A total of 8 reviews of this product on Reddit.
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One thing that’s frequently overlooked in desk ergonomics is how a keyboard with a number pad forces your right arm position at an angle greater than 90° from your body if you’re right handed. That hyperextension of your arm will mess your wrist, neck and shoulders long term.
Thankfully there’s a slew of numpadless keyboards available these days and you can find the number pads available separately if you feel like you really need it. Split keyboards with low actuation keys help as well. I have the Kinesis Gaming split keyboard.
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No, not that I know of, and I’ve looked around quite a bit… you could have a look around at r/ergomechkeyboards, and find something you like, but it probably won’t be prebuilt… you could always find someone that could build it for you, locally or otherwise.
There are cheaper split keyboards like this, but they miss the ergonomically important column stagger that is found on the Ergodox and split custom keyboards.
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>really only care about alphanumerics, number, and F row
If you want the F row, then you want a 75% keyboard.
Some row staggered split 75% keyboards to look at are:
One concern I have about the Freestyle Edge RGB and ErgoTKL is the nonstandard split space bars and right Ctrl key. This means that you are going to have a very hard time finding replacement keycaps for it. Of course, there is nothing to worry about if you never plan to replace your keycaps, but it is something to keep in mind.
The Kinesis Freestyle Edge RGB and Cloud Nine ErgoTKL have integrated wrist rests. You would need to purchase your own wrist rests for the Keebio Sinc or Mistel MD770. You can find mouse wrist rests that are shorter. For example, from Grifiti or Glorious.
>I heard its much cheaper to build your own with parts you can get online over getting a prebuilt
This is frequently not the case. DIY allows you to control the quality of the parts and build the exact keyboard you want. However, custom keyboards usually cost more than prebuilt.
For example, the Cloud Nine ErgoTKL is currently US$179.99 on Amazon; the Kinesis Freestyle Edge RGB is currently US$199 on Amazon; and the price for a Mistel MD770 ranges from US$139 to US$179. You can build a Sinc for as little as US$183, but that is before shipping:
- US$88 for Sinc rev2 PCBs and FR4 plates
- US$4 for USB C to USB C cable
- US$10 for five Cherry clip-in 2u stabilizers (left Shift, left space, right space, Enter, Backspace)
- US$21 for a pack of 90 Gateron yellow switches (without the macro keys, the Sinc has 88 keys)
- US$60 for NicePBT BoW keycaps
That is cheaper than the Kinesis Freestyle Edge RGB and about the same price as the Cloud Nine ErgoTKL and Mistel MD770. However, if you upgrade the stabs, get fancier keycaps, want the hot new Drop Holy Panda X switches, and add a 3D printed tentable case and ErgoDox EZ tilt/tent kit, the price jumps to US$416 before shipping:
- US$88 for Sinc rev2 PCBs and FR4 plates
- US$4 for USB C to USB C cable
- US$18 for five Durock v2 screw-in 2u stabilizers
- US$87 for three 35 packs of Drop Holy Panda X switches
- US$125 for Drop + MiTo MT3 Cyber keycaps (with bars kit)
- US$50 for a 3D printed case from Tree Dog Studio
- US$45 for ErgoDox EZ tilt/tent kit
You will also want to buy some lube for the switches, springs, and stabs, not to mention a switch opener to make your life easier and maybe a lubing station to keep things organized. Those are extra.
Admittedly, this is still less than the Dygma Raise, which costs almost US$450 for the silver version with Kailh silent brown switches and the tenting kit. However, you are also paying for quality, support, and the convenience of a keyboard that you can plug in and use right away.
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I know that sometimes there are mechanical keyboard fan groups / meetups in certain cities. I looked and couldn’t find one that was still active in San Diego on meetup.com. I did find these two links which might be relevant in helping you find a group or person willing to give you some more hands on experience with mechanical keyboards.
SD mechanical keyboard fan FB group
https://m.facebook.com/groups/1861349443877280/
3 years old reddit post about SD mechanical keyboard meetup with a link to a related discord.
https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/812qs3/interest_check_san_diego_mechanical_keyboard/
I own the Kinesis Gaming freestyle (v1) RGB split mechanical keyboard with MX brown keys, wrist pads, and the tenting addon (to adjust angle of the keyboard).
