My wife bought for me MoErgo80 for Christmas and now I probably look like retard on Teams typing two sentences for 5mins.
But it looks nice. Feels nice. Configurability is great. I configured most used Rider shortcut for formatting file via they editor and it is even easier then normally.
But the learning curve is terrible. And it is even worse when you constantly changing the layout because you are not happy - and you have to learn it again. So it is a bit like being audiophile versus listening just for fun.
A beginner's guide to split keyboards
241–250 of 260 posts
Re: A beginner's guide to split keyboards
#242Pretty good article. Been using split ergo since original ergoxdox drop. Currently using lily58. If someone wants to go down this rabbit hole (I did because I had pain from writing my first book), I think the Voyager is the best option. One thing I hate about the lily58 is the lack of decent cases. The plates are too flexible. I have a 3D printed case from etsy and the keys continually pop out of it or get finicky ab…
There are a bunch of aluminium Lily58 cases out there, they're not cheap tho. Most of the time keys popping out means your plate is too thick or the switch holes aren't a good fit. You can often improve it (and the sound) with some foam between the plate and the pcb - you can buy laser cut neoprene plate foam for lily58s, or you can always freehand it with a knife and a sheet of 2-3mm foam (it's not that hard and doe…
When I looked a year or two ago, there weren't any that were choc compatible. Recs?
I think I would just buy a voyager at this point...
Re: A beginner's guide to split keyboards
#243I am an owner of a Glove 80 and I cannot overstate how benefitial it was for me. It improved my typing speed and overall comfort. Also, it forced me to type correctly, using all my fingers and place them in the correct keys. To this day I think this is one of the best pieces of hardware that I bought.
Glove80 is super nice, though rather expensive. I got one with low-force switches. It's very comfortable to type on, but between the low-force switches and slightly different layout from a regular keyboard (column-staggered, concave, symbols in different locations) I make more mistakes. So I usually type on my laptop instead, especially while coding.
If you are comfortable using the laptop keyboard what was your motivation to buy the glove80? I use that as my daily driver but if I didn't get tendonitis from normal keyboards then I wouldn't have bought it.
Re: A beginner's guide to split keyboards
#244Earlier quoted context omitted.
I can push 130WPM with some serious warmup on QWERTY. Even still…I can feel its inadequacy. The semicolon sitting unused under my pinky is just such a massive waste. The period there instead would be a game-changer.
You must not program C/Java/... ;)
It still feels bad because you most often have to jump and aim your pinky to hit enter afterwards. I guess those who write minified JS are laughing straight to the bank though.
Re: A beginner's guide to split keyboards
#245Whenever 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.
>If you do that you end up pretty close to what that drawing shows.
It doesn't have to. It will depend on the distance to the keyboard, the height difference between you and the keyboard, where on your desk the keyboard is placed. It also depends on the person writing ofc.
Re: A beginner's guide to split keyboards
#246Are there any keyboard stores where you can try a lot of these out?
If you ever find yourself in Tokyo, there’s a store called Yusha Kobo that has many split keyboards on display to try out. Otherwise there may be a local keyboard meetup in your area for a similar experience.
Re: A beginner's guide to split keyboards
#247The 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. So if you’re someone like that, you really want that ordinary macbook-like number of keys = larger non-symmetrical right half. — As for the ortholinear keyboards, I spent a few months with the latest kinesis but sold it eventually: not that comfortable. Just cl…
the uhk looks fairly close to what I've been looking for, just wish it had ortholinear keys. how's the build quality? I got a split keyboard a while ago from a small producer, and the case was completely built out of 3d printed plastic which caused it to be pretty flimsy and kept sliding around due to the light weight.
I’ve got the uhk60v2. Absolutely love it. Agree with sibling commenter about its high build quality. Really great stuff.
The macro language has really developed nicely too. When I bought the uhk ~5 years ago, I didn’t plan on really using any advanced features. But things change :) I’ve got numerous little QoL things configured now. As well as this fancy flourish (which, admittedly, is a little “extra”): https://www.cgl.sh/blog/posts/wnl.html
It kinda mystifies me that they’re not more popular. Sure, expensive. But so is the ZSA Voyager, and you see tons of those! Although maybe it’s because ZSA was already known for the Ergo Dox.
Anyhow, love my uhk, AMA.
Re: A beginner's guide to split keyboards
#248Earlier quoted context omitted.
I feel like the Ergodox was traditionally a lot of people's first wacky split keyboard -- but for those that stuck around, it was rarely their last. These days, there are so many better options that it's hard to recommend Ergodox despite its historic importance.
Can you recommend one that is clearly better that ergodox in every manner?
Lots of options, but the one I use and would recommend is the Iris: https://keeb.io/products/iris-se-kit
Advantages over the Ergodox:
1. No pointless layer of "inner" keys that you never use 2. The thumb keys are closer to the main keyboard, so more of them are in a natural reach, rather than being a big stretch (this is the biggest one in usage) 3. Uses all 1u keys, so greater keycap compatibility (any ortho kit will work) 4. If you're comparing to the Ergodox EZ, construction is better, with a metal case instead of plastic 5. Takes up less desk space
And it's still QMK, still hotswappable, still has the columnar layout. I don't think the Ergodox offers anything over it.
Re: A beginner's guide to split keyboards
#249Something I haven’t solved in the 10ish years I switched to a split: where do you get keycaps with the little bumps on keys? Without it all keys feel the same and I have to look down every time to make sure my fingers are correctly positioned on the home row.
Any key caps for ortholinears I could find at all smooth.
Re: A beginner's guide to split keyboards
#250Whenever 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…
Because ergonomics is largely pseudo science. Everyone’s body is different. I actually developed RSI for the first time using a kinesis advantage because it forced a certain posture that doesn’t work well with my long arms.
For me the best position is to move my non split keyboard fairly deep into the desk and keep my arms relatively straight. In my 40s and no issue with this after decades.