I purchased this set for work because I enjoyed using them at home. I have a desk job where I use a computer all day. In brief, I love these ergonomic devices.
The mouse I give 4.5 stars. Both the mouse at work (and the one I own at home) are amazingly comfortable to hold and use. When you let your hand lay over the mouse, it positions your wrist in what I think of as a "handshake" position rather than flat on the desk. This takes about a week to get used to, but after that it's amazing how much better that angle is. It's a mouse that has a bit of "meat" to it, so it's better for my big hand to hold on to.
The mouse has a smooth-scrolling wheel, great for productivity (though bad for FPS games). Pressing the scroll-wheel for a middle-button effect is very hard to do with this particular wheel, but that's not much of an issue, as one of the two thumb buttons can be reassigned to the middle button functionality via the Microsoft software.
The keyboard I give 3.5 stars. It's wonderfully ergonomic and comfortable to use, but the "wireless" part of the equation makes it work a bit erratically from time to time. I type very quickly, and the keyboard will occasionally just lose keystrokes... or briefly stop receiving input altogether. I much prefer my home setup, where I have the Microsoft Natural Mouse hooked up wirelessly, and the Microsoft Natural Keyboard hooked up via USB. Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Desktop 7000
I have used MS ergonomic keyboards since they came out with the original. I ordered this set to replace my Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 which is the same keyboard except that it isn't wireless. Since I wanted to get the Natural Ergonomic Mouse 6000, I thought I'd upgrade the whole shebang.
The mouse is fabulous. It is responsive, smooth, quick, and places my wrist at a more natural angle. No pain. I have never been happier with a mouse. Did I say I am thrilled?
The keyboard. I didn't play with the keyboard for a while since it is identical to the 4000 that is my favorite keyboard. I was more concerned with the mouse. When it came time to get back to work, I was in for a surprise. They have changed the design of the spacebar.
To press the spacebar, one has to move one's hands out of the ergonomic position to reach the center of the spacebar with one's thumb. The sides of the spacebar do not work. Even then one has to pound the spacebar... a light touch won't get it. It doesn't have the smooth feel of my 4000; instead it makes a loud thunk when depressed. What's the point of ergonomic if one can't maintain the correct ergonomic position?
I called MS tech support thinking the keyboard defective. After going through 3 people before finally getting someone with possibly some knowledge, I was told that I wasn't used to ergonomic keyboards. Obviously, that is their pat answer. When I finally got it through the guy's skull that I have used ergonomic keyboards for years and years, he said the keyboard may be defective.
I've filed a return request with Amazon. I was going to try to continue using the kb until the replacement arrives, but after an hour of pounding the space bar with my thumb, the thumb was cramping, my wrists hurt, and I had to yank out my trusty 4000. It may have a wire, but it's the best keyboard on the market, imo.
I'm hopeful the replacement fixes the problem, but after reading the sticky key issues here, I have my doubts. I now wish I'd done a return instead of a replacement.
If this is the norm for this keyboard, I do not recommend it. The mouse though, I give a 5.
The microsoft desktop comprises of two things, the natural laster wireless 6000 (baseball mouse) and the natural wireless keyboard. The keyboard is really well built; it's not too loud and just like any other microsoft ergonomic keyboard, is a real joy to use. They even fixed the 'F-lock' problem that plagued previous models. The mouse is also really well built. However, its really different from any other mouse in the market...it has a baseball like shape that curves the wrist when you grasp it. Initially (for two or three days) it actually hurts the wrist, but after that it becomes quite comfortable to use. The only gripe about the mouse is that it is a bit heavier than most other mice, even wireless ones. Even without the 2 batteries, it's quite heavy. Lastly, after 2 months of daily use (8+ hours/day), the battery still shows up at about 70 to 80% so thats good.
As a whole, one problem that has emerged recently is that sometimes the pointer or keystrokes lag. It wasn't a problem earlier on, but lately it's quite noticeable (and annoying). Maybe its a driver conflict, but it seems like wireless interference.
Overall, I'd recommend the mouse/keyboard combo to anyone if they are willing to pay the steep price for it. - Natural Keyboard - Wireless Mouse - Wireless Keyboard - Ergonomic Mouse'
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