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by lawn 2204 days ago
It seems it's very polarising.

I personally hate it and I find only a single key on the cluster is comfortable for me. I do have to do big stretches or move the whole hand for the other keys.

There are many better alternatives out there.
2 comments
jacobolus 2203 days ago
Here’s my best effort at fixing the Ergodox thumb section under the constraint of still using a flat sheet of laser-cut acrylic and standard sized keycaps.

https://i.imgur.com/puH1Ge4.jpg ; direct comparison https://i.imgur.com/OqSwVJo.png

It’s much more accessible, especially for people with small to normal sized hands; all 6 thumb keys on each side are comfortable and convenient (but the back corner thumb key does require the extra tall keycap, so it can be pressed without running into the key in front of it).

See https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=62848 for extended analysis.

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phaus 2204 days ago
>There are many better alternatives out there.

Its just like buying an office chair or a pair of shoes. Its not that there are better alternatives, is more like everyone should find a keyboard that's comfortable and optimal for them as an individual. The Ergodox-EZ is a great keyboard, just not a great one for you.

BTW do you have really small hands? Based on the size of it and my experience I would assume that most people could comfortable hit the two larger keys on the thumb cluster, they are right next to each other.

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lawn 2203 days ago
You're right that it's subjective. I do think the Ergodox is much better than standard keyboards, I just find the large number of (for me) unused keys detrimental.

Yeah I have slightly smaller hands. I also have problems with my right thumb that makes me extra sensitive.

Btw if someone wants to compare the key positions of popular keyboards see this site: https://jhelvy.shinyapps.io/splitkbcompare/

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