Truly Ergonomic Computer Keyboard Review: One Month with the TECK
by Jarred Walton on March 7, 2013 12:35 AM ESTClosing Thoughts: A New Spin on Ergonomics
At this point, I can say that I like much of what has been accomplished with the TECK. Truly Ergonomic claims that they’ve created a “revolution in typing”, but that’s probably a bit too far in my book. On the other hand, I’m not sure most people would be willing to invest in a "true" revolution—for example, I’ve toyed with the idea of trying out the Dvorak layout to see if it would improve my accuracy and speed, but it’s such a massive change from QWERTY that the learning curve is even worse than moving from a standard keyboard layout to the TECK; reportedly, it can take around a month of typing four hours a day to reach your previous QWERTY proficiency. Likewise, as someone who has used a “natural” keyboard for years, the modified layout of the TECK feels like a better take on a split key arrangement—the staggered keys on most keyboards really start to feel taxing once you get used to something else. The thing is, Truly Ergonomic isn’t the only company to “reinvent” the keyboard, and in fact they’re not even close to being the first.
One alternative is to go with keyboards from Kinesis, a company founded clear back in 1991 (when I was still in high school and carpal tunnel was so far in my future that it never even crossed my mind). I don’t know how much Kinesis has changed their design over the years, but the core design of their latest Contoured Advantage looks to be largely the same as the original Contoured introduced in 1992. What’s more, the Cherry MX Brown switches used in the TECK were actually created at the request of Kinesis as an alternative to the clicky MX Blue switches; that’s a pretty strong pedigree. Kinesis also offers their Advantage with Cherry MX Red linear switches for those that prefer a slightly different feel, though I’ve heard (and tend to agree) that reds are designed more for gamers than for typists. Still, I wouldn’t mind seeing TECK or others offer a selection of MX switches as an upgrade option.
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For their part, Truly Ergonomic points to their clearly original design and says they’ve worked to make their keyboard more ergonomic than other options. I haven’t put the Advantage through the paces yet, so I can’t say which is (subjectively) better, but they are certainly different. Pricing is in favor of the TECK, as you can pick one up for $248 compared to $299 for the base Contoured Advantage, but the Kinesis keyboards also include macro functionality which might be worth the additional cost for some. The Advantage also includes USB hub functionality, and the Advantage Pro comes with a foot pedal that can be used to further improve typing performance. (As someone that is in awe of a good pianist or organist, however, I suspect learning to use your foot/feet while typing is not something that everyone will take to.)
Ultimately, I can’t recommend the TECK as a keyboard that is ideal for every user out there, but if you’re suffering from RSI/CTS (or think you might be), I can say that personally I feel like the past month of use has resulted in less discomfort after lengthy typing sessions than the MS Natural I’ve been using for years. That’s a pretty strong recommendation for a subset of users, but it comes with the caveats I’ve mentioned already. The learning curve on the TECK requires a serious commitment to change, and now that I’ve been typing on the TECK for a solid month I’m finding that my typing on regular keyboards has deteriorated somewhat (e.g. 57 WPM on the Rosewill RK-9100 compared to 70 WPM last month). It’s not as bad as what happened when I first switched to the TECK, but it’s definitely something that will take a bit of time to readjust, so if you happen to have multiple PCs that you use regularly (e.g. at work and at home), you might have to purchase two keyboards to avoid disorientation.
Then there’s the price. $248 makes this the type of product that you likely won’t be buying on an impulse, and when you look at other mechanical keyboards that sell for closer to $100 it can feel quite extreme. On the other hand, if you’re suffering from RSI/CTS, all it takes is a quick look at the cost of surgery and rehabilitation to make the TECK look far more enticing. For my part, it’s simple economics: not as many users are willing to commit to an ergonomic keyboard, particularly one like the TECK where there are enough changes that it requires effort to make the switch. When your market is smaller and you have to put more money into R&D to come up with your initial design, prices will be higher. That’s also why you don’t see other extras like a USB hub or keyboard backlighting on the TECK, as both items would take an already expensive keyboard up into the $300 range.
And that’s basically my recommendation right now: if you’re in the market for an ergonomic keyboard and want something more advanced than a simple split key “natural”, the options are quite limited. For ergonomic keyboards with mechanical switches, you have Truly Ergonomic’s TECK, the Kinesis Contoured Advantage, Maltron (the most expensive of the bunch), or if you don’t mind going the DIY route you could try the open source ErgoDox (which you can get for $200 via MassDrop). Depending on personal preference, I would imagine any of those three could end up being the “best”, but it’s a lot like shopping for clothing: there’s no such thing as “one size fits all” when it comes to keyboards. To that end, Truly Ergonomic does offer a 60-day money back guarantee on the TECK. I’m still well within that 60 day period and at this stage I’m more than happy to keep the TECK and continue using it. We’ll have to see if that’s still the case after I spend some time with Kinesis’ Advantage offering.
