I plan to build a custom ergonomic mechanical keyboard for you. We want it to fit you so well it becomes a joy to type.
| Name | # of keys** | Number row | Column stagger | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ++Moonlander | 72 | Yes | Moderate | Per-key LEDs, has tenting |
| Sofle v1 | 58 | Yes | Moderate | OLED screen, encoders |
| Sofle v2 | 58 | Yes | Aggressive | OLED screen, encoders |
| Kyria | 50 | No | Aggressive | OLED screen, encoders, my current favorite |
| Corne | 42 | No | Moderate | Minimal, very popular, keys are no more than one key away |
| Reviung41 | 41 | No | Moderate | A single piece; works well on the couch |
** A full-size keyboard has 104 keys (100%), a tenkey-less has 87 (85%), a 65% percent has 67.
++ The Moonlander is a commercially available keyboard. It's an excellent first ortholinear board. You can borrow mine to try, but I'll want it back. I'll build any of the other options for you to keep as a gift.
Choose the keyboard layout that best fits your hands:
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Set each printout on your desk in line with your right arm. Your arms should be at a 90% angle and the keyboard should be placed directly under where you're arms naturally fall.
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Place your hand on the layout in a relaxed, curved position.
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Pretend to type on the layout, taking notice of which layout requires the least wrist and palm movement to reach the keys.
The columnar-stagger (vertical) instead of the normal slanted columns (standard) feels unnatural at first. The columnal-stagger is used by most ergonomic keyboards. It becomes amazingly comfortable after some practice—it takes a while to untangle the knots that angled columns have tied your fingers into.
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Number row (4 rows of keys), or no number row (3 rows of keys)?
A number row requires less learning, but requires more reaching for keys. No number row is more comfortable, but relies more on keymap layers.
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How short are your pinkies?
If your pinkies are rather short compared to other fingers, then an aggressive column stagger is for you! It should land your pinky naturally on the homerow (a semicolon) and will require less wrist stretching or moving of the palms to hit the upper row. Otherwise go with a keyboard with a moderate column stagger.
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How much time are you willing invest in retraining your muscle memory?
The fewer the keys the more comfortable a keyboard becomes; fewer keys also take more time to learn due to relocating keys. Everyone learns at different rates, but I became comfortable with the columnal-stagger after a week of practicing 20–60 minutes a day. It took another week to adjust to the new layout and changing layers with my thumbs. After 2 weeks of practice, I started using it for work and haven't looked back.
I spent even more time iterating on my keymap. One of the great things about a programmable keyboard is you can map keys to wherever you want and to perform multiple functions. I initially learned on the Moonlander, which has a number row and didn't need to remap many keys to different layers.
A wide variety of mechanical key switches are available. The primary characteristics that distinguish them from one another are type, and actuation force.
- Linear
Linear switches are the simplest ones. They feel the same from the moment you start pressing the key until bottoming out. There is no tactile feedback or noise when hitting the actuation point (the point where the keypress gets registered – usually somewhere in the middle). So, most of the time, you will probably bottom out on each key press.
- Tactile
Tactile switches provide tactile feedback, when hitting the actuation point. As you press the key down, you will notice a small bump, which lets you know, that your key press got successfully registered.
- Clicky
Clicky switches provide an additional click sound, when hitting the actuation point. The main advantage of tactile and clicky switches is that you don’t have to push the key all the way down. You can release the key immediately after you receive the feedback.
The amount of force to actuate the switch. Ranges between 10cN and d 100cN. Most switches are in the 45–65cN range.
- Place the key tester on a hard surface
- Try pressing each key imagining an entire keyboard with those switches.
Once you've picked a favorite, make note of the color of the housing.
Switches are a personal preference. A warning, however, clicky switches can be loud. If you're on a Teams call with your mic on, everyone will hear the typing. Most writers and programmers prefer tactile switches, as do I. My favorite is a 62cN tactile switch.
I have used all the keyboards above, except the Sofle. I use a wireless Reviung41 when not at a desk, and rotate between the Kyria and Corne when at the desk. I really enjoy using all of them now that I've refactored my muscle memory for a 40% sized keyboard. However, I would have been frustrated to start off with a 40% sized board. I needed to reduce the number of keys gradually to stay somewhat productive. For you, I'd suggest starting with a number row unless you already know how to type ten-key.
I'd recommend a Sofle for you, because it has a number row, fun encoders, and an OLED screen to visually know what layer is active. As far as v1 or v2, whichever fits your hand best.
If you don't want to invest much time in retraining muscle memory, or just want to plug it in and easily tweak with an online tool, then I recommend just borrowing my Moonlander. It's a polished out-of-the-box experience and has fancy LED lighting.