My ergonomic keyboard journey started with the Kinesis Advantage 2, many, many years ago (I think around 2015, but I’m not sure). I didn’t have any wrist pain or other health issues, but being a software engineer, I was aware that I’ll sit in front of a computer and type for many more years to come, so why not try something new that can potentially make it more comfortable. But I didn’t just want to switch to an ergonomic keyboard. I also wanted to learn a new layout. Why, you might ask? I don’t remember. I have a tendency to go all-in on those kind of things. Like, when I switched from Windows to Linux, and I decided to go with Arch Linux and a tiling window manager, but that’s a different story. I knew about Dvorak, I learned about other layouts like Colemak and Workman, but none of them seemed right for me. This was mainly for two reasons: 1. As a software engineer, I often use symbols like brackets, semicolons, etc., and 2. my native language is German, which has umlauts. Eventually I found the Neo-layout, which supported everything I needed, symobols, umlauts, and even more. I'm still using the Neo-layout today, even though there are more modern variants of it like Bone. This might change, since there are way better options, if you want to learn more, read: https://layouts.wiki/guides/start/intro/.
Using the Kinesis Advantage 2 for the first time was harder than expected. Especially since I started using it with the Neo-layout right away. To not impact my speed at work, I started to only use the Kinesis in the evening when learning the new layout. Due to the different physical keyboards, switching back and forth between my regular keyboard with QUERZ and the Kinesis with Neo was surprisingly easy. Once I got the basics, I started to use the Kinesis when working on hobby projects to get more productive when writing actual code, and eventually, I completely switched to Neo and the Kinesis.
I took my Kinesis Advantage 2 with me when I traveled, but the portability isn't great:
After using the Kinesis for years, I wanted something more compact that I could also take with me in my backpack. Technically, one can do that with the Kinesis too, and I did it a few times, but it’s really bulky. In 2020, ZSA released the Moonlander, which I bought in 2021. I love the design and the quality. When I initially used it, I missed the key wells that the Kiesis has, but typing was still comfortable, and the thumb cluster that is also used for tenting worked well for my hands. Having the palm rests integrated into the keyboard is great too.
My setup at home with the ZSA Moonlander:
Besides the key wells, I also missed the 6 key thumb clusters the Kinesis has. Time to think about my layout again. The main issue I had was that I couldn't have all the modifiers on the thumb cluster. I ended up keeping control and the meta key (a.k.a. Windows key) on the thumb cluster, since those are my most used modifiers (CTRL for shortcuts and the meta key when using my window manager i3). This is the layout I used: https://configure.zsa.io/moonlander/layouts/MJal0/GLZ5R/0/34/. It's from 2020, even though according to the confirmation e-mail, I bought the Moonlander in 2021. I might have started to experiment with layouts even before I bought it to test if it works for me.
In 2021, I learned about home row mods, and I was excited. Having the modifiers right at my fingertips sounds awesome. My first layout using home row mods looked like this: https://configure.zsa.io/moonlander/layouts/MJal0/EKRjn/0 (just using CTRL). I flashed the firmware, started writing, and it felt very clunky. I had false positives and false negatives, and couldn't really get used to using home row mods. I tried a couple of options, but nothing seemed to work, so I gave up and flashed my old firmware again.
In 2023 I decided to try home row mods again (not really sure why). I read the excellent "A guide to home row mods" and started to experiment with different tapping terms and other options that Oryx exposes. I ended up with this layout: https://configure.zsa.io/moonlander/layouts/MJal0/qRXQK/0. This time, home row mods worked well enough that I kept using them, and I still use home row mods today in 2025. I switched to Callum style mods in 2026.
After starting a new job in 2023 where I work both in the office and from home, I initially took my Moonlander to the office and back home every day. And even though the Moonlander is more portable than the Kinesis Advantage, I started looking for a new keyboard that I'd use at home. ZSA just released their Voyager which seemed ideal, small, fewer keys, low profile (something I wanted to try for a while). But I like to compare different options when buying things I use every day, so I didn't buy it right away. For months, I researched, compared it to the other well known brands like the Glove80, the Kinesis Advantage 360 and many others. Around that time I found the ErgoMechKeyboards subreddit which opened up a whole new world of possibilities. Meaning that it made my decision even harder.
