I used a split keyboard for 30 days

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Published 2021-05-08
I used a split ortho keyboard for 30 days... and it was rough. Is using a strange ergonomic keyboard worth it - or is a normal keyboard better? Let's find out. We used the RGBKB Sol 3.

I Bought the Weirdest Keyboard EVER:    • I Bought the Weirdest Keyboard Ever  

0:00 Start of the challenge
1:00 Building the keyboard
2:00 Why am I using this keyboard?
3:11 The first few days
4:21 A breakthrough
4:45 Big challenges
6:25 Switch back to a normal layout
8:00 Should you try a split keyboard?

Normal keyboard: Niz Duo82
Sol 3 pre-built: www.rgbkb.net/products/sol-3-keyboard
Typing websites: play.typeracer.com/ and monkeytype.com/
Other recommended split keyboards:
Mistel Barocco: geni.us/SGIP3 (Amazon)
Kinesis Freestyle 2 geni.us/0W9eX (Amazon)
DIY aluminum split keyboard: geni.us/tih3zZI (Amazon)

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All Comments (21)
  • @LS-td4yf
    “It kinda felt like legos, but for adults” 18+ lego sets:😔
  • @danielho5635
    I've been using a split keyboard (Kinesis Freestyle 2) and Colemak for almost 10 years. Some comments: 1. Monitor. You need to place your monitor higher. Your neck and shoulder pain is not caused by the keyboard but by your hunched-over position. 2. Chair armrests. Having proper positioning of your elbows greatly helps/hurts your typing style. Having armrests that have width and height adjustments is great. 3. Glasses. If you work that many hours on the computer, you might want to consider fixed-focal-length, blue-light reducing, anti-glare, high-index, titanium-framed, lightweight glasses. In short, glasses normally are made for reading (12" away) or driving (30+ feet). However, having custom computer glasses for 3 ft. distance is a great benefit for computer use. 4. R&R. Your needs need relaxation. I sugest a minimum of 10 min. every 2 hrs. However, be aware that this 10 min. relaxation is for your eyes, not your brain. You need to spend that 10 min. focusing on something in the far distance. Just closing your eyes for 10 min. DOES NOT RELAX your eye muscles.
  • @mikemills8301
    I think the biggest mistake people make when moving to an ergonomic layout is too not move the location of the most commonly used key, ie backspace. Put it under your thumb, possibly next to space. Space is under your thumb because you use it a lot, moving to an ergonomic layout you will make mistakes so put backspace next to space and you won't have to worry about losing your home row. Ctl, alt, space, back space, enter are all under my thumbs on my Ergodox layout.
  • @Mushba.
    my main motivation for wanting to try out splits is to put each one on an armrest and pretend i'm lelouch from code geass
  • @DanielDatic
    Perfect. My cat could lay in between the split keyboards instead of on top of the keyboard.
  • @PiersCawley
    Weirdly, when I switched to a split ergo keyboard I also switched to a completely new layout, but that meant that when I went back to a flat QWERTY board, I wasn't mistyping. I think my hands treated them as two completely separate input devices.
  • 5:47 Man, this feature with the split keyboards is not without it's perks - I bought my first last year while studying my first year in Uni, and being able to fit my Chinese textbook in the middle of my keyboard really was a useful feature during classes. I am currently back on a traditional keyboard due to durability issues on the split keyb (A Moonlader), but I will most likely be going back to it once that gets solved.
  • @Nointernet746
    “It kinda felt like Lego,but for adults.” So Lego?
  • Everyone: “You should lower your desk so your arms don’t hurt as much.” Me and my chair: ”You raise me up!”
  • @Swenthorian
    The best thing you can do for ergonomics, is to ditch QWERTY itself. It's brutal, and it takes a whole month; but the result is definitely more comfortable. I originally started learning Dvorak; but I found that the L and S locations were TERRIBLE for interactive use of POSIX-like shells. Colemak was the layout I ended-up going with, and I've been using it ever since -- for over a decade. I type the same speeds on QWERTY and Colemak, with a similarish error rate (Colemak is slightly better), but my fingers move a lot less overall, and it is somewhat noticeably more comfortable after long periods.
  • @CaptainDugog
    I remember when I used to use a razer orb weaver and noticed how my typing changed so vastly from using that off hand half keyboard for years, when it eventually stopped working after like 8 years, it did take me a couple weeks to figure out how to type along with just game normally on a qwerty board. Neat video, honestly might try one of these split boards out.
  • @erika6473
    "a simple sentence" the sentence about cytoplasmic membranes:
  • @chance3485
    “You use you’re keyboard a lot... and it could cause pain because of it” Mobile users: ”bonjour”
  • @Felstory
    I'd love to try a fully split keyboard like this but my biggest issue is the price point. No matter what keyboard I'm buying I simply can't justify a full $350 keyboard. Even other options are just too much. Look forward to trying this tech in the future if it ever becomes more affordable in a mass market.
  • @Volker_A4
    The way your describing this is how I would describe switching from controller to mouse and keyboard. It was really really hard to go back. But, I can play both proficiently now even within a single match. I've found that the more custom layouts I try the easier it is to switch between them. My input memory is just far more malleable now. It's a fun and expensive hobby of mine testing strange peripherals at this point.
  • @enthuast3370
    "It kinda felt like Legos, but for adults." So, kind of like building a PC then?
  • @opa-bu1kr
    bro she regained most of her typing speed in 5 days while its been 4 months since i switched keyboards and decreased by 20-30 wpm i made so many typing mistakes that its all that my brain remembers 😂
  • @boba8424
    'Legos, but for adults.' Adults who build legos: Am I a joke to you?
  • @ThirdEH
    This is a well made/edited video. Very entertaining!