I bought a ZSA Moonlander keyboard. This article documents my journey to using this keyboard as my daily driver.
Last Update: June 1, 2021
My current configuration: Oryx Layout
I am using typingtest.com to evaluate my typing speed and am making frequent use of the backspace key to keep my accuracy high (at the expense of my speed).
I am consistently taking the "Story Typing / Wizard of Oz" test a duration of 5 minutes. This makes the test long enough that it's difficult to sprint through and has a few names and uncommon words that help make the test feel more real. The test is also not just a random collection of words but is prose that is easy to follow and can be mentally preloaded into my fingers.
- This keyboard is my first mechanical keyboard.
- My hand length, middle finger to the crease under of my palm, is 21cm.
- I do not have any RSI pain, but I do find ergonomic keyboards more comfortable, especially on my shoulders.
- I've been a professional software engineer since 2010. A significant portion of my job is typing code and documentation.
- I make an effort learn keyboard shortcuts for the tools I use regularly and will make minor tweaks to the keymappings to my liking.
I have been using a Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 as my daily driver for 13 years. I bought it it for $90 in December 2007, while in university.
- It is a membrane keyboard, but aside from my Macbook's built-in keyboard, I've never used anything else for any length of time.
- Two components have deriorated on this keyboard: The wrist rest which has aged significantly and the 'M' key, which fails about 10% of the time.
- I did not like the front tent kit when I tried it shortly after purchase, so it was discarded. I use only the rear tilt-flips built into the keyboard.
- I have configured my mac to disable the caps lock key and replace it with the control key. I do this on both this one and the built-in keyboard.
- I have configured the keyboard's modifier keys to mimic the macbook's modifier key orientation: control, option, command.
Thanks to it's ABS keys, I can easily see the shiny parts of the keyboard that have had the most action:
- I only activate the space bar with my left thumb, in one specific spot. My right thumb is never used.
- I only use the left modifier keys. All right modifier keys have dust on them.
- My arrow keys are well used, as are delete, home and end.
- My number pad is lightly used. A past retail job trained me in the use of the numpad, a skill I still use when entering more than 4 digits in a row.
- My escape key is also shiny.
- The function keys are not shiny and a few have dust on them.
I've been happy with this keyboard. I've looked into mechanical keyboards numerous times over the last 6 years, but I've never commited to getting one.
I accepted a new position and decided to treat myself to a keyboard upgrade. I had been keeping my eye on the Ergodox for some time, and was plesantly surpised to see that ZSA had anounced a new model: The Moonlander.
I had tried out a coworker's Model 01 Keyboardio several years ago, and I remember how utterly inept I felt while typing on such a foreign keyboard. I looked up reviews of people using their Ergodox for the first time and found similar experiences, though people mentioned that they grew out of it and into a more normal typing speed after a couple weeks, approaching a more normal level of productivity after a month.
Of the reviews I found for the Moonlander, they all agreed that it seemed like an overall upgrade over the Ergodox EZ, so I decided the Moonlander would be my next keyboard.
I know that browns are the most common, but if I'm going to invest $365 in a keyboard, I want to make sure it's right. I handed my wife my keyswitch demo / fidget, and she commented on how nice the cherry red felt. I compared that to some of reviews of different switches and decided that I'd probably be happy with a light and linear switch and wouldn't miss the tactile feedback.
And so, with all of that, I placed an order for the Black Moonlander w/ Kailh Silver switches.
I received the notification today that my moonlander has shipped and should arrive on the 23rd, just in time for Christmas.
I had decided a few weeks ago to begin a post sharing my experiences with the Moonlander. When I saw the shipping notification, I realized it would be nice to include statistics on my typing speed. I found a testing site have begun to track my typing speed. The image at the top of this article should be updated everytime I update the underlying spreadsheet.
I have checked the UPS tracking page close to 10 times today, wondering if there has been any update or (heaven forbid) delay. Everything seems on track. I know I'll want to configure the base layout as soon as I get it, so I've gone ahead and opened up Oryx to make any configuration tweaks I think I'll want before I jump into the keyboard.
I'd like to give the base layout mostly a shot before I go and configure things around, but I also want to make it a little easier to adjust to. I'm hoping to settle in to a semi-stable layout within a couple of days and then a really stable layout within a couple of weeks so that I can grow more efficient with it.
- In reviewing layer 0, I also notice that the number keys don't match up with how the number keys are distributed on my current keyboard, so I shift those to match what I'm used to.
- From other's reviews, I know that I will definitely want to move the
Orxykey, which is aparently a little too easy to trigger for such a specialized tool. I've moved it to layer 2. - I don't think I'll be making use of the mouse keys, so I've moved the media keys to be on the left hand. I've also given them some color so that they light up when I toggle to layer 2. This should help me learn the keys and identify when I go into layer 2.
- Similarly, I've completely colored layer 1.
- I've moved a few modifier keys to feel around to be im places I'm used to them.
- I use a 4K monitor for coding, which pairs nicely with an app like Rectangle so I added some specialized shortcuts on layer 2 on the right hand to make it easy to move windows around.
If you want to check out the layer for yourself, here it is: Oryx Layout
It's beautiful. So nice. Having it in two halves feels more comfortable even than the microsoft one was. Typing is hard.
- Home row is fine, other letter keys are slightly off, causing a lot of mistakes.
