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CLEAVE – Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard

trulyergonomic.com

21–30 of 56 posts

Re: CLEAVE – Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard

#21
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?

Read this great blog post about Truly Ergonomic chatter.

http://www.cataclysmicmutation.com/2014/03/28/truly-unrespon...

I have two of them (apparently I had to learn the lesson twice), both exhibit chatter to varying degrees. It seems to lessen the more you use the keyboard, but comes back if you leave it for a while. It is super inconsistent and annoying and absolutely ridiculous for keyboards of that price.

Also their support is non-existent. The firmware latency settings can help a bit but if you make it slow enough to not do double-presses, then the keyboard feels unresponsive and you'll get more missed presses. Total bullshit.

I'd never EVER buy another product from them. They should be out of business in my opinion.

I have an Ergodox now and very happy.

Re: CLEAVE – Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard

#23
post #6
post #3

Aside from the switches, which do sound interesting, it seems a little less ergonomic than an Ergodox[0] or Kinesis Advantage[1]. 0: https://ergodox-ez.com/ 1: https://www.kinesis-ergo.com/shop/advantage2/

I'll give it points for the arrow keys. There just really isn't much in the way of good positions for arrow keys on a split layout. That said I don't like what it's doing with the thumbs. Thumbs want to move radially more than in and out.

I have my Ergodox set up so I hold down a thumb key and it activates a layer so my right hand has arrow keys and pgup/pgdown/home/end right there on the home row.

I can't live without it now.

Re: CLEAVE – Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard

#24
I had a period of being enamored with mechanical keyboards, but not any more. I tried various switches, high-profile, low-profile, always looking for the end-game keyboard. In the end, I realized that I still had more fun typing on Apple Wired Keyboard or even basic keyboards like Logitech K120. I don't imagine coming back to mechanical keyboards any time soon. I'll stick to scissor switches for the time being I guess.

Re: CLEAVE – Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard

#25

I had a period of being enamored with mechanical keyboards, but not any more. I tried various switches, high-profile, low-profile, always looking for the end-game keyboard. In the end, I realized that I still had more fun typing on Apple Wired Keyboard or even basic keyboards like Logitech K120. I don't imagine coming back to mechanical keyboards any time soon. I'll stick to scissor switches for the time being I gues…

>Apple Wired Keyboard/logitech k120

...how do you prefer this? it's just one step above typing on a touchscreen, keys are mushy feeling and i keep mistyping because i don't get feedback. also using for long periods of time is murder on the wrists

how long have you been held hostage by these kinda keyboards that you prefer them now

Re: CLEAVE – Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard

#27

I had a period of being enamored with mechanical keyboards, but not any more. I tried various switches, high-profile, low-profile, always looking for the end-game keyboard. In the end, I realized that I still had more fun typing on Apple Wired Keyboard or even basic keyboards like Logitech K120. I don't imagine coming back to mechanical keyboards any time soon. I'll stick to scissor switches for the time being I gues…

I was right there with you until my final attempt which sealed the deal and helped me figure out why I struggled with the first few tries.

The big clincher was the switches. So many mech nerds pine over the clicky bs. NO. THANK. YOU. The magical solution for me is using Cherry Speed Silver RGB switches. There are basically hair trigger switches, no clicking, none of that crap. They respond like a low profile laptop keyboard or whatever, basically, near instant activation. The rest of the travel is just there to buffer your effort. You can literally lightly touch to type which is actually my normal typing style.

So why bother? I game. And I want a reliable sturdy, FIXABLE keyboard for that. Also, it looks cool and is highly customizable. I use it across 3 computers and it's nice to have my mapping swaps just built in, no worrying about mapping that in software, etc.

(Rest of the specifics for the nerds: iGK64 board, wood case, with oem profile abs caps for the translucent goodness, though, cherry profile pbt caps feel real nice too.)

Re: CLEAVE – Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard

#28
Who else gets wicked sore wrists typing on these "ergonomic" keyboards? Perhaps it's because I've typed on regular boards for over 30 years, but, these ergonomic layouts actually hurt me. No normal keyboards bother me at all.

Re: CLEAVE – Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard

#29

can anyone say what this optical switch is about?

Gimmickry, nothing more. Switches are a commodity so making something new and special sounding gives a price boost and some popularity for a while. Activation by breaking a light beam vs. activation by completing a circuit, the difference is not going to be noticeable to a human.

Re: CLEAVE – Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard

#30
I think a keyboard has to split in two to be truly ergonomic (otherwise it isn't really adjustable to the user). I was a happy user of an ErgoPro [1] for a year until it stopped working.

I tried the Ergodox but really didn't like adapting to its compacted layout. I am about to purchase a Mistrel Barocco.

[1] http://matias.ca/ergopro/pc/

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