Great intro. One thing I don't understand about the mechanical keyboard community is how the vast majority (like well over 95%) are not split keyboards. You'd think keyboard enthusiasts that sweat the details would also be obsessed with ergonomics. But no, I suspect that they are more concerned with aesthetics, which are arguably worse with a split keyboard.
The price difference is pretty wild, hard to make an investment like that without being able to try it first.
Keyboard meetups are common and give you the opportunity to try a whole range of boards.