Evoluent Wired Compact Keyboard – Compact Keyboard, Portable Wired Keyboard – No Numeric Pad for Ergonomic Comfort, Keeps Mouse Closer to Reduce Arm Strain, Low Profile Scissor Keys

Bought this keyboard for my wife and she loves it! This is even more impressive as she generally doesn't love computers!Small size lets her put the keyboard exactly where she wants with the mouse close to the side. This helps her avoid twisting her torso while she works - easier on her back! This is the main reason she wanted a new keyboard for where she works. But there's a lot more that impressed her.Full size keyboard layout in a very compact space (had to measure it to be sure it really was full size!), wired to conform to company policy where she works, lovely ergonomics including a few extra tactile locator bumps on keys so that she never needs to look at the keyboard to confirm hand placement. She loves the dedicated function keys for mail , etc.She really like the feel of the keys - a bit of tactile feedback when pressed. Will come back to this review in time to comment on durability - just received the keyboard so way too early to tell.Nice job Evoluent!

I love this keyboard. Keys are soft touch and quiet. Chrome styling at top makes it stylish and modern although the logo is odd. Just plug in to USB and ur all set! As simple as that! I prefer wired over wireless any day. A good straightforward and simple to use compact wired keyboard.

For podcasting this keyboard is amazing. QUIET! Nothing else quiet like it. Some funny placement of keys, but as a Mac/Windows keyboard I continue to be impressed. the size is amazing. So, if you are watching this, Evoluent, don't forget to put "silent" on your product web pages.

Evoluent is known for its creative, ergonomic designs. In particular, its ergonomic mouse designs have helped a lot of people deal with repetitive-stress injuries. Unergonomic placement of the keypad to the right of the keyboard pushes the mouse too far to the right on the desktop and forces the user to lean to the right. So I have a lot of respect for Evoluent for designing a keyboard that addresses this. I can absolutely attest to the fact that having the keypad on the left has helped relieve discomfort on a daily basis.The other thing I like about Evoluent keyboards is that they had the courage to reconfigure the keyboard with the Del key down on the bottom row so you don't have to reach all the way over to the right to use it while your right hand is on the mouse. I use Del a lot and it makes no sense that the standard configuration forces you to either let go of the mouse to use Del or reach all the way over to the right with the left hand. With the Evoluent compact keyboard, you can track to fields with the mouse and enter and delete values with the left hand without letting go of the mouse. That is an awesome thing for a lot of applications.Having said that, the spacebar on this Evoluent compact keyboard failed after 9 weeks of use. They replaced it (it has a 1 year warranty) but it is a fact that scissor switches just don't last as long as mechanical switches and the spacebar, being under the thumb, sometimes gets hit pretty hard. Maybe it was a fluke, who knows. I'm not going to focus on that, I'd prefer to focus on the positives which is the unergonomic standard keyboard configuration and how it can be solved. The Evoluent keyboard is one solution. Another is described below.My solution to this problem was to purchase a separate numeric keypad that I keep on the left and to buy a Leopold mechanical keypadless keyboard. I used KeyTweak to reconfigure the keyboard mapping so that the Del key and the tilde (`) key are swapped. I also swapped the Home/End with the PageUp/PageDown keys, plus another couple adjustments. I purchased a keycap puller to move the physical keys accordingly. But truth be told, I did actually prefer the alternative keyboard layout on Evoluent compact keyboard I had prior to buying the Leopold, and I liked the fact that there were more keys on the bottom row than on the standard keyboard configuration. But after using a mechanical keyboard with Cherry brown switches (google it) I'll never use anything else. Evoluent keyboards use scissor switches, which is the same mechanism used for laptops. I much prefer the response and substance of a mechanical keyboard.The Evoluent keyboard housing is also thin, light and flat which makes it ideal for sticking in your laptop case. In contrast, my mechanical keyboard is solid, weighs several pounds, has about 1.5 inches height in the rear and tilts slightly forward so you can use a wrist rest with it. Most importantly, you might want to consider doing some research into the various switch types before buying your next keyboard. Mechanical keyboards are more expensive but if your livelihood depends on it, it's worth the investment. But if you want the alternative keyboard layout and don't want to deal with manually reconfiguring your keyboard and prefer scissor switches to mechanical, Evoluent is really the only option.I've had a lot of experience with alternative keyboard configurations, and I can say without a doubt that the investment in time required to retrain yourself will pay off. My current desktop configuration is, left to right: Kensington Orbit Trackball with Scroll Ring (which I use just for scrolling - awesome product), Logitech numeric keypad, Leopold keypadless mechanical keyboard, and Monoprice graphics tablet with pen instead of mouse. Total investment: $240. If you don't want to spend that much or don't have available space, I think the Evoluent compact keyboard might work for you. But take a good look at the key configuration first. It will take some time to get used to.So in summary, please make sure you understand that this is a compact keyboard that uses laptop-style switches under the keys. Whether it is suitable as a primary keyboard for everyday use is a judgement call that really depends on your situation. If your workspace is very tight, it might be perfect for you. But for me, it wasn't suitable as an everyday, 10-hour-a-day workhorse. Instead, I'll keep it hooked up to my secondary computer and will stick it in my laptop case whenever I travel.

Needed a keyboard for a slide out tray. A regular size plus a mouse took way to much room and made it cumbersome to work. I love this keyboard but I do wish it have backlighting!

I normally type at around ~100 WPM. Whenever I type the word "from" on this keyboard, I get "fm" instead. I also occasionally get "rrrr" on the screen instead of an "r". That's unacceptable at this price point, and I never experienced such problems with my other keyboards . As an aside, I also find that stabilized keys such as Shift and Enter are too loud. Will be returning this item.

Love this keyboard. I love that it’s slim. I had an ergonomic evaluation at work and was recommended this keyboard because it’s small so that my fingers are ergonomically correct when typing.

This is a great little keyboard for a small person. I got it at work because I had an ergonomic assessment and was told that a smaller compact keyboard was better for my smaller frame. This keyboard is fabulous! I got one for home as well. I have less pain now with this smaller keyboard. Very nice typing on the keys as well.