Every "split" mechanical keyboard currently being sold that I know of

split_keyboards.md

• Kinesis Freestyle (Terrible key switches. Mushy and un-lovable)

• Kinesis Freestyle Edge (Traditional layout with too many keys, mech switches, proably too big to be tented easily/properly)

• Matias Ergo Pro (Looks pretty great. Have not tried.)

• ErgoDox Kit (Currently, my everyday keyboard. Can buy pre-assembled on eBay.)

• ErgoDox EZ (Prolly the best option for most people.)

• Diverge 3 (Looks great. Might buy one. Ergo-dox really has too many thumb keys anyway. This might be a better design.)

• Diverge TM 2 (Cool idea. Magnets! Too few keys for me.)

• Keyboardio (Halves can optionally be separated. Looks promising, but too few keys)

• Dygma Raise (Nice thumb keys layout, but no arrow keys and probably too big/unweildy for effective tenting)

• UltraErgo (Does not appear to be mechanical)

• Ultimate Hacking Keyboard (Small layout, mech switches, intersting-looking thumb attachments but missing arrow keys! And Kinda ungly)

• Lets Split (Dunno what this is yet)

• Mistel Barocco (no arrow keys, but looks good if you like 60% keyboards)

• Goldtouch (Technically one-piece, but close enough. I've used these. They're crap.)

• Goldtouch Go (Technically one-piece, but close enough. These are also crap.)

• Comfort Keyboard Split Magic Keyboard (This looks terrible)

• SafeType Keyboard (Also looks terrible)

• Axios (Something gloriously weird that is under development. Maybe.)

• Cheap Split PCB Boards for sale (Totally DIY. Soldering required!)

Another list on https://compare.splitkb.com

a newer one worth adding to the list is the Dygma Defy.
Does anybody have experience with this one and want to share their thoughts?

@joachimweyl No one owns a Dygma Defy yet. According to Dygma's last update (on July 13th), they will start shipping the keyboards in late August.

I'm trying to decide whether to order a Dygma Defy. I'm using a regular keyboard but want to switch to a split keyboard with tenting for health reasons. Everything from ZSA and Dygma looks decent, but the Defy seems like the ideal keyboard for me. Metal body with no moving parts (aside from the tenting), and with the 8 keys under each thumb it won't be a problem if I can't reach all thumb keys on the board. It'll be a challenge switching to an ortholinear layout though.

I've owned a Dygma Raise since Feb 2021, and I have a Defy on order. Before the Raise, I used a Kinesis Freestyle Edge that I purchased in November 2019. I now characterize the Kinesis as an economical family sedan and the Raise as a luxury car.

The Raise was a major upgrade to the Kinesis. It took me one or two days to fully adjust to having the arrow keys and other such functionality on a layer. It was almost a natural transition.

When I purchased my Raise, I wasn't sure I was ready to make the transition to a staggered columnar keyboard. (The Moonlander, and UHK made up the others on my short-short list.) I've been extremely impressed with the Raise. The construction is solid, and the fit and finish are exceptional. The upper shell is metal. I added the tenting kit, and I did transition from the Kailh Silent Browns I ordered with the Raise to Boba U4 switches. (The Kailh Silent Browns were a bit light for me.)

While the tenting kit did add a bit to the thickness of the Raise, it provides a quick and easy setup for a wide range of tenting angles. Sadly, it does not offer tilting.

The Raise can be easily disassembled, which I have done a couple of times. It is fairly straightforward, and Dygma has videos that show you how. They've done the same with the Defy, and they have already published a video that walks you through the disassembly.

I've continued to be curious about staggered column keyboards. When Dygma announced the Defy with the integrated tenting, tilting, and wireless (RF & Bluetooth), I decided to give it a try. I was one of the early Kickstarter supporters (but not early enough to get into the first 100).

