having it for only three months, my right spacebar is broken. Nothing remarkable happened to it, just one day I started using it and it was very stiff. I can still use it, but Ive got to use a lot of pressure on the right spacebar to get it to activate. This makes a loud noise and most importantly it hurts my wrists. The keyboard feels well constructed, so I am very surprised to see this happen after only three months.

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This keyboard stopped working seven months after I bought it. I gave it two stars because when it works, its a great keyboard. I purchased the extra warranty on this item because so many reviewers mentioned the short life issue of this product. When I tried to make a claim with Square Trade, they told me that it was still under manufacturer warranty and to contact Microsoft. When I called Microsoft, the person I talked to first tried to sell me a service plan. Then she told me to contact the manufacturer of the keyboard. When I told her that it was a Microsoft product, she started asking me what kind of computer I had. I told her I thought that was irrelevant since we are talking about a broken keyboard. I tried it on another computer, I changed the batteries, I reinstalled the drivers, I pulled out some hairs and cried before I called to make a warranty claim. Even though she insisted that I had the right department and she was a warranty claim person, she continually asked me the same questions over and over. Where did I buy it? What kind of computer do I have? Do I have a service contract with Microsoft? She told me to call the manufacturer of my computer for my warranty claim, then she told me to contact Amazon for the warranty claim. I asked several times if I had the right department and should I call someone else? I asked repeatedly to talk with her manager, which she refused. Then she hung up on me. You might think I was rude to her, but I was insistent and polite. I guess I can wait until March and make a claim with Square Trade. I looked everywhere online to find out how to make a warranty claim with Microsoft, but never found anything. Its obvious that Microsoft wont honor any warranty and just wants to run an endurance contest with its customers.

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I use a Mac dock, from where I have several USB devices. This keyboard gets completely disconnected about 5 times a day. I need to disconnect/reconnect every time. And even worst: sometimes it gets partially disconnected. Just some of the keys I type get into the computer. Ten I endp tping lke tis. This is my second one. For the first one, I lost the usb receiver and I had to buy an entire keyboard again, because they dont sell the receiver alone. Such a bad keyboard. UPDATE: 2018/10: After the 2 keyboards mentioned above, my company gave a third one, insisting the issue was the usb port. They replaced my USB port. They have replaced my laptop 2 times after that. Final conclusion, the problem is the keyboard. I am having some other, hopefully wired, keyboard today. Additionally: The Function keys are too small. You have to chase them and look down wasting precious time. The home, page up, delete buttons are not where they were for years. After 2 years using this keyboard I still keep looking for the old location. This one is just not ergonomic at all.

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Loved it when i first bought it, it was quiet when typing, and small so didnt take up too much room on my desk. Now, not even 30 days later It lags on the buttons when pressed. Not sure if having sync issues with the USB or if its the actual keyboard but i am timed on tasks that i do and my productivity went down in the last month because of the lags. Not only does it lag but all of a sudden out of no where numbers or letters would start appearing on my screen as if someone was holding it down and the only way i could get it to stop is if i disconnected the USB and then reconnected it. It has happened about twice a week. Buttons also did get stuck. So unhappy with the keyboard, tried giving it a chance so waited till the last week to return it. Figured i could get used to the quirks because when it did type it was great. Unfortunately now i have to return it and wait for a new keyboard to get here.

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I previously had a Microsoft Ergo 4000, and had liked quite a bit, but had switched to the Kensis Advantage for most of my work. For home and away from my main keyboard, I was looking for a device that was narrower than the 4000, and offered some of the ergo benefits. I liked how this keyboard didnt have the numpad, but was worried of the wireless, since I work and live in a high-RF environment. I was right to be worried. This keyboard is next to useless if you have any more than a slight amount of RF noise in your work environment. Maybe 1 out of 20 key presses actually registered with the computer (even after replacing the batteries, positioning the USB dongle in a bunch of different ways and with different extenders, and a handful of other attempted fixes that shouldnt have been necessary). The keys were comfortable, and the magnetic negative-tilt attachment was great, but the wireless interface was unacceptable. If Microsoft had a wired version of this keyboard, it would be perfect, but as-is, its garbage.

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After having used the Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 for over 10 years both at work and at home, in the last year or so Ive started getting RSI in my thumbs from hitting the both the space bar and the number pad on the keyboard (and also from gripping my vertical mouse). I never really thought about how much pressure it required to hit the type of keys that the 4000 had. So I finally decided to try this newer version of the keyboard, and so far I really like it. The keys are much easier to press so they dont tire out my fingers as much, and having separate space bars for each thumb is an improvement over the 4000. On that one the space bar became "lopsided" because I hit it more with my right hand than my left. So when I would try to hit it with my left it would be much harder to press the key down. This one hopefully shouldnt have that issue in the future. This is the second one I bought. Ive been using one at work for a few weeks now and its definitely more comfortable. Its not completely fixing my RSI but it doesnt hurt as much, and it takes longer before it starts to hurt. I like that the number pad is separate, because I move it out of the way when Im not using it at home, and also move the keyboard over to a more comfortable position for gaming. The attachable wrist rest works very well. Its comfortable and is actually at a slightly better height for me than the 4000. Im probably in the minority here, but I wish the keyboard were wired instead. At work I plugged the dongle into my computer under my desk and it must be close enough to my keyboard tray that theres no issue. But at home my computer is about 3 or so feet away from my tray, and the tower is on the other side of my desk. Apparently that was an issue because the keyboard was working very sporadically. So I finally used a USB extension cable and put the dongle on top of my desk, about 1 1/2 feet from my tray, and now its working fine. I also miss the shortcut keys that the 4000 had. I used those a lot for quick access to my favorite programs and I miss that. I did edit the blue side of the function keys to add a couple back, so thats something. I also wish they hadnt moved all the arrow/page down/etc. keys, because I use those a lot as well and Im having more trouble adapting to their new positions than I thought I would. Without the separation between the sets of keys its harder to find the right one by feel, but Im assuming Ill get better in time. All things considered, I would definitely recommend it as an upgrade to anyone who has the older 4000 model.

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As an IT professional, Ive used several keyboards, from desktops to laptops, for the past 20 years. Recently Ive been experiencing some Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) symptoms and decided to buy an ergonomic one. This Microsoft keyboard appeared as a cost effective alternative to the more expensive ones (>$200). It took me several weeks to get used to typing on it (note that I love to test new devices) and it happens that the pain just got worse. I then decided to go back to my regular Logitech K810 and, voilà, no more pain. Unfortunately I regret to say that this is a no buy device.

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I wish I could like this keyboard but it has way too many issues without the wired connection. The form factor is great but any efficiency gained in typing with this keyboard is lost with the constant and unpredictable "lag" of keystrokes and sometimes it just disconnects altogether for a few seconds without reason. Ive tried this keyboard on multiple different computers as well.

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Stopped working after a Year , it shuts off and every time I need to remove and reset the batteries for this to work ( tried all kinds of trouble shooting like uninstalling /reinstalling the driver for the keyboard , updating the software drivers , changing the battery brand etc) Worst Part is that I called Microsoft support , all they do is put you on hold, transfer the calls between departments , the calls get diverted to Asian countries and the representative on call can barely understand you issue , i had explained my issue to 4 different people and none of them could connect me to the right department , Unbelievable Support for such a big brand ! Worst customer service

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