$60.. I was going to happily recommend this even at the $90 the Microsoft Ergonomic Desktop comes in at, so this as a means to get a decent mouse as well makes the kit all the better. There are several trains of thoughts when it comes to ergonomic typing and keyboard design, with several going the fully split way and others aiming for the smaller form factors by justifying shorter finger travel. Most split keyboards are also ~60%–75% form-factor keyboards to begin with and generally cost the moon (pun intended).

Getting the Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard for $60 is thus quite nice, especially considering this is a first-party offering with software support and decent build quality for the money. Most of my complaints are about the lack of ergonomic customizability and keycap longevity, although I suppose I am still not that confident about the integrated wrist rest, either. These drawbacks are far easier to cope with at $60, especially when you put the list of positives up right next to the cons. The successful keyboard layout from Microsoft is also used again, with a few tweaks here and there for more modern use cases. I don't always agree with them, but the software remapping options for 12 keys help quench that pain. Having per-app customization and macro support, among other things, also makes this more versatile than the price point would indicate, but I have to again point out that there are only 12 keys you can remap in the software unless you go with a third-party tool, such as AutoHotKey or KeyMan.

There is no aircraft-grade aluminium frame, nor is there RGB lighting, or even any lighting whatsoever—not even indicator LEDs. The software suite brings up on-screen notifications in place of the missing indicator LEDs, which can be annoying for those not expecting it. What you are buying here instead is a comfortable, well-designed ergonomic keyboard that offers a dedicated numpad and functionality that is extremely hard to beat for the price. There is a learning curve, but it is nowhere near as steep as with pretty much any other ergonomic keyboard. As long as the membrane switches and relatively large size are not deal-breakers for you, go ahead and try out the keyboard. Better yet, get the Microsoft Ergonomic Desktop itself, which seems like a no-brainer for new work setups on a budget.