Recently, I took a closer look at my typing habits and realized that a standard keyboard no longer fits my needs or expectations. I was also experiencing some wrist pain, which prompted me to explore alternatives. That’s when I discovered the fascinating world of split keyboards. My goal was to improve comfort during long typing sessions, benefit from a more ergonomic sitting position, and enhance my posture. I’m happy to report that I’ve achieved these goals! Here’s the story of how I made the switch.
First, I searched the internet for solutions to my problems: reducing hand movement, being able to control the mouse without moving my hand to a separate device, and using a split keyboard for a more relaxed posture.
This is how final version is looking:
And some short gallery with the history of the making:
I ordered my kit from Bastard Keyboards.
Here rough timeline of my journey:
- Ordered kit in February
- Bought additional equipment in April
- Started assembling in April
- Finished assembling in end of May
- Began adapting in June
- Fully switched to new keyboard by late August
The learning curve for a split keyboard is quite steep—it takes time to adjust, even if your keyboard has enough keys for the full English alphabet and special characters. In my case, adapting was even more challenging because the Belarusian alphabet includes additional symbols, which added to the learning time.
One resource that really helped me during this transition was keybr.com. This online tool is excellent for practicing touch typing and building muscle memory, especially when adapting to a new keyboard layout. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to improve their typing skills or get comfortable with a new keyboard. I used it daily - it have possibility to setup a lessons to execute each day and this allowed me to learn my new keyb faster.
The benefits I’ve noticed so far are significant—my wrist pain has completely disappeared, and my posture has improved greatly (my wife even pointed this out to me recently). Using a split keyboard has made long typing sessions much more comfortable.
However, I’ve found that the built-in trackball has some drawbacks. It can be a bit inconvenient at times, so for my next split keyboard, I might choose a model without a built-in trackball. Instead, I’m considering sticking with smaller keyboards and using my Logitech MX Ergo for pointing, or perhaps trying out one of the highly regarded Kensington trackballs.