Warning: Long post ahead
I'm not 100% satisfied with my Kinesis Advantage. I'll write up a more detailed post about that some time, but for now let me just say that the biggest downside to it is its insufficient tenting angle.
So I've started to look for a replacement. I've compiled a list of requirements here.
1. fully split
2. generous tent & tilt adjustment, preferably out of the box (i.e. without having to resort to DIY solutions)
3. preferably staggered columns, but would settle for symmetrically staggered rows or full matrix. Traditionally staggered rows are a no-go (never again).
4. must be available pre-built, no kits.
5. fully programmable, good layer support would be a nice bonus
6. "mechanical" keyswitches (you know what I'm talking about)
7. must have more dedicated thumb keys than traditional keyboards. Ideally, it should have at least four keys per thumb which should all be within reach without having to leave the home positions.
8. shouldn't be too expensive (yeah, right
)
I'm not aware of any keyboards currently on the market that fulfill all of these requirements, although some come close. Let me list and comment some of them. Obviously, I haven't tried any of them, so all of this comes from looking at reviews and pictures online.
- Ergodox: The obvious choice. It ticks almost all of the boxes listed above. However, the thumb keys are much too far away from the home position of the thumb. I think even the ones that are meant to be used for space (and backspace?) are already too far away. Also, while it has staggered columns, I think the stagger of the pinky columns isn't quite enough to be useful; in this case, I'd actually prefer them to have no stagger at all, so I could just put my pinkies one row below the home row. Regarding the tenting/tilting, I have seen some models with a tent/tilt kit, but this doesn't seem to be available from all vendors; as I'm in Europe, I'd likely want to buy from Falbatech, who don't seem to offer such a kit. Also, I'm not sure if the max tenting angle offered by that kit is sufficient.
- Keyboard.io Model 01: This has one obvious downside: it isn't available yet. But from what I've seen so far, it could be a serious contender. I really like the positions of the thumb keys and the amount of columnar stagger. And the wood makes it good. However, the tent/tilt contraptions seem to be under development still, so it's hard to tell if they're any good. Also, I think it might get really expensive after everything is said and done. I hope they will offer a cheaper version without the backlighting stuff; I really don't need or want that. I'm a bit on the fence regarding the custom keycaps; if done well, they might feel better than standard caps, but it might also be an expensive PITA to get replacements for them.
- Diverge 3: The price is right on this one, which is a huge plus. The positions of the thumb keys seem to be better than on the Ergodox, but not as good as on the Model 01. As far as I can tell, there is no real tenting solution offered by the manufacturer, so I'd have to build that myself. Another thing I don't like about it is that there is no stagger at all between the index and middle finger columns, which doesn't make sense to me; my middle finger is much longer than my index finger.
- Diverge TM: Even less expensive than the Diverge 3. Matrix layout; not sure I'd like that, but I'd be ready to give it a try. It doesn't have a lot of keys; I'm generally OK with that, but I would prefer some more thumb keys (it would be a start to have individual 1u keys instead of the two 2u keys at the space bar position). Regarding tent/tilt adjustment, it's the same situation as with the Diverge 3; I'd have to cobble something together myself.
- uTron: Symmetrically staggered, which isn't ideal, but maybe OK for me. Decent, but not perfect thumb key arrangement. It supports tenting out of the box, which is great; but I don't think there is any tilt adjustment? Topre keyswitches; I never tried them and don't know if they age well, but they seem to be well regarded, so I'd be willing to take a risk on them. I don't know if it's programmable, but I think it is. I don't know any exact numbers, but I get the impression that it's hugely expensive...
- Esrille Nisse: not split, and not adjustable at all. But it does seem to have a decent tent angle and I think it would be suitable for the less-than-ideal desk height in the office I'm working at. Probably the only non-split keyboard I'm considering at the moment. From looking at the pictures, I think this has the best thumb cluster of all keyboards I know of. I also like the rest of the layout. Obscenely expensive.
OK, that's my thoughts so far. My questions to you are:
- are there any other keyboards I haven't listed which fulfill all or most of my requirements?
- is there anything about my assessments of the keyboards above that you disagree with, or anything I've missed?
- which one would you get?
- any other thoughts? Should I get a life, maybe? Well, if you got this far, maybe you should ask yourself that same question
Thanks!