the ergodox ez glow: the keyboard worth considering

Just like most, my quest for an ergonomic keyboard and mouse started one fine morning when I felt a tingling sensation in my left ring and pinkie fingers. It was not bad. I still had full power in my fingers and there was no pain, just a tingling sensation similar to pins and needles that you get from paresthesia. It lasted for several weeks and the doctor commented that it might be the start of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Anyways, that triggered the start of a search for a better keyboard. If I was going to switch then I wanted to find something that would suit me reasonably well and is different from the ones that I have been using all my life. For the record I have been using the Logitech MX keys, mainly because it had the ability to switch between machines using Bluetooth without the use of a KVM switch.

After searching long and hard…….reading through many articles, blog reviews…..and assessing my own needs and wants, I came up with a list of functions that I wanted in my next keyboard.

  • It has to be a split keyboard. Or maybe I just wanted one.
  • The ortho-linear layout is intriguing and would like that.
  • It has to be a mechanical keyboard.
  • It should be customizable and programmable.
  • It should have wireless support, ideally multiple Bluetooth connections and the ability to switch between them. Just like the Logitech MX Keys.
  • If not thin It should be able to switch between multiple machines with minimal fuss.
  • The curved keyboards with a key well is intriguing and won’t mind that.
  • It should be compatible with both Windows and Linux.

Very soon it became clear that I won’t be able to get something that satisfied all my requirements, no matter what I paid…..unless I wanted to build it myself. So the next step was to prioritize the needs and see what came the closest to what I wanted.

After a lot of time researching, I narrowed it down to a handful……

  • Ergodox EZ Glow
  • Moonlander
  • Ultimate Hacking Keyboard
  • KeyMouse Track
  • Kinesis Advantage2

There were a lot to like about each of them. Long story short, I ended up getting an Ergodox EZ Glow. But sometimes it helps to know why I did not go with another. Remember that almost all of the reasons are highly subjective.

Kinesis Advantage2

It was not a true split design……It is a fixed split. I really did want to try the concave well that it has. At least for me the need and want of a split design overrode the concave well design.

Ultimate Hacking Keyboard

It was not ortho linear. And I wanted an ortholinear layout. There was nothing else against this one.

KeyMouse Track

It was not available at that time. I nearly went with this one. I think it is ugly and cheap looking….but it did have all the features that I was looking for….including the concave well and trackball.

Moonlander

I thought I would want more keys. This is a very good option especially if you need it be portable. I did not need the keyboard to be portable …..also i liked that it has usb-c support.

Ergodox EZ Glow

It did not have a wireless option. That meant that switching between machines would require a switch. But it did have more keys than the Moonlander to play with.

So, eventually I did end up getting the Ergodox EZ Glow and so far (about 8 months) I have been happy with the purchase to say the least. Maybe someday it might be worth the review…