Perixx PERIBOARD-535RD Wired Ergonomic Mechanical Split Keyboard - Low-Profile Red Linear Switches - Programmable Feature with Macro Keys - Compatible with Windows and Mac OS X - US English, Black

A fan of ergonomic keyboard and mechanical keyboards, I've looked at MANY keyboards trying to find the right one. Many of the mechanical ergonomic keyboards are nice but they suffer from the fatal flaw of not having an "Insert" key (a nogo for us Emacs users). The Periboard-535BL hits all my ergonomic needs and my mechanical keyboard needs. The ultra-low profile blue Kalih switches are so satisfyingly clicky and not terribly noisy.The main reason for getting a new keyboard is for a transition at work from Linux to Mac (not by choice). One absolutely maddening feature of the new Macs is the Globe/FN key which seems to be a copyrighted feature which ONLY Apple provides on their external keyboards. The bad part is that the Globe key is used to access emojis (a feature I do not care about) and for changing/moving applications with window tiling (a feature I very very much care about). While this keyboard does have an "FN" key, it has nothing to do with the Mac Globe/FN key; this keyboard's FN key allows you to invoke the function keys F1-F12. (Just a quick heads up; for window tiling, there's a free app called Rectangle which obviates the need for the Globe key AT ALL [take that, Apple]).Some people find the wrist wrest to be too "sharp" but my hand size does not run into this issue and I find the wrist wrest to be very comfortable.I'd highly recommend this keyboard. No flashy lights, great ergonomic utility and all the mechanical feels.The

Decent. Still works. Still using it!

