Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Keyboard Review

I recently bought the Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Keyboard and thought there might be a few points that other reviews left out that I could explain. I spend all day, every day at my day job hammering away on my keyboard, so I thought I’d be in a unique position to provide a review of the Sculpt from an office/heavy user perspective.

I bought this for $65 from an online camera retailer of all places. I went with the “for business” version that doesn’t include the mouse since my office-supplied mouse was working out fine. And also because some online reviews said the mouse really wasn’t worth it for them.

Ergonomics

First off, the Microsoft Sculpt keyboard is a very comfortable keyboard to type on. The whole reason I purchased it was because I was having some mild wrist pain from using my flat aluminum Apple keyboard with my wrists improperly resting on my desk. I tried using a wrist rest but just couldn’t dig how I felt like I had to hover my hands over it.

When you have the included optional (and quite nifty) magnetic “stand” in place under the edge that faces you, the Sculpt has a very gentle negative tilt that keeps wrists higher than fingertips. (Of if you choose not to use the stand it has a nicely positive tilt.) There’s also a slightly tented profile to the keys, so the split center keys (TGB, YHN) are highest, with a slope down to the outside edge keys. This positions the wrists quite well in my case. It’s worth noting I have hands that are well above average size, so this keyboard could be a great fit for someone similar with very large hands.

The oversized wrist rest itself is covered in a matte textured material with just a little bit of padding under it. The texture is kind of non-slip, like a cross between vinyl faux nubuck and a nylon duffel bag, but I’m not sure how well it will wear. Overall, though, the wrist rest does add a nice level of support.

Build Quality Notes

The Microsoft Sculpt keyboard is both strikingly upscale and cheap at the same time. The curvy, swooping, stingray-inspired shape with the center cutout definitely looks cool sitting on my desk, and the glossy matte key trim contrasts nicely with the matte faux nubuck of the wrist rest. Coworkers comment on it all the time.

But looking closer reveals that the glossy surfaces are an absolute fingerprint and dirt magnet. (For me this is a non-issue since the rest of my work area is pretty haphazard and nobody is going to be judging me based on keyboard cleanliness.) The plasticky, rough texture of the back of the keyboard is also a little off-putting. It kind of feels like something you would find in a 1990s-era Toyota. Some online reviews suggested that Microsoft was building the Sculpt on par with Apple hardware – based on the observations above I don’t think I would agree. The Sculpt is functional, just not fabulous in the amazing way that Apple does their hardware (although I’ll admit it’s the comfort that counts here!)

At first, I had really mixed feelings about was the separate number pad. This separate pad means you can position it wherever you like on your desk. Initially I thought this seemed like an afterthought – as if Microsoft simply copied the Apple wireless keyboard and then realized that their users are nerdy, number-crunching types who use Excel and can’t live without their number pad. But the more I’ve used it the more it’s grown on me, I like that I can keep it off to the side when I’m not really using it. This also lets me position my mouse a little closer to the keyboard, which I suppose is more ergonomic. Granted the number pad feels a little cheap, like one step above a pocket calculator, but it does have nice rubber feet that have kept it securely planted on my desk surface (the main keyboard has these rubber feet too). It also has a convenient Calculator button and a backspace button so you can quickly crunch some digits and correct them if you screw it up.

The function keys across the top double as a row of quick access buttons, and you switch between regular function key mode and quick access button mode with a chintzy, wiggly toggle at the far right of the keyboard where you couldn’t possibly reach it from the typing position. That little toggle feels like it will be the first thing to break off. Also note the function keys don’t have the same travel and key feel as the regular keys – they are more like the buttons on the side of your iPhone that control the volume, for example, in that there’s hardly any key travel. This gives them a jarringly cheap feel that I still can’t get over. If you need to use the Esc key a lot for anything, you might even want to skip the Sculpt keyboard for that reason alone – you’ll miss the satisfying clunk of the longer-travel letter switches every time you need to use it.

Luckily the rest of the keys have a reasonably light action with satisfying travel, a nice balance between a chiclet keyboard and those huge old dinosaur keyboards with massive key travel. Although some reviewers said this keyboard was quiet, I do not find it to be that quiet. Each key press does result in a definite click, so in my morgue-quiet office I’m sure my co-workers can hear it across the hall in their offices too. My old aluminum Apple flat keyboard was quieter, but I guess I’m willing to trade that for the improved typing position.

Takeaway

The bottom line is I love the typing position and the at-a-glance style is nice, but I wish some of the small details were nicer. The toggle switch for the Fn keys, the cheapo feel of those same F-keys and the finish of the unit leave a little to be desired.

Update - Saved My USB Dongle That Was Stuck in Port!

