Hi all,
I’ve been typing on the first keyboard I ever bought for about 7 years now (Sharkoon Skiller Pro +) and, after trying out some of the shiny mechanical keyboards my friends bought over the years (Roccat Vulkan Pro, Steelseries Apex Pro, etc), decided I wanted a new keyboard as well.
I’ve done a little research on keyboards as a whole and have a few favorites, but recently I came across ergonomic keyboards, such as shown in this community. Now, I’m unsure wether I want to go with a traditional board (my top candidate is the Meletix Zoom98 with Morandi Switches) or try something completely different.
I’m looking for stories and advice right now, to get the most out of the money i’m willing to spend on a keyboard (buying multiple is not an option at the price point of for example the Zoom98).
Looking forward to this :)
- if you’re willing to put in build time, you can get ergo kits for a fair bit cheaper than assembled boards
- look for options with hotswap sockets – can reuse switches across boards without the hassle of desoldering
- socket the microcontroller – same reason, can reuse across boards after flashing with new firmware
- if you’re willing to take your time, you can stage things out as a progression (ie. don’t purchase everything at once)
- FoldKB – introduction to split and ortholinear but uses a standard set of keycaps (no hunting ortho, ergo, or 40s sets)
- Iris, Lily58, or Sofle RGB – “large” split ergos, introduction to a gentle columnar stagger
- Corne/CRKBD – the most popular mid-sized split ergo, easy to find kits, cases, or order your own PCBs
- Ferris Sweep, Swoop, DASBOB, KLOR, or Waterfowl – down into the realm of small ergo splits, much more focus on setting up firmware to meet your needs
- A. dux, Hummingbird, Totem, Flea, Piano – the field of hyper-specialized ergo splits (the fringe)
- FlatFootFox’s Design a Keyboard tutorial – learn enough Ergogen and KiCAD to design your own completely customized board
- Golem.hu’s Split keyboard database – pretty much the most extensive list of what’s out there (and just how large the field has grown)
This is all good advice but I would say if you’re willing (and interested) to try a “40s” like board, the corne (at least in 6 column version) is fairly accessible and is very popular so looking for ideas about how to make your keymap won’t be difficult. And also boardsource now has a fully assembled version of the corne (no soldering).
That is to say, cerement described a very reasonable progression, but if you don’t mind feeling like you don’t know how to type for a bit you can jump into anything that is interesting to you, and many folks agree that smaller boards are more comfortable to type on.
I must say It’s daunting to reduce the amount of keys that much, since I’m used to full-size. Then again, I use the numpad mostly to control foobar2000 (music), which should be easily balanced with a thumb-activated additional layer in a board such as the corne. I can’t seem to find the fully assembled version of the corne, but the unicorne is assemblable without soldering. Would you recommend low-profile switches? I have absolutely no experience typing on those so I’d be interested to know what the difference feels like.
My two cents:
Choc (low profile) switches are awesome for portable keyboards, but if you lean tactile, it’s going to be hard to find a satisfying switch. Khail sunsets are the closest I’ve come to my cherished Zealio V2s. I’d recommend looking around for a sample pack.
Two more cents:
I switched from a lily to a pinky3 a year or two ago and thought the same thing about reducing keys. It was a slight adjustment at first but I absolutely love it now. Typing on a 4 row keyboard is slightly annoying to me at this point. Why should I have to move my fingers so far just to type a single number? I found that having a number layer across the top row and a right side num pad connecting to where the 7 - 8 - 9 is on that row has been wonderful.
- additional considerations
- low profile switches versus regular switches
- people like the ergonomics better for low profile but (as @pixls mentioned) selection for switches and (especially) keycaps is still very limited
- keywells – shaped boards instead of flat – Glove80, Dactyl Manuform family – ie. keeping key position right at the arc of travel of your fingertips
- low profile switches versus regular switches
- another option I just remembered (one that’s really popular with the ZSA Moonlander)
- pick up one of the larger boards with hotswap sockets (Iris, Lily58, Sofle, Moonlander, Voyager) and start with a full layout
- over time start removing keycaps and switches, remap your keybindings to fit the remaining keys
- can try out the smaller layouts without having to invest in more boards until you find your comfort spot
The unicorne is what I was thinking of, fully assembled in terms of the PCB (other than switches) which is less common for these boards. I’ve personally started to like low profile switches a lot, the reduced travel works really well for ergonomic layouts reducing finger movement. I will say they are not as refined as some of the recent mx style switches in terms of feel and sound, but ones like the sunset tactile switches are very good. Keycaps being the other limiting factor, chocs use different keycaps and there are not a lot of excellent options at the moment, but there are enough decent options that they’re usable.
