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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pubjoe - Thursday, March 7, 2013 - link
I personally found that article terribly overblown. In his (long, grassy knoll style) build up, he quoted some simplified sound bites, like qwerty being "designed to slow down typists".You don't need to follow the whole doctrine to know that qwerty isn't the most efficient layout for modern typing. That remains obvious, and it remains a good example of 'standards monopoly'. Dvorak is usually used just to quickly emphasise a point - that alternatives are overlooked because it's too much work to escape a widely established standard. Dvorak conspiracies are irrelevant.
If he'd written his findings without the heroic myth busting angle (which probably would have trimmed four of the five pages out), it would have been a lot more digestible, informative and interesting.
prophet001 - Thursday, March 7, 2013 - link
This guy takes way too long to get to the point. He's a fantasy author trapped in the tech world.Sgt. Stinger - Thursday, March 7, 2013 - link
Hello Jarred!I was diagnosed with CTS 2008. By 2009 I had the operation done on the right hand, and let me tell you, it made such a difference. Before the operation I couldn't write with pen and paper for more than five minutes before my whole hand was numb, except my pinky. After the operation, I dont have any problems at all in the right hand.
It wont help for everyone and there are different kinds of operations, but I would at least consider it if I were you.
vanteo - Friday, March 8, 2013 - link
And I'll add a caution that often with computer professionals who have had CTS surgery, the symptoms return after some time because the CTS is a symptom and not the root cause. This book makes the point:It's Not Carpal Tunnel Syndrome!: RSI Theory and Therapy for Computer Professionals
For me, wrist, hand, and arm pain tingling and numbness is caused by the systemic problems of prolonged computer use--shoulders rolling forward, chest compressing, and neck falling forward (instead of head tilting downward). If the pain jumps around for you, I would seriously consider the bigger picture.
DorkMan - Saturday, March 9, 2013 - link
CTS can be fixed.I began to note a tingling numbness in my left thumb about five years ago, and over a year's time it spread to more fingers. Conduction-speed tests showed it was due to a constriction in the wrist. The solution was simple: the surgeon intentionally cuts a ligament spanning the wrist like a thick rubber band, and when it heals it becomes much looser, eliminating pressure on the tunnel.
Recovery took a few weeks, with feeling returning to the fingers within six months. When the doc diagnosed the left hand, he asked about the right. No issues, I said. "You will," he replied. Sure enough, a year later I had the surgery to the right hand.
Now, perfectly normal in both hands. No issues of any sort. The CTS surgery was a huge plus, not too much discomfort or hassle. My issues had nothing to do with typing position, or quantity of typing. It was simply a constriction of the wrist tunnel which was easily corrected.
Silma - Thursday, March 7, 2013 - link
Of course the qwerty layout is suboptimal and other layouts can be showed to be better as we statistically can predict letter sequences and distribution with great precision.So if you ask people to invest a week or two getting used to a keyboard it would be made more sense to get them used to a better layout at the same time.
JarredWalton - Thursday, March 7, 2013 - link
This is generally not recommended, as the change to a new keyboard layout (e.g. TECK) combined with switching to Dvorak or something other than QWERTY ends up being two changes at once and generally results in a discouraged user. Both Truly Ergonomic and Kinesis recommend you learn the keyboard first and then try Dvorak.msackman - Thursday, March 7, 2013 - link
Hmm, yes, me thinks they want your money first, and then might allow you to try something which might have helped fix the problem in the first place without parting you from your money.However, I am just a cynic...
msackman - Thursday, March 7, 2013 - link
First up, I've not read the whole article. I intend to. I have however watched the video you make of yourself typing on both keyboards.I have suffered from CTS and RSI over the years. Initially I was typing very badly (self-taught, no typing tutor) on QWERTY layouts. I reasoned it would be easier to learn a new layout properly than try to correct my use of QWERTY. This is why I switched to Dvorak. However, I don't really have any specific comments about that other than it's clear from your video that QWERTY is giving you a left-hand bias. That may or may not be a problem.
What I notice about your typing is that your hand is very rigid. Look at the way your thumbs are bent back. You are pulling on tendons that you really don't need to be pulling on. You also tend to move your whole hand rather than just the finger required. Your fingers really need to "dance" over the keys, having a light touch and springing back to where they came from. You may want to try and go and see a Piano teacher - much good advice about sitting at a keyboard is the same as sitting at a Piano.
Personally, I am extremely anti wrist-wrests. In my opinion, the keyboard should be on the front lip of the desk, and if you want to wrest your hands, you put them in your lap on by your sides. Wrist rests encourage you to type with your wrists on the rest, which massively strains ligaments and tendons through the bottom of your wrist. Your wrists should always be elevated and in plane with with forearms (which should be roughly horizontal). I find arm rests to similarly be awful.
I have suffered from a lot of upper-back pain from typing and it's always been posture related. These days I sit on a saddle-stool, which I find is very good for rotating your pelvis forwards, making you sit up, and keeping you relaxed in your upper back and arms. It has helped me a lot.
All that said, everyone has different physiologies, and there is not an answer that works for everyone. I have colleagues who slouch and slump and I can't believe they're not in pain, but they're not and that's just we're all different sizes and shapes. However, it is (obviously) never a good idea to be in pain in front of a computer so if you are, start experimenting and change things. There are solutions, you just need to find them!
Dribble - Thursday, March 7, 2013 - link
My experience of CTS/RSI is it occurs when you bounce off the range of movement of a joint a lot. If you can work out where you are doing that (which is pretty obvious when you look at how you type) and correct that then you can solve most problems.For example with a normal keyboard with keys facing straight at you then you have to bend your wrists in the direction of the pinky as far as they will go to line up with the keys. This will cause RSI, hence natural keyboards angling keys. The other obvious one is no wrist support so wrists are lower then keyboard and have to bend up almost as much as they can to reach the keys. This will cause CTS so doing something to keep wrists flat will solve that.