The most ridiculous thing occurred today at my office. The little USB dongle for the Sculpt keyboard got jammed into a USB port on my PC and I couldn’t get it to come back out! It seemed like there were little metal tabs inside the port that just clicked in place, and then the nano-dongle was just so small that it felt like it was going to break off if I yanked too hard. Little pieces of the black plastic started flaking off when I tried to grab it with a binder clip that I happened to have handy. Not exactly confidence-inspiring.

After about ten panicked minutes and some frantic and increasingly furious Google searching that revealed that there is absolutely no way to buy the USB dongle separately, I managed to pry the little tabs out of the way with a thin plastic sheet and retrieve the tiny dongle. From now on, I will only be inserting it into the USB ports just far enough to contact the connectors, not so far that those little tabs catch it!

Aldi Millville Toaster Tarts vs. Kellogg's Pop Tarts: Toaster Pastry Comparison

I've found that Aldi's Millville brand toaster tarts are a cheap and tasty alternative to Kellogg's pop tarts and wanted to share my impressions of how they are different for anyone who wanted to try the off-brand. I'm not associated with Aldi in any way, just an ordinary guy trying to help out curious consumers. The Millville ones may not quite be as "crazy good" as the real pop tarts, but they are't far from it either, and they're much cheaper.

Millville toaster tarts are only available in a box of 12 for a whopping $1.99 per box at my local Aldi store, although they never go on sale (16.6 cents per tart). Kellogg's pop tarts usually are $2.89 per box of 8 (36.1 cents per tart), but sometimes they do go on sale. That's a substantial price difference (less than half the cost!) and is the main reason why I buy the Aldi brand ones. I'm not even sure if you could make homemade pop tarts as cheap as you can buy the Aldi ones once you factor in your time, cost of electricity for baking, ingredients, cleanup, etc.

Anyway you can see the main difference right away - the Aldi Millville toaster tarts are a little bigger lengthwise than the Kellogg's pop tarts. They are the same width, but the Aldi tart is longer. (However the frosting is more uniform on the Kellogg's brand one so there may actually be more frosting on the brand name pop tarts.)

And if you were thinking maybe the Aldi Millville tarts were thinner to account for the difference in size, I found the Millville tarts are actually slightly thicker, due to a more robust pastry and slightly thicker filling. (They aren't quite as thick as they appear in this image, because they were cupped slightly, creating an arch shape that makes them look thicker than they really are.)

Here's a look at both of them cut in half. The Aldi toaster tarts are on the left, Kellogg's are on the right. You can see the thicker crust on the Aldi brand toaster tart.

A quick glance at the nutrition facts confirms that the Aldi toaster tarts are 2 grams larger than the Kellogg's version (see the serving size). You can also compare the ingredients and see they're mostly the same, except Aldi's tarts list corn syrup first and Kellogg's tarts list sugar first. The Aldi brand tarts also list a couple more nutrients and have a little less fat than the Kellogg's brand... they might be healthier for you? The nutrition facts also say that the Aldi brand contains more allergens, if that's an issue.

Here's a close-up of the Aldi brand toaster tarts. I found them to have a crisper crust or pastry that can best be described as "robust". It is thicker than the Kellogg's crust and seems to resist breaking or crumbling in my lunch box. I'm not sure if the Aldi food scientists were aware of this, but the thicker crust also saves the day when the Aldi checkers are literally throwing the boxes into your cart. Even though I buy these all the time and the checkout people slam them back into the cart, I've never had a broken one. The filling is sweeter than the Kellogg's brand and has more brown sugar flavor, and not very much cinnamon flavor.

And here's the Kellogg's pop tart up close. The pastry or crust is softer and more tender, which makes them prone to crumbling in the package if they get bumped around, but might be preferable to some palates. The crust also has a buttery flavor that the Aldi brand tarts don't have, and the filling is less liquid-like and more sugar-like. Kellogg's filling also packs a pleasant cinnamon zing that is missing from the Aldi brand.

The bottom line is I find Aldi's Millville toaster tarts to be a wholly acceptable substitute for Kellogg's pop tarts. They compete well on size, taste and price. Hopefully this post was helpful if you've been thinking about trying the Aldi brand tarts but wanted to know what they were like first. As always, let me know if you agree or disagree with my thoughts in the comments section!

Aldi Lullabies Baby Wipes vs Pampers Sensitive Baby Wipes

Thinking about trying Aldi's Lullabies Baby Wipes, but want a little more info before testing them out? This review will attempt to compare the Aldi Lullabies wipes to name-brand premium wipes, specifically Pampers Sensitive Baby Wipes.

