Moonlander mechanical keyboard

Anyone tried the Moonlander from ZSA?

Looks pretty sweet, adjustable thumb clusters, switch selection, etc. It’s a bit spendy though. Will this be the one that saves my wrists?

I have yet to use any ergonomic keyboard but, this is intriguing. I’ll be curious to hear others thoughts on this.

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It was just announced today, so I don’t think anyone’ll have tried it yet.

Looks gorgeous though. I wish these folks made a standard form keyboard! I tried the Planck EZ and the build quality/design was phenomenal, but I couldn’t get used to the ortholinear layout.

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Ah! Didn’t realize that.

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Hey, you never know. Maybe an MPU influencer got an early release model. I think Myke of Relay is an Ergodox guy?

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I feel like this is a design that I won’t completely understand unless I get my hands on it. I like the idea of having my hands shoulder width apart when typing. Plus it has a great name :last_quarter_moon_with_face:

Thanks for sharing!

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No keyboard is ergonomic on its own, good ergonomics depends on the position of the keyboard relative to you, and depending on your height it often means getting the keyboard lower than the typical desk surface. Having your heels on the floor or a hard surface is important for a seated position; for me this means using a keyboard drawer or keyboard tray. I prefer a drawer as keyboard trays can be wobbly. Alternatively I could raise my chair and use a footstool.

Grab the mittens, the casserole is burning!

You need a lot of self confidence to appear at the office with these. I would not manage to be honest.

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Let someone type on your keyboard with it set to Dvorak, and you’ll achieve god-like status.

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An ortholinear layout seems interesting. This particular keyboard seems a little pricey just to try. I did look at the EZ Plank but I wanted a split keyboard (current using an Ultimate Hacking Keyboard).

Did you find it difficult to learn ? How did it feel on your hands - was typing in a linear manner cause any strain while typing ? Does the orothliear layout add anything value ?

I sold it after three weeks. Took a hit of about $80 CAD all told. I suppose curiosity is expensive.

I didn’t find the benefits outweighed the tedium of relearning, especially since iOS is all staggered keyboards anyway. I’m happy for the ortholinear folks to have their passion but I think it is ultimately an idiosyncrasy.

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What a great name for a keyboard! I’ve tried a split keyboard but lately I just really like this Logitech Craft keyboard.

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I’m looking at it and wondering about the alignment of the keys. Has anybody ever used a keyboard like this? It feels like the “straight up and down” thing would cause issues with touch typists’ muscle memory - or is that what the vertical staggering is intended to deal with?

I’ve owned an Ergodox EZ, the precursor to this keyboard, for the last three years. It’s a fantastic keyboard if you deal with RSI-like issues while typing. The design lets you position it wider, closer together, tented, or otherwise to put your hands in a different position to relieve strain.

On the ortholinear layout, it takes a little while to get used to at first, but after that you don’t even think about it. I have no issues switching between this and other “normal” keyboards. It took three weeks to feel comfortable using it.

It makes more sense in regard to where you reach with your fingers. I find myself going shorter distances for the keys, which means I don’t strain as much.

That all being said, this will not solve RSI issues for you. It will give you options to ease strain, which helps different muscle groups recover. Posture and taking breaks will help more than this keyboard will. But if you’re looking for a nice typing experience that can aid in strain relief, the Ergodox is nice. I’d imagine the Moonlander will be as well.

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I have a Kinesis Advantage2 QD, which is also ortholinear. It didn’t work so well for me, but was probably more due to my size (hands and shoulder width). That is, I wanted my hands farther apart, and I kept stumbling on keys that I had to ‘reach under’ to press. I wasn’t making progress in learning it after a fair amount of time, so now it’s another keyboard paperweight in a box.

I also have two Keyboardio Model 01s that are ortholinear, and that worked well for me for a time. I think I tired of not having dedicated arrow keys, and bought my iMac Pro and just decided to use the included keyboard.

I’m using a Matias Ergo Pro now, which is working well, but also thinking about giving the Keyboardio another shot, and dedicating my own keys for arrows, maybe PgUp/PgDn, etc. too.

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@MacSparky How is the battery life with the Craft keyboard? I’m trying to decide between the Craft and the MX Keys, and some of the Amazon reviews for the Craft mention 3-4 days without backlight. Wondering if that’s been your experience, too.

About once a week. I keep my iPad in under the iMac so I have a usb-c cable generally available. The Apple Keyboard seemed like it ran forever in comparison.

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Come to papa…

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Still waiting for mine to ship. :slightly_frowning_face:

Ah! Didn’t know you ordered one.
I ordered mine August 13th, one day after the cutoff for the previous cycle.
When did you order? ETA?

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