This is the review of the comparison between two keyboards from two different brands that are popular in the market. The comparison here is between the Logitech ERGO K860 and the Microsoft Natural Ergonomic 4000. To know which one is worth buying for the price, go to the detailed review.

Logitech ERGO K860	Microsoft Natural Ergonomic 4000
BUY NOW	BUY NOW
PROS	PROS
Comfortable Wrist Pad. Can connect to multiple devices. Extended asymmetrical keys make it easier to find your way around. Exceptional wireless compatibility.	Ergonomic design leads to wrist comfort. Dedicated back/forward keys for Web surfing. Five programmable favorites keys. Enhanced function keys for common shortcuts.
CONS	CONS
More expensive than other ergonomic keyboards. Not backlit. Takes up more space than you think.	Isn’t compatible with PS/2 adapters. Takes up a lot of desktop space. Little too expensive.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Detail Review:

INTRODUCTION:

Logitech ERGO K860

The Logitech ERGO K860 is retailing for around a hundred and twenty-five dollars currently on Amazon. If you are used to the keyboard market or maybe you’re familiar with the mechanical keyboard side or whatnot then you may not be super shocked at a price like that. However, for a wireless keyboard, you can find cheaper options out there and it just kind of depends on what features you are trying to pull out of a keyboard.

Microsoft Natural Ergonomic 4000

The Microsoft Natural Ergonomic 4000 is a wired ergonomic keyboard as its name claims. This keyboard is retailing for quite a higher price range that is for around a hundred and eighty dollars currently on Amazon. This keyboard is specially designed for comfort while typing for a longer period of time.

DESIGN AND COMFORT: 

Logitech ERGO K860

The most obvious feature you are buying into with the ERGO K860 is the curved keyframe and basically this entire unified body with the wrist rest. The curve is kind of crazy-looking, to be honest. With a lot of keyboards, I do not see have this feature, there are those ergonomic keyboards that do split down the middle but Logitech has decided to go with a single body approach, and it’s honestly very interesting. The wrist rest is very comfortable, it’s not too hard, it’s not too soft, it has a layer of high-density foam and a layer of memory foam. It just overall feels too good, it’s not super squishy like those memory foam beds but it’s just enough for your wrists aren’t going to get tired over long sessions.

Going along with the whole unified body approach, Logitech has put two tilt angles that you can set up really fast on the bottom of the keyboard, and this is great for sit-stand desks. Oftentimes I have it just laying neutral and flat on my desk but then when I’m standing up I like to put up the smaller level of the tilt legs and it’s honestly great. It really just continues that nice ergonomic experience and really keeps the pressure even on your palms no matter if you’re sitting or standing, so that is really nice.

Definitely, the drastic design of the split keyboard approach is maybe intimidating for some people. I personally thought it might take a little while to get used to it because I had never used a keyboard like this but it really only took me about a week to be really comfortable with it. I didn’t have to look down so much to wonder where I was with my hands and everything because it is a little bit different but Logitech does have these extended keys in specific places where it really makes sense and that’s a nice little touch but it does take some getting used to. You will have to do some sort of adjustment because your wrists are at a slightly different position but the split keys are a big change. 

Microsoft Natural Ergonomic 4000

The Microsoft Natural Ergonomic 4000 keyboard is designed in a way that’s supposed to allow your hands and your wrists and your forearms to sit in a comfortable natural position when you’re using the keyboard. This is especially useful if you do a lot of programming like I do because when your wrist especially including your hand ends up in a position of tension or an uncomfortable position for a long period of time as is normal with a standard keyboard and gaming or programming and especially if you do a lot of repetitive movements in those positions, that is a good way to end up with wrist problems things like carpal tunnel especially. So, this just helps prevent that in the long run, just makes it a lot more comfortable especially, if you get random wrist pains as I do sometimes. If you look at the design of this keyboard, you can find it to be contoured to prop up the keyboard. Definitely, it’s a very interesting design, a very carefully thought-out design to make it a lot easier on your wrists and your hands. 

We’ve got indicator LEDs down there and that’s pretty nice normally they’re up at the top corner that’s where most people are familiar with them being but down here is actually very useful because it’s a lot easier to see especially on this raised surface. That’s going to make it a little bit easier to tell if you got capslock or num lock or scroll lock or whatever on at a glance. Then we’ve got back and forward buttons, we’ve got a zoom slider right there which I’m pretty sure can be programmed, so you can make it like a scroll slider if you wanted. All the keys on the top are programmable, we’ve got media keys along the top, all your standard media keys with a big favorites button right in the middle, and your F keys which double as more media or programmable or useful Keys undo and redo, new, open, closed, reply, etc and the Numpad on the right for people who prefer that.

FEATURES AND PERFORMANCES:

Logitech ERGO K860

As far as the features, it is a wireless keyboard and does connect via Bluetooth or with the wireless receiver that does come in the packaging. You might be familiar with this because Logitech often does include the unifying receiver inside the package in almost all of their wireless devices. I personally have this one just connected with Bluetooth to my laptop, I’m only using it with my laptop and occasionally on my iPad Pro but this is primarily a laptop keyword for my entire setup.

One major benefit of going with the ERGO K860 is the incredible battery life that you get. Logitech claims that you will get two years of battery from two AAA batteries which they do include in the box. That is pretty impressive and I haven’t owned the keyboard that long, so I can’t necessarily back it up but for something that you can just put in once every two years and forget about it, that’s pretty good. I was a little disappointed that there was no USB-C charging option because especially, with Logitech their products are already in that direction but with the two years of battery just from two AAA batteries, I can’t complain that much.