You're probably familiar with German-based discount supermarket chain Aldi for their penny-pinching prices on off-brand groceries, but they also sell a small selection of health, baby and personal care supplies. Aldi markets "Lullabies" brand wipes in a yellow and blue package of 56 wipes for a whopping 85 cents - yes, $0.85! It was this attractive price that initially inspired me to try out the Aldi wipes. I was curious how Aldi's Lullabies baby wipes stacked up against nationally recognized name brand wipes, specifically Pampers Sensitive Wipes.

Aldi Lullabies Baby Wipes: The Details

It's a little hard to read in the above photo, but Aldi Lullabies wipes measure 7.0"x7.5" and state that they are hypoallergenic, fragrance free, and contain aloe and Vitamin E. At my local Aldi store, the Lullabies wipes only come in this 56-count size, in a crinkly plastic wrapper with a hard plastic pop top. It's noteworthy that the package holds just 8 fewer wipes than a full-size 64-count tub of name-brand wipes in a lot smaller size - if you're looking for a diaper-bag friendly package, Aldi has managed to cram a lot of wipes into a compact size.

The Pampers Sensitive wipes in the travel size pack that I had handy are actually a little smaller at 7.0"x7.0". The only callout similar to Aldi's claims is a statement that they're fragrance free. Interestingly we also have a jumbo 9-refill pack (576 wipes) of Pampers Sensitive wipes and the size is even smaller still - 7.0"x6.8", and that box says perfume free, not fragrance free. (Wipes definitely have a unique smell to them, I suppose some consumers protested that the wipes actually do have a fragrance.)

The ingredients in Aldi Lullabies Baby Wipes list off several long chemicals, plus aloe and chamomile extracts.

Pampers Sensitive Baby Wipes ingredients contain a slightly different list of long-named chemicals and some of the same ingredients, including aloe and chamomile.

Frankly, if you're on daddy duty, the difference in size and ingredients is moot. You only grab one wipe at a time anyway, and the extra half-inch of material isn't going to make or break a clean-up job. As far as ingredients go, I really didn't care what was in there as long as it didn't cause diaper rash and could stand up to big messes.

Aldi Lullabies Baby Wipes: Test Results

In informal testing, both wipes performed just fine at cleaning big-time messes from our baby's bottom. Not surprisingly, I found our baby didn't seem to care for one brand over the other. The Pampers wipes had a slightly softer, stretchy feel that made me think they were a bit gentler than the Aldi wipes. But the Aldi wipes seemed a little tougher and had textured ridges that really did a nice job at cleaning seedy green poop off our peanut's behind.

The Pampers wipes are on the left, while the Aldi wipes are on the right. As far as thickness goes, I didn't notice a significant difference between them, although the Pampers wipes in the jumbo box say 20% thicker than their Natural Clean version in large print. Dampness levels were also similar right out of the package, and of course you could always sprinkle a little water over them if you prefer a moister wipe.

When you consider costs, the Aldi Lullabies wipes are $0.85 for 56 wipes, or 0.01517 cents per wipe. Pampers Sensitive prices vary depending on where you buy them and how many you buy at a time. Online pricing from target.com shows 10.99 for 448 wipes, or 0.02453 cents per wipe.

To be fair, Pampers Sensitive Baby Wipes are a premium wipe, while I would consider Aldi Lullabies wipes to be an off-brand budget wipe. If you're thinking about cost in the first place you're more likely to be considering wipes that aren't necessarily "natural", "sensitive" or "unscented", but the point of this review is that if Aldi Lullabies wipes compare reasonably well to a more expensive wipe like the Pampers Sensitive wipes, odds are good they'll compare favorably with other less expensive wipes too.

The bottom line is that for $0.85 it can't hurt to try Aldi's Lullabies Baby Wipes... they might not be your favorite, but they're definitely not too bad. Have you had a positive or negative experience with Aldi's wipes? Leave your feedback in the comments section below!

Silhouettes Eyeglasses Frames Review

Pros:

• Lightweight, comfortable design
• No hinges to break or bend
• Freedom to customize lens shapes
• Unquestionably stylish
• Fairly durable, stand up to knocks and bumps

Cons:

• Take some getting used to (for you and your brain)
• Fit can be a problem until they're adjusted properly
• Pricey
• Only fit in the manufacturer's case
• Don't lie flat in a pocket or on a table
• Require two hands to put on and take off

It's been over a year since I got my Silhouettes eyeglasses frames and I thought it was a good time to give them a review. If you haven't heard of them, Silhouettes are rimless titanium memory wire frames that are mounted to the lens via holes - some people call them "drill mount" frames. Their main attractions are that they are lightweight and most people consider them to be modern and stylish. You can also have pretty much any shape lens you choose, since there is no frame to constrain your choices. The same frame works equally well with rounded or squarish lenses.

