If you have been using an ergonomic mechanical keyboard for more than year, let us know which keyboard it is, and whether you plan to keep to keep using it for at least another year or if there’s another keyboard you are considering trying instead.

  • jaredj@infosec.pub
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    3 months ago

    I’ve been using a tshort dactyl manuform 4x6 for 5 years now, having never planned to use it for even 1 year. I only commonly use the two innermost thumb keys; I didn’t think I would like the thumb cluster from watching a video of someone typing on it, and I indeed don’t like the thumb cluster. The switches are Kailh Brown; one of them started to stutter and I replaced it with … a TTC Brown or some such.

    I’ve printed, but not finished, a Splaytyl. I think it’s going to feel nice, but it’s only 4x5, and I’m nervous about not having Tab and Enter on the base layer.

  • markstos@lemmy.worldOP
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    3 months ago

    After starting with an Ergodox, I’ve been using a 42-key Corne keyboard for the last few years.

    I love it. My current board is the Boardsource Unicorne.

    I’m experimenting the cocot46plus as a “unibody Corne with trackball” for cases when an all-in-one keyboard and pointing device might be more useful, but plan to keep using a Corne a daily driver.

    I pair it with MT3 keycaps and Cherry MX2A Browns.

    After some practice, my typing speed increased to about 85 wpm on the board vs 65 wpm on my more traditional Happy Keyboard Lite 2 60% keyboard.

    I use the markstos layout

  • TheAgeOfSuperboredom@lemmy.ca
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    3 months ago

    I’ve been using a Glove80 full time for over a year and I love it! It helped with my wrist pain too. I’ve not used any other ergonomic keyboards other than the Microsoft one, but I’m very happy with this one and see no reason to change.

  • bradmoor@lemmy.nz
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    3 months ago

    I’ve been using my 34 key ferris sweep for a couple of years now and I love it.

    I have a charybdis nano that I need to wire up, it makes me really appreciate the tighter choc spacing on the sweep, that and the low profile keys are doing a lot for comfort IMO

  • ArtikBanana@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    3 months ago

    Been using the Glove80 for over a year now and I love it.
    Everything about it is exactly what I wanted from an ergonomic keyboard and it’s also very customizable.
    It’s been very comfortable for me from the moment I got it up until now. And while I used to like rough PBT keycaps texture, I’ve learned to enjoy the Glove80’s smooth POM keycaps.
    I had only one keyboard before it which I could consider as “ergo” and have used for quite a bit - The Sweep. I liked it, but the limited amount of keys ended up being an annoyance for me. Especially when gaming. Plus the Glove80’s curve and palm rest make it substantially more comfortable for me, despite it being a larger keyboard.

    There are only 2 things left on my checklist for the “perfect ergo keyboard”:

    • Lighter switches - I got the red chocs before the red pro chocs were an option. I’m thinking of soldering the 20g ambient switches though.
    • Pointing input module - There was some work going on about an Orbital v2 touchpad integration with the Glove80. But I haven’t heard anything about it since (I think it’s been over a year).

    So I’ve been eyeing the Svalboard.
    I’m not sure it’ll fit my needs as it isn’t wireless and has less keys. But I love everything else about it.

  • evo@sh.itjust.works
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    3 months ago
    • I was a 60% guy until I borrowed (stole? I still have it) a Kensis Advantage from a coworker.
    • Not long after I built a couple Ergodox (Hotdox). I used all 76 keys for about 5 years.
    • I built a beautiful wireless Ergodox with a metal case and solar charging (SliceMK) that I have basically never used :/
    • For the last year and a half I’ve used a dactyl manuform (Wylder) that I soldered with ameba king per key pcbs. 39 keys (I don’t use a few) + a trackball.

    I don’t see myself changing anytime soon, auto mouse layer is amazing. I have a Draculad PCB and case but no real reason to build it since I wfh.

  • kata1yst@sh.itjust.works
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    3 months ago

    4 years with my Iris V2. My only 2 complaints are that I didn’t like the default layering layout in QMK and that I couldn’t wait for V4.

    Incredible keyboard.

    I also highly recommend the Otemu Silent Sky switches I used in it, though sourcing them is a real pain. Tactile, buttery smooth, good resistance curves, and utterly silent.

  • beeng@discuss.tchncs.de
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    3 months ago

    Self made Scylla for a year (it’s a dactyl type - 6x4 plus clusters, split, tented, welled, ortho) and I’m cruising on it.

    Still adjusting 1 or 2 keys on ZMK but from comfort its amazing.

    Bluetooth, USB-C and battery. Enjoying life!

  • sudo42@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    Been using a Matias Ergo Pro for several years now. Love the chonky CTRL, OPTION, CMD and Spacebar keys.

    Before purchase, I read reviews that some of the keys would tend to stick. Indeed, after a few months, the ‘F’ key decided that it was going to work according to its own plan. So the reviews were right. A good keyboard if they would just fix their d*mn key issues.