I've been touch-typing on QWERTY keyboards since high school over 45 years ago. I'm going to be interested in seeing how quickly I can change from a standard QWERTY keyboard to a keyboard such as a Defy, where some of the keys will need to move simply because of the design.

The Raise's thumb keys have spoiled me, and I'm looking forward to the increased number on the Defy. I believe the additional thumb keys will be beneficial when it comes to using layers and moving some of the keys. We'll see how it goes in a few months. I'm not expecting the transition to be quick, but we will see. Forty-five years plus is a lot of muscle memory to retrain.

Yes, I have evolved into a Dygma fan. Are their keyboards perfect? No. But, for me personally, the Raise come close. The Defy has features that move the bar even closer (more thumb keys, wireless, tilting). (I didn't realize how much I wanted thumb keys until I started using the Raise.)

If you want to find out more, check out Dygma's social media. They have fairly active communities with solid engagement by Dygma employees. Their Discord is active with over 2000 members.

I do want to acknowledge their level of transparency throughout the journey to the Defy. If you are interested in understanding what it can take to mass produce a keyboard to reasonably high-quality standards, I suggest going through the updates they provided starting in the Kickstarter campaign. They are still producing the updates fairly regularly. It has been an interesting and educational journey. Unlike some of the other Kickstarter campaigns I have funded, thanks to the nature of their updates, I have felt comfortable with what Dygma is doing, and I have not worried about my investment.

Alas, Dygma insists on adding non-removable wrist rests to their keyboards. I believe using wrist rests can contribute to carpal tunnel issues. They also make keyboards unnecessarily clunky. Get a keyboard tray and operate your keyboard low down near your lap where it should be and wrist rests become totally obsolete. If the wrist rests were detachable with the Dygma products, I'd be all over them.

Alas, Dygma insists on adding non-removable wrist rests to their keyboards.

In their defense, the Dygma Defy is capable of some extreme tenting, doing that without a wrist rest wouldn't be very ergonomic, I think. Either way, making a detacheable wrist rest with tenting would be very hard to accomplish.

Also, the wrist cushion of the Defy is easily removable. Not the whole wrist rest, but may be something.

I also just discovered the Ergohaven K:02, which should be on this list. https://ergohaven.xyz/k02

In their defense, the Dygma Defy is capable of some extreme tenting, doing that without a wrist rest wouldn't be very ergonomic, I think. Either way, making a detacheable wrist rest with tenting would be very hard to accomplish.

Glove80 does have both tenting and removable wrist rest. Both the main keyboard and the wrist rest have feet with threaded rods you can unscrew to tent (and optional longer rods for higher tenting). That method also lets them do mounting for their camera/quick release plates since the threaded rods go through holes in the plate and then the feet go on under to secure it (and let it be flat on a table for the quick release version).

As an aside, it is worth looking into mounting options in general. If you’re willing to spend a bit, can get some really high quality clamps and then arms which you can fully adjust and lock down with a single mechanism. You can then clamp to a chair for a “captain’s chair” setup or clamp to the edge of a table and have the halves be down below, do any tilt you want, etc.

I got the wider plate on the right side with my Glove80, but that does limit the tilt of the plate itself if you’re using a mouse. I may end up getting a Magic Trackpad and Velcro it to the plate for a more flexible solution.

@itod
Your list includes the Kinesis Freestyle, even though it's not mechanical. However, you omitted the Freestyle Pro, which is mechanical. https://kinesis-ergo.com/keyboards/freestyle-pro-keyboard/

What gives?

Nor are the two Goldtouch boards...

Since I last commented on this I've now switched to a svalboard lightly.

It looks weird but both was pretty easy to switch to, and has these amazing magnetic separation keys that are unlike anything else I've ever tried.

So nice for my finger pain!

https://svalboard.com/

UHK now comes with a 75% layout, including arrow keys and more thumb buttons and a row of F keys with wireless option.

Keychron Q11 split is another option.

Naya Create is another interesting option.

A few links stopped working.