Leaving a first-day review since I just switched over to this keyboard from a Microsoft Natural 4000 v1.0 and I will try to update after a month or so with any new impressions but I wanted to catch the first day thoughts before I get too acclimated.The positive: I got the blue switches, and I don't find them annoyingly loud or problematic. I couldn't decide between blue and brown and I may still try a brown someday just for fun, but the blue is completely satisfactory and not as dramatically annoying as some people make it sound. The keys bottoming out on the board make more noise than the extra "click" of the blue mechanism and that would be a constant across any keyboard. It's more or less comfortable to use, and I haven't had any serious issues with muscle memory causing me to hit wrong keys. There have been a few extra instances where I tended to type letters backwards; i.e. "em" instead of "me" or "todya" instead of "today" but I think that will sort itself out with more practice. I did not think I would like the low profile keys AT ALL - I am used to full-travel keys and prefer them and intensely dislike "chiclet" keys... but this doesn't feel like chiclets. They do have a shorter travel than I remember from before, but it isn't unpleasant to use at all from that regard. Wanting full profile instead of low profile keys was my biggest hangup buying this sight-unseen and after using it, I now would tell other prospective buyers not to let that fear stop them; it's not an issue.Other good things: I haven't had any issues at all with imprecision, unreliability, or anything else like that... every switch feels the same to me and works reliably. I've been using the keyboard for my work all day and haven't really even been conscious of having swapped them around, which is a good thing.The build quality feels decent to me so far. It doesn't give the impression of being overly cheap.Now the negatives.First, the implementation of the function keys, function lock, and win/mac switches is absolutely cryptic and there is no help in the manual or their web site to explain how it is all supposed to work. The manual talks about switching the keyboard from Windows to Mac mode but doesn't explain anything at all about what is different from one to the other. In addition, there is both a light on the status indicators, as well as a function key, which indicates it is a "Windows Lock" key (the word Win inside a padlock is the symbol) and I have no idea what that is supposed to do either. When I have it turned on, the function keys don't seem to work right and neither does the Windows modifier key to do, for example Win+R to open the Run dialog. The Function lock key does seem to work as needed but figuring out between the "Win", "Mac", "Win Lock" and "Fn Lock" keys which combination of modes would give me what I needed, was very challenging and cryptic. I finally got it set up how I need it (Function keys always acting as F1, F2, etc, I have no use for the brightness and volume shortcuts and do use the Fn keys for their original purposes often during development work), modifier keys working like any other keyboard for Win, Alt, etc... but I really don't understand the design in this area.Another down side is that the keyboard wants to slide all over the desk. The rear elevator feet have no anti slip protection at all, just hard plastic on the desk surface, and the front / top of the keyboard has some small rubber slip pads but the material is not grippy enough to keep it from wanting to walk all over the desk and slide away from me while I am using it. I would really like it to plant more firmly against the desk and stay put, but I am sure I can figure out a way to make that happen. Maybe some new stickier feet from the hardware store or a piece of tape or something.There's no LED to indicate the Scroll Lock status - I guess nobody much uses that anymore but for those who grew up with it it's an annoying lack of traditionality even if it makes no difference for daily use.And the Windows driver keeps wanting to pop notifications up on the screen whenever I type certain keys (like scroll lock for example) but the actual contents of that pop up are invisible. It's a little blue rectangle on my screen that comes up for a second and then disappears but there are no visible words in the rectangle. Since I don't use macro keys at all, I may uninstall the Perixx software and just let the Windows driver handle the keyboard in hopes of making that go away.I feel like it's smaller than the Microsoft keyboard I'm coming from in terms of individual key size and placement. I am feeling some cramping in my fingers after a day of heavy typing, which I didn't feel on my old keyboard, and I feel like I have to scrunch my fingers closer together. The keys just feel smaller and more narrowly spaced than what I had before. It isn't exactly unpleasant, it isn't bad enough to give up on the keyboard and try another one, but I definitely feel like I'm having to adjust to a smaller, narrower footprint overall and I'm feeling it the most uncomfortably in the closeness of each finger to the next adjacent finger. Looking at the Microsoft keyboard visually and comparing them side by side, I don't see that much apparent difference, it isn't obvious or ostentatious, but in use, I'm feeling the difference and it's not as good in that regard.And finally - perhaps the biggest issue besides the fact that it wants to scoot and slide on the desk - this is personal taste but I would prefer a heavier key press. I am a very, very heavy handed typist. I type like I want to pound the keys through the desk into the floor and it's never going to change. I actually liked the feel of the old membrane keyboard in the sense that it fought back against my fingers a little bit and gave me a satisfying sense of resistance as I pressed the keys and this new keyboard, by comparison, feels like it offers no resistance at all. I'm deliberately trying to touch more lightly so I don't break it prematurely, and that's adding to my finger cramped feeling as well. The keyboard is only offered in three switch "colors" right now and all three of them are the same resistance factor of 50 whatever-the-units-are. I would really like to have of the option of a clicky, but more force-resistive switch, up in the 70's or 80's I suspect would be more to my liking.I pulled one of the keycaps up to see what was underneath and check I had been given the right color switches, and felt that the keycap to switch attachment seemed pretty flimsy looking. I used to regularly pull the keycaps off my old membrane keyboard to clean the grunge from underneath them, and on this keyboard, I'm afraid to do that because the plastic "hooks" on the key caps that attach to the switch look so delicate. Maybe this is common to this style of switches but it definitely gives me pause.So... reservations and learning curve aside.... I was happy when I opened the box, I felt like I got my money's worth, and here on day one of using it I don't have any complaints so large that I'm regretting the purchase. I'll update in 30 days if I feel differently. I was looking for a replacement for the Microsoft Natural series, and this isn't perfect, but it's the best I've tried so far.

My previous keyboard was a similar ergonomic design, but with basic non-mechanical switches, and the difference is night and day. The keys on my other one felt slow/squishy, whereas these are super responsive, allowing me to type much faster with a very light touch. I also love the sound. I was concerned it would be too loud, so I got the red switches, and they are exactly what I wanted - still with the satisfying clack of a mechanical keyboard, but won't wake anyone up in the next room.I was choosing between this one and another model that did not have the 10-key number pad, and this won because I wasn't willing to go without that. I haven't used all the features yet, but the Macro keys have already come in handy - very nice to have. Size wise, this also fits my adjustable keyboard tray - other ergonomic models were so wide that they would have been spilling over the sides.The interface software is so easy to use - I always disable the left-side Windows key so I don't accidentally hit it and interrupt my gaming session, and with previous keyboards I always had to go into the Registry Editor and modify hex codes, but for this one you can do it with a simple click on the mapping profile through the software.The only thing that would have been nice to have is a bit of lighting on the keys for when the room is dark, but that's not a big deal, and otherwise I have no notes.