    Working on building a new custom keyboard to replace it.

  • cairn@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    I’ve been using my bad wings (v1) for over a year, and I didn’t think I’d ever give it up. It’s a 36-key mono-body split with a cirque track pad in the middle, and I use it with a miryoku layout. I used it as my only board for several months after I first built it, but I was constantly using it for travel and project computers (it’s perfect for tinkering with raspberry pis), so I put another board at my desktop computer and now my bad wings goes wherever I go for my laptop, or hot-desking, or projects, or anything else. I’ve even used the track pad on it as my only mouse for days at a time.

    I recently bought a bad wings 2 as a back up and so that I could convert my first one to wireless with ZMK. All in all, it’s been a fantastic board for me, and I’ll definitely be using it for the foreseeable future.

  • YellowAfterlife@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    The keyboard I’ve used for longest was K860 (which still works fine after 3 years and which I still like, though it is rather wide), and as for future works I’d like something between the current two keyboards being Sofle Choc (rotary encoders next to QWERTY B/N) and Redox (thumb cluster layout) with a couple tweaks to allow for closer-angled placement of the halves.

    However, no such keyboard seems to currently exist, so I’d have to either find the time to design and build one myself, or commission someone to do that for me.

  • kamen@lemmy.world
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    29 days ago

    Boardsource Lulu. Built with Gateron Silent Ink Black and MT3 Susuwatari.

    It has been my most used daily board for the past year and a bit more. First split, first ortho, first custom build for me. Coming from a 75% board with traditional stagger there was some adjustment mainly due to the ortho nature (but otherwise I was already using IJKL as arrows on the 75% board for example). First couple of days I was typing at 9 WPM (down from my then usual 90-ish), I needed a week to get back up to around 70-80 (fortunately I was between jobs then, so it wasn’t critical).

    In terms of layout I think this is the perfect amount of thumb keys that’s manageable for me (on the bottom left I have Super/Win, Alt, MO(1) and Space, and Ctrl is to the left of A). I have another board with more keys there and they’re not all that useful. I think however that I could do with a few more keys in the inner columns - on this board in particular if I want to use rotary encoders, I have to sacrifice the keys in the inner column, and those keys are useful for brackets and also for some primary letters in my native language (Bulgarian - it has 30 letters in the alphabet). I’ve tried home row mods, but I don’t think I can rely on those as the sole way to access a mod. I personally couldn’t do without the number row even though I have a num block on a layer - so 60-ish percent is fine for me for most things.

    I’m pretty happy with the build quality. One thing I don’t like is the plastic bottom - if you don’t tighten it properly it rattles a bit, and every time I go about tightening it I’m afraid I might crack it.

    I really like the MT3 profile keycaps - they basically hug your fingers in such a way that it’s pretty hard to get lost on the layout, and it also encourages proper ten finger technique. As for the switches - I get why people generally recommend lighter ones for split boards - I find those a tad too heavy. Also in stock form they’re not fully quiet and have some mush to them (I guess it’s inherent to this kind of silent MX switch). I might do a spring swap and lube at some point, or maybe swap the switches entirely (since I have another board that I lug to the office, this one doesn’t really need to be quiet any more).

    Another board that I’m looking forward to is the ai03 Altair - it solves most of my gripes with the Lulu in that the case is fully aluminium and that the layout has a few more keys in the inner columns. As an added bonus the halves connect using USB-C, not TRRS. The only thing I don’t really like is that it has neither a display nor indicator LEDs - so managing multiple layers would be a bit harder unless I find a way to add a LED somewhere. I have the Dark Grey on preorder and I’m probably putting MTNU Graphite keycaps (or perhaps something like MT3 Darkness) on it.

  • apfel@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    I’ve been using Zilpzalp basically exclusively for over a year, at this point I don’t think I’ll ever find a more comfortable board :)

    • markstos@lemmy.worldOP
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      3 months ago

      Now that you’ve been using this for awhile, how is your typing speed? Or is your preference for it more about comfort and enjoyment?

      • apfel@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        It’s definitely about comfort, but i’ve also never been faster on any other board. Gotta admit I’m not a fast typist, with around 80wpm.

    • freya_lou@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      that’s what your board should feel like, right. also same, except for splaytoraid of course. I don’t use anything else anymore.

  • bitwyze@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    I’ve been using a moonlander for a couple years now. I love it, but I’ve been toying with the idea of building my own with a trackball in the thumb cluster

  • Deckweiss@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    Keyboardio Model 01 since late 2017 until Model 100 came out early 2022, then I switched to that asap for the nicer switches.

    Love them both. Very hackable. Very reliable, especially the newer model, the 01 needed some occasional switch de-dusting.

    The only downsides are:

    1. I miss my F keys
    2. There is no way to get custom labeled keycaps except for manufacturing them yourself somehow.