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Discussion on: Keyboards - Full size, TKL, or other?

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ericgeek profile image
EricGeek

I switched from full size to TKL a few years back because my right shoulder started bothering me when I used the mouse very much because the numeric keypad pushed the mousepad too far to the right. Yes, getting old sucks.

I honestly don't miss the numeric keypad except for certain games and programs, and that's so rare that I've mostly forgotten that it was ever an issue.

On the other hand, I've been touch typing since before IBM came out with their PC, so I don't have problems using the top row numbers.

I did try a 65% keyboard, and found the hoops required for home/end/PgUp/PgDn to be a bit of a pain and the unusual positioning of the cursor keys really threw me off on more games than the lack of a numeric keypad did.

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_garybell profile image
Gary Bell

I've rules out a 65% keyboard. I can get away with TKL I think, as that's what my laptop has. Arguably my laptop is closer to a 65% than true TKL, but I wouldn't want to use it all day, every day as a sole keyboard.

The arrows in the right place is more important to me than saving space. I use them more often than the number pad. Having to hunt for them would be a nightmare.