How is the Moonlander not portable? It's even got a case for transportation.
this post was submitted on 16 Jul 2024
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I find having to tinker to re angle the thumbcluster each setup with hex key kind of a deal breaker on the portability on a daily basis. Also it's kind of thick in the foldable case. After getting my wife a Keychron K7 low profile and case, I realize that is closer to the form factor I want for portability.
I used to take my moon lander to work for over a year until I designed my own keyboard and have now been using it.
So yeah, the moon lander is more than portable
Are there low profile split type keyboards I should be considering?
A Moonlander is an evolution of the ergodox layout, and I don't think you'd have too much trouble switching between. Slicemk.com has some wireless low-pro versions, but I can't personally vouch for any particular vendor. There have been other variations, like the ReDox, that try to bring the thumb cluster in closer.
If I like U4Ts, what type of switches should I be looking at for low profile tactiles but not too thocky and loud?
In my experience, keycaps and plate make more of a difference when it comes to sheer amount of sound.
Check out the Chocofi or the Piantor, or maybe even the Ferris Sweep / Urchin if you want portable.
For MX keyboards, typeractive sells an Ergodash that I would love to own that's pretty small as well.
I find Home Row Mods really easy to use, but they're pretty divisive. Some people hate them.
Adding to this, if you go with a pcb custom, then the keeb snakeskin cases are great for portability
Make an experiment and create a layout for your Moonlander without bottom row and internal columns. That way you will feel how the voyager will work for you. This was exacly my case and eventually I got Voyager with a Zip Kit for ML and stayed in this layout. Once I got used to it my fingers have to travel less and I'm satisfied with both of my keyboards. They have exactly same layouts now.
https://lowprokb.ca/products/corne-ish-zen
Cornish Zen has been a phenomenal mobile keyboard for me. I think it's sold out at the moment but they do new runs periodically.
Unicorne by boardsource is similar, it's the same layout but wired (all usb-c) and supports joysticks if that's your thing
Oh neat. I have a coworker who has been designing a joystick keeb. I'll send this to him too.
If the keyboard would be sitting on your office desk anyway, you could get yourself an Ergodox/Redox/ErgoDash and not worry about shedding keys for sake of portability.
I agree. Getting a second keyboard to leave at the office is ideal. A second Moonlander would eliminate any context-switching cost, but if that's too pricey, the layout of the Ergodox is very similar and also supported for ZSA's tools. You can likely find a reasonably priced Ergodox used.
For a while, I had an Ergodox at home and one at work myself. Later, I switched to a Corne and then due to the pandemic, my work became 100% remote.