The standard office keyboard is a dated, uncomfortable device that can hurt your wrists as much as your productivity. Still, unless you're a hardcore gamer or have unusually deep pockets, it may not be worth spending hundreds of dollars for a superior mechanical model.
Enter the ergonomic keyboard: a technology that supports your wrists and aligns keys in a more natural way to facilitate comfortable typing. While the jury is still very much out on whether ergonomic keyboards actually do anything, plenty of people find them more comfortable than a run-of-the mill membrane peripheral.
If you're convinced that an ergonomic keyboard is the solution to your typing woes, you have a few different options at your disposal. Read on to find out which keyboards are the most comfortable, the most compact and the most colorful.
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Tom's Guide does not generally review ergonomic keyboards, so we left this one up to the users themselves. I started by researching which brands and models of ergonomic keyboards users were buying, and equally as important, which they weren't buying. I took into account user reviews on a variety of sites, including Amazon, Best Buy and Newegg, as well as overall sales figures when available.
From there, I searched each company's website to discover which model was the most versatile, or which one offered the most unconventional features. Taking price into account, I discounted models that cost more than the average consumer is willing to spend. I also made sure to include a variety of brands and styles, so that if a reader doesn't find what he or she is looking for among these models, it can still act as a starting point in a search for an ergonomic keyboard.
Generally speaking, an ergonomic keyboard should have an unconventional shape or design, and a supportive wrist rest. Beyond that, features and functionality can vary considerably, as described below. If you're really willing to put in the money for a premium keyboard experience, gaming models with mechanical key switches are still the standard to beat.
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