I’ve slowly been going down the rabbit hole of ergo keyboards and want to replace my current “normal” full-size keyboard, but the sheer amount of variation there is, even disregarding the usual differences like rgb or some extra macro keys or whatever, is kind of giving me decision paralysis, so I’d like some help.
I know what I definitely want:
- Split
- Tentable
- Ortholinear
- Supports QMK
But that still leaves a lot of questions open.
I like the look and portability of heavily vertically staggered 42-key keyboards (three rows and three keys per thumb cluster), and while for programming that’s definitely enough, especially for certain games that seems like a questionable choice, since you’d need a lot of layers for a good experience.
Then I looked further into keyboards with four rows, which definitely seem more appealing, but at that point I’m wondering if for convenience’s sake, it might be better to just get something like the Moonlander which has more than enough keys, but is also just really big and leads to a lot of finger movement which isn’t necessarily a problem, but also just isn’t really… well, neat.
What kind of keyboards do you all have and what do you use them for? Are there any you’d recommend? Should I just go with something akin to the Moonlander or are there any tangible advantages to something like the Piantor apart from portability?
I have a moonlander and love it, but that’s technically columnar and not ortholinear since it’s staggered rows. One thing I like is the Oryx software that I found very intuitive and easy to use to update layouts and layers. Although some question build quality, it was cheap to find someone on printmything to 3d print extra feet for the thumb cluster to add stability to the cluster. Swapping switches was easy as well and installed U4Ts to get more tactile feel.
But I found it helpful to print shit out and play with it on a desk to get a feel for size and layout difference in lieu of seeing a real keeb. You can get creative with folding stuff or angled binders to simulate tenting options as well. This tool lets you do size comparison and print out different keyboard layouts on paper. https://jhelvy.shinyapps.io/splitkbcompare/
I fell into this rabbit hole when looking into all the options available when ordering an Ergodox EZ. I discovered the Iris keyboard and really liked its compact shape. I ended up not placing the order for that Ergodox and built myself an Iris v4 instead.
Iris turned out to be a good way to ease myself into the world of DIY split ergo boards. It’s affordable, easy to assemble and has enough keys to ease the transition from full sized keyboards. It’s a good starting point for experimenting with layers and other features that eventually may lead you to 40% or smaller layouts.
I also landed on the Iris rev 7, and it being my first I went with getting it prebuilt plus not having a soldering setup. Also, one decision was comparing the shape and size of keyboards using splitkb compare site. The Ergodox EZ and Moonlander were way too spread out for my hands to deal with so I chose Iris. Ended up cheaper than either with no included switches and now I’m practicing how to use only three rows and layers since it’s way more comfortable to not move your hands from the home row.
That isn’t to say I am not regretting it. The oryx software that ZSA has looks amazingly powerful out the box. VIA is annoyingly limited in how it utilizes its Any key so advanced configuration is also limited. Vial, while having more features, would require reflashing due to some tap_dance_count error which is annoying. If I had more time I would just use QMK but it’s way faster prototyping visually and adjusting to how you end up using the keys daily.
One unfortunate thing about ergonomics is that each persons needs are different. No one can tell you what’s best for you, but luckily we have a lot of good options that help you find what does work for you.
If you’re fine with some soldering, there are a lot of open source splits that you could get fabricated for pretty cheap and end up with two full builds. Cantor, Piantor, Corne, Lily, Sofle, etc etc etc. The low cost of having them fabricated and built yourself can mean trying out a few different keyboards to see what works best for you.
When it comes to gaming, maybe using one keyboard for programming and a different keyboard for gaming. It could be just half of a 4 row split, a gaming focus keypad (like the Eternal) or just your current rowstagger board. I personally use a QAZ-alike I designed as a gamepad.
Tenting can be accomplished multiple ways. Some boards have Tenting Puck support. Some can have large bolts added to adjust the angle. For boards without some native tenting support, many 3d printable cases exist that provide tenting and lately I’ve seen a lot people use the magsafe sticker thingies to attach their keyboards to small tripods.
One reason there are so many options is because it’s pretty easy (and fun} to design your own keyboard. It’s not uncommon to try a few different designs/layouts to see what works best for you from each and then design a keyboard to fit your requirements. Designing your own keyboard comes with it’s own set of information overload, but there are a lot of us around to help us.
If you’re down with DIY and Stateside, hit me up. I’ve got a bunch of PCBs in a box that I can part with for stupid cheap. I’ll need to take an inventory of what I have but if you’re interested I’ll gather up the info. I know I’ve got at least an MX Corne.
Link Dump:
I am signed up for the ZSA newsletter. They just sent an email with the subject line called “The Ergo 58.” In it they discussed why they are are no longer making the compact Planck EZ, but said:
“In response to my original announcement about the Planck EZ going away, we got a whole bunch of people professing their love for compact keyboards and wondering if we’ll ever make another. To which I can say — we love small keyboards too, and… stay tuned. :)”
They didn’t discuss anything about the keyboard in the email body. So maybe waiting a bit would be a good option if you are looking for something more compact and portable. Not sure if they will be making a compact ergo split key keyboard, or something more in line with the planck.
