Review: Microsoft Natural 4000 ergonomic keyboard

[julesjones]

I know people love to hate Microsoft -- but they do sell good hardware. When I finally had to abandon my ancient Trust ergonomic keyboard because my new laptop wouldn't support an AT connector even through an adaptor, I went straight for a Microsoft keyboard -- the Microsoft Natural 4000. I've had it just over a year, so it's time to report.

The 4000 is a split-and-angled layout designed to reduce RSI. Even though I'd been using such a layout for the last ten years, it did take me a few days to get used to this one, as the exact slope and dishing of the keypads is slightly different to my old one. And I can remember how long it took me to get used to an ergonomic keyboard the first time. If you've never used one before it will take a while to adapt, especially if you're like me and have a fast but totally untrained typing method that wanders all over the keyboard.

It's well worth taking the time, as for most people a good split keyboard such as this will reduce the risk of RSI and help people who already have problems. This model is very comfortable to use -- the keys generally give good feedback without feeling spongy or requiring a lot of force, although the space bar needs something of a heavy hand. There's an integrated padded wrist rest, which is very comfortable and used properly reduces arm strain. There are foldaway feet to raise the back of the keyboard if desired, but there is also a clip-on platform for the front of the keyboard which gives a slight reverse slope, which is actually more comfortable for many people. (Note that it may not a good idea to rest your wrists/palms on the rest while actually hitting keys -- what it's good for is dropping your hands into a supported rest position for a second while you think about what to type next.) I have RSI that will flare up with very little provocation, and this is one of the two most comfortable keyboards I've ever used.

There's a collection of extra buttons, some programmable -- most of which I personally don't use, but which are likely to be useful to some people. The two that I do find I use regularly are the zoom lever, which is a godsend when trying to read webpages with tiny fonts, and the mute key, which lets me switch off the sound *fast* when I hit a webpage with annoying embedded sound.

The shape means that it takes up quite a bit more desk space than a standard keyboard. One word of warning -- I use a left-handed mouse, and you'll have to stretch for the mouse if you place it on the right.

It's relatively pricy by the standards of ordinary consumer keyboards, but if you have problems with RSI and this one works for you, it's worth the extra money, and it's a *lot* cheaper than some specialist keyboards.

(But don't let your cat knock a glass of wine over it, right, desperance?)

Comments

[brooksmoses]

I wonder how different the "Natural 4000" keyboard is from the plain "Natural Keyboard" that I'm using. (I think mine is the model that got replaced by the "Natural Elite" one, which is identical save for a slightly squished-together arrow-key set.)

I'm very happy with mine. I didn't like it for about a week, when my mom got it for me (on what I saw as a "here, this might solve a problem that I think you have on the basis of essentially zero evidence" sort of thing, which predisposed me to disliking it), but I quite quickly got used to it, and now I find that I rather dislike non-warped keyboards.

It's been pretty durable, too. I'm not exactly sure how old it is, since it doesn't have a date on it, but it's old enough that the label on the bottom says "Designed for Windows 95" rather than anything later. And ... it's got a couple of letters starting to get slightly faint, and other than that it's pretty much good as new, despite significant daily use. Comes apart pretty easily for washing, too -- if I'm remembering right, the keys are all held in racks that are separate from the electronics, so they can be washed as units.

[julesjones]

There's a definite difference -- come around and have a look at it tomorrow, if you're in and need a break from thesis panic.

I have a Microsoft Natural mouse which comes under the heading of "you will have to prise it from my cold dead hands". It's several years old and was getting very flaky, so yesterday I opened it up and spent twenty minutes cleaning it out. Now that I've removed the hairs that were wound round the axles and jamming them, it's as good as new. Must get out the really old one without the scroll wheel, and do the same for it.

[joycemocha.livejournal.com]

I really prefer to have the back of my keyboard elevated, as compared to the front (which most folks seem to like). I've got an ergonomic Microsoft keyboard that I simply lurve to death, though. End up stuffing the wrist rest underneath the side of the keyboard next to me to get the proper comfort level.

That said, the MacBook Pro seems to be a comfy fit as well.

[julesjones]

One of the things that I like about both the 4000 and the Trust I had previously is that they can be tilted either way depending on your preference. It's unpleasantly common for keyboards to have legs only at the back, so that you can make them look like a typewriter, but can't put it on a reverse slope if that's what you prefer.

Right now I'm using it completely flat on the desk, as that's the best for the particular combination of desk and chair. If I had a height-adjustable chair, I'd probably use the platform to give the reverse slope.

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Absolutely right - and not just about the wine event. I've been using the same model for I think a little longer than you, and I like it best of all. I have thirty years'-worth of accumulated RSI, which has led to extraordinary damage all through everywhere (well, not quite everywhere, but my upper body is pretty much wrecked); I've had less pain this last year than any time in the previous decade. Also, haven't been back to the physio yet. I hate Microsoft, but love this keyboard; love the feel of it, love the backward-slopingness. Never had a keyboard that did that before, and I think it's a special part of its quality.

All of which will not stop me buying a Maltron keyboard as soon as I'm rich, just to see. That dishing seems really strange to me now, but I tend to believe the reviews.

(I suppose I really should netsurf to see if there's a Linux hack for this keyboard, to make all the special features - like the Zoom, eg - work for me; but I've been supposing that for eighteen months, and never have. Comes of learning to type on typewriters, I suspect: I seldom used special features even when they did work. Keyboards are for keys, y'know...?)

[julesjones]

Yes, given how long you've been earning a living as a writer, I can imagine that you've got an amazing amount of typing-related damage.

The Trust that this replaced was one with reverse slope capability at a time when that was completely unheard of. I loved that keyboard, and had a serious fit of panic when I discovered last year that it simply would not play well with a modern laptop with no built-in PS2 port. True ergonomic keyboards had gone out of fashion again, and I couldn't afford a Maltron. I was so glad to find that Microsoft had brought out a similar model.

I'm old enough to have used a typewriter at university, even though I actually learnt to type on a selection of DecWriter teletype terminals. I suspect that's why I have never bothered to use most of the fancy buttons on this, even though they'd probably be useful -- I'm already conditioned into doing things with either key combinations or a mouse on-screen. The old keyboard had a couple of extra buttons to access Windows functions, and to this day I have no idea what they actually do. It took me a while to notice that the Zoom lever was useful enough to bother with, and it's only since I've started looking at MySpace pages that I've taken to regular use of the sound mute key. :-)