Without a doubt, half the reason I use a 40% keyboard is how it looks. I feel that the ergonomics argument is not fully thought out, as holding down a modifier

Without a doubt, half the reason I use a 40% keyboard is how it looks. I feel that the ergonomics argument is not fully thought out, as holding down a modifier to access other layers can actually reduce ergonomics if you haven't set up your keymaps properly (e.g. to access number keys you must hold down a modifier with the same hand that you need to type the numbers with - potentially un-ergonomic).