Truly Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard - Model 227 - Cherry MX-Type Mechanical Switches - USB - Best narrow TKL - (USED/REFURBISHED)

Earning my scratch as a computer programmer, I spend many hours per day obediently serving my corporate overlords at my keyboard. Unfortunately, it didn't take very long for me to develop pain and discomfort in my elbows, wrists, and fingers from all of the typing and mousing that I do on a daily basis. Part of this I attribute to the fact that I am an oversized human, clocking in at 6'5", and therefore many tools designed for average people are ridiculously uncomfortable, or even outright hazardous to my health. Thus I have been searching for a more ergonomic workstation solution for quite some time now. Mechanical keyboards with the typical staggered qwerty layout improved my levels of hand fatigue but did not address the pain I was experiencing, so I decided to take the plunge and order a Truly Ergonomic 227. I have been using this keyboard with the Kailh brown switches for several months now, and I feel that I have logged enough hours on the TE to form a definitive opinion regarding its performance in my application.In my opinion, these are better switches than the genuine cherry brown switches, which is not what I was expecting when I purchased this keyboard. As far as mechanical switches go, the combination of the Kailh switches, red o-rings, and the solid steel plate upon which switches are mounted, is the most satisfying typing sensation that I have experienced thus far in my quest to find the perfect keyboard. The non-staggered arrangement of the keys is a clear improvement over standard keyboard, although it took me a few days to start adjusting to the new layout. I really like the dedicated thumb buttons, and I have space mapped to the right and backspace mapped to the left. They feel very solid and have a nice bounce, unlike the Kinesis Advantage. It would be nice, though, to have one more thumb button on each side so that I could map them to shift and not have to subject my wrists to excessive ulnar deviation. The center row of keys is an interesting concept. I have to use some radial deviation to reach those keys, but it doesn't bother me [yet] like the ulnar deviation required to press shift and ctrl. I mapped caps lock to the middle, tab to the second to bottom, and enter to the bottom key. The arrow keys are not comfortable for me at all, which is a major problem. I wish that they were moved further towards the edge of the keyboard, as they are too narrow in their current location. Thankfully this keyboard is programmable, so I was able to remap some questionable default key placements, but I really hate the narrow placement of the arrow keys, and there is no reasonable way to remap those. And this leads me into what I consider to be the Achilles heal of this product: looking at the TE 227 as a whole, the lack of hand separation that this keyboard offers is rather unfortunate. This board would be much more comfortable if the hands were further separated and the columns angled further inwards. Some tenting would take the keyboard even further into truly ergonomic territory, as it would help address the damage caused by flat keyboards and the excessive wrist pronation that they induce.Overall, I think this is a decent keyboard, and it is certainly superior to the standard staggered layout found on most keyboards. It's probably a good choice for vertically challenged men and petite women due to the negligible amount of hand separation that it offers. This is the main reason that you won't find me using this keyboard as my daily driver, as my elbow and wrist pain remains, ostensibly due to the fact that this keyboard still requires me to type using excessive ulnar deviation and pronation. Considering the price of the keyboard and the fact that it does not live seem to live up to its claims, I would avoid this keyboard if you are trying relieve significant suffering due to RSI, carpal tunnel, arthritis, ogre syndrome, etc. If it were $100 less expensive and one was looking for marginal improvements in ergonomics, then I would say that the TE 227 is a good buy.I recently purchased a Kinesis Advantage, and although I hate how cheap it feels compared to the TE and my staggered mechanical boards, the key wells are spaced further apart. I could tell after one day using the Kinesis that it was going to offer some actual relief, since it has a layout that is arguably much more ergonomic for a significant portion of desk jockeys.

I'm truly surprised to hear the negative responses about this product. My former employer provided this keyboard due to bilateral carpal tunnel and De'Guervains diagnosis. I liked the idea of being able to tailor the keys to suit your needs. I can see why keys may pop off if you're heavy handed. My 8yo grandson has popped keys off of his school Chromebook, because he taps so hard. I never experienced the problems some have with typing and the wrong letters come up. It takes some getting used to, but I didn't experience pain or fatigue nearly as much after my diagnosis and subsequent surgeries. I will say that you probably shouldn't just replace your keyboard. Have an occupational therapist evaluate your current desk; posture; chair and foot rest (if you use one) because they all play a factor in keyboarding and sitting all day. It didn't cure anything, but it made my life easier. They also had a 90 day return window if I didn't like it. That could've only been for government agencies. Do the research.

Edited 2/17/2017:Had to e-waste this junk keyboard as the keycaps were flying off and my daughter was going through her put everything in the mouth phase.Reading the response from TEK, my response to them is, if you KNEW of the problem but still hid behind your 60 day limitation on return, that means you're not owning up to your mistakes. The common 60 day money back is generally used for workmanship issues assuming that the parts were sound to begin with. You should've honored a replacement. I go around telling everyone considering this keyboard to stay away based on your shoddy way of handling a flaw that you admit to. Don't pass the buck to Cherry, you chose them, you accepted their switches, you integrated it into your product!Back to my original review:I own their early version, the 207. After using it for a day, I noticed that TE had a good idea but my mind was starting to get "deprogrammed" from the traditional 104-US keyboard layout. I placed it back in the original box with the protective clear polycarb cover and put it away in storage. I pulled it back out when I needed a quick keyboard for an HTPC in my living room, and was very disappointed that the keys were not registering. I had to pound on it quite hard to have it register. Even then, it would sometimes register once, sometimes register multiple times, sometimes not at all. This was a keyboard that was gently used for TWO days and then placed back into storage IN ITS ORIGINAL box. I live in a relatively dry and warm climate all year long, and this keyboard was stored in my room and not in a garage or any other place that can be exposed to the elements of outside. I tried to update the firmware to no avail.I then found some blog online regarding troubleshooting mechanical keyboard. And thought that since it was in storage for a while, perhaps it was cold solder joint that was causing it. Since TE no longer acknowledged their warranty (it's 1-year only, which is crappy considering how much this costed), I said what the heck, pulled the unit apart after unscrewing the screws (there is a couple hidden underneath the sticker) and decided to retouch the solder.I've must've reflowed the solder joints 2-3 times since the first time, I brought about 90% of the keys back to life, but a few keys still didn't register, and a few more would register multiple times on one strike (this is a mechanical keyboard, not membrane, so on-off-on is not acceptable nor would it be expected if the switches are properly de-bounced on the circuit). After the third rework with my soldering iron (I solder professionally for a living), I gave up. I now let my daughter have at it as a really expensive toy since she loves striking it pretending to type.For a unit that was lightly used for TWO DAYS then placed in storage for a year (basically sat next to my monitor), in a climate controlled environment (dry, never below 65F and above 85F), tucked away in its original pizza box with the original polycarb cover, it was a huge disappointment that it didn't work after pulling it back out... Even bigger disappointment that TE gave me the cold shoulder after contacting them and explaining my situation. Sure, it was after 1-year, but I would hope small companies would be willing to be more flexible about it, especially since I would've recommended them if they stood behind their product.If you do decide to junk yours and let your toddler play with it, make sure it's under constant supervision. The keycaps can fly off. Mine loves pounding on it with her feet and hands. It's the most expensive toy ($200+) that she owns...

I have been using this keyboard for 5+ years and I do not have a single negative thing to say about it. I have purchased 3 of these keyboards; that's how pleased I am with it. It is a shame that it is no longer manufactured.