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ErgodoxE EZ – an ergonomic keyboard with open source firmware

ergodox-ez.com

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Re: ErgodoxE EZ – an ergonomic keyboard with open source firmware

#71

Post by breckenedge »

lrvick wrote: post #62
hosteur wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I haven't tried the moonlander. In which ways do you find it superior to the Ergodox EZ? What made me go for the EZ over the moonlander was the extra thumb buttons. Admitted, I do not use those too often, however, they are still quite useful.

I thought I would miss the extra thumb cluster buttons but the firmware improvements on long-press vs short-press to get different keys have made them needless. I much prefer having the big modifiers. Build quality is also much higher, and the attached wrist rests really help after standalone ones floating all over my desk for years.

I find 6 thumb keys is all I need for all day typing. I use home row mods, so Ctrl, Alt, GUI and Shift are all accessed via holding down a home row key.

Some folks make do with 4 thumb keys.

Re: ErgodoxE EZ – an ergonomic keyboard with open source firmware

#72

Post by Phrenzy »

TakeBlaster16 wrote: post #21
breckenedge wrote: post #6

If you’re interested in ergo, I recommend visiting the ergo keyboard comparison tool [1] to get a sense of how deep this rabbit hole goes. And you can now use YAML to prototype custom layouts via Ergogen [2]. [1] https://jhelvy.shinyapps.io/splitkbcompare/ [2] https://ergogen.cache.works/

I wish there was a showroom or something I could visit to try them all out and see what fits my hands. I don't mind dropping $300 on a keyboard once, but I don't want to buy 10 different keyboards just to try them and then have to sell the ones I don't want.

I have an Ergodox EZ. IMO this product type is a tough sell. I agree, a showroom would be helpful. I stumbled upon a Meetup group of mechanical keyboard aficionados, but it was after I bought my Ergodox. I was a bit of a hero when I did mention what I had.

I had mine for 6 to 9 months and it just didn't feel like it was for me. I didn't have all the keys a normal keyboard had, I couldn't remember how I mapped the keys, etc. So I went back to my ergonomic Microsoft keyboard. It only took a couple of days to realize how much better the Ergodox is. I remapped all my keys and started using it with a new found passion. There are still some tradeoffs, but every once in a while I 'feel' a keypress and I think about how cool my keyboard is.

It is worth the journey. If nothing else to realize that it isn't for you. If you spend a reasonable amount of time in front of a computer, it behooves yourself to make the tools as fine as possible.

Re: ErgodoxE EZ – an ergonomic keyboard with open source firmware

#73

Post by Cu3PO42 »

bioemerl wrote: post #3
gregwebs wrote: post #2

I love split keyboards but had to return this one because after using it for a week my brain was still unable to adapt to the different key placements.

A week isn't quite long enough. I think it was about a month before I got proficient, and you have to unlearn some bad typing form, like typing Cs with your index finger. If you (meaning you speak to onlookers more than you here OP) want a more radical split, buy a dactyl manuform. They're tough to get, but worth it.

Anecdotally it only took me a day to get used to the columnar layout. Getting used to other changes such as the position of modifiers,backspace, etc was much harder for me, personally.

Re: ErgodoxE EZ – an ergonomic keyboard with open source firmware

#74

Post by Cu3PO42 »

rjzzleep wrote: post #22

For a moment I read it as open source keyboard. The djinn looks interesting if you are looking for an open source keyboard[1] [1] https://github.com/tzarc/djinn

The Ergodox design itself is also open source. The EZ has some nice extra features such as backlighting and you can get a fully assembled one, but if you wanted to build your own Ergodox you absolutely can.

Re: ErgodoxE EZ – an ergonomic keyboard with open source firmware

#75

Post by sand500 »

gregwebs wrote: post #2

I love split keyboards but had to return this one because after using it for a week my brain was still unable to adapt to the different key placements.

Maybe try the kinesis freestyle edge. More or less keeps the traditional key layout but it is split. I love mine.

Re: ErgodoxE EZ – an ergonomic keyboard with open source firmware

#76

Post by rekna »

Another alternative is the kyria from splitkb.com (they are from the Netherlands)

It also runs on qmk.

Their stuff is really good, and a perfect/easy solder project. Their discord and support staff is super friendly. (Not to mention you get a sticker and stroobwaffle with each order)

I'm rocking two of them, one for work and one for the home office.

My first one took around 4-5 hours to build, and second one was around 2 hours.

Re: ErgodoxE EZ – an ergonomic keyboard with open source firmware

#77

Post by mrich »

Moved to Ergodox EZ with highly customized Colemak layout half a year ago. The first weeks weren't easy but now it is a breeze and I can highly recommend. Much more relaxed typing and the customizing together with Karabiner and Rectangle allows me to have the same hotkeys on macOS as I have on Windows.

Kids are loving it too with the backlit keys and animations :)

Re: ErgodoxE EZ – an ergonomic keyboard with open source firmware

#78

Post by daedalus_j »

rgoulter wrote: post #60
daedalus_j wrote: post #49

I've been using split keyboards and the Dvorak layout for many years. Currently using a UHK[1], which I love. I'm curious about the Ortholinear layout though, and how much benefit that confers by itself if you're already using a split keyboard and/or optimized layout. It seems like most people switch all three factors at once, which makes it hard to isolate which ones are the most beneficial. Anyone have any experien…

I'd learned Dvorak years before trying these keyboards. (Eventually gave up, probably by not making the effort to switch the layout back from US). One minor benefit: the nice thing about external keyboards is the OS layout can be US layout, and you don't have to worry about switching the OS settings. IMO, being familiar with Dvorak means ortho is an easy transition, since your fingers will already follow a column-dis…

Thank you, I appreciate the thoughts! I really enjoy the layers on the UHK, mouse-mode means not taking my hands off the keyboard at all, but I can totally see how being able to have a few extra layers by reaching thumb buttons more easily would be beneficial. Now I'm even more curious to try one. :-)

Re: ErgodoxE EZ – an ergonomic keyboard with open source firmware

#79

Post by daedalus_j »

pozol wrote: post #54
daedalus_j wrote: post #49

I've been using split keyboards and the Dvorak layout for many years. Currently using a UHK[1], which I love. I'm curious about the Ortholinear layout though, and how much benefit that confers by itself if you're already using a split keyboard and/or optimized layout. It seems like most people switch all three factors at once, which makes it hard to isolate which ones are the most beneficial. Anyone have any experien…

So I’ve been into mechanical keyboards for about two and a half years now. Here’s how I would roughly rank layout changes I’ve tried 1. Split or unibody split 2. Moving to a smaller form factor (40% keyboard) so that my fingers don’t move nearly as far from the home row) 3. Ortholinear on a non-split board I’ve tried ortholinear alone, ortho on split, and row staggered on split. I feel like split is the most improvem…

Thank you, that's interesting to know! I've seen non-split ortho boards before and it just looked like it would be weird. Split is the only case I've ever been curious about them, so I'm happy to hear that confirmed!
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