The Ergonomic Keyboard Quest
GEAR · SPLITS · SWITCHES
Like a lot of engineers, I eventually fell down the split ergonomic mechanical keyboard rabbit hole. My old Goldtouch Go2 membrane keyboard was getting stiff, and I needed something better.
The requirements were simple but surprisingly hard to find: low profile, a true split, swappable switches, and a spacebar that actually extends far enough on the right side.
Here is a look at what I actually tried, a few boards I seriously considered but never ordered, and where I ended up.
What I Actually Tried
In order:
-
Keychron Q11: My first split mechanical. Solid board with standard layout and great build quality, but the right spacebar just wasn’t long enough. A dealbreaker for my typing style, so it went back.
Keychron Q11 — great board, wrong spacebar -
Keychron K15 Max (Alice Layout): Not a true split, but an Alice layout—and low profile, with a spacebar the right width and a great feel out of the box. It took a minute to get used to the tenting on both sides compared to my old setup, but for $100 and 3 Bluetooth connections, it’s a fantastic daily driver. I actually bought a second one for the office. (Ordered with Low Profile Gateron Mechanical Brown switches.)
Keychron K15 Max — daily driver with Goldtouch wrist rests -
Silakka54: A tester board (with red switches) to see if I could handle a column-staggered layout, remapped with Vial. It was a weird experience with a lot of lost muscle memory—especially the ‘C’ key. I ended up having to swap the shift key back down to where it belongs to make it workable. I learned that I really need a low-profile board for this to work, and claw-typing on regular profiles isn’t for me.
Silakka54 (foreground) and Keychron K15 Max (background)
Looked At, Never Ordered
- Mistel MD770 & MD600: Looked like cheap drop-in replacements, but reviews pointed to noisy soldered switches and mediocre keycaps. The MD650L would have been the perfect low-profile split, but it’s sadly discontinued.
- ZSA Voyager: Beautiful, low-profile, and swappable—but expensive, with a steep learning curve. Never pulled the trigger.
- Iris CE/LM: Kept coming up in research: high-quality build, compact Choc spacing, enough thumb keys. Interesting, but I never ordered one.
Where I’m Headed
- ElimKeys Elytra: This is exactly what I was originally looking for: a low-profile, true split, mechanical board with a spacebar that extends far enough on the right side. I finally ordered one in White with JZF Mist (Silent Linear) switches, and am looking forward to seeing if it unseats the K15 Max.
The Switch Quest (Finding the Ultimate Office Switch)
Finding the right board is only half the battle; finding switches that don’t make my coworkers hate me is the other. I tested quite a few low-profile options:
| Switch | Type | Operating Force | Pre-Travel | Total Travel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keychron Silent Red | Linear | 40±10gf | 1.4mm | 2.7mm |
| Gateron Silent Red | Linear | 45±15gf | 2.0mm | 3.0mm |
| Gateron Silent Brown | Tactile | 55±10gf | 2.0mm | 3.0mm |
- Keychron Reds & Silent Reds: The standard Reds felt great but were just too loud (a solid tap, if not a click). The Silent Reds were quieter, feeling almost like a laptop keyboard, but still had an audible typing sound.
- Gateron Silent Browns: Extremely quiet—almost no sound at all. They felt a bit heavy and slightly mushy, more like a membrane keyboard, but are a solid office compromise.
- Gateron Silent Reds: The winner. They are significantly quieter than the Keychron Silent Reds by a huge margin. They have a slightly mushy feel, but they are clearly the switch to use in an office environment. I’ve since swapped everything over to these. (I considered the Gateron Silent Whites, but decided I needed the slight resistance of the Reds to avoid accidental presses.)