Cloud Nine C989M Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard – Cherry MX Brown Switches – RGB Light Up LED Backlit with USB – Ergo…
Amazon.com Price: $189.99 (as of 08/05/2021 10:01 PST- Details)
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Split keyboard design helps eliminate wrist and shoulder pain while you type. By keeping your hands and arms properly aligned, this ergo keyboard helps provide pain-free typing for 8 plus hours a day.
Built-in tenting and palm support ensures your hands stay comfortable all day. With 7 degrees of angle built into the wrist rests, this full-sized keyboard keeps you in typing bliss because your hands stay in their natural position.
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Make sure this fits by entering your model number.
Split keyboard design helps eliminate wrist and shoulder pain while you type. By keeping your hands and arms properly aligned, this ergo keyboard helps provide pain-free typing for 8 plus hours a day.
Built-in tenting and palm support ensures your hands stay comfortable all day. With 7 degrees of angle built into the wrist rests, this full-sized keyboard keeps you in typing bliss because your hands stay in their natural position.
Do you suffer from sore wrists, RSI Symptoms, Carpal Tunnel, or Arthritis? This keyboard can help – It can be separated up to 6 inches keeping your arms & wrists ergonomically aligned. This reduces the stress you feel after typing for long periods.
Cherry MX Brown switches provide low activation force with a satisfying tactile feel. The RGB backlit keys ensure all characters are illuminated and are easy to read. Each backlight color is easily selectable with the included app.
Works as a business or gaming keyboard. Whether you’re at the office getting work done or playing an FPS game at home, this PC keyboard is ready. It has pro-level features like a full number keypad, 10x programmable macro keys, and a USB pass-through.
10 reviews for Cloud Nine C989M Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard – Cherry MX Brown Switches – RGB Light Up LED Backlit with USB – Ergo…
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Amazon.com Price: $189.99 (as of 08/05/2021 10:01 PST- Details)
Sabrejack –
So close to a mechanical MS Natural 4000
So, why choose this keyboard? All the keys are in the right place. The home keys, the arrow keys, the keypad. The F5 and F6 keys are even on the same side of the ergonomic split as an MS Natural 4000. This is as close as you’re going to get in a mechanical. As someone who has been programming for 20 years, I need those extra keys in the places I expect them to be, and for some reason all other ergonomic mechanical keyboards move those keys into weird places to make their keyboard smaller. Not this one. This keyboard is huge, it leans back and takes up all the space it needs.So what’s wrong? Head-scratching design decisions. The connector cable is too short, the magnets that hold the halves together are so weak that I don’t understand why they’re there at all. The split makes it hard to move this keyboard around, and the two halves are pretty darn heavy. The palm wrest is hard, slippery plastic rather than a nicer pleather.The bumps on F, J, and 5 are slight and hard to find. The caps lock key really needs to be stepped. Left alt key is really far left. There is a *giant* knob in the middle and it’s not really useful, all I seem to do is bump it accidentally once in a while. I have no use for the macro buttons on the left. Overall the software is just okay, it lacks controls for the edge lighting. it could have used a better color picking and saving mechanism. The key backlights themselves run cool, so “full green” RGB actually comes out sea green.Is it good? Yeah, but is it $180 good? Maybe if the above things don’t bother you. Here’s an idea: Make a new version: remove the knob, combine the halves. Remove the macro keys. Remove the RGB around the edges, even, and sell it for 50 bucks less. All I really ever wanted was an MS natural 4000, mechanical, backlit.
Tom F –
Finally a great ergonomic mechanical keyboard
As a programmer having a great keyboard is important to me. I’ve been a longtime user of the Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard series. That keyboard has great ergonomics and key layout, but the membrane keys are really subpar. Until now the closest mechanical keyboard you could get was the Kenesis Freestyle series, which has a similar split design but compromised on the extended keys. Today I unboxed the Cloud Nine C989M and I couldn’t be happier with it. It has the same layout as the Microsoft keyboards, but the keys are Cherry MX mechanical keys.
Ken Douglas –
First non-Microsoft ergo keyboard.
