Logitech Ergo K860 Ergonomic Keyboard Review

Keyboard Review? Really?

Recently, I’ve taken the plunge to dive back into blogging about my personal projects. Coupled with my full-time role as a Software Developer, it’s clear I’ll be clocking in even more screen time. Recognizing this, I’ve made it a priority to arrange my home workspace in the more ergonomic way.

For us developers, having a good keyboard is essential as we can span 10+ hours a day typing. Previously I have used Ergonomic Keyboards from Microsoft, like Microsoft Surface Ergonomic Keyboard, wired Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard or even Microsoft Wireless Comfort Desktop and was satisfied with all of them. So, I decided to return to an ergonomic keyboard once again.

But I quickly discovered that Microsoft is gone from the keyboard game- why, I wouldn’t know, because it is hard to imagine them not being profitable in this field. Yes, they do sell the Surface Keyboard, but that is not an ergonomic keyboard, it is a classical one, like Apple Keyboard, for example.

So, I started researching other options – and a person could really get lost in all possibilities. There is also a risk that you buy some kind of “spaceship keyboard” with a steep learning curve, so I decided to go with the more familiar “wavy” look and feel As I have previously used Logitech’s MX Keys Keyboard and was pretty satisfied with it, I decided to go with Logitech again. So, I bought the ERGO K860 and here’s my review of it just in case it helps someone decide for or against it.

Now, for those of you who don’t know – I am not a content creator in the traditional sense, I don’t plan to make money with any of this, I simply wish to give something back to the IT Community. I bought this with my own money, and I believe I can be unbiased. The only bias I might have is maybe that I am justifying my own buying decisions to myself.

Straight to the Point

Logitech’s ERGO K860 is a very well-crafted and surprisingly comfortable ergonomic keyboard which makes typing much easier, yet it does not require a long adjustment period. At Least in my opinion.

There you have it. If you’re interested in details, however, then keep reading.

Detailed Review

Ergonomics

As you can see, the keyboard is curved and elevated. As far as I understood the reasoning it is to promote a natural posture while typing. Again, I am not an ergonomist and this is not medical advice, but from what I understood the problem with the “normal“ keyboard is that you not only rotate your writs when typing in order to adjust to the flat surface, but you also have to keep your wrist elevated in order to type.

This keyboard attempts to solve both of those problems by providing you with a more natural position to type, where your writs do not have to do as much work – they just sit there on your fingers are doing most of the work. Speaking of the wrist rest, it feels extremely comfortable, as it contains memory foam and a what Logitech says is a stain resistant fabric. It is just so much more comfortable than keeping your hands directly on the table.

The palm rest is also adjustable, there are two sets of lift legs, which enables you to adjust the lift by two different degree settings – lower and higher in order to create a negative tilt and possibly make the keyboard even more comfortable.

What could be problematic is that the wrist rest is not detachable, it‘s all a single piece which takes away some flexibility and makes this keyboard very hungry for desk-space. I guess I do understand the reasoning as it is meant that the keyboard and the wrist rest work together to give you an optimal experience, but I would still have liked the possibility to detach it. This is what is to be expected from a big manufacturer such as Logitech – it is not meant to be flexible as custom or ergonomic mechanical “spaceship “keyboards, but it is more mainstream. I guess that‘s OK, it‘s a safe choice. Just make sure you have enough space on your desk, as, once again, it is not a small thing we have here.

To be honest, what worries me more is that as the wrist rest is one with the keyboard, that makes it impossible to replace- and I wouldn‘t bet on it not wearing out before the keyboard itself stops working, which of course, means that you‘ll have to potentially replace the whole keyboard.

Learning Curve

It did not take me too long to adjust to the typing experience, but this might not be the case for you. For one, as mentioned above, I already have experience with the Ergonomic Keyboards and I know where all the keys are, even when using the various keyboard layouts Operating Systems offer. I do this, because I must type in English, German, and my native Croatian – and as I said, I mostly know where the keys are, but I am not a complete touch-typist only. So, it was not so difficult for me to adjust to the ERGO K860.