KINESIS GAMING Freestyle Edge RGB Split Mechanical Keyboard (MX Brown) https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07SW1S3YZ/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_40FNRRPJFMPYNZ22P2TH
It seems they don’t make it anymore.
I’m happy with it, though would probably avoid the RGB upcharge next time (if possible) and maybe choose a slightly less noisy keyboard—working from home doesn’t warrant the cost.
Otherwise, I’d probably want a keyboard that I could change the switches and keys out on myself, which isn’t possible on my current setup.
Best of luck in your search.
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Assuming you are in the USA and are looking for a row-staggered keyboard, here are some options to consider:
- Mistel MD770 (US$139 to US$179)
- Cloud Nine ErgoTKL (US$199)
- Kinesis Freestyle Edge RGB (US$199)
- Matias Ergo Pro (US$220)
- Keebio Sinc (price varies, but probably at least US$350)
The Mistel MD770 is a 75% keyboard. Prices range from US$139 to US$179. The US$179 model is Bluetooth.
Mistel MD770 pros:
- It is tentable using the included tall rubber feet.
- It has very nice double shot PBT keycaps.
- All configuration changes are made from the keyboard.
Mistel MD770 cons:
- It does not have integrated wrist rests.
- It is not hot swappable.
- It is only available with Cherry MX key switches.
- You will probably not be able to find replacement keycaps for the split space bar. (The space bars are 3u and 3.25u. You can find replacement 3u space bars in group buys, but I have never seen a 3.25u.) However, as noted above, it comes with quality keycaps.
Cloud Nine Ergonomics recently released their ErgoTKL keyboard, which has a 4-key macro pad on the left. I do not know much about it. Price is US$199.
Cloud Nine ErgoTKL pros:
- It is tented.
- It has integrated wrist rests.
- It supports negative tilt.
Cloud Nine ErgoTKL cons:
- It is not hot swappable.
- It is only available with Cherry MX key switches.
- You configure it with their proprietary software, which is Windows only.
- The keycaps appear to be laser etched ABS, which are generally lower quality and shine quickly.
- The nonstandard sizes for the split space bar and right Ctrl key mean that finding replacement keycaps is nearly impossible.
The Kinesis Freestyle Edge RGB is a 75% keyboard with a 10-key macro pad on the left. It has per-key RGB. Price is US$220 but is available for US$199 on Amazon.
Kinesis Freestyle Edge RGB pros:
- It has integrated wrist rests.
- A tenting kit is available separately.
Kinesis Freestyle Edge RGB cons:
- It is not hot swappable.
- It is only available with Cherry MX key switches.
- It has an integrated cable.
- The keycaps appear to be laser etched ABS, which are generally lower quality and shine quickly.
- The nonstandard sizes for the split space bar and right Ctrl key mean that finding replacement keycaps is nearly impossible.
The Matias Ergo Pro is a 75% keyboard. I do not know much about it. Price is US$220.
Matias Ergo Pro pros:
- It has integrated wrist rests.
- A tenting kit is included.
- It supports a tenting angle of 9 degrees and negative tilt of 4.5 degrees.
- It uses their Quiet Click mechanical switches, which are basically dampened Alps tactile switches.
Matias Ergo Pro cons:
- The keycaps appear to be laser etched ABS, which are generally lower quality and shine quickly.
- It has nonstandard keycap sizes, and since it uses Alps keycaps, replacements will be impossible to find.
The Keebio Sinc is a 75% keyboard with an optional 10-key macro pad on the left. (That section of the PCB is designed to be snapped off if you don’t want it.) This is a DIY keyboard, so you would need to build it yourself, including soldering the switches. However, Keebio does offer prebuilt Sinc keyboards. Tree Dog Studio sells a 3D printed Sinc case that includes mounts for the Ergodox EZ Tilt/Tent Kit.
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I’m pretty happy with this one. KINESIS GAMING Freestyle Edge RGB Split Mechanical Keyboard (MX Brown) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SW1S3YZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_439NA2NNWFSS8PQSJZZW?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
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If you’re looking for something more off the shelf. I bought this recently and it’s been a great keyboard thus far.
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I have the kinesis gaming one. It is pricey but there are alternatives in case you don’t know if a split keyboard is for you, like the freestyle. Or if you don’t need to have more profiles for your macros.
I like the macros, since I use it when I game, just put different macros for different games and switch the profiles, move the right half out of the way and game.