The jealousy of seeing all the fancy, colorful “standard” keyboards on the market and not being able to have one built for me was about to get to me. I’ve been using Microsoft Natural Ergonomic keyboards exclusively since about 1995. They’ve always been great, but definitely a little plain. Sadly though, the 2 models released after the 4000 have just been garbage. Plain garage, at that. I decided to find a new one, even if it meant trying out a non-ergo model. I like the feel of the mechanical keyboards and who doesn’t love a little light show while they type. I must have tried out 10 different keyboards in the past month, all of them felt awkward and greatly reduced my typing speed. I went through so many that I thought I’d end up on a keyboard shipping ban from Amazon.I was really ready to give up and just find another MS 4000 and embrace the plain. Then I saw a Kinesis split mechanical rgb keyboard for about $200. It wasn’t ergonomic, but I thought I could just angle it myself, creating a faux-ergo setup. Then I noticed it did not have a dedicated number pad… which I use A LOT. That means I’d have to drop another $25 to $50 on a separate keypad that hopefully would somewhat match.But then there it was. I think I typed “split ergo” one last time in the amazon search bar and eureka!There were no reviews at the time, but I did research on my own and decided to take the chance.It is slightly different than typing on a MS keyboard, but I’m already getting used to it. I had to create a macro for a left windows key, as this keyboard only has a right windows key. At least I can customize and the generous 10 dedicated macro keys are far enough away that they won’t accidentally be pressed when aiming for something else.Not that I needed support, but I did contact the company to inquire about additional documentation other than what was included with the keyboard. I must say that I’ve never experienced such great customer service. Chris with Cloud Nine has gone above & beyond with providing information.I know I must sound like a company shill with this review, but what can I say? I’m very impressed.
Lil Geek’s Dad –
So much potential
The Good:The kb arrived fast. It was well packaged in the manufacturer’s box. The kb box was in another box that was poorly packaged. The shipping box was way too big and there was just one roll of brown paper to pad it; so basically the kb box was bouncing around in it. But the kb itself was well packaged in the manufacturer’s box and well protected with styrofoam.The kb is beautiful. Very solid feel. It’s not too heavy, but the weight gives it a quality feel. It’s very well built. The matte finish is really nice; you don’t see any fingerprints on it and it’s easy to clean.The keys are CherryMX. No need to comment on them, they are awesome.The split keyboard is really nice. The USB-C cable that connects them both is long enough that you can place each half of the kb about shoulder width apart. It was usable as soon as I plugged in the USB cable; I didn’t need to install any drivers or software. The downloadable software has features to customize it, but I didn’t get that far before I decided to return it.The lights are really cool. Not as distracting as I thought they would be. I believe you can customize the lights. One thing I really liked was the indicator for the caps lock key. There’s a tiny, unobtrusive but visible ‘A’ in the center (where the split is), that comes on when the caps lock key is on. I wish my microsoft Sculpt had that indicator.The split kb can be joined with a weak magnet, which I thought was a nice touch. The magnet is just strong enough to hold the kb together. You still have to keep the short USB connected between the 2 halves, which is not a big deal.Overall, this is a very nice keyboard…if you are not concerned about ergonomics…The Bad:Ergonomics. What ergonomics? This was the main reason I got this kb. The only ergonomics the kb has are the split and the cherry keys.It didn’t take long for me to feel the negatives of this kb on my wrist. This is a big deal for me and it should be a big deal for anyone with carpal tunnel or who spends a lot of time on the computer. As a developer, I’m on the computer 8-10 hours a day. There is very little tilt on this kb. It would have been nice to have an adjustable tilt in the center of each half so you could adjust the tilt.There is also no tenting to raise the wrist rest. When you type, your wrist and hand should be in a straight line. Instead, your hand points upward and the wrist is lower. This can cause pain after extended typing. If you have carpal tunnel or any wrist pains, this will become an issue in no time.Another big issue is the numeric keypad. I didn’t think it would bother me to have the mouse so far out to my right until I tried this kb. With the numeric keypad, which I rarely use, your mouse sits far to the right. Over time it can cause shoulder tenderness. Again, this is something that probably won’t bother most people, but if you’re on the computer 8-10 hours a day, it might. Just another unfortunate negative on the ergonomics category.Overall:It’s a really nice keyboard if you don’t need ergonomics. As I said above, it’s well built and has many useful features. I would recommend it to anyone who does not have wrist problems. For a somewhat expensive keyboard, it’s disappointing that it touts itself as an ergonomic kb, but only has half the features needed to be ergonomic. If there’s an improved version with more tenting and ability to raise the wrist, I’d definitely consider it.
