This is my review after a few weeks of typing on the
Matias Ergo Pro, Low Force Edition.
This is a very comfortable keyboard. The split and tenting is terrific, especially with the lower-outer support leg retracted. The palm rests are terrific, and the placement of the Function keys is superb. I'm not sold on the arrow key placement but I might get used to it, however as a VIM user that is not very important for me. Additionally, I have ESC and Caps Lock swapped in KDE, so the huge VIMesque ESC key is not as critical for me as it would be for other VIM users.
The no-tactile-feedback keys feel similar to Cherry Reds, however they are a bit mushy. Despite being called low-force keys, I feel that they take slightly more pressure to push than do Reds. In fact, the left side keys feel heavier than do the right side keys. It is difficult to not bottom out, there seems to be about half the key travel after actuation than has the Cherry Red. This is known and I expected it as I've read about these switches. I suppose that I got used to traveling quite far after actuation on Cherry switches. In truth I feel like I'm typing on a high-quality silicon dome switch, not a mechanical switch. Perhaps I'm just used to the Cherry feel. I may have made a mistake opting for the low-force edition.
The keyboard has quite a few flaws. Firstly, the left-side cushion has an obvious depression, as if something had been pressed against it for a long period of time. I don't recall there being anything on it when I opened the package, but it is not inconceivable that the USB cable or some other item had been there and I did not notice. The depression is noticeable but it does not affect the keyboard use in any way, so I'm not bothered by it. I believe that the right ALT key is damaged, it is extraordinarily wobbly. In fact, all the keys are much more wobbly and less stable feeling than with Cherry keys, and even more so than on standard silicon membrane keyboards. From that aspect this keyboard feels very cheap, which really stand out because the rest of the keyboard feels so solid. With the exception of a slight wobble that may be due to the desk, the device is heavy and sits with authority on the desk without sliding, yet is light enough to move it around when I want to move it around. This makes it very easy to find an optimal typing position with the Matias, which was the major drawback with the
Comfort ErgoMagic. The included USB cables are heavy and solid, they seriously feel like tools and not like toys. I do not like the 90-degree angle on the MicroUSB cable, it seems like it is torquing the connector. As I've had these connectors fail in the past, I may replace this 90-degree cable with a straight cable to prevent the torquing.
Here is a video demonstrating the Alt key wobbliness and the keyboard wobbliness:
In addition to the retractable banana cable seen in all Matias photos, this keyboard came with a short fixed-length ~15 cm banana cable that looks much nicer connecting the halves. I personally would prefer that the keyboard were wireless as it really cleans up the desk. The two-halve keyboard and two wires looks much more sloppy than did the
MS Sculpt Pelvis that it is replacing. In addition to looks, I would often have documentation or specs open in the space between the keyboard and the monitors, now with the cable running through it is not so accessible for papers, notes, pen, etc that I like to keep there. Nitpick, yes, but this keyboard obviously is made for the factious!
Interestingly, I thought that I would like the idea of the annoying Insert key being difficult to get to, as on the Matias keyboard one must press Fn-Del to get Insert. However, it turns out that I use that key more often than I thought, to paste into the terminal, which was already a triple bucky. So now I'm going to either have to perform a quadruple bucky or find another pasting solution for the terminal. Perhaps I'll be able to repurpose the "Paste" key on the left side. EDIT: Can't do, that key sends a literal keycode 37 then keycode 55, i.e. Ctrl-V. The OS never sees anything else.
One last observation that I have about this device is the tall front-row keys: Ctrl, Alt, Space, etc. This makes such a difference that I hope to see it copied to all other keyboards. The
Microsoft 4000 also had this feature, and it was the only real regression when moving from that wonderful buttonplank to their otherwise very enjoyable MS Sculpt. The tall keys make room for moving the Home / End / PgUp / PgDown and Arrow clusters to below the alphanums, thus shortening the right side and bringing the mouse closer. I tend to avoid the rodent whenever possible, but when I need it I need it close, so this is quite helpful. However, when I need the arrow keys I want to be able to find them! Rotating the arm slightly at the elbow is enough to bring the hand over the arrow keys on standard keyboard layouts, but on the Matias one needs to raise the arm and then bend the wrist all the way down to reach the arrows. Same problem with the Home / End / PgDown / PgUp cluster. In a followup I'll see if my perception of that location changes.
In the office, my Comfort ErgoMagic earned the title "The King". As the Matias grows on me, I'm thinking that The Queen just might check The King.
