@bbense I am exactly the same. A company that I previously worked at started me off with a straight keyboard and after a few weeks I could barely type. However I can use my laptop at home for hours on end regularly without issue.
I also know a guy that (IIRC) suffered carpel tunnel and now uses one of these to prevent any issues, but can use a laptop just fine.
I have always assumed the difference with a laptop keyboard is because my hands are positioned more on top of the keyboard instead of reaching onto something thatās higher than the surface my wrists are resting on.
Another +1 for me. Made a huge difference with my RSI issues. Took some time getting productive with it. Spend a lot of time doing their training exercises. It paid off.
I have two Cooler Master QuickFire Rapid-i keyboards, just because theyāre the only TKL MX Brown keyboards I could get my hands on domestically. I compared them with a Filco Majestouch and it compared favourably, despite itās silly gaming name I would love to try something with MX Clear switches sometime, though!
I have a Pok3r with clear MX for sale Too heavy for me to be honest. I use a Pok3r with blue switches at the moment. I am thinking about pulling out the Ergodox (brown switches) I built 1.5 years ago though
Until yesterday I used my aged Logitech G19, first generation (and as it is still a good keyboard, Iāll replace my cherry in the office with it).
But my co workers gave me yesterday a Logitech G910 Orion Spectrum as a birthday present.
I can type on it very well, still, it feels as if I had to relearn typing, as keypositions and their touch are slightly different than on the old one.
If it were me, I hadnāt bought a new keyboard yet, because I usually insist on testing a keyboard first and most keyboards (especially mechanic ones) either need to much force when hitting the keys, or they are much to loud. The G910 was a blind buy by my coworkers as they knew I was happy with my G19 and they hoped, that I will be with its successor as well.
They allow you to type with less wrist/forearm rotation, which helps with the source of some of the most common RSI issues. (The most neutral position for your hands is parallel to your body.)
However, they also require more extension/flexion movement in the fingers reaching from row to row, which exacerbates some RSI issuesāI canāt stand using one for very long because of that.
After trying out Razer and a few Chinese keyboards (which were surprisingly good mechanical AND waterproof pieces of hardware!), I finally settled for Logitech G600 Orion Brown. Why:
Brown switches are the quietest among all mechanicals.
Good, neutral lighting, only one color (white), and enough brightness settings to make it good for any lighting around you.
Logitechās software is pretty good and allows for customization and macros (which I did not ever need).
Hardware volume roller! I did not know how much I needed that until I had it.
Gaming lock key (disables the Windows key, and optionally Alt-Tab). I was cringing at that at first but now use it almost any time I game.
Splash-resistant. Not entirely waterproof like the blue Cherry MX switch Chinese keyboards I used but I didnāt need to swap it out when spilling some water or a drink on it.
The keyboard is simple, non-pretentious, and gets the job done surprisingly well. Ever since I had it I feel one with my PC.
Only downside: key caps pop out easily. I dropped it lately and had to put back at least 10 key caps. But this as an advantage as well: the keyboard is VERY easy to clean.
Why I gave up on Razer:
Switches are not that durable. Had two high-end Razer keyboards, both started to have keys failing around the 13-14 month mark.
Not even splash resistant. Spilling a small amount of water meant I had to swap it out for a spare, for no less than 6 hours.
Harder to clean than most keyboards I had.
Heavy. Not that this is a big concern but the bulkiness and heavy weight did not help it in being durable so I guess it was just a marketing stunt to make people feel like the product is durable while it clearly is not.
Why I gave up on Chinese blue Cherry switch keyboards:
Lights started failing quickly (6-7 months).
Blue Cherry switches are loud as hell.
ā¦And thatās it. If I was into Blue Cherry and if I did not care about 2-3 keys having a dimmer light, they would be the PERFECT keyboards. Costed something like $60 and I was literally pouring water on them and they kept working. Dropped both at least 5 times each, zero keys fell off. It felt like you could murder someone with those things and then still keep working with them.
Yeah, definitively this! This is the main reason why I replace the cherry-keyboard in the office with my G19.
I need the constant glow at the rim of my eyes to be able to find the keyboard at all, even during daylight. I have constantly to look down if the keyboard has no backlight, checking that it is still there.
This is not only a criteria when I choose a keyboard, but for laptops as well, I wouldnāt buy one, that is missing keyboard backlight, even if it were a i9 with 30ish cores and 3-digits of RAMā¦ No light, no buyā¦
I would love to try something with MX Clear switches sometime, though!
Too heavy for me to be honest. I use a Pok3r with blue switches at the moment. I am thinking about pulling out the Ergodox (brown switches) I built 1.5 years ago though 
I work mostly the nights so thereās that.