Jeff –
Almost love it.. almost maybe
First off, I have been using the MS natural keyboards since 1999 and this is the closest mechanical keyboard I have found. Most of my review is influenced by the MS keyboards because I have used those for SO long. (both the original MS Natural and the Natural 4000.The TLDR Version – The only things about this keyboard that are better than MS Natural 4000 are: Mechanical keys, no stupid “F-Lock” key, RGB lighting. The MS keyboard is a better shape.In general, the shape is not as good as the MS keyboards. This is the biggest thing I don’t like about it. Even though it is split it really feels like it is a flat keyboard they cut in half and just angled it. The keys are still uniform sized and square like a flat keyboard would be. There is no dished shape or stretched key size like the MS keyboard.The Lights – this was not anything I overly cared about at purchase but is cool. The documentation isn’t exactly right about it and the software is Windows only and sorta not great. By default it runs at startup and pops up mid screen every logon/boot. To change the edge lights, it is FN-space, not anything with the knob like the manual says. The software controls the key lights but no the edge lights or the knob lights. Different colors of knob light mean it does a different function so if you want it for a volume control, I hope you want it red..Angles – The keyboard doesn’t have any angle adjustment to tilt it forward or back depending on the comfortable angle of your wrists. There are no back feet to lift it or palmrest riser like the MS 4000 keyboard has (I didn’t use either but this may matter to someone).The keys – Cheery MX Brown. If you know about them I don’t need to say much. From what I have read they are not replaceable in this keyboard and are soldered down. I have not personally verified or tried to remove them If you don’t want these switches then look at a different keyboard. I think they may be working on a version with different ones.Ugh Macro key placement – I’ll probably never use the macro keys but there they are all 10 of them on the left edge. I HATE them there. I am constantly putting my left hand down wrong since the keyboard is so wide. If I had my choice they would be either gone or above the F-keys.The knob – I don’t use it much and mostly ignore it. most of what it does could have easily been done with a smaller knob that isn’t in the middle of the palmrest. Its not in the way exactly but I don’t really use it either.So here is my final thing on it if you got this far. I plan to keep it because its the only mechanical close to what I want. The rating though is basically because of the overall feeling of compromise I have to make to get an “ergonomic” mechanical keyboard. This is not a cheap keyboard so I feel like it should be held to the highest standard. If this was under $100 I would give it 5 stars any day.
Richard P. Kelly –
Hands-down the best ergonomic keyboard I’ve ever owned
Even though I couldn’t find any reviews or information regarding this product beyond Amazon and Cloud Nine’s website, I took the plunge. I am pleased to say I am not disappointed.Overall–Superior build quality. Beefy chassis and rubber feet that cover a wide area. Does not slide around on my desk. The two pieces dovetail perfectly, and while there’s nothing to hold them together, they do stay put.–Equally superior design: Ergonomics is not an afterthought or marketing buzzword here. Hands and wrists are in a perfectly comfortable position and I can type 20% – 30% faster on this keyboard than on my old Logitech wireless. Keys provide excellent tactile feedback and are not rubbery or too hard to push.–One small downside: As a touch typist, I’m used to having a raised marker on the ‘F’ and ‘J’ keys so I know my fingers are where they need to be. They are here on this keyboard, but just barely. I suppose I’ll adapt, but it would be nice to have something a little more obvious under my fingertips.The Two Pieces–As mentioned above, this keyboard comes in two pieces that are wired together with a removable USB Type-C cable.–Possible caveat: Other than the cable, there is no way to fasten the two pieces together. This might be an issue for anyone who plans to move the keyboard around often. I can see myself forgetting it’s not in one piece and picking up the left side only, thereby damaging the cable port or watching in shock as the right side fall to the floor. (That’s my problem, though, not the keyboard’s.)The Bling–RGB backlit keys, keyboard edges, and center knob. There’s no other way to say it: this pup glows and pulsates like a cuttlefish during mating season.–18 selectable patterns plus one static user definable color scheme for alpha, numeric, function, arrow, WASD, and numeric keypad.–Color for the keyboard side can be adjusted independently (scrolling rainbow, a few solid colors, and off).Pattern and brightness can be selected from the center knob.–Brightness / color of knob *cannot* be adjusted independently as far as I can tell. I’d like to shut it off or make it less bright than the keys, but don’t see a way to do that.The Knob–It’s big, but it does not get in the way of typing.