Most of the other online reviews for Silhouettes glasses are from people who have had theirs break (usually at the temple arm) or were not satisfied with them because the lens cracked. I am going to guess that those experiences may have been with earlier generations of these frames, because mine seem to be holding up just fine to everyday wear. Then again, I don't really wear them in situations where they could get hit or bent, like playing sports or around small kids. I also store them on the counter as shown above instead of bent into their weird little plastic case. It seems like the case design keeps the temples bent under stress and it wouldn't be good for them.

 If you haven't tried Silhouettes glasses before, the rimless design takes some serious getting used to. And I'm talking about more than the gaping hole in your wallet. As the above photo shows, the frames are mounted to the front of the lens by plastic grommets that fit into holes drilled into the lens. There aren't any hinges, and the part that goes over your ear is mostly a thin little rubber piece a little bigger than the wire frame with a polished metal tip.

As a result, Silhouettes frames are very lightweight and comfortable to wear. But since they don't have an actual hinge, the lenses are essentially free to move about your nose and face as they please. They can easily shift side to side, depending on how well the earpieces grip your head. They can also get cockeyed quite easily, where one of the lenses is higher than the other one. This can be quite annoying and also looks funny, plus they are comfortable so you probably won't notice the misalignment. Basically getting them to stay put, especially when you have oily skin like mine, can be a problem.

Here's a look at them from the front. Obviously you can get any lens shape with these, mine just happen to be a modified rectangle to match my face shape. You can see that the frames actually obscure a part of the lens where the hardware is mounted. This did take some getting used to on my part - eventually your brain learns to stop looking in the area where the frames are in the way.

Another weird thing about them is that the lenses are beveled (or chamfered) along the edge on both sides. I was expecting a flat, 90 degree corner where the edge of the lens meets the face, but instead it's more like the edge is rounded over at a 45 degree angle. While I recognize that this is probably standard practice to avoid a sharp edge that could chip easily, in the case of my lenses it also created a "micro-lens" at the top and bottom of my field of view. I was literally seeing triple for the first week wearing these, since the chamfered edge on the lens refracts the image you're looking at right into your vision. It was especially frustrating when driving at night - I could easily see the reflective road paint above and below my field of view and the result was incredibly distracting. If you're experiencing this same problem, don't give up yet - my eyes/brain got used to this strange issue and it seems like the brain simply learns to tune it out eventually. Now I have no problem driving at night, etc, and I don't even notice the triple images anymore. Wonder what else I might be missing...?

Another look at the temple. You can see each part of the frame is attached with studs through two holes in the lens. This is nice because there's no hinge to break or wear out, and it doesn't really get dirty since it's wire-thin.

My pair of Silhouettes actually creaks a little bit when I open them up to put them on. The sound is very slight, not loud enough to be disturbing, it's just the noise of the frames shifting inside the holes in the lenses.

Since there are no hinges, you need two hands to put Silhouettes on. You also pretty much need two hands to take them off without putting a lot of stress on them. If putting glasses on and taking them off repeatedly is an important part of your day... you may want to skip Silhouettes.

Also, they do not fold flat to fit into a pocket. They come with a hard case, but it's still fairly bulky. Because they don't fold up, they only fit into their original case. You're probably not going to find a case that they'll fit in besides the one they came in, so don't lose it!

I spend a lot of time adjusting them on my face. Maybe my Silhouettes aren't perfectly adjusted, but if I worked anywhere where I had less than perfectly clean hands, I would have to get new glasses because you almost always have to handle the edge of the lenses to adjust them.

The nose pieces that came with these were a hard plastic that slipped down my nose no problem. The eye clinic was able to replace them with another set that had a soft, grippy finish that helped with that issue. The nose pieces just pop on and off the wire frame, anyone can change them out, so I'd recommend asking your glasses guy or girl for the grippy nose pads to take with you in case you don't like the not-so-grippy ones.

Here's an example of me wearing this pair of Silhouettes. They are seriously minimalist - no hinge, no frame, actually not a whole lot of anything.

Above is a better look at the ear pieces on my Silhouettes. There isn't much to them, and they really don't grip the sides of my head that well. Also the numbers showing the frame size are printed right where the earpieces wear, so you can forget about reading them after wearing them a while, they rub right off. (Of course, there is nowhere else to put these numbers anyway.)

A look at half a pair. You can see what I explain above - the bevel around the edge of the lens reflects my eye a second time. It also delivers a matching image of what you're looking at above and below your field of view on the other side of the lens. That is what took the most adjustment - waiting for my brain to stop seeing the images coming from the beveled edges.

The bottom line is: I have a love/hate relationship with my Silhouettes glasses. I like the style and comfort, I dislike the finicky fit, particularly as my face gets more oily in the afternoons and they slip around more. I will probably switch them out for a more conventional hinged pair next time I get the chance. Have you had a similar experience with your Silhouettes glasses? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!