Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard
Shares rank 10 of 13 split keyboards by recommenders
People recommend it for comfort and for easing RSI and arm strain, with little learning curve. Some report keys that stop working, and critics mention the number pad.
People recommend it for comfort and for easing RSI and arm strain, with little learning curve. Some report keys that stop working, and critics mention the number pad.
12 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 7
- criticize it
- 5
- approval share
- 58%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 7 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 1.4 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
More comfortable than standard keyboards
“much better for the position of the arms than standard keyboards”
Comment from 20 Feb 2026 in “A Beginner's Guide to Split Keyboards” “it was still much more comfortable than with a classic keyboard”
Comment from 20 Feb 2026 in “A Beginner's Guide to Split Keyboards” Helps keep RSI at bay
“Microsoft Natural (the original with backtilt) saved my programming career.”
Comment from 19 Feb 2026 in “A Beginner's Guide to Split Keyboards” “my favourite ever Microsoft product which helps me keep my RSI at bay”
Comment from 10 Jun 2026 in “I Hate (Most) Keyboard 'Fn' Keys”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Some keys stop working
“Doesn't seem to like my Microsoft ergonomic keyboard (lots of keys do nothing)”
Comment from 24 Apr 2026 in “Ubuntu 26.04 LTS Released” “after a reboot Caps Lock was ON and the Key was disabled”
Comment from 10 Jun 2026 in “I Hate (Most) Keyboard 'Fn' Keys”
Other split keyboards people recommend
The four most recommended other split keyboards, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MoErgo Glove80 | 29 | 3 | 91% | 9 | — | Approved |
| Kinesis Advantage | 29 | 6 | 83% | 8 | 18 yrs5 owners | Approved |
| ZSA Moonlander | 27 | 12 | 69% | 6 | 5 yrs3 owners | Approved |
| ZSA Voyager | 17 | 1 | 94% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Microsoft Ergonomic KeyboardThis page | 7 | 5 | 58% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
11 of the 13 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“my favourite ever Microsoft product which helps me keep my RSI at bay”
“after a reboot Caps Lock was ON and the Key was disabled”
“it gave me RSI that it took a special keyboard that made people look at me like I was crazy to fix”
“Doesn't seem to like my Microsoft ergonomic keyboard (lots of keys do nothing)”
“After trying Microsoft Natural 4000, Kinesis Advantage 2”
“the one with the awful number pad”
“much better for the position of the arms than standard keyboards”
“it was still much more comfortable than with a classic keyboard”
“requires very little learning curve”
“I bought a stockpile of Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard for Business (LXM-00001) when they were still available”
“Microsoft Natural (the original with backtilt) saved my programming career.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.