–Currently, it controls the keyboard color pattern (click) and brightness (turn); and can also be used to control play/pause (click) and volume (turn) of your media player. According to Cloud Nine’s website, they have plans to add extra features with a forthcoming firmware update.–It’s almost freakishly big.–It comes off easily. Again, I see this as a potential problem if you plan to move the keyboard around often. Even worse, if you break or lose the knob, you’ll have four extremely bright LED’s shining in your face henceforth and forever, and your only recourse is to shut off the backlighting completely. This is the only real downside I see to this keyboard.–Did I say it’s big?Final verdictI am not a gamer. I bought this keyboard because of its ergonomic design and mechanical keys, and on these bases alone I am completely satisfied. As a competent touch typist who spends my days coding and my nights writing, I can easily say this is the most comfortable keyboard I’ve ever owned. That being said, I see no reason why any gamer would be disappointed with this keyboard.
gotmoretoys –
ergo mechanical bonanza
This is a big keyboard, which makes sense as the split sides take room of course.Plus it is a full size keyboard with numpad and macro keys.The LED colors are amazing, the optional color setting software allows additional color settings beyond what is already available on the keyboard.The cherry brown key-switches have a lot of travel compared to a low profile keyboard and an audible component that is not harsh or ‘clicky; like some other cherry key-switches, but it is not silent.The key panels are stable and stay where they are put, don’t tend to wander, and they have a standard connector bridge cable joining the two halves together. Its a purpose built cable and is a fine quality but it also uses standard connections so it can be replaced with standard cable if required.Compatibility has been no-drama no-problem. The media/color knob works well, the keys perfect, and the LED key lighting can be turned off or subdued.Over all this is an impressive full featured mechanical ergo keyboard with really solid quality material, well laid out, no flimsy corner-cutting here.Big, colorful, well made, I’m really impressed at how well appointed this keyboard is.If you want sleek understated conservative.. this is NOT the keyboard for you.if you want solid over-the top durable quality without compromises this is a top-of-the line choice.
Nicole Varda –
great keyboard and great customer support
I don’t usually write product reviews but I had to write one for Cloud Nine. I ordered this keyboard because of its ergonomic design. I have been typing on conventional keyboards for the last thirty years and the pain in my right hand wrist is unbearable. The split design of the keyboard allows me to position each half in a comfortable wrist position. It is too soon to tell now but I think this design will offer a good amount of pain relief over time.Another nice feature is the mechanical keys. The best mechanical keyboards I have ever used are the old IBM keyboards. There are two few people at work that are still using their forty year old IBM keyboards. The feel, clicks, and bouncing keys on this keyboard comes very close to IBM keyboards.Additionally this is a gaming keyboard. I purchased it for regular computer use. I am not a gamer and I did not care about all the bells and whistles of flashing LEDs. I figured I will turn them off and use the keyboard as a regular keyboard. So when I connected the keyboard the first thing I went for was to turn the LEDs off. To my surprise the keyboard has nineteen different light shows/programs you can choose from. I ended up choosing to light up the background with a pale blue color at about fifty percent intensity. I find the color very soothing, and the background lighting makes the letters and the writing on each key stand out very nicely especially at night time.Finally the best feature of the keyboard – CUSTOMER SERVICE. I ordered the keyboard and it was shipped very promptly by Amazon. When I connected they keyboard to my laptop, my laptop was not recognizing the keyboard. This was about 2:30 in the morning. So I went to Cloud Nine’s website and left the company a chat message. The next day when I got on my computer, I saw Chris from Cloud Nine trying to reach me. We chatted online for about 30 minutes. I tried a few things he recommended and we were unable to get the keyboard working. He immediately offered to ship me another replacement keyboard. I received the replacement within two days. Plugged it in and it started working like a charm. Additionally he sent me a shipping label in the same box as the second keyboard to ship the first keyboard back at no cost to me. Afterwards, he followed up by two emails to make sure everything was working as it should. Finally he arranged for a Fedex pickup so I did not even have to leave the house to ship the original keyboard back. To me this is worth every penny I have spent on this keyboard. This is the lost art of customer service in our country. He went above and beyond what was expected from him. Thank you very much Chris.If you are looking for split design keyboard, I would definitely recommend this keyboard from Cloud Nine.
