banking keyboards
Keyboards

Best Keyboards for Banking

Working 80 to 100 hours a week is no joke. It’s even more tiring if the work involves plenty of data entry. Spending long hours doing typing can cause various physical complications. Also, you need the right kind of keyboards for doing all those financial modeling and Excel work without sacrificing your productivity.

This list of keyboards can help to do your banking work with high efficiency.

Only a high-quality keyboard equipped with some unique features can improve work performance in data entry and Excel in particular. Some important features to look for are lots of shortcuts, short keystrokes, and ergonomic properties to avoid musculoskeletal injuries and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Banking Keyboard
Banking keyboards should have shortcuts and easy typing features (Source: NeedPix)

Logitech diNovo Edge Best Overall Performance

Logitech diNovo Edge
A diNovo Edge provides an all-round performance (Source: Sascha / Flickr)

Pros

  • Aesthetic look
  • A precise and quick key response
  • Excellent surface grip
  • Quick recharging battery

Cons

  • Volume control lags a bit
  • Touch-sensitive pad
  • Expensive

The high-end keyboard from Logitech is remarkably good-looking, and can easily fit into a premium workstation setup. Having a solid build, a single-cut piece of Plexiglas wrapped into an aluminum frame, it can survive intensive use, long work hours, and occasional dings.

Setting it up is quite easy. Just connect the Bluetooth receiver to the laptop/computer along with plugging in the recharging station and then turn on the keyboard’s power switch. Installing the driver software will offer some extra features but it isn’t necessary for running the keyboard.

Equipped with rechargeable Li-ion batteries, the keyboard ensures long working hours on a full charge. An elegant sleek charging stand helps with fast charging.

Nothing is perfect. This seemingly perfection of a keyboard has its downsides too. The touch-sensitive functions, including the volume control bar and touchpad, yield poor responsiveness.

Typing Performance

Logitech’s diNovo Edge is outstanding, not only in typing but also in playing back media and quick accessing of various applications.

Featuring an 84-key QWERTY layout, it has several hotkeys for various functions including zooming, hibernating, and more. No Numpad is there, so you need to get used to using the first row for numeric inputs. However, the typing experience is quite smooth since the keys fly up to meet the fingers.

The pressure of your fingers gets distributed evenly across the key surfaces, helping each keystroke flowing naturally. People who work for long hours and put too much pressure on the keys while typing will love this keyboard, as it grips really well on the surface.

Another good feature is that only pressing the Fn button activates the app and media functions and kicks off a set of alternate functions for F1 to F12 keys. Also, you can customize the functions for F1 to F4 and F9 to F12 buttons.

The bankers will really appreciate that the “Insert” key is placed at the upper right corner, which makes it quite hard to press by accident. There is less chance of overriding the text when you are typing.

Das Ultimate 4 Keyboard Best Functional and Minimalist Design

A Das Ultimate 4 looks gorgeous and the keys are easy to push.

Pros

  • An anodized aluminum top panel
  • Offers a solid typing performance
  • A sturdy scroll wheel
  • Two fast USB passthroughs

Cons

  • No macro keys
  • Non-detachable USB cable

Featuring a sleek, streamlined build, the Das Ultimate 4 focuses on functionally instead of visual flair. It still has its charm if you are a fan of minimalist design.

Anodized aluminum top panel, a magnetically attached footbar, and vibration-absorbing bottom enclosure help with enduring the abuse of long working hours.

There is a top-grade scroll wheel on the upper right corner. On the back panel, there are two ports for 5 Gb/s USB 3.0 passthroughs when many similar keyboards don’t have even one. The non-detachable USB cord is a problem, though.

The blank keycaps are something to love or hate. Das claims this feature to be helping with faster typing. However, there is a printed keycap version for those who find the blank keys off-putting.

Typing Performance

Any banker would want a keyboard that is comfortable to type on. A part of that comfortability depends on the keys. This keyboard gives you the option to choose between Cherry MX Brown and Cherry MX Blue switches.