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lauren jonczak - Friday, December 6, 2013 - link
I really like the <a href="http://www.ergodirect.com/105-ergonomic-keyboards&... of this ergonomic keyboard</a>. I was trying to come up with a useful gift to give my boyfriend for Christmas and this would be perfect since he is constantly on the computer. Thanks for the great idea!skirmishdirmish - Saturday, December 7, 2013 - link
I prefer my Microsoft Scult Ergonomic. Plus, I had a dreadful time with this company when trying to return my TECK. Multiple emails gone unanswered (I even had to contact them through their Facebook page to get any response at the outset!) and after I shipped it back a month and a half ago, still no word, nor any sign of a refund. Major bummer.Azteca - Tuesday, January 7, 2014 - link
If you returned the TECK (manufactured with awesome Mechanical switches) to change it for a dreadful Microsoft Sculpt (manufactured with very cheap quality - like everything from China, rubber domes under the scissor switches, and stickers that’ll be gone in a few weeks) you DO deserve a Sculpt “a misleading board for dummies” that will force you to visit a wrist therapist very soon.Besides, we should call it the Microsfot Scrooglpt semi-ergo board - a misleading board for dummies. Microsfot is hard-working and spending a lot of money at trying dishonoring Google with an anti-positive campaign named Scroogled. http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/ca...
"At best, it’s a distraction from what the company should be doing—working on good software, services, and hardware products. At worst, it reeks of desperation." "Embarrassing when deployed as corporate branding."
http://www.wired.com/design/2013/11/what-is-micros...
We are no longer expecting anything less from Microsfot, they can no longer create “innovative” products as they cannot longer steal from others which they have been doing for the last 30 years.
Microsfot, the not-even-the-last-place you want to do business with.
lostmind - Wednesday, September 17, 2014 - link
I purchased one of these in late 2013 as I spend the majority of my time working on my pc. Upon receiving it, I eagerly plugged it in only to find, like yourself; that numerous keys would generate 2 repeating characters for each keystroke.It was constant and repeatable across several - 5? - keys. I had my wife and a friend test it. Confident the switches are duds. It occurs on every single keystroke.
I submitted several support tickets (I work in support, so I was very friendly about it) and received no response. I eventually submitted a request for return, but that was also ignored.
There is no other way to contact them. I even happen to live in the same city as they operate from, but their address is a postal box and not an actual office.
I will say that TECK is *not* interested in fixing or replacing the keys at this time.
I did of course get the standard auto response to all my tickets, but that's it:
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Dear Valued Customer,
Thank you for your interest in the Truly Ergonomic Keyboard. We believe our product is an excellent investment in your personal health and comfort, and can serve to increase your typing efficiency.
We have received your e-mail and are grateful that you have contacted us. Please consider it could take us some time to respond to you personally due to the amount of inquiries and the level of detail of such inquiries we are currently receiving.
In the meantime, please make sure to review our Answers To Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) as well as our Troubleshooting section, where you can find helpful information in most regards.
Additionally, we are pleased to mention that we now have an application that helps you to reprogram your Truly Ergonomic Keyboard. You can change the logical position of any key as well as adding logical keys, allowing you to create your own custom layout. In addition, you can also use layouts already made for diverse contexts. Please visit our Layout Designer to learn more and to be able to create your own custom layout.
Regards,
Customer Service
Truly Ergonomic Ltd.
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So unfortunately, I have a device I can not use that cost me a significant amount of money. Personally, I would warn everyone avoid this product even though I think it was a good concept.
bwbecker - Thursday, September 17, 2015 - link
I purchased a Truly Ergonomic keyboard in April, 2015 and used it for a month. No complaints about the quality of the product but the key placement didn't work for me, even after remapping the most problematic keys. So I started the process of returning it. It was difficult, to say the least. As of today, I do have my money back but... If you choose to do business with Truly Ergonomic, please consider that their web site doesn't provide any contact details other than their web form (which they can ignore) -- no email, no address, no phone. If you do happen to locate their phone number (look them up in the Vancouver BBB on-line directory), you go immediately to an answering machine and won't have your call returned.After threatening legal action via their web form, I finally got an email back with excuses and directions for returning the keyboard. I returned it, but then waited for a refund. Follow-up emails were again ignored until I (again) threatened legal action.
My recommendation is to avoid the company unless you have had prior experience with the keyboard and know that it will work for you. Even then, I don't know what to do with the reports of faulty switches. Probably just avoid it entirely.
moshev - Friday, January 22, 2016 - link
I used to be very happy with my TECK, but after about a year and three months, it has started to miss letters and produce double letters. I tried cleaning the affected keyswitches with warm water and leaving it to dry for two days, tried with alcohol, and nothing seems to fix the problem. Additionally, Truly Ergonomic don't seem to read their e-mail at all, all my correspondence to their customer support has been ignored.I really love the ability to edit the layout in firmware and the physical form-factor is absolutely perfect, but quality can be a crapshoot with this company it seems. Which is a shame, as they are the only ones making a keyboard with this shape.