However, if you tend to type with two fingers only while looking at the keyboard, the learning curve might be a bit steeper for you. One another thing to mention , that you might not even be aware of is that people who tend to type mostly with 2 fingers only do not necessarily always hit the same key with the same finger – for example sometimes they hit the letter B with the right hand and the letter N with the left. This kind of flexibility is mostly lost as some keys are further apart, so it is not practical to, for example hit the N key with the left hand. So, yes, for certain people there will be a learning curve. But the trade-off is ergonomics. With this keyboard your hands will have a good posture exactly because it is natural to keep them on the palm rest and only make minimal moves with your fingers. I do believe, however that the small loss of flexibility is more than compensated by the better posture – and who knows, it might even make you a better typist.

Typing and Development

To be completely open and honest, I do not know how to review the typing experience. The keys are low profile, and the keyboard is not mechanical. But I do find that the keys still have some travel distance, more than a laptop keyboard for example, so you do have a “tactile experience “. The feeling is like on Logitech MX keys, except that these do not have that small well in the middle where your fingers would go on the MX Keys. But I guess that would not be really in service of ergonomics. I found the experience amazingly comfortable and enjoyable.

However, if you have smaller hands but adore keyboard shortcuts, I feel like I should warn you that because of the nature of the split design, some key combinations, like for example CTRL+N are not so easy to reach with one hand, especially if you use left hand Pinky and index finger method while keeping one hand on the mouse. The same goes for CTRL+Z and CTRL+H, which are not so easy to press with the left hand only. Yes, this might be nit-picky but if you have smaller hands, you could be surprised at how often the thought “this used to be much easier” occurs to you. Yes, go ahead, say it. I use the mouse too much. But if you are like me, be warned that this could take some adjusting. However, if I look at everything, I do feel that this slight inconvenience is worth the lower amount of wrist action needed.

What might be a deal breaker to you, though is the lack of back-lighting. Now, as I know where the keys are, and due to some vision problems, I always work in a well-lit room, this does not bother me, even if it would be nice to have. However, if you type mostly with two fingers and tend to work in the dark as well, the lack of backlighting combined with a predicted steeper learning curve for people who do not at least roughly know where the keys are might prove problematic. In this case, I suggest you make sure you buy it from somewhere with a generous return policy, or even attempt to find a retail store which would allow you to test it there first before buying.

Batteries and connectivity

This keyboard does not come with a rechargeable battery. Instead, it is powered by two AAA batteries. Logitech claims that they will provide you with enough power for two full years of usage. I have my doubts, I must confess as I am not sure that they calculated that using the 10+ hours per day formula or an average usage of 4 hours a day or so. But if you think about it, I tend to believe that these batteries will last for a long, long time, as the keyboard is connected either over Logi Bolt connector or Bluetooth Low Energy and the keyboard does not have backlighting.

You can connect the keyboard with up to three devices and switch between them with a press of a button. If you have used Logitech keyboards or Mice before, especially the MX series, this functionality should be remarkably familiar to you. To me, this has always been one of the best Logitech features. The keyboard comes with both Windows and Mac symbols both printed on the keys and the OS specific keys work automatically when switching to a particular device without the need to activate any kind of extra switch. I have tried using it on both Mac and PC and can confirm that it works great with both systems.

Software

You can download the Logitech Options+ App which enables you to reprogram all the function buttons. The software supports the programming of the buttons per app as well, so for example, the lock button can be used for Pasting in Adobe Photoshop, should you choose to reprogram it like this.

If you have a Logitech mouse which supports Logi Flow, a concept which enables your mouse cursor to switch from one computer to another seamlessly, the keyboard will follow the mouse as well, without the need for you to switch between devices manually.

I do own a Logitech ergonomic mouse as well, but I didn’t test this feature myself, as honestly, I never felt a need for it. But I guess if you ever need to transfer the cursor or even files between the computers, you can give it a shot. I wouldn’t however buy this keyboard or even a Logitech mouse just for that reason, because as I understand it, both computers need to be in the same LAN, and I wouldn’t be that the VPN connection to your company will make this unusable between your private and work computers and that it is not blocked by your company’s policy. Even so, it’s good to know it’s there, as it could be that your use-case fits, for example. if you have a Mac and a PC, ,both privately owned.

Conclusion

This keyboard is for anyone who is looking to reduce the strain in shoulders, arms and wrists while typing. While I do believe that most people will have no trouble adapting to it, there could be some people – mostly those who type exclusively with two index fingers only and must always look at the keyboard, that might experience a steeper learning curve.

I do feel that this keyboard is worth it and for most people it will be a fantastic choice. So, if you can overlook the fact that it takes plenty of desk space and does not have backlighting, I would strongly recommend it that you try it.