AndiBanana –
This checks ALL the boxes
I’m a long time user of the Microsoft Ergonomic keyboard. It’s been great except for the awful membrane keys. I’ve been searching for a good mechanical ergonomic keyboard for ages. All of them have had issues with design or layout or build quality. None of them measured up to the Microsoft keyboard so I lived with the less-than-ideal key feel. Then I saw this keyboard and debated over it for a couple of days due to the premium price. Finally, I pulled the trigger and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS THING!!! It does almost everything right that the MS keyboard does and fixes its flaws, most notably the membrane keys.Pros* Exceptional build quality. This keyboard feels premium from the keys themselves to the RGB lighting to the included (detachable) braided USB A to C cable.* Excellent ergonomic design. It satisfies all the ergonomic requirements for wrist flexion, extension, and ulnar deviation without being unconventional.* Cherry MX Brown keyswitches. These are the ultimate keyswitches for the touch typist. They have a nice, tactile feel, consistent travel, perfect weight, and quiet operation. You could easily use this keyboard in a cubicle environment and not bother your coworkers.* Versatile configuration. With a split design allowing you to separate the left and right halves by up to 6 inches, it’s adaptable to a variety of seating and typing styles. I still prefer mine joined in the center but the option to split the keyboard is great.* Very responsive technical support. The company has been exceptionally responsive to my setup questions.Cons* Software is a little rough around the edges. They’re still refining it. However, they are extremely willing to take in feedback and have already released a keyboard firmware update to address some of the software/firmware shortcomings. They are continuing to develop improvements that are just a download away when they become available.* It’s BIG! Make sure you have plenty of desk space. At 563mm (22″) wide, it does take up quite a bit of desk space. Also, the generous wrist rest on the front of the keyboard does mean it requires a good deal of depth.
Sean Smith –
Good split keyboard/keys, ridiculous lighting, high price
Update 5/30/20: I have to update what I said below about not being able to turn off the side RGB. You CAN do that by cycling through FN + SPACE. Overall, the keyboard itself is a five star product at a six star price.I have been using split keyboards for something like 15 years now and have no intention of ever using a “regular” keyboard for a desktop computer. Someday, I hope to find the perfect split keyboard. The CloudNine C989M is close but not perfect.This split keyboard is very comfortable to use. Being able to separate the halves of the keyboard when you want to adjust but also having them stick together if you want them too, it’s all good.The Cherry Brown mechanical keys are new to me. I wanted to try them and have no regrets. They’re loud and give a different, and maybe sometimes, slightly better typing sensation than most non-mechanical keyboards I’ve used. Based on a sample size of one though, I don’t understand people who are obsessed with mechanical keyboards. Did I mention that it is loud?The 10 programmable keys are a neat touch. Currently, I only have one programmed, but plan on utilizing more. The lack of a dedicated calculator button for the right hand right by the numeric keypad is a minor annoyance.The quality of the materials is solid. If what they say is true, that the keys have an expected life of 50 million key strokes, I could see the keyboard lasting for a very very long time.The lighting is, in my opinion, quite ridiculous. A backlight for keys, that’s useful for typing in the dark, especially since the raised nubs for the F and J keys, so your index fingers can find them for touch typing, are TINY, barely there bumps and the lettering on each key is difficult to see when there is actual light. So, yes, I’m using, and appreciating, the backlight. . .one color (light blue) at the lightest setting possible. The RGB multi-colored stripe on each side of the keyboard, that I can’t seem to turn off AND still have the keys backlit, is absolutely useless from a functional stand point, unnecessarily lights up the room, and wastes electricity. I really dislike that.It’s a good keyboard. No question. And, there aren’t many, if any, similar options out there. I just can’t say for certain that it is worth $170.