As you are a banker working in an office, choose the model with brown switches. This type does less clicking sound than the blue ones and has a softer feel. However, the typing experience with both types is pretty solid.

Unfortunately, Ultimate 4 does not have any macro keys (which work as a shortcut of key sequences).

Several media keys are there, allowing the user to perform a bunch of actions right from the keyboard. A scroll wheel at the top right corner is highly durable and sturdy.

Genovation KB170 Best Programmable

A highly programmable Genovation KB170

Pros

  • Plenty of programmable keys
  • Dual-layer programming options
  • Flash memory remembers programming

Cons

  • Keys could be better

Excel whizz will be completely in love with this keyboard for its outstanding programmable option. Dual-layer programmability with 66 programmable keys means you get the freedom to customize the functions as you find convenient. It’s a great alternative for those who are disappointed at the absence of macro keys in the Das Ultimate 4 keyboard.

You can choose between a backlit and non-backlit version, whichever suits your needs. The backlit version costs around $50 more and comes with the option of controlling LED intensity.

Typing Performance

Genovation KB170 comes with a standard QWERTY keyboard and uses high-quality Cherry MX Black keys. These switches are a good choice for typing because of the light-touch functioning. They require 60 g of force to actuate and have a silent variation, which is suitable for office settings.

But not everyone may like the little heaviness and scratchy nature of the black keys. Replace them with Ergo Clear switches, which are quieter and have lighter springs to provide more tactile bump.

The dual-layer programmability means you can assign two functions to each of the 66 programmable keys. The second function will be activated by pressing the SHIFT key.

You can assign the Excel shortcuts to these keys. For example, a function that needs pressing on Alt+O+C can be assigned to a single button. Just imagine how much time you can save by programming the keys for using Excel.

Use the keyboard in combination with the AutoHotKey program to assign shortcuts to keys for different tasks. Just pressing the assigned macro button will help you do various tasks like changing browser tabs, opening an application, and more.

The keyboard’s internal flash memory remembers the key programming, so there’s no need to set the macros each time you start the computer.

Logitech Craft Best for Typing

The Craft offers the best typing experience hands down

Pros

  • Convenient typing experience
  • Comfortable grooves on the keys
  • Allows fast input
  • Several practical shortcuts
  • A knob for fast shuffling

Cons

  • Expensive

This highly functional keyboard is designed for busy bees who want to use every second of their work hours. Logitech Craft allows you to type fast, switching between devices, taking screenshots, and plenty of other things right from the console.

Priced at around $200, the Craft looks and feels like a premium computer accessory. It’s highly suitable for extensive typing work because it doesn’t move across the desk when you put pressure on the keys. Some nice backlighting allows working in the dark too.

The keyboard connects to the computer through Bluetooth that has 10 meters of range. There is also an option for connecting through the Logitech Unifying USB dongle.

A charging cable comes with the package, and it does not double down as a wired input.

Typing Performance

The Logitech Craft offers an excellent typing experience that any banker, who needs to input plenty of data, will definitely like. The ergonomic design of the keys doesn’t put extra pressure on fingers. It also feels comfortable to press the keys because of their soft grooves in the middle.

Low-profile keys are highly accurate. You will get a precise response almost every time. Keystrokes are quiet, which is highly desirable in a formal setting.

There are various handy shortcuts that save lots of time. You just need to press a key to lock the computer, change volume, activate the webcam, take a screenshot, change the volume, and so many more things. It’s also possible to connect the keyboard to three devices with the touch of a button.

The “crown” or the knob on the upper left corner is an excellent add-on. It works as a volume control. However, it’s versatile in the sense that you can use it for some functions in various apps. For example, you can navigate through clips in Adobe Premiere, adjust the font size in Microsoft Word, change templates in Powerpoint, along with doing plenty of other things.

Excel users can utilize this knob for horizontal scrolling, creating charts, and other functions.

Eli Civil

A software engineer, entrepreneur, and keyboard enthusiast. I spend my time click-clacking on keyboards. About Eli Civil

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