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CLEAVE – Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard

trulyergonomic.com

11–20 of 56 posts

Re: CLEAVE – Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard

#11
post #8
post #5

I used the original Truly Ergonomic (TECK) for several years and really liked it overall. However of the three I bought, two had serious key chatter issues and it's very difficult to get any support. The company has a really poor reputation as demonstrated by many threads on Geekhack ( https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=89035.0 ) I switched to the Ergodox (currently Infinity model) and am very satisfied, but they c…

What does key chatter mean in practical terms? Also what was the learning curve like for these strange split keyboards like Ergodox?

Key chatter means you press the key once and it outputs several presses. In my case it didn't happen consistently, so was incredibly annoying.

I'd estimate ~3 weeks of very regular practice to get up to my previous typing speeds on the TECK or Ergodox. However before that I'd also learned to use the Kinesis Advantage, Freestyle, and even the FingerWorks TouchStream (http://www.ergocanada.com/products/keyboards/fingerworks_lp....)

Re: CLEAVE – Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard

#13
post #8
post #5

I used the original Truly Ergonomic (TECK) for several years and really liked it overall. However of the three I bought, two had serious key chatter issues and it's very difficult to get any support. The company has a really poor reputation as demonstrated by many threads on Geekhack ( https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=89035.0 ) I switched to the Ergodox (currently Infinity model) and am very satisfied, but they c…

What does key chatter mean in practical terms? Also what was the learning curve like for these strange split keyboards like Ergodox?

I was up and running with the Ergodox EZ Glow within a day, I did fiddle around with the key layout for awhile but it's settled into place for me pretty quickly.

It's dramatically more comfortable and I would never go back to a stock tenkeyless. I held out for an Infinity for a long time, then EZ added addressable LEDs and the difference between it and the Infinity now consists of things I don't plan to use.

Re: CLEAVE – Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard

#15
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What does key chatter mean in practical terms? Also what was the learning curve like for these strange split keyboards like Ergodox?

I was up and running with the Ergodox EZ Glow within a day, I did fiddle around with the key layout for awhile but it's settled into place for me pretty quickly. It's dramatically more comfortable and I would never go back to a stock tenkeyless. I held out for an Infinity for a long time, then EZ added addressable LEDs and the difference between it and the Infinity now consists of things I don't plan to use.

My layout, in case anyone finds this interesting:

https://github.com/mnemnion/ergodox/

Re: CLEAVE – Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard

#16

> 100% Anti‑Ghosting technology with Full N‑Key Rollover What is ghosting in this context and what is Full N_Key Rollover?

Find some program that records key events, and hold down q, w, and a. It's somewhat likely that d will trigger as well (or that only two keys will trigger). That's ghosting (or jamming) due to only 2-key rollover.

It happens because there's not an individual electrical connection for each key. Instead, you have one wire for each row and column, and keys connect between them.

Re: CLEAVE – Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard

#17
I used the old version of this keyboard for a few years. I liked the layout; it has the advantage of being fairly similar to a standard QWERTY keyboard (e.g. a non-split or Microsoft Natural Ergonomic 4000) but with a few modifications to make it more compact, and so it's very quick to learn.

Major downside would be that it died within 2 years and I couldn't get any response from support, and the website stopped selling them without making any explanation of whether/when they would be available, so sibling comment complaints about poor customer support seem to suggest a theme here rather than an isolated negative interaction.

I ended up going deeper down the rabbit hole and trying an ErgoDox (https://ergodox-ez.com/) and then settling on a Keyboardio (https://shop.keyboard.io/). These have more extreme key remaps, so it took a few weeks to get back up to fluent typing while coding, but I'm fairly happy with where I've ended up.

Re: CLEAVE – Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard

#18
I have a keyboardio, which has a very radical split design with a function key that you hit with the part of the palm close to the base of the thumb (either hand). I think it's amazing, but there's definitely a learning curve. Not one to worry about for people that use a keyboard many hours a day. You just want to give yourself a ramp-up time, starting with a bit of usage, and building up to full-time use.

Re: CLEAVE – Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard

#19
post #5

I used the original Truly Ergonomic (TECK) for several years and really liked it overall. However of the three I bought, two had serious key chatter issues and it's very difficult to get any support. The company has a really poor reputation as demonstrated by many threads on Geekhack ( https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=89035.0 ) I switched to the Ergodox (currently Infinity model) and am very satisfied, but they c…

Why is this so common on these ergonomic mechanical keyboards?

I had a similar problem with my Kinesis Advantage. After less than 3 months, it would randomly type out gibberish.

I reset it multiple times and even tried different computers and OSes and it was the same. Would have needed to spend 100+ to get the board replaced. So now it's a $300 paperweight.

There was another brand that had similar reviews on Amazon of phantom keystrokes.

This makes me extremely wary.

Re: CLEAVE – Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard

#20
post #2

Looks like the Microsoft Natural Keyboard.[1] Minus the cursor and number pads. I still have one on my Windows 7 machine. [1] https://www.microsoft.com/accessories/en-us/products/keyboar...

I used to use and swear by that keyboard, and I can attest that there is a very large quality difference between the Microsoft keyboard and all the other options discussed in this thread. (The Microsoft keyboard is far inferior).

Removing the number pad makes a big difference to ergonomics since your mouse is in the right place rather than way off to the side.

Also the switches on the Microsoft keyboard were dome-switches last time I bought one, which means the keys require a very high force, and feel pretty gummy to actuate. This might not be a problem for everybody, but if you have (or are concerned about developing) RSI/carpal tunnel then reducing the force per keystroke is critical.

The OP, plus all the other ergo keyboards mentioned (ErgoDox, Kinesis, etc.) all have mechanical switches which are much nicer/healthier to type on.

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