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?
Seconded on Sofle, though Moonlander would be a good choice too. Having the numrow helps ease the transition and reduces the chances that you give up on ergo splits. If you buy a 50+ split and later get the minimalist bug, you can change your keymap to test drive a numrowless layout.
I use Sofle V2 for WFH. I started with a Lily58 at the beginning of the pandemic because I was getting shoulder and wrist pain from using a TKL all day. I liked the Lily58, but I also have big hands and found the thumb cluster cramped and the stagger too shallow. The Sofle V2 is nearly the same layout except the thumb row is moved out by a column for more natural thumb placement. I’ve been using the Sofle for a little over a year now and am planning to build another for the 1 day a week I need to drive into work to hotdesk.
QMK is great, but I switched to VIAL, which is a fork of QMK that allows for on-the-fly keymap changes from an app without having to recompile.
OP, DM me at al177 on Discord if you’re in the US and decide to DIY a Sofle. I have extra unpopulated V2 main PCBs (not top or bottom tho) and would be glad to send you a pair to get you started. I also have a Lily58 I would part with for cheap.