The ErgoDox EZ is one of the best ergonomic keyboards you’ve never heard of

There isn’t anything like the ErgoDox EZ

There isn’t anything like the ErgoDox EZ

The ErgoDox EZ is not a keyboard for everyone, and there is really no keyboard like it. Even though I’m still struggling to master it after a month of daily use, I’ve already been spoilt by it.

Spreading the two halves shoulder-width is more comfortable for my wrists and shoulders than even my old Sculpt Ergonomic, and that was already more comfortable than a standard keyboard.

But it’s the fact that you can customize the ErgoDox EZ that really makes it shine. With an ordinary keyboard, you’re mostly stuck with the keys it shipped out of the box (unless you use keyboard customizers like Autohotkey for Windows and Karabiner for macOS, but these can be confusing or wonky).

With the ErgoDox EZ’s online configurator, however, customization is easy — just remember to keep a pin nearby to reset the keyboard. The keyboard becomes even more powerful when you start to chain your favorite shortcut keys and make use of multiple layers.

However, the ErgoDox EZ isn’t a keyboard you can hit the ground and start running with. You have to put in some work to master it; there’s kung-fu involved here, not just button mashing. If you’re ergocurious, I still heartily recommend the Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic for a first ergonomic keyboard. It’s well built, inexpensive, and comes with a standard layout so you’ll be able to get used to it more readily.

The ErgoDox EZ, however, is for when you want to level up your keyboard-fu. It’s geeky, hardcore, and I love it.

But it will cost you

There is one more thing we need to talk about though: the price. At US$325 (approx. S$445), with the wrist rests (which I highly recommend), the ErgoDox EZ is a very expensive keyboard.

But in this case, I actually won’t fault the ErgoDox EZ too much for its price, and it’s because of where it’s from. ErgoDox EZ is a relatively small business that’s selling a niche product for a small audience, and that affects their economies of scale. Add to that the fact that the keyboards are assembled in Taiwan by their own full-time employees, not outsourced to contractors.

ErgoDox EZ does offer a solid two-year warranty, and CEO Erez Zukerman says they put a lot of focus into customer service; he personally replied to my inquiries and told me that he replies himself to most customer emails.

So when you think of ErgoDox EZ’s high cost — and it is high — don’t think about just paying for the keyboard’s bill of materials plus profit, but also for the warranty, customer service, and to support a boutique company doing something different in the world.

What about other programmable mechanical ergonomic keyboards?

To be sure, there are keyboards like the ErgoDox EZ, but none exactly like it. Input Club’s beautiful WhiteFox, for example, is fully programmable but not ergonomic, while the Matias Ergo Pro is a mechanical keyboard that’s also split into two separate halves, but not programmable.

The only other ergonomic keyboard I’ve been able to find that’s both programmable and mechanical is the upcoming Freestyle Edge, the first gaming product from Kinesis.

The Freestyle Edge has a traditional keyboard layout, with eight additional programmable keys. It comes in a split design, and a GUI customization app that lives on the keyboard, not online. Although it’s built for gaming, the keyboard looks like it could easily double up as a typing keyboard.

The Kickstarter has already ended, so you can’t buy one until the end of the year. It’s expensive as well, but at US$249 (with the lift kit), it’s US$76 cheaper than the ErgoDox EZ, and something else to look forward to when it drops.

This article was first published on July 26, 2017.