This does pair with the Logitech Options software by which you can easily check the battery life of the keyboard which I honestly never do because there’s really no reason to check on the battery. But it’s nice if you have a lot of Logitech products because you can see really all of your products in that one central hub and for the K860 specifically, you can remap some keys and really just change things to how you personally like to do things. Another benefit of going the Logitech route is they often have multi-device connectivity, and this keyboard does include that as well. There are three simple buttons right above the arrow keys that allow you to change between really anything that supports it so. Sometimes I will have my iPad set up and if I want to quickly type on that because it’s just easier than picking it up off my desk and then typing with my fingers, I will just switch over with the keyboard because, on both my laptop and my iPad Pro, the Bluetooth is on all the time, so that is definitely a nice option to have.

Possibly the most disappointing feel of the keyboard is actually the back of it. It’s just a simple plastic material it’s nothing special it does have some rubber grips that keep the keyboard planted really no matter what surface you’re on. But it just seems like something that’s gonna get scratched up often if you’re moving it around or moving it from a working setup to a leisure setup. I’ve been doing a bunch of other stuff to try and help my arms and hands, so I really can’t say if the keyboard has drastically helped it but I like to think that with the more neutral approach that your hands are on the keyboard, and just you’re not as twisted as if you were on a flatter keyboard, I do think over time this is going to benefit anyone that is spending a significant amount of time on their computer.

Microsoft Natural Ergonomic 4000

Inside the box, we’ve got the keyboard, and we’ve also got a couple of pamphlets, a manual, and a warranty. The keys split and if you’ve learned to touch-type like most programmers will and even a lot of people just taking computer classes in school, then the split Keys will not be a problem at all. If you type with just like one finger you know on one hand, or even one finger on each hand it still shouldn’t be much of a problem you just might have a moment where you’re looking for one of the keys that would normally be in the middle. But definitely, it’s gonna be off to one side or the other but for me, I learned to touch-type so this will be pretty easy for me. It’s split and it’s actually contoured just to get your wrist to set at a comfortable angle and there’s a sort of a plastic bar there to raise the keyboard up off of the surface of the desk to make it more comfortable. The wrist rest in this keyboard would actually a forearm rest, you shouldn’t rest your wrist necessarily, so much as you should your palm or your forearm. This wrist rest also feels like a plastic leather sort of material, fake leather or something like that but it is soft, its cushion.

There’s also another interesting thing that is above the Numpad, we actually have an equals key, left and right parenthesis, and a left caret key, so that’s different you don’t usually see that on a keyboard. Microsoft has just provided you with more keys, more convenience, and that’s going to be useful for people who want to do a lot of operations on the Numpad like data entry or calculations having those keys right there.

There doesn’t appear to be any cable routing mechanisms on the back but we do have the feet that are hinged, so you can lift the keyboard top of the keyboard here up higher off the desk and that seems to be about it. It is a USB wired keyboard, so no batteries. I tested out this keyboard by typing it works really well, and this thing’s working pretty good right off the bat, it’s very comfortable, the wrist rest here resting palms on actually is very comfortable, it is cushioned very nice, and the contour is very comfortable.

The slight angle that it that your hand sits at there’s a lot nicer than just kind of being flat out like in a regular keyboard, since they’re kind of angled like that it’s more of a natural hand position, so that’s nice. You can reprogram the hotkeys but you can leave the keys if you want to leave the keys as they are or if you want to reprogram them yourselves like the zoom key for example you can do so. It’s very comfortable, it’ll save your wrists in the long run by putting a much more natural angle in position, help reduce your chances of getting like a carpal tunnel for example if you do a lot of typing like I do that is very important to consider.

WHICH ONE IS WORTH BUYING?

In my opinion, the Logitech ERGo K860 is worth buying than the Microsoft Natural Ergonomic 4000 because at a higher price range the Microsoft Natural Ergonomic 4000 is not wireless while the Logitech ERGO K860 is wireless. Also, if you are looking for an option that might take some pressure off the wrist maybe you’re having some issues with your hands and arms, and if you are any sort of creator or if you’re editing a lot of photos and videos or even if you’re a software engineer specifically anything we’re going to be typing a lot, I would recommend this product for you as it is worth buying.

Expert Reviews of Logitech ERGO K860:

By reviewgreek.com
From an ergonomic perspective, the ERGO K860 is no better than or worse than the variety of Microsoft ergonomic keyboards…

By Digital Trends
The $130 Logitech Ergo K860 isn’t just a comfortable keyboard. It’s the best ergonomic keyboard we’ve ever used. Everything from the typing…

By PCMag
Logitech’s Ergo K860 is a well-crafted keyboard for sparing your arms and wrists when you work your fingers to the bone.

Expert Reviews of Microsoft Natural Ergonomic 4000:

By cnet
Microsoft’s ergonomic keyboard is comfortable to use and supplies a few useful extras.

By PCWorld
Poor typing posture can wreak havoc on your wrists, but few people take the time to correct such hazardous habits. Enter Microsoft’s…

By allthingsergo.com
Compared to the plain old keyboard that comes with most PCs, the Microsoft Natural 4000 ergonomic keyboard is a big improvement. The price tag…