I am on a hunt for a perfect keyboard, may I use the wisdom of the crowd here and ask for a help?
I am looking for a fully split layout. I touch type pretty quickly and I am using vim editor and try to limit use of a mouse (Linux, tilling window manager, CLI).
Here are my requirements:
travel size and reasonable robustness
reasonable price (Ergodox EZ is expensive)
switches: whatever, quiet
keycaps: simple, no need for labels
I am willing to learn orthogonal
dont need an encoder
would appreciate a case
need numeric row as in my language this row is for diacritics
I dont want to build it on my own so I will try to find an online shop where I can buy it.
From my research, Lily58 seems like a match, but I believe there are others to consider.
Hello and welcome! I’m not a split user myself so I can’t help there, but we’ve got a handful here including at least one that designs his own.
A short list of quiet switches I’d recommend considering:
Linear: TTC Silent Red V3, Kailh Deep Sea, Outemu Silent Peach
Light tactile: Outemu Silent Lemon
Stronger / bigger tactile: TTC Silent Bluish White or Boba U4
The TTCs are a little more loud but have also have a more crisp feeling. Same goes for the Deep Seas. Outemus (including the Boba) are more quiet and have a softer feel. Any of these will be reasonably quiet.
Based on your requirements I do think the Lily58 Pro would be the best bet for you. You could also try a dactyl manuform if you want to try curved layouts.
Unfortunately, you most likely will not find a pre build of either of those keyboards under $200 USD new. Etsy shows them for around 200-300 prebuilt (lily, dactyl) You may be able to find those on Reddit under page r/mechmarket for cheaper as well. I would also recommend checking out r/ergomechkeyboards as they are dedicated to ergonomic boards.
Keeb.io also offers a few keyboards that are split (both ortho and staggered). These are usually sold as kits but they do offer an option to buy them as a pre-built keyboard.
According to the Discord, splitkb.com is going to be making the Elora soon, which is similar to the Kyria but adds the number row (62 keys). There will be a prebuilt option and a group buy soon, possibly later this month. I assume pricing will be similar to that estimated above for a prebuilt Lily (which also seems like a great option), and I don’t know if cases will be available yet, but this is worth a look IMO if you can wait. Kyria is really cool. I don’t see anything on the site about it so probably go there to join the Discord; there’s a channel for the Elora.