Cloud Nine C959 ErgoTKL review

Our VerdictA great blend of ergonomic benefits and features for the gaming crowd, with only a few annoyances spoiling the whole picture.

Our Verdict

A great blend of ergonomic benefits and features for the gaming crowd, with only a few annoyances spoiling the whole picture.

ForSuper split luxuryVery quick adaption timeHandy macro keysAgainstNot one for small handsControl wheel is always litApp is for Windows only

ForSuper split luxuryVery quick adaption timeHandy macro keys

AgainstNot one for small handsControl wheel is always litApp is for Windows only

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Recent updates22 January 2024: The original review stated that any USB Type C cable could be used to link the two sections. Only Cloud Nine’s proprietary cables can be used and the review has been amended to clarify this.

Recent updates

22 January 2024: The original review stated that any USB Type C cable could be used to link the two sections. Only Cloud Nine’s proprietary cables can be used and the review has been amended to clarify this.

Cloud Nineis a relative newbie in the world of keyboards, as they’ve only been around since 2019. Its portfolio is also very small: Just two variants of the same C959 Ergo model, one ten keyless (the one being reviewed) and the other full-size.

It’s an ergonomic keyboard and one with the main aspects required to help alleviate shoulder tension and wrist problems: Separated halves, tenting, and tilting. In the case of the first one, just picture a traditional keyboard chopped right down the middle and then fully separated.

It’s only like this for the linking cable, fortunately, as the keyboard uses a normal Type-C to Type-A cable to connect to the host PC.

I’ve used semi-split keyboards for quite some time now and felt instantly at home with the C959. If you’ve never used this kind of layout before, it might take a little while to get used to, but given that you can put them anywhere (and even magnetically clip them together), it won’t take you long to adapt to it.

C959 ErgoTKL specs(Image credit: Future)Switches:Kailh Box Red/Brown/WhiteConnectivity:wired (USB Type-A to Type-C)Keys:89 in totalSplit:fully separate halvesTenting:fixed seven degreesTilting:choice of zero, four, or seven degreesBacklighting:per-key RGBMedia controls:control wheel and shortcut keysPrice:$180|£196

C959 ErgoTKL specs

(Image credit: Future)Switches:Kailh Box Red/Brown/WhiteConnectivity:wired (USB Type-A to Type-C)Keys:89 in totalSplit:fully separate halvesTenting:fixed seven degreesTilting:choice of zero, four, or seven degreesBacklighting:per-key RGBMedia controls:control wheel and shortcut keysPrice:$180|£196

(Image credit: Future)

Cloud Nine C959 ErgoTKL ergonomic mechanical keyboard

Switches:Kailh Box Red/Brown/WhiteConnectivity:wired (USB Type-A to Type-C)Keys:89 in totalSplit:fully separate halvesTenting:fixed seven degreesTilting:choice of zero, four, or seven degreesBacklighting:per-key RGBMedia controls:control wheel and shortcut keysPrice:$180|£196

A mechanical keyboard survives on the quality of its keys and Cloud Nine uses decentKailh Boxones. When ordering a C959, you’ll need to choose which of the three options you want: Red, Brown, or White. The first is near silent, the second (which my review model has) are light with the slightest of clicks, and the last offer the classic machinegun-fire clack.

The Kailh Box Brown keys felt smooth and fast to use, though I did notice the noise they made wasn’t consistent across the whole keyboard. Some made an audible ‘spring’ sound, whereas others just made a muted click. There’s no obvious damping effect to the keys or sound, and heavy typers might find it all a little ‘boomy’ in use.

There’s a column of keys dedicated for macros that come pre-configured for tasks such as Select All, Copy, Paste, etc. These can easily be changed in the app (more on this in a moment) and a spare set of key caps come in the box if you want them to them to look more generic.

To appeal to the gaming crowd, you’ve got a dedicated key for disabling the Windows key (to stop the Start Menu from being accidently fired up, mid-game) and the C959 Ergo boasts full per-key RGB backlighting, all fully adjustable via its software. It’s not especially bright, though, so if you really want your keyboard to stand out, it’s maybe not the best choice for that.

Image1of4The ultra-bright control wheel(Image credit: Future)Fixed seven degree tent(Image credit: Future)Seven degree tilt (left) vs four degree tilt (right)(Image credit: Future)Handy USB-A pass-through port in the left half(Image credit: Future)

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The ultra-bright control wheel(Image credit: Future)Fixed seven degree tent(Image credit: Future)Seven degree tilt (left) vs four degree tilt (right)(Image credit: Future)Handy USB-A pass-through port in the left half(Image credit: Future)

The ultra-bright control wheel(Image credit: Future)

Cloud Nine C959 ErgoTKL ergonomic mechanical keyboard

Fixed seven degree tent(Image credit: Future)

Cloud Nine C959 ErgoTKL ergonomic mechanical keyboard

Seven degree tilt (left) vs four degree tilt (right)(Image credit: Future)

Cloud Nine C959 ErgoTKL ergonomic mechanical keyboard

Handy USB-A pass-through port in the left half(Image credit: Future)

Cloud Nine C959 ErgoTKL ergonomic mechanical keyboard

As with the macro keys, you can program it to be used for some other function, but the standard options were more than enough for my usage. It feels really solid and smooth in use, and adds a nice touch of quality to the whole thing. As you can see above, it has LEDs underneath it and these change colour, depending on what mode it’s set to.

Buy if…✅ You want to go ergo:If you’re a heavy PC user that works all day but plays at night on the same machine, you’ve got a great blend of all the features here to keep your shoulders and wrists ache-free.

Buy if…

✅ You want to go ergo:If you’re a heavy PC user that works all day but plays at night on the same machine, you’ve got a great blend of all the features here to keep your shoulders and wrists ache-free.

Don’t buy if…❌ You want a compact keyboard:This is a BIG keyboard, not just because it’s split, but the two halves themselves are thick and heavy. The right side especially feels a bit of a stretch at times, when trying to reach some of the keys.

Don’t buy if…

❌ You want a compact keyboard:This is a BIG keyboard, not just because it’s split, but the two halves themselves are thick and heavy. The right side especially feels a bit of a stretch at times, when trying to reach some of the keys.

Unfortunately, while you can reduce and even fully disable the keys' lighting, the control wheel permanently blazes away and there’s no way to alter the output. At night, it’s very distracting and it’s a little puzzling that Cloud Nine didn’t think to include the option to adjust it.

A small oversight, perhaps, but after ten days of non-stop use, it really began to grate and I started looking for ways to block the LED ring, without affecting the wheel’s motion.

Well, perhaps there is a way to control the wheel lighting, but there was certainly no option that I could see within the app that you use to set the macro keys and RGB lighting. As control software goes, Cloud Nine’s effort is more than good enough, though.

It’s modern-looking and very clean, especially on high DPI monitors, and although it’s not replete with tutorials and guides, it’s straightforward to use. That said, a few more tool tips wouldn’t go amiss.

It didn’t take me long to set up some new macros but in the end, I just reverted to the default ones. In my job, one key to select everything, and then others to copy and paste proved to be really handy, and I genuinely missed them when I returned to my usual keyboard.

Image1of6(Image credit: Cloud Nine)(Image credit: Cloud Nine)(Image credit: Cloud Nine)(Image credit: Cloud Nine)(Image credit: Cloud Nine)(Image credit: Cloud Nine)

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(Image credit: Cloud Nine)(Image credit: Cloud Nine)(Image credit: Cloud Nine)(Image credit: Cloud Nine)(Image credit: Cloud Nine)(Image credit: Cloud Nine)

(Image credit: Cloud Nine)