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ZSA Voyager: Low profile split keyboard

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Re: ZSA Voyager: Low profile split keyboard

#71

Post by rince »

egypturnash wrote: post #65

This is lovely and kind of tempting but, like every keyboard-nerd keyboard, it's made by and for someone who wants the smallest possible number of keys in front of them and a bunch of toggleable modes. I want more keys. I want my dedicated f-keys back so that when I launch an action in Illustrator I don't have to hold down the fn key, along with whatever other modifier key I may be using to distinguish between a coup…

The [Kinesis Freestyle Edge](https://gaming.kinesis-ergo.com/edge/) is what you want. It's a full keyboard, with extra keys you can map, and you can choose what switch you want. It's marketed for gamers, but it's good for everyone.

My one complaint is I find the space bar too large. I started used the Freestyle after decades of MS Natural keyboards. It took a while to get used to the size of the space bar.

Re: ZSA Voyager: Low profile split keyboard

#73

Post by mastercheif »

rince wrote: post #71
egypturnash wrote: post #65

This is lovely and kind of tempting but, like every keyboard-nerd keyboard, it's made by and for someone who wants the smallest possible number of keys in front of them and a bunch of toggleable modes. I want more keys. I want my dedicated f-keys back so that when I launch an action in Illustrator I don't have to hold down the fn key, along with whatever other modifier key I may be using to distinguish between a coup…

The [Kinesis Freestyle Edge]( https://gaming.kinesis-ergo.com/edge/ ) is what you want. It's a full keyboard, with extra keys you can map, and you can choose what switch you want. It's marketed for gamers, but it's good for everyone. My one complaint is I find the space bar too large. I started used the Freestyle after decades of MS Natural keyboards. It took a while to get used to the size of the space bar.

I remapped the left spacebar to cmd for my Mac. Makes keybaord shortcuts much easier on the hands.

Re: ZSA Voyager: Low profile split keyboard

#74

Post by lbussell »

rgoulter wrote: post #67
hwbehrens wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been using these types of keyboards for a couple years now, and I find that although the enthusiast community has sort of gravitated towards For example, let's say you need to do Shift-Option-F12. First, you need to hold a modifier to bring your F key layer, possibly a separate or chorded modifier to get you to the F-keys above 10 since you only have have 10 numeric digits. Then, that needs to be compatible with…

It's understandable if some people would prefer a larger layout. I wouldn't argue people should be using smaller keyboards. It's "I don't mind moving my hand to hit the key" vs "I don't mind holding down some Fn key to hit the key". (Or with F1-F12 on Macbooks, you need to both hold down a Fn key and move your hand). For an example of "36 keys ... how", I think the popular miryoku layout is fascinating. https://githu…

I picked up the Miryoku layout a year or two ago and the home row mods (Ctrl, alt, shift...) make all the difference. Adding a thumb key into the shortcut to hit a key on a layer doesn't take much extra mental energy and it becomes muscle memory for certain shortcuts. It's a little like playing different chords on the piano. I added some customization for Vim arrow keys and now I don't think I'll ever go back.

Re: ZSA Voyager: Low profile split keyboard

#75

Post by lq0000 »

The layout is eerily similar to one I designed last year [1]. I may be biased, but I'm not sure if it is worth the $365 price point. That being said, it is a bit more refined and has some nice accessories bundled.

I may pick one up for comparison. But, just noting that there is a comparable open source design available. ;)

[1] https://github.com/eggsworks/egg58

Re: ZSA Voyager: Low profile split keyboard

#77

Post by frutiger »

cjohnson318 wrote: post #41
frutiger wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your wife micromanages your budget?

Going over expenses together with your partner is important. If you don't have a partner, then you can spend money on whatever you want; you're only going to impact yourself.

Unless GP is close to destitute, bickering over spending $400 on their primary tool that presumably keeps them gainfully employed is the literal definition of micromanagement.

I do have a partner and she has autonomy over the money we earn together as do I, because we trust each other to make reasonable decisions.

Re: ZSA Voyager: Low profile split keyboard

#78

Post by gassiss »

tevon wrote: post #56

Surprised Dygma hasn't been mentioned yet. https://dygma.com/pages/defy Equally as expensive, but really good, team is very responsive and involved with the community, and their customization software is getting better and better. Also wireless option.

I have a raise, the build quality is definitely top notch. But their software/firmware is very underwhelming if you want to do anything besides basic key remapping and basic layers.

I just ended up giving up on trying to use their stuff, and opted for software based remapping instead

Re: ZSA Voyager: Low profile split keyboard

#79

Post by gwbas1c »

Oh gosh this needs a wireless option!

(And yes, I see https://www.zsa.io/wireless/)

One of my co-workers was mentioning earlier that he wanted "keyboard pants." This caught my eye because he probably would like hanging it from his belt.

But... There's a wire!

It might be less effort on the vendor's part to source out a simple "wireless USB adaptor" that they can sell as an add-on instead of writing a long-winded "you're wrong" page for people who want wireless.

Re: ZSA Voyager: Low profile split keyboard

#80

Post by neodymiumphish »

egypturnash wrote: post #65

This is lovely and kind of tempting but, like every keyboard-nerd keyboard, it's made by and for someone who wants the smallest possible number of keys in front of them and a bunch of toggleable modes. I want more keys. I want my dedicated f-keys back so that when I launch an action in Illustrator I don't have to hold down the fn key, along with whatever other modifier key I may be using to distinguish between a coup…

Sounds like you want something like the Dygma Defy. It has (I think) 8 thumb keys in addition to the standard keyboard array. It's ortholinear, which I find way more sensible.
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