September 21, 2013
Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback! Previously, I had the Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard 4000. Before this Sculpt Keyboard, the NEK4000 was pretty great in my opinion. It was very comfortable, had a good typing experience, and I just knew that when I had to sit down to type a long document I wouldn't get fatigued. And then I got the Sculpt Desktop.For this review, I am not going to include the mouse, as I actually don't use it (I prefer a trackball). This new Sculpt keyboard is much smaller and takes up far less space than the 4000, which is a plus. Because it is smaller and more compact, I have more free space on my desk and I don't feel like I'm at the helm of some big control panel like I used to on the 4000. While the reverse angle attachment being magnetic is a neat touch, it is a bit unnecessary for me - having plastic clips like the 4000 did would have been just fine by me. The keys are a major departure from the 4000. With the 4000, you had to use a pretty decisive force on the buttons to get them to engage and register the keystroke. In comparison, the Sculpt uses scissor-switch mechanics, very similar to what you can find on business class laptops, such as ThinkPads. As a result, the pitch (the amount of vertical travel during a keypress) is less, and the keyboard is also quieter. I find that I can also type faster since I don't have to press as hard. However, a quick test on typingweb.com proves that my typing speed and accuracy hasn't changed.Other things to note are the fact that it is wireless. While not a big concern for me, but I did notice upon initially using it the first day that I had trouble with typing certain combinations of keys in rapid succession. I was not sure if this was part of the n-rollover that keyboard enthusiasts speak of, but after moving the wireless USB receiver to the front USB ports on my computer, the issue seems to have been resolved. I also think that having the numeric pad completely wireless and as a separate unit from the keyboard was an interesting choice. I suppose that doing that is better as it allows more freedom of configuration/movement.One rather odd thing about the design of this keyboard though - all of the keys in the top row (function keys, esc, pause, etc) are of the button click type - meaning they are similar to your iPhone's home button), and to switch in between the multimedia keys and the function-# key you have to use a switch on the right to go in between. An oddity, but nothing big for me.All in all, a solid choice and a happy camper for me.