Today I\u2019m bringing you my one-week review of the Silicon Typing Bed (aka palm rest) for the HHKB Professional, kindly provided by PFU. Even though this was a review unit, I\u2019ve got to keep it real with you all – no sugar-coating here! I believe in honest reviews above all else.<\/p>\n
Quick heads up though<\/h2>\n
this review is going to be pretty niche. Why? Because I\u2019m not actually using an HHKB Professional – I\u2019m rocking the HHKB Studio!<\/p>\n
The HHKB Studio is a different beast compared to the Professional. It\u2019s got pointing stick, mouse buttons, sliders on both sides, and sliders on the bottom. Normally, using a standard-height palm rest would interfere with those bottom sliders, making it pretty much unusable.<\/p>\n
But here\u2019s the thing – I (and quite a few others) have disabled those side and bottom sliders since they\u2019re tricky to use and tend to trigger accidentally. With the bottom sliders disabled, you don\u2019t need a low-profile palm rest anymore, which means this \u201cHHKB Professional Silicon Typing Bed\u201d actually works perfectly!<\/p>\n
TL;DR – The Bottom Line<\/h2>\n
Whether you\u2019re using an HHKB Studio with disabled bottom sliders or a regular HHKB Professional: This level of quality at this price point is an absolute must-buy.<\/strong><\/p>\n Let\u2019s be real here – if you\u2019ve chosen HHKB as your daily driver, you\u2019re not a casual user. You\u2019re someone who\u2019s seriously invested in your typing experience and setup.<\/p>\n For people like us, this price point for this level of precision and quality is totally worth it.<\/p>\n Why you should buy it:<\/strong><\/p>\n Look, $44 (4400 yen at time of writing) might seem steep for a \u201chand rest\u201d to regular folks, but if you\u2019re the type who can drop serious cash on an HHKB, you\u2019ll see this as \u201ca high-quality collab product from HHKB and Bird Electronics for just $44? That\u2019s a steal!\u201d<\/p>\n Bottom line: BUY IT.<\/strong> I\u2019ve included affiliate links below – these help cover server costs and return shipping for review units, so if you want to support the channel, I\u2019d appreciate purchases through these links!<\/p>\n <\/a><\/div>\n <\/a><\/div>\n I don\u2019t have any actual complaints right now, but here are some things to keep in mind for the future:<\/p>\n You might think \u201chow much is there really to say about a hand rest?\u201d But trust me, the right palm rest can completely transform your typing experience.<\/p>\n When your palm rest height doesn\u2019t match your keyboard, you end up with bent wrists, increased fatigue, higher finger travel distance (leading to more typos), and stronger key strikes that can hurt your fingertips.<\/p>\n This Silicon Typing Bed is a perfect fit for the HHKB Studio<\/strong>. It lets me type with minimal wrist movement and achieves the Studio\u2019s goal of \u201cdoing everything from home position.\u201d I can hit the pointing stick with my index finger and the mouse buttons with my thumbs without moving my hands.<\/p>\n Fun fact: I\u2019ve been typing since getting my PC-9801 34 years ago, and I\u2019m way faster with my self-taught hunt-and-peck style than touch typing. But hunt-and-peck means lots of typos and constant corrections. I\u2019ve been practicing proper touch typing for the past couple years – it\u2019s not as fast, but way more accurate and requires fewer corrections.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the cool part: when I rest my hands on this typing bed in home position, my brain automatically switches to \u201ctouch typing mode.\u201d It\u2019s like a physical cue that gets me in the right mindset.<\/p>\n Touch typing is less stressful on the body and lets you think while you type instead of just rapid-fire typing and then fixing everything later. Having a physical trigger for that mindset is surprisingly valuable.<\/p>\n The height difference compared to my old wooden palm rest is huge – probably double the height – which means way less typing fatigue. Plus, when I\u2019m gaming with my Xbox controller on Steam, I rest my hands on the palm rest between sessions. With the wooden one, 30 minutes would make my hands sore, but with this silicone one, I can game for 2-3 hours comfortably!<\/p>\n The Silicon Typing Bed comes in \u201cBlack\u201d and \u201cCool Gray,\u201d which match perfectly with HHKB\u2019s \u201cSumi\u201d and \u201cYuki\u201d respectively. The color coordination is gorgeous.<\/p>\n Since HHKB supports keycap swapping, you might have mixed colors (like me – Sumi frame with Yuki keycaps). You can either match the keycaps for overall harmony or match the frame to create a striking contrast with the keycaps floating above. Honestly, if you\u2019re running mixed colors, just get both palm rests and swap them based on your mood!<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the wrap-up on the Silicon Typing Bed:<\/p>\n I\u2019m genuinely enthusiastic about this product, so here are those affiliate links again. These sales help keep the blog running and cover return shipping costs for review units, so if you want to support future reviews, I\u2019d really appreciate purchases through these links!<\/p>\n\n
![\"\u30b7\u30ea\u30b3\u30f3\u30bf\u30a4\u30d4\u30f3\u30b0\u30d9\u30c3\u30c9\uff08\u30d6\u30e9\u30c3\u30af\uff09\"](\"https:\/\/m.media-amazon.com\/images\/I\/31ezd0yxCuL._AC_SX679_.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\u30b7\u30ea\u30b3\u30f3\u30bf\u30a4\u30d4\u30f3\u30b0\u30d9\u30c3\u30c9\uff08\u30af\u30fc\u30eb\u30b0\u30ec\u30fc\uff09\"](\"https:\/\/m.media-amazon.com\/images\/I\/31OX-TdT+FL._AC_SX679_.jpg\")
<\/p>\nPotential Concerns (Not Deal-Breakers, Just FYI)<\/h2>\n
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Real-World Usage Impressions<\/h2>\n
Color Options<\/h2>\n
Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n
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