I already reduced the number of keys that I used on my Moonlander, so something like a 42 key keyboard seemed like the right option. Since I was quite new to this and didn't want to solder it myself (I didn't even have a soldering iron at the time), I decided to go with something popular and pre-build and after a short conversation with their fantastic support I ordered a Corne from KeebMaker.
I made a couple of mistakes (they're all fully on me and have nothing to do with the service KeebMaker provides):
- I chose the wireless option, but still went with OLED and displays per key LEDs. I was fully aware that both the OLED displays and the LEDs would drain the battery real quick, but I thought I can use it both wireless and wired (via two USB cables, not via TRRS). Simply because I wanted to have all the options available. The displays and LEDs can be turned off in ZMK and after tweaking the power setting the battery life was ok (2-3 days of full use for the primary half) but I wanted to get at least 1 full week.
- I didn't take into account that the size of my hands actually matters that much. With both the Kinesis and the Moonlander the thumb clusters "just worked" for me. The most inner thumb key of the Corne was pretty much inaccessible for me. And even the normal thumb keys weren't working well. I was the first time when using a split keyboard that I developed minor pain in my right thumb.
I tried to mitigate the thumb issue by using lighter switches: 35g Kailh Red Pro, the 20g Kailh Choc Light Blue were too light and I had too many accidental triggers. After that I tried different tenting solutions, like using SmallRig Camps to mount the keyboard to my desk. Changing my key map to put less stress on my thumbs partially worked, but I didn't like any of the options and went back to my original layout.
Along the way, I also tried to understand the root cause of the thumb issues I had and found Pascal's excellent summary: PSA: Thumbs can get overuse injuries. He uses a keyboard layout where none of the tap holds to switch layers are on the thumb. For me, switching to the symbol layer with a none-dedicated key never properly worked. In the end, I decided to look for a new keyboard with a better thumb cluster position.
Corne:
From my experience with the Corne, I knew that my next keyboard needed to have a thumb cluster that is further towards the center (more to the right for the left hand and vice versa), since I struggled to use the innermost thumb key (the one that is basically under your palm). I also needed at least 3x6 keys, due to my layout having to support German umlauts and even though by now I was fairly comfortable with home row mods, I was still using a dedicated shift key when typing. In addition to that, it should also have a more aggressive pinky stagger. Fairly early in my quest for my next keyboard, I found the Piantor Pro which one can get pre-build (I was still afraid to solder myself). I dismissed it for a couple of weeks, since it doesn't have a display. Having a display is helpful for me to know what layer I'm on, especially when using non-momentary layers, e.g. for gaming. It's also helpful to know which Bluetooth profile I'm currently connected to, but since this keyboard is wired, that wouldn't be a problem. It's not a must-have, but very handy. The next nice to have is ZMK/wireless. For me, home row mods worked much better on ZMK (using a lot of the settings from urob's zmk-config - Timeless home row mods) than on QMK (even with tweaks like Pascal's Achordion). The low profile of the Corn worked well for me, since I never found comfortable palm rests other than the ones that come with the Moonlander, which are attached to the keyboard and feel well positioned. Long story short, after weeks of research I ended up buying the Piantor Pro, since it was the closest I could get to my ideal setup. The service that beekeeb provided was great. I placed my order on July 20th 2024, the keyboard was shipped on August 4th 2024 and arrived on August 9th in Switzerland. Besides the keyboard, the package also contained two USB-C cables (one to connect the two halves and one to connect the keyboard to your device), some spare key cabs and even a few spare switches and some rubber feet with minimal height (very handy). The build quality is outstanding, and the keyboard looks very clean. Again, great experience ordering from a small ergonomic keyboard shop.
This keyboard worked way better for the size of my hands. Having the thumb keys further towards the center meant that I could keep by thumbs in a more natural position when typing. The pinky stagger also made more of a difference than I expected. But of course there were things I didn't like. The main issue was still the position and shape of the thumb keys. One reason I like typing on my Moonlander is that it has big thumbs keys (1.5u) that I can hit well with the whole side of my thumb. When typing on the Piantor I noticed that I hit the thumb keys at an angle due to them being only 1u (the same size as regular keys).
But what now? I already spent hours and hours to find my perfect keyboard, does it even exist? Remember that I said I tend to go all-in on certain things? After being afraid of soldering myself I thought that if I'm going for yet another keyboard, then I'll build it from scratch and so I did.
Pintor Pro:
