Review of Keyboardio Model 01

This is a review of the Keyboardio, written after a couple hours of usage, from the point of view of a long-time Kinesis advantage user.

First impressions

The first impression of the Model 01 is that of excellent build quality, which is enhanced by no-less-excellent boxing. The only dissonant note is that the keyboard finish leaves a bit of sticky residue on the hands; but surely this will improve with time. The keyboard has a flashy “designer” look — likely to attract attention at the office.

Right after connecting the keyboard I went into the layout configuration process, so that it would roughly correspond to the layout that I have on the Kinesis. I was expecting that configuring the keyboard would be difficult (one has to flash the firmware), but it was in fact nice and easy, even though the procedure might rebut non-programmers.

In the first minutes of use, the only major issue that I have with the keyboard concerns the switches. Keyboardio have decided to use Matias switches instead of Cherry switches. Unfortunately, as I see it the Matias quiet switches have a poor feel compared to the Cherry MX browns that I’m used to. More specifically, they give a “grinding” feel, as if some fine dust had come into the switch mechanism.

Comparison with the Kinesis Advantage

Let’s look at the pro and cons of either option:

The Keyboardio Model 01 wins in the following areas, in order of importance:

• Split keyboard. It is great to be able to place one’s hands anywhere one likes on the desk.
• Configurability/hackability. (Flashable firmware, mountable keyboard, center bars, support plates, open source design, …)
• Portability (the Kinesis is humongous and cannot reasonably be taken in any laptop bag.)
• Build quality and attention to detail.
• Beautiful design and wooden finish

Kinesis wins in the following areas:

• Better switches
• Ergonomics. For my taste, the keywells works better for me than adjusted key shapes. This is partly due to proper wrists rests. The “wrist rests” on the keyboardio can be used only when not typing. Admittedly, I have installed additional rests on the Kinesis. But such proper wrist rests seem to be easier to install on the Kinesis. I need to revise this point after trying some more though.
• The dedicated row of functions keys is occasionally useful

Areas where I declare tie:

• Layout. The kinesis has an additional bottom row while the Model 01 has an additional middle column. I am undecided here. I had a difficult time adjusting to the kinesis extra row, and I probably will have a difficult time adjusting to the additional model 01 columns.

• LEDs. These are not trivial to configure as a properly useful feature. Their only use (for me) is as a status reporting tool, but I did not see how to do that easily with the provided firmware library. Instead keyboardio provides a bunch of flashy, but essentially useless lighting effects. Thus I declare the LEDs useless until proven otherwise.

• Thumb clusters. The thumb clusters of the Keyboardio are superior, with all keys easy to reach. (The kinesis has 6 keys per thumb, but one can reasonably use only 3 comfortably.) However, because I prefer to rest my wrists, the ‘fn’ key on the keyboardio turns out to be a nuisance. Indeed, with my typing style the ‘fn’ key would best serve as a space bar, but then the other keys become impossible to reach without re-positioning the whole hand.

• Price. Both lie in the same price range.

Verdict

I applaud Keyboardio for putting together such an impressive product. However despite the Model 01 ticking most of the boxes I feel that the Kinesis wins in ergonomics, and that is what counts for me. Still, I will attempt to build proper wrist rests for the Model 01, and perhaps replace the switches — if successful this may make it the superior choice. In the meantime the main functional advantage of the Model 01 is its portability, so I might be bringing it on travels. It is a shame that it does not come with bluetooth connectivity though.

Recommendations for Keyboardio Model 02

In case Keyboardio would work on a Model 02, I am offering some tips to them. As I see it, a Model 02 could either be a bigger keyboard with improved ergonomics, or a smaller keyboard with good ergonomics but focused on portability.

If going for improved ergonomics, keyboardio should use a keywell instead of custom keycaps. In the build process it seemed like custom keycaps were a major source of difficulties. Furthermore, replacing keycaps becomes difficult (involving 3D printing), or purely dependent on Keyboardio. A shame for an “heirloom grade” keyboard.

If going for portability, keyboardio should work a bit on the footprint. Another idea would be to get rid of the leds.Save power, save weight, cut costs, simplify the config.

In either case, I would recommend to:

• Continue using a split design. This is the main selling point of the 01 — stick to that choice.

• Use aluminum instead of wood for the top cover. Sourcing wood was another major source of difficulty in the build. Brushed aluminum is another fair choice, and it would also make the keyboard more portable, as one would be less fearful of breaking the enclosure.

• Install Cherry switches. (It’s unclear that I’ll ever get used to the Matias switches, but at the moment I hate them.)

• Add bluetooth capability. It would also allow the sides to work without a connecting cable — which is an obvious win in a portable keyboard, but also useful to freely move the sides of the keyboard on a desk.

• Pre-configure leds as an indicator of the current active layer. Alternatively, have only a couple of status leds. Hopefully this last point will be improved soon by user contributions (in fact it may just be my shortcoming of not understanding the current software.)