I bought an Ergodox EZ a few years ago. While I enjoyed it at first, I realized that I was avoiding certain workflows because it lacked arrow and function keys, forcing you to rely on different layers.
I like split keyboards, and I also like thumb clusters, but I’d really prefer something with dedicated arrow and function keys.
Update for future googlers:
I ended up buying the Kinesis Freestyle 2 with the extra wrist rests. It’s not mechanical but I couldn’t justify the extra cost for both an ergonomic and mechanical keyboard.
Microsoft’s Sculpt was a staple that fit this bill until they stopped producing them a few years back, but another company is now producing it (I think the OG manufacturer for Microsoft). I bought one recently to replace an aging Microsoft board and it looks, feels, and functions exactly the same. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F5YNL62D…
As absolutely shitty as Microsoft is, they can do some hardware well.
I tried that keyboard for several months. I hated the action and the low profile keys. Also wireless as the only connectivity option is stupid for many things, but especially for a keyboard. It’s not terrible, but it’s just not great.
Believe it or not, MSFT made one of those back in the 90s. Terrible keys, but it may be what you wanted.
Edit: they apparently still do: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/d/surface-ergonomic-keyboard/90pnc9ljwpx9?activetab=pivot%3Aoverviewtab
I owned one of those back in 2009. I liked it, though I can’t go back to rubber dome keys.
Agreed
I dunno if you’d consider it ergonomic but I use a Mistel MD770 and it meets your requirements. It’s essentially like a Keychron K2 cut in half.
Can I ask what’s wrong with having the arrow keys in a different layer on esdf and/or ijkl?
update for future googlers:
I ended up buying the Kinesis Freestyle 2 with the extra wrist rests. It’s not mechanical but I couldn’t justify the extra cost for both an ergonomic and mechanical keyboard.
