Matias Ergo Pro Review – There are mechanical keyboards. And there are ergonomic keyboards. However, I’ve never got my hands on an ergonomic mechanical keyboard before, til Matias Ergo Pro came along.
Matias Ergo Pro is a unique ergonomic keyboard that you will appreciate the more you use it.
On my first day of testing it out, I had to sort of force myself. First of all, it looked kind of weird (or special, if you are on the positive side). The keyboard is split in two, but joined through a bridge cable. You can adjust the 2 sections to be separated as far as possible, or even next to one another.
This flexibility is great for 10-finger typists and for those who want to fix their mistyping behavior. For example, I’m used to pressing the ‘b’ key with my right finger. Thanks to this keyboard, I was forced to correct my typing mistake every time I need to type the letter ‘b’, and now I’ve graduated. I’m using my left finger as it is meant to be.
The best part of Matias Ergo Pro (and the other keyboards they sell), is the mechanical switches they design themselves – the Matias Quiet Click switches. It’s definitely hard to explain in words, but it feels as if you are typing on the Cherry MX Black switches, but quieter. It also somewhat feels bouncier and lighter – which is great for typing.
Matias Ergo Pro is definitely not tailored for gaming (that focuses more on quick response times with backlighting and macro keys), but for desktop use, it is great on its own.
I’ve been using it in an open office environment and I really appreciate the quietness of the keyboard. It’s not 100% quiet, but it’s almost as if you are typing on a rubber dome keyboard. Compared to the Razer BlackWidow Ultimate Stealth I was using previously (with Cherry MX Brown switches), Matias Ergo Pro is much quieter.
The keys are also designed ergonomically and you may notice some awkwardness – such as having a massive Left CTRL key and an extra “ctrl” key in the middle (which I pressed quite often on the first day of using the keyboard – but that is of my right finger trying to find the ‘b’ key).
The keyboard has extra keys like the “Undo”, “Cut”, “Copy”, and “Paste” keys which amazingly work without having to install any driver. It also has a Function key for access to media controls.
It comes with leg supports for 9 degrees tenting and 4.5 degrees negative tilt for ergonomics. Again, you need to actually try it out for a couple of days before you can appreciate it. I remember meeting Dr. Dan Odell 5 years back, a Design Ergonomist and User Researcher in Microsoft Hardware Group, to talk about ergonomics and why they are important for your health-being.
Surprisingly, even if I rarely use an ergonomic keyboard, I really got used to the Matias Ergo Pro and loving it. It is definitely growing on me the more I use it. I just wish it has keypads, because in an office environment, you’ll often have to enter numbers in and it is just much faster with numpads around. Saying that, however, the Ergo Pro is really compact and doesn’t take a lot of space like a regular keyboard. Yet, typing and everything else still feels natural and not cramped.
If you are looking for an ergonomic keyboard that types and feels great without making too much noise, I’d highly recommend the Matias Ergo Pro (assuming you are okay with the loss of a numeric keypad). Your body will thank you.
Disclosure: Sample was sponsored but all opinions are mine
