Wrist/palm support rests and cushions - your preference?

[RanceJustice]

Hello everyone. I've noticed that there is relatively little discussion for wrist/palm rests and cushions as well as less variation in the market, generally.

Despite the myriad of accessories for KB/M, including those specifically targeted towards gaming, wrist/palm rests seem limited. They tend to fall into a couple of categories - the cheap gel-pad or bead-filled type that were the hallmark of office supply or big box stores, more advanced types that use memory foam or better pellet-filll, and "hard" types including those sold as luxury materials such as wood and the like. There seems to be varying factions each claiming that, assuming proper ergonomic placement and support, that either the "hard" or "soft" is ergonomic/good for you and the other is not despite claims to the contrary.

Ultimately, I've found lots of benefit avoiding RSI and general comfort with the use of palm/wrist rests. Mine at current are old and worn out - a "gel" style one for the keyboard and for my mousing hand a bead-filled cushion (loose, atop and separate from my out-of-manufacture metal mousepad). Alternately, my new Dygma Raise split ergo keyboard comes with its own set of upgraded gel cushions set to match its layout and I'm eager to give it a try.

So what sort of palm/wrist support do you favor? I'm asking because I've been working with a new substance I find superior to most existing gels and foams in terms of comfort, temperature, and support ; something that has spurred my interest in developing a few prototypes. Perhaps if the project gets off the ground I could send a few of them among the [H] for beta testing

Thanks!

 

[sethk]

I prefer the hard material/soft touch plastic wrist rests like the ones that come with the Corsair K90. I also have a gel wrist rest for my TKL that didnt come with one, which I dont like anywhere near as much. The Corsair one is just about perfect in every way, supportive, comfortable, seamless (very important) in height, and easy to keep clean.

 

[RanceJustice]

Thanks for your input. Why isn't the gel one as comfortable for you? Also, do you have any sort of cushion or support for mousing?

 

[OliverQueen]

I am more than happy with the ones that came with my Corsair keyboards. They do the job I want them to do and are not uncomfortable nor make your wrists "sweaty" like some of the material covered gel ones can. They can also be wiped "clean" with a multi-surface anti-bacterial wipe unlike the material covered gel type.

 

[RanceJustice]

I am more than happy with the ones that came with my Corsair keyboards. They do the job I want them to do and are not uncomfortable nor make your wrists "sweaty" like some of the material covered gel ones can. They can also be wiped "clean" with a multi-surface anti-bacterial wipe unlike the material covered gel type.

Do you find them of sufficient height? I've always found that (many but not all) included rests of that type did not place my wrists/palms vertically high enough to avoid discomfort; perhaps it is just the way I've typed. The bit about the material is helpful. When talking about "sweaty"ness, are those typically the fabric covered / soft-touch finished or the smoother material ones? In my experience, the smoother material type (usually some kind of vinyl or in higher end cases PU ) that can be wiped clean directly tend to be sweatier, whereas the fabric covering types - depending on the fabric of course - are harder to clean but less potential for sweat.

 

[criccio]

I just use a Glorious wrist rest for my TKL keyboard and it's quite comfortable. I have a whole desk mat for my mouse at 800dpi so I can't use a mouse wrist rest.

 

[RanceJustice]

I just use a Glorious wrist rest for my TKL keyboard and it's quite comfortable. I have a whole desk mat for my mouse at 800dpi so I can't use a mouse wrist rest.

I've not used it, but on specs and design alone the Glorious (padded) does seem to be an update to the typical padded rest, with perhaps an upgraded cloth fabric and reasonable amount of foam. Is it a "memory" type foam or more conventional padding? Regarding your mouse and desk mat, why would it preclude you from using a wrist rest? Hypothetically I can see how many of them have a "non slip" base which could potentially impede free movement, but perhaps there is another reason?

 

[OliverQueen]

Do you find them of sufficient height? I've always found that (many but not all) included rests of that type did not place my wrists/palms vertically high enough to avoid discomfort; perhaps it is just the way I've typed. The bit about the material is helpful. When talking about "sweaty"ness, are those typically the fabric covered / soft-touch finished or the smoother material ones? In my experience, the smoother material type (usually some kind of vinyl or in higher end cases PU ) that can be wiped clean directly tend to be sweatier, whereas the fabric covering types - depending on the fabric of course - are harder to clean but less potential for sweat.

No problems with the height etc. I make sure that my arm are level with the keyboard & wrist rest when my elbows are on the arm rests of the chair. Even if it means propping the keyboard up on something to make it level if the desk I am at is a different height to normal. I haven't needed to buy a different wrist rest since I have had the Corsair keyboards. The only ones I had tried prior to these were the cloth covered gel type which I hated.

 

[sethk]

The gel type wrist rests are just inferior in every way for my use. They have a slight sink and bounce which gets uncomfortable in prolonged use as you are unconsciously adjusting to the subtle shifts with your muscles, IMHO. The slide against the fabric and bounce lead to a relative feeling of instability.They also have a curve to them dipping towards to keyboard lip which your wrists slightly sink into if you move your hands forward. A rigid design with soft touch plastics and small dimples feels perfectly contoured and supportive. I have used about half a dozen brands over the years after doing research on the best ones and none are really able to overcome what I’ve written above.

There is also the long term ickiness factor with being unable to keep as clean fabric based supports that are in contact with your hands all day. Long term, there is no comparison- gel rests should be tossed after a while depending on how much you use them.

 

[criccio]

I've not used it, but on specs and design alone the Glorious (padded) does seem to be an update to the typical padded rest, with perhaps an upgraded cloth fabric and reasonable amount of foam. Is it a "memory" type foam or more conventional padding? Regarding your mouse and desk mat, why would it preclude you from using a wrist rest? Hypothetically I can see how many of them have a "non slip" base which could potentially impede free movement, but perhaps there is another reason?

The wrist rest seems to be the gel type, however its quite firm and does well to keep my wrist elevated since the Logitech Pro keyboard has zero support of its own.

As for my mouse situation, since I play with such a low DPI and play mostly FPS games, I move my mouse around a very large area and most most mouse wrist rests I see would not work as they assume you're making small movements with your wrist. My whole arm moves and wouldn't be "resting" on the rest, if that makes sense. High DPI and moving your mouse with your wrist ive heard isn't healthy anyway.

 

[Straypuft]

I used to rock the Razer Vespula(v1) but that only lasted like 6 months before the hard surface on one side started peeling off the base or whatever it was called, so sure, flip it over to the other side, same thing happened to that side after a few months, Then I went for a cheap cloth covered wrist pad, but that one got all cruddy and grimy. I then went to a Glorious wrist pad. But a few months into enjoying what I hoped would be the last pad I would ever need, My apartment building had a bed bug infestation and I got hit by them, and sure enough, something got into the wrist pad and I got bites along my under wrist area, So I tossed it, This was at the end of 2017, February 2018 saw me getting a Innovera Softskin Gel Wrist Rest for around $10 on ebay and Ive been using it since.