I use it all the time for entering IP addresses, numbers in a spreadsheet, and doing quick math in a calculator.

My current keyboard doesn't have one (it shipped faster and that was more important to me at the time), and I really miss it, and I'm thinking of getting a separate 10-key. I thought it wouldn't miss it that much, but I use numbers frequently enough that it's noticeable.

I wish keyboards had removable 10-keys so I could save space on my desk until I need it. Likewise for page-up (etc) and arrow keys.

"I wish keyboards had removable 10-keys so I could save space on my desk until I need it."

The Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Wireless comes with a separate number pad, which you can place wherever you like.

> I wish keyboards had removable 10-keys so I could save space on my desk until I need it.

There are separate numpads, i.e. USB keyboards that are only the numpad. My brothers are civil engineers, and they use these when working with AutoCAD on a notebook since AutoCAD apparently puts a lot of stuff on numpad keys.

I have only tried a few of those so far, but I have had a hard time finding one that is heavy enough to not slide around. I also like it to be a similar key press feel to my regular keyboard. So I do wish they would sell them to match keyboards.

I require a numpad - any time I need to enter more than a few numbers, the speed difference is unbelievable.

I’d say most analytics focused people will need to do something like this at some point - that, and people who are forced to interact with spreadsheets occasionally.

I just set up my tilde key to change the right half of my keyboard to a numpad when held down, so I'm not missing anything. Seems like a good tradeoff.

I'm waiting for a keyboard with eink key caps because I struggle to remember where all of these invisible keys are.

Ah, reminds of the Optimus Maximus: https://vimeo.com/4294567

I also remember owning a Samsung Alias 2, which had e-ink keys so you could use it in either vertical or horizontal orientation.

The problem with all the existing products is they seem to be crowdfunding scams or they are essentially some clear plastic domes over a large touchscreen eink panel. I'm guessing that no one is able to source the 1x1cm eink screens that would be needed for a mechanical version.

Small screens on buttons are somewhat readily available: https://www.mikroe.com/oled-switch-click

They are $100 each though.

And you still couldn't cram that inside a key cap. I'm starting to think the only way this could possibly be built with current tech is a regular keyboard with white keycaps and a projector. But this idea is getting more and more insane and the macbook touchbar is sounding like a better idea.

Wow, that is steeeep.

Cooler master has a keyboard which they call a hybrid ten key less where they combines the numpad with the arrow and home buttons. There are probably other brands with a similar layout, seems like a good compromise.

I use a ten key less keyboard so I can put the mouse closer to it.

https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/cdn.coolermaster.com/asse...

https://www.coolermaster.com/catalog/peripheral/keyboards/ma...

That's interesting, how do you pick which one you want to use?

I had it set up so that pressing caps down enables num lock, releasing turns off numlock. This is great unit you need to use Remote Desktop, since the autohotkey script doesn't work remotely. So now I bought a new keyboard with a numpad.

Ah, right. I can recommend a QMK-based keyboard, even just the scriptability is worth it.

Numlock.

That sounds like a good compromise.

I use it all the time to enter numbers (more than a few -- it becomes very cumbersome without one for more than a few.)

Also I use it for software like Blender for camera controls. (Though this is probably more of a niche use case...)

I was about to comment this. I just recently got a keyboard with full numpad on my computer that I use Blender on and it makes a world of difference. Usually I just use it to switch from perspective to orthographic and to view front.

I like the tenkeyless format for the same reasons outlined above, and Blender's view keys were the main thing I missed.

Pie menus addon is a game changer for that though. Hold Q, push your mouse toward the desired view direction, and let go. It's honestly even faster than moving my hand from the mouse to the numpad.

You still lose the 4/8/6/2 shortcuts for orbiting in 15° increments, but I never used those much. It gives quick access to front/back/left/right/top/bottom preset views. The ortho/perspective toggle is in a second-layer "More" menu which isn't ideal, but quick enough action for something that I'm not changing back and forth all the time.

You can also navigate the pie menus with number keys, so typing q-1-4 will pull up the menu, open the second level, and toggle ortho/perspective.

In addition to being quicker than moving my hand to the numpad, I also like that it keeps my desktop UI consistent with my laptop where I don't have a numpad either.

Outside of the numpad and pie menus, 2.8 has the clickable view gizmo in the top right corner for people who like to click on stuff. That's a nice addition for new users, it's certainly the most discoverable of the three options.

On non-qwerty layouts such as azerty (french) you gave to press shift to type a number on the top row so a numeric keypad is quickly useful. (And those are not very friendly for coding either...)

Same, but I'm really fast at typing numbers without a numpad. I find moving my hand to a separate location just for numbers is a lot slower. Imo most people that could learn to type numbers quickly without a numpad as well. I wonder what the mechanics of some people typing faster on a numpad are, like how does the layout help over having them aligned in a row? Maybe there's less overlap when moving fingers?

It's a shared skill with calculators (including those with printer tape, which auditing groups seem to adore), and it seems to have the side effect of high keying rates sustained over time.

With a centering mark in the middle of the pad, and only the need to move fingers forwards and backwards (no sideways motion), sustained input of 10,000 digits per hour, with 0 mistakes, is not just possible to expected.

Oh true the shared skills with other tools makes sense.

For me I find that typing numbers with the top row the home keys for the letters are still useful for centering to move between letters and numbers.

Couldn't you argue only having to move sideways for typing is more efficient than having to move forwards and backwards? Plus you can use two hands to divide the digits between left and right hand.

I use it for entering numbers, sure.

Almost every fancy mechanical keyboard seems to do away with it, though, so presumably a lot of people are OK without one.

you can defiantly get 104 key mech boards, and 120 key mech boards are easy to find if that's your thing. With that said, when you're paying $1+ per switch, there's a a good chunk of the market that doesn't mind saving the $40+ to have the extra keys removed. Adding keys to a cheap board is an easy way to add functionality, but once you pay to have customizable firmware, it's just as easy and cheaper to put those keys on a layer.

I use mine more now that it's right under my fingers via a layer switch ;)

I use a Keyboardio Model01 split ergonomic keyboard at work.

As other people have said, numpads are great for some things. They do come with an ergonomic impact though - they push the mouse to the right so that your arm is at a non-optimal angle. I'm thinking of moving to a keyboard without a numpad and using a separate one, but I love my Das Keyboard too much.

I would love to just move it to the left side of the keyboard (as a right hander). It keeps it available, while moving the mouse to a better location.

I could stand to lose the numpad .. if I get to keep the home/end/pgup/pgdown. Currently I'm using a not very good logitech that's the other way round, so I'm using the numpad in "numlock off" mode and discovering which apps treat the keys differently.

What even bothers me more is that those keyboards that do not have a numpad section, cram all the 'insert', 'home', ..., and arrow keys in strange places below and under the normal keys or, even worse, hide them under a function key.