Looking for some purchasing advice.
At the moment I use a Typematrix non-mechanical keyboard which is starting to wear out and become unresponsive. I was really happy with it apart from wishing it was mechanical. A mechanical clone of that, maybe a bit wider, is really my dream.
So what are my options? The mechanical ortholinear keyboards I’ve seen tend to be of the compact and minimalistic variety, but size isn’t my priority I’m looking for something full-featured, preferably with some media keys and shortcut buttons. A number pad or some way to input numbers with a calculator-style layout is essential as my job involves numerical data entry.
Other “nice to have” things I’m more willing to compromise on:
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I type in Dvorak so blank keys or Dvorak labels would be preferable
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Hard-wired Dvorak switch is nice to have, the Typematrix has it, handy if I want to switch layouts in software to access special characters without worrying about finding a Dvorak-based layout.
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Ideally no assembly required
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I’m in the UK, I’ll import if necessary but local availability is better. On that note the 105-key layout is preferred (but not that the Typematrix has that either)
Open to alternative suggestions that ignore any of the above.
ZSA used to make the Planck, but it looks like it's been discontinued. That, and it's smaller than what you're looking for. But you could maybe look for a second hand one if you're interested?
That would definitely be much smaller than I'm looking for, but thanks, ZSA's other keyboards are now under consideration.
I have a Moonlander and absolutely love it! I also need a numpad, so I've got a layer mapped so that when I hold the bottom key on the left thumb cluster, the right side turns into a full numpad. It takes a bit of getting used to, but I can touch type the entire numpad at this point.
Is there a lock button where I can lock it in to "numpad mode"? It does look good, if maybe a bit pricey, and I could of course just get a separate numpad if it doesn't work out for me…
Yes, you can lock it with a key press. It's up to you how you want to go to the numpad layer and how you want to get back.
I have a Moonlander and based my layers on this tour. You can see the layers at the top. This kind of thing isn't limited to ZSA keyboards. Almost any QMK keyboard can do this kind of layers.
Moonlander FTW! I've been using ergo keyboards forever. Typematrix, Ergodox, TECK, you name it. The Moonlander is my goldilocks endgame board. Not too small, everything where it should be.
My first thought was OLKBs Planck or Preonic. There is also a copy cat on AliExpress. I have a Planck and I get super lost in the sauce without having a super different F and J key. The height also kills me without a big wrist rest. I’ve since moved over to a diy board using Choc or the even lower X switches My Board.
This is DIY but the site does have an assembly service for their other boards, it might be worth contacting them about it.
I'm thinking ur options might be a smaller one with a numpad layer or an external numpad. Otherwise I think you're going to struggle with finding this one m8ty.
The position of the number pad doesn't matter, as long as it has one. The number pad layer is what the Typematrix has, that's fine.
most ortholinear keyboards I've seen have a numpad layer and are customisable by via or something, so if you're happy using a layer that definitely opens your options up.
Very much diy but this kind of layout from Weteor ticks a lot of your boxes.
https://github.com/weteor/ChonkyKong
Let me know if you need guidance on getting from the GitHub to an actual physical board. Soldering will be required (which I always encourage because I find it fun) but I recognize not everyone has the time.
Don't your wrists still bend at weird angles with ortho compared to a split colstaggered board? Why not a Lily58 or a Sofle board? With QMK and Via you can set up a number layer to be just like a numpad (I do this with my Corne board), as well as having a utility layer for media keys.
I'm mainly thinking of typing efficiency over wrist comfort but I'm not opposed to a split keyboard. Those are all viable options.
Then I'd recommend getting a Lily58 with MX hotswap sockets and putting whatever mechanical switches/keycaps you want on it.
I know this violates a lot of the requirements, but it's what I use and getting stuff in Ireland was a pain in the ass, so if none of the other solutions work as a last resort you can check https://mechboards.co.uk/products/helidox-corne-kit it's a very small keyboard and requires full assembly, however it is ortholinear and fully configurable, once you get used to the concept of layers it offers a lot of possibilities, e.g. with the press of a button I have a numpad, but it takes a while to get used to and to edit the layout to fit what you prefer.