- I notice some of my bad habits now, like using my index finger for the letter
c. - Due to the shape of my previous keyboard, I end up triggering the layer one toggle key next to the
ykey just about every time I time I press it. - These Kailh Silver switches are so light and easy to trigger. A good number of my mistakes seem to come from misfires triggered by merely bumping the keys. I even end up with random home row keys simply from my hands resting a little too heavily. It definitely feels like these keys are "expert mode" keys.
- The Oryx trainer and live key viewer is nice and helpful. I wish it showed the base key and their shifted variants so I didnt have to remember where some of the lesser used symbols lived (I knew where
#was by muscle memory, not by3)
I had the day off, but so I barely typed today, but I still found some time to go through the training exercises on Oryx. After that, I did a typing test and was very surprised to see how much faster I already was. My misfires from bumping keys is lower and my fingers are starting to remember where the keys are. Where as yesterday I was frustrated with how sensitive the Kailh Silvers are, today I'm starting to appreciate their lightness.
Special keys are still tough, and I have absolutely no muscle memory for keyboard shortcuts at this time. I'm glad I'll have a few days off from work to get practice the basics of typing without needing to rely on keyboard shortcuts for things like navigating the IDE or trigging autocompletion.
My biggest complaint at the end of the day yesterday was how difficult it was for me to press the farthest most thumb key. I had put modifiers there and they were just about un-usable. Today, when I sat down to the keyboard, I remebered how the tilted thumb cluster was sold as adjustable for differing hand sizes. When I unboxed it yesterday, I had given the keyboard a pretty significant tent, based on the comfort of my wrists. So, I tried removing the tilt altogether and found the thumb cluster easier to use. My wrists aren't uncomfortable with it flat, but I am considering building an incline block to angle the halves out. It would be nice if the keyboard could tent without concern for hand size. (Or, I guess I could put very seldmoly used keys in that far position and put the modifiers in an easlier location.)
The red launch buttons are still hard to press though. I'm not sure what sort of key I want to put there.
The hardest part of using this new keyboard is trying to figure out how I want to configure it. There are so many options to choose from, especially once you start to add multiple layers. I did some browsing of others public layouts on Oryx and settled on making a "code" layer with a lot of the symbols I use and then handy navigation keys. I also took inspiration from another user and added custom labels for the symbol keys so I can look at the keymap when I forget where something like | is.
I still dont really know what to do with the red launch buttons. Right now I have a :+1: key for slack, so I think I may graduate from Oryx soon to get longer macros for other emojis.
I did some more training in Oryx and came to the realization that I'm still only using the left shift key. I feel like this bad habit will slow me down in the long run. In my research for this keyboard, I remembered reading about someone who disabled half of their keyboard when one shift key was in use. It took a few minutes, but I recreated the effect. It works by implementing shift in separate layers. Left shift is one layer, and causes all of the left letter and number keys to be replaced with "Music Mode". This specific key will emit a noise to provide audio feedback of my mistake. Likewise, right shift is a separate layer with all of the right keys doing the same thing. One day I may be a natural at using the correct shift key and will be able to turn them into "None" keys or maybe even remove the layers altogether.
If you're interested in seeing this layout, heres a link to this specific version: Oryx Layout
I practiced a little bit more and was definitely slowed down by this new shift change. Still, my speed improved 1 from yesterday, so I'm still improving in my proficiency in typing on it.
I've become very comfortable typing on the moonlander. I've gotten back to having a slew of memorized shortcuts in my IDE, terminal and browser (where I spend most of my time). My typing speed seems to still hover where it was originally, in the 70-80WPM range, but I also haven't put any effort into trying to speed it up. I feel like I make a few more mistakes now than I used to, so with some additional practice I could probably become more proficient. However, at this point I'm content with my typing speed as I rarely find it to be bottleneck.
The split keyboard makes it very comfortable to have my hands spread out, usually 30cm apart, with enough room for a trackpad between them. I keep the keyboard pushed pretty far into the desk with my entire forearm resting on the desk. This also gives me room to keep a lidded drink between my arms, which I don't intentionally place there but has become a common enough pattern for me to recognize. Sometimes a notepad or fidget will end up there to.
My layout has been stable now for about 4 months and I'm mostly happy with it. I ended up nulling out some of the keys on the right hand as I couldn't find a use for them. I like having the num-pad modifier so easily accessible and having the arrow keys only a small layer change away is also useful. However, I have made some difficulty for myself by doing that, especially when I'm doing repetitous text entry. One of the skills I had on my previous keyboard that I have yet to regain here is the ability to blast through a spreadsheet or text file and make routine changes in a column. If I had some sort of 2 - 5 key pattern to repeat (usually on multiple lines) I could quickly reposition my hands into a convenient arrangement and get into the rhythm of hitting the keys. Because the arrow keys are now intermingled with alpha keys, I don't feel like I can do that anymore. That said, I haven't experimented with macros yet and this sounds like maybe I should finally give those a try.
I finally found a good use-case for my red keys. My left key is a zoom mic mute and my right is a zoom video mute. It makes it really easy and seamless to mute/unmute myself while in meetings. I often don't even have to reposition myself to unmute.
I'm not upset with my choice to get the silvers, but I still notice that I misfire a bit and I still haven't put any effort into learning not to bottom out the keys. I'm glad I didn't go with anything clacky but I think I would misfire less with reds.
I'm overall very happy with my moonlander. I think there's room for personal improvement still, both in my configuration and in how I use it, which goes along with the learning curve of the keyboard, but I noticed even after a month of using this regularly I was comfortable enough to stop tweaking it every couple of days.
Appreciate the detailed write up. How are you feeling about the moonlander at this point?