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A beginner's guide to split keyboards

justinmklam.com

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Re: A beginner's guide to split keyboards

#231

Post by bradfa »

vemv wrote: post #112
lbrito wrote: post #38

I was looking into split ergos a while ago but was bummed by the audiophile-ness of the userbase when doing research. I don't have time or interest to learn new layouts or keymaps or whatever. Any suggestions of simple split mechanical keyboards with standard (row staggered) layouts that aren't a small fortune?

Kinesis Freestyle2. 100 bucks, it's been around for a long time.

I have a pair of Freestyle2 keyboards, both are over a decade old. I strongly recommend the V3 tenting kit. You can get a refurb USB Freestyle2 with the V3 kit for $70 direct from Kinesis.

Re: A beginner's guide to split keyboards

#232

Post by layer8 »

coldpie wrote: post #201
layer8 wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I bought a stockpile of Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard for Business (LXM-00001) when they were still available, after Microsoft announced discontinuing their peripherals. I hope they’ll last me for a long time. I don’t know if the curved geometry still counts as a traditional layout for you, though. Incase, who acquired Microsoft’s peripherals IP, has re-released them, but apparently can’t keep up with the orders: http…

Check out the Feker Alice series of keyboards. The Alice 98 has a full set of function keys & numpad. High quality build, too, I've been very happy with it. The one & only thing I don't like about it is it's missing the Home and End keys, but I can live without them. https://fekertech.com/products/feker-alice98-qmk-via

It has some good aspects, but it doesn’t go upwards in the middle (so that you can tilt your hands outwards), can’t be tilted backwards, and has no palm rest. Regarding the key layout, I’m addicted to the 3x2 navigation block unfortunately, as well as to the context menu key, and have no use for a Fn modifier key. I appreciate wide modifier keys; a single-width Ctrl key like on the right side or the Alt key on the left side won’t do. And I’d really prefer having Alt on both sides. Lastly, I don’t want the arrow keys to be lower than normal (if anything, I’d rather have them a little higher up).

Re: A beginner's guide to split keyboards

#233

Post by tomjakubowski »

wodenokoto wrote: post #114
powersnail wrote: post #106

Whenever split keyboards come up, ulnar deviation is mentioned, and non-split keyboard users are depicted to be using the keyboard like this (image from the post): https://www.justinmklam.com/posts/2026/02/beginners-guide-sp... I don't know if it's just me, but I don't use the keyboard like that. I know the illustration is said to be exaggerated, but still. There is no need to squeeze your hands in front of the keybo…

All typing guides I’ve seen recommend keeping fingers on home row. If you do that you end up pretty close to what that drawing shows. Homerow centric posture is imho the main cause of keyboard related pain.

I don't know. Hands on the home row is pretty comfortable for me. My arms are coming at the keyboard on an angle though, so there's no real wrist strain. Certainly if I kept my hands at a 90 degree angle to the front of the keyboard like in the diagram, it would be uncomfortable.

Re: A beginner's guide to split keyboards

#234

Post by marcianx »

smeej wrote: post #220
powersnail wrote: post #106

Whenever split keyboards come up, ulnar deviation is mentioned, and non-split keyboard users are depicted to be using the keyboard like this (image from the post): https://www.justinmklam.com/posts/2026/02/beginners-guide-sp... I don't know if it's just me, but I don't use the keyboard like that. I know the illustration is said to be exaggerated, but still. There is no need to squeeze your hands in front of the keybo…

I think a shockingly high number of people really do type Z with their little finger, X with their ring finger, and C with their middle finger. It's the only way I can explain how they end up that way in columnar layouts so often. This is madness to me. That would wreak havoc on a wrist. Type Z with the ring finger, X with the middle finger, and C and V with the index finger, just like you type M with your right inde…

I do type Z with little finger, etc, because that's how the typing software I used long, long time ago taught it. But I don't accommodate by messing up my wrists, which are still in a natural position. My fingers just adapted to the needed flexibility. My left pinky hitting the Z is trivial and less effort, IMO, than my right index finger hitting Y. And yes, I use a conventional straight keyboard, not an ergonomic one.

