Cherry is best known as the creator of highly coveted keyboard switches, the tiny switches that lie behind each key on your favorite input device. They are less known for actually making their own peripherals, which is why the Cherry KC 4500 Ergo it is particularly interesting.
This full-size keyboard is, as you can see above, ergonomically designed for comfort. The keyboard is 18.70 x 8.53 x 1.39 inches. And it has no backlight.
Chiclet-style keys have a key shift similar to MacBook keys and are very quiet. The depth is satisfactory, but the whole thing has a slightly mushy feel, which you want if you’re trying to reduce the tension in your hands. Although they are not my favorite style, they are definitely easy on the fingers and very quiet.
The keys are rubber dome, which means that they are not traditionally mechanical. This style is very similar to the switches on most laptop keyboards, which should make the transition from a MacBook quite smooth.
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Now for the bad news. The keyboard has no rollover of N keys, which means that you can hold down only a few keys at a time. On most mechanical keyboards, you can easily hold down all four of the top row – say, “qwer” – and then tap “ty” at the same time and get “qwerty”. In my tests, this keyboard supported up to four keys at the same time, and not very well. Don’t expect to play any heavy games or tap your fingers on a heavy typo and you’ll be fine.
While this model isn’t for everyone, it’s definitely worth a look when compared to similar offerings like Microsoft’s $ 39 model and Logitech’s K350 wireless keyboard, which costs $ 59.
The 4500 Ergo was definitely built for comfort. If you’ve been fiddling with a mechanical keyboard for some time, this $ 45 keyboard is like giving your carpal tunnel a spa day. The built-in palm rest is soft and comfortable, the design is great and the buttons, although not exactly the workhorses we are used to in Cherry, are better than most laptop keyboards. When you think of it as a way to take a break from standard keyboards, the 4500 Ergo is great.