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Typing all day? Here’s how to find a keyboard that won’t hurt your hands
A keyboard is an essential part of any desk set up, whether you're pulling up a chair for work or play. As such, it's just as easy to overlook, as it is to get overwhelmed by all of the available hardware options.
For instance, the best keyboard overall is the Keychron V6 Max in our ranking. It looks, sounds, and feels absolutely lovely to type on—all while costing just under $115. However, if you do any amount of gaming, it could stand to be lovelier.
Wireless isn't all that
While I concede that a wireless keyboard may be the way to go for the fidgeters, most folks won't gain that much when they free their board of a wired connection. In fact, you may just introduce a suite of fresh headaches.
Wired boards offer a number of advantages. For one, a constant wired connection means you never have to worry about running down your keyboard's battery. For another, gaming content creators don't have to worry about increased input latency. And finally, for the budget conscious, wireless keyboards do tend to cost a little bit much more than their wired counterparts.
Considering all of this, for most intents and purposes wired is still the way to go.
Which features actually matter to you?
A gaming keyboard with customisable key actuation, Rapid Trigger, and Snap Tap is a thing of beauty for competitive gamers. However, a lowly fanfiction writer such as myself isn't necessarily going to get quite as much out of such a feature rich board (after all, if I'm swiftly tabbing out of anywhere, I'll likely need to only hit the button once).
Self-deprecating jokes aside, I do actually appreciate some gaming features - things like macros or built-in volume controls can be useful for all kinds of creators. That said, the most gaming focussed ones like Hall effect or TMR switches, as responsive and as snazzy as they are, will drive up the price of any board.
So, let me tell you about the mechanical keyboard I actually use everyday. The Be Quiet! Light Mount is a full-size mechanical keyboard with a complete number pad that I never use. It also enjoys distinctly gamer-coded, vibrant RGB lighting, but actually offers very few gaming focussed features.
Instead, the Light Mount features a media knob with a mute button inlaid on the top, comes with a magnetically attached wrist rest that my creaky forearms very much appreciate, and enjoys the least clacky mechanical key presses you're likely to ever hear. I love it!
It's great for long hours of word smithing, or otherwise working with your ears tucked under a headset so generously padded that you wouldn't hear a set of properly clacky keys anyway. With this actually quiet partner in crime, no one needs to know about all the hours of the night I stay up writing Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 stories.
Feeling the difference
It's all well and good listing keyboard features, but the most important aspect of any keyboard is incredibly straightforward: how it feels to use.
For instance, ask yourself whether you prefer keys that have smooth tops (like ABS keycaps) or want a little texture to them (like PBT keycaps). Would you prefer a keyboard that sounds 'clacky' or 'creamy' as you type? Do you like a bit of both, and perhaps would quite enjoy the option to hotswap between switch types? Or are you perhaps a weirdo like me who would much rather their keys were silent?
There's that overwhelming rabbit warren of choice again. If you're looking for direction, the best place to start is with what you already have; look at your current keyboard and decide what you like and dislike about it, then start looking outward. If you're still feeling a bit lost, it's a good idea to visit your local computer hardware store, and go ham (within reason) on whatever display units they've got. Touch is a subjective sensation, so this is a question you can only really answer yourself.
While you're at it, it might also be an idea to play around with an ergonomic keyboard. Yes, they look like a prop from the hottest sci-fi flick of the summer, but the split and slightly angled design may be what your wrists are crying out for. The thinking is that a tented keyboard design won't cause the radius and ulna bones in your forearm to cross as much, lessening the risk of, say, a repetitive strain injury.
All I'll say is that you shouldn't knock it until you've tried it!
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