Mechanical Keyboards

I type on a Cooler Master Masterkeys Pro M. It's very slightly reduced from a standard 104 key ANSI layout. It has a numpad but is missing the three arrow key columns (what I've taken to calling the nav group as most of those keys are for navigating a document) All that functionality is in the numpad, like it always was, except on this keyboard it's not laid out like an old Model M, they transferred the arrow keys, home-end-page up/down-ins-del keys and such into the numpad in a way that makes sense if you're used to them. Takes a second to get used to, and I actually ever use the numlock key on this keyboard, but it works. The alphanumeric key section is more or less perfectly normal ANSI layout (there's a fn key between right Super and Ctrl) so it's perfectly ordinary to type on.

Narrowing the keyboard a bit like this does two things for me:

1. Moving my hand from the home row to the mouse is ~4 inches shorter. A full 104 key is so wide that either the mouse ends up way off to the right, or to reach the home row I have to reach my right hand to my right. My right wrist spends less time at extreme angles.

2. It frees up room for my space mouse to the left of the keyboard on my tiny little keyboard tray.

I really don't get the folks who not only did away with the F row but also the number row and have to deal with layers to get to stuff like that.

As a small keyboard user myself, I made the switch because I wasn't using those keys anyways and the few that I were could easily be handled with layers. I have one of those desks with the sliding tray where the keyboard sits, so being able to free up space so the keyboard fits comfortably is nice.

Less keys = less finger movements. Also for travel. And finally it’s like camber on cars it’s just a flex.

I use a ducky 60% when I got into the office.i use it because it fits in my messenger bag. It gets used once a month.

I use a model m from 1990 at home. (It's older than my wife lol)

If I were to buy a new keyboard it would be a unicomp model m. So keyboards of decent size are out there.

I rock a full size realforce r2 at work AND and home because I feel more productive with a keypad and other helper keys. It's less mental overhead. I'm not using the mouse much when I type (modal editor)

I have a Glorious GMMK2 that I took to the office. It has arrow keys and the page up/down and end keys. (Home is fn+end). I find this to be the happy middle for me. The tiny boards with no arrows were frustrating. Big boards I get uncomfortable after a while due to the mouse being so far away. A smaller board that has the keys you regularly use is more ergonomic since you can keep your arms and hands closer to your core. I don’t mind using fn to access function keys or more rare use case keys. This very much comes down to what you do on your computer. When I had to type in user IDs non-stop working on a help desk…numpad was important. I don’t type strings of numbers as frequently now so it is not as important.

There’s a lot more keyboards without the numpad and the block of middle keys - whatever they’re called - or with the middle keys reduced or squashed up awkwardly on the side, than full-size plain old 102- or 104-key layout keyboards.

I don't like reduced-size keys or reshaping the block of six keys. My guess is that reshaping the block of six keys (Insert, Home, etc) is to mirror laptop layouts, so one doesn't have to switch between different layouts mentally. No real need on a desktop, but on a laptop, space is often at a premium.

But getting rid of the numpad is something that I am definitely enthusiastic about.

There aren't that many uses for the numpad. In my experience:

• You actually do a bunch of numeric entry. I think that very few people do this, but for those people, sure, it's useful.

• A few games use it, largely because it happened to be there for numeric entry. Because laptops don't generally have a numpad, shifting to keybinding schemes that use it have become far less common.

However, the numpad sits right where the mouse would ideally be if the keyboard is reasonably centered.

In general, I'd rather have my hands stay on the home row. If you have to use keys off in neverland, like arrow keys or F-keys or the like, you need to relocate your hands. Preferable to use modifier keys and chord them with regular keys in the "main block" of keys. If you're a vi or emacs user, you likely don't use the arrow keys for cursor movement.

There was also a trend back around, oh, early 2000s to have a bunch of extra keys added to the keyboard, stuff like Play, Pause, etc. That seemed to kinda fall out of favor.

I'm a 65% user and it's great. The only keys right of the main block that I ever really use are delete, PrtSc, and the arrow keys - so all a full size keyboard does for me is force me to awkwardly bend my arms to the left as I type. I especially dislike numpads on laptop keyboards for that reason.

And I work with numbers a lot. I just prefer the number row. I have remapped the rightmost column of keys to more useful functions as well.

People are coming to favor layering instead of moving hands across. With layering you can activate new commands on the same keys. Like shift and a letter for uppercase, but for many many more inputs.

Argument being this is more efficient as you can keep your hands in the same place.

I dont prefer smaller, because at work when I'm in the office I do a lot of spreadsheet work and consequently use the numpad and arrow keys alot.

At home while gaming I almost never use them and never did, had mini keyboards for years but sometimes I have to use my computer for actual work and lo and behold if my halds and fingers dont immediately start looking for the numpad...

When I used full size keyboard it knocked down my microphone so many times that it became anoying. Moving the keyboard away from microphone wasn't an option because it wasn't comfortable for my hands. Moving microphone itself also wasn't an option because of the cabels and also there is no better position for it on my desk. Combine all of that with the fact that I didn't even use numpad. Smaller keyboard is so much better for me but I see why some people like full size ones.

Me with my G910

"Keyboards are getting smaller? 😮"

I have a split ergo (Ergodox) and an ortho (Preonic). The Ergodox is my normal keyboard and has modifiers and a number row. I use the ortho for cad/3d work when my right hand stays on a mouse so I can type commands and inputs one handed. I still don’t have muscle memory fully down to use layers for symbols and numbers but could get there.

Numpad not needed since already have number keys above the alphas (and you can buy separate tenkey pads if they’re really needed). The extra space on desktop gained by a shorter keyboard is far more useful. All of mine except two are TKL, the others are 60%. Below that you fall into specialist territory and having typed on QWERTY layouts with function keys for decades I think I’m a bit too old to unlearn and relearn typing, but some people find it fun to use weird and wonderful ortho, dactyl or 40% keebs with multiple programmable “layers”.

So, I have two computers - my work machine and my personal machine that is pretty evenly split in use between gaming and light internet usage.

My work keyboard is a full size, numpad having thing. I need all those keys for my job, and slightly less “mouse space”.

On my personal machine I use a smaller, 60% board. I don’t need a numpad since I’m not doing data entry, I don’t really need some of the other keys all the time, so having a function key and mapping those keys to other keys + function is just fine. This gives me more room on my desk for my mouse, beer, etc.

Different keebs for different use cases.

It probably feels more ergonomical, I would also have a smaller if I were to buy one tbh

I don't have a use for a numpad and it typically sits where I have my mouse so I rather have the space than the numpad. If I really needed one I'd likely just get an external numpad that I can plug in and have it to the side somewhere.

Personally, my favorite size / layout are , as they keep their F-keys and the Home / Page keys, but everything is compacted into one uniform block without useless gaps. Perfect blend between functionality and aesthetics for me.