Re: A beginner's guide to split keyboards

#235

Post by 0x1ch »

piskov wrote: post #40
0x1ch wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The issue with kinesis and all those nice small symmetrical keyboards is that not every alphabet is as short as English. > Russian, for example, has 33 letters. Ironically, the biggest enthusiast of these splits I know in real life (he owns a kinesis) is a slavic guy, speaks both Ukranian and Russian, but I suppose he's typing in English for most of the day at his job, however I know he uses layering for the cyrill…

Yeah, it’s two or three(?) letters that got cut out, one of them is kinda rare. You can get used to it, but why suffer. Especially if one also uses a laptop. Other thing that I don’t like in all these small custom keyboards is that most rely on a single spacebar on one half. I learned to use either thumb depending on which next key is: press space with left thumb if next key is on the right half and vice-versa. — Als…

You underestimate my friend and true keyboard nerds. We're talking 40% splits and less, two or more additional programmed layers in combination with tap key combos, vim-binds everything he can.

I don't think losing a few letters or context switching is a big concern to him anymore lol. He doesn't even type QWERTY in English, he's a colemak guy haha.

Re: A beginner's guide to split keyboards

#236

Post by meep_morp »

johnhamlin wrote: post #27

What about when you’re on the go? Or can we presume split-keyboard users never leave the house

No, some are very portable. I use a Totem which is a 38 key split. It's very compact and fits into a small case I could easily just carry by hand if I wanted to.

Re: A beginner's guide to split keyboards

#237

Post by meep_morp »

ubermonkey wrote: post #183

I used a Kinesis Advantage for YEARS AND YEARS until I let it go ahead of a x-country move last year. It needed a bunch of repairs at that point, and I had drifted into using a different keyboard, so it seemed rational. Since settling in our new home, though, I've been kinda pining for another one. The disadvantage of the KA though is that it's huge on the desk. The 360 seems like it might be a BIT more space efficie…

I was on the Ergodox Ez for many years which is also quite big. I was unhappy with how much space it took up on my desk. I switched to a Totem keyboard, a 38 key split, and while it took a while to get used to and feelings of doubt, I've eventually become very happy and settled on this keyboard. It pretty much solves all of my needs and I don't have too much interesting in further experimentation. I did want to try the 360 because I like the key wells, but was put off by the size of course. But I did discover keyboards like the Skeletyl which I was tempted to try. Maybe something like that or a dactyl manuform would interest you?

Re: A beginner's guide to split keyboards

#238

Post by cduzz »

leni536 wrote: post #179
cduzz wrote: post #75

I'm not sure why nobody mentions this, but for windows and linux, you can fiddle with a "split keyboard" by using two keyboards. You can put your right hand over the right part of the right keyboard, the left and over the left part of left keyboard, and ... type away. It just works, and usually it is free, almost everyone I know has a pile of keyboards somewhere. Irritatingly, this doesn't work by default on the mac…

Do ctrl,alt and shift work across keyboards?

On windows and linux, yes, without any added anything holding the shift (or windows or control or alt) key on one keyboard will modify the behavior of any key with any other keyboard (I have a vague memory of getting 3 keyboards and hitting ctl-alt-del across the three keyboards, on windows, and it behaving "normally").

You need some added tools to make it work with macos, as someone else pointed out

These days I just use a single keyboard (the IBM M4-1 keyboard) and get up frequently.

Re: A beginner's guide to split keyboards

#239

Post by cestith »

I guess I can’t fault the author for the omission, but I wish it had mentioned my daily driver.

I use the Model 100 from Keyboardio. I have two. https://shop.keyboard.io/products/model-100

When I travel I use either their version of the Atreus https://shop.keyboard.io/products/keyboardio-atreus or their version of the Preonic, which I think was only a crowdfunded model.

Keyboardio is run by a programmer who developed debilitating RSI and his wife. He tried a bunch of keyboards, then designed his own. Lots of people asked where to get one, so they refined it into a product and started the company. That was the Model 01, and I have two of those.

Having the function button located for the base of the thumb is really comfortable and useful. The swappable bases (flat linked, tented, and the separate stands) are nice to have. The link between the two halves of the models 01 and 100 uses an Ethernet cable. The stands use a standard camera tripod threaded connector, so building your own mount for a chair or armature is simple enough.

I had a warranty issue with one of my Model 01 boards. One keyswitch didn’t work reliably. Instead of sending the whole thing back, Jesse sent me four or five spare switches, some stickers, a personal note, and a page explaining I could desolder and solder the switch without voiding the warranty (as long as I didn’t damage anything in the process of course). The Model 100 is socketed.

The hardware design and the firmware are open source.

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