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Wow! I got an original Kinesis Advantage about 12 years ago and loved everything but how bulky it is. I even wrote to them asking if they were going to release

Wow! I got an original Kinesis Advantage about 12 years ago and loved everything but how bulky it is. I even wrote to them asking if they were going to release a slimmer one at some point. This custom world is new to me though and has me thinking about flex PCBs and 3D printing to get that Kinesis curve feel with exactly my own layout preference... exciting!

ianhowson 6y ago
Google 'dactyl' and 'dactyl manuform'. It's relatively cheap to get the cases 3D printed. Most people are hand-wiring the switches rather than trying to make flex PCBs.
- lordofgibbons 6y ago
  I've been looking into getting the Dactyl Manuform for a few months now, but haven't found any experience reports about it. Do you use it, and recommend it?
  - ianhowson 6y ago
    Not yet -- ask me in two weeks! I found enough reports on Reddit that I figured it was worth trying, and I used a Kinesis Advantage for a long time. If you haven't used a Kinesis, I would recommend buying or borrowing one first. The price of a KA vs. a from-scratch Dactyl [Manuform] is similar, but the KA doesn't need assembly and is easy to resell if you don't like it. At this point I have a ton of keyboard parts lying around, I've used QMK a lot, and I have strong preferences for certain switches (which I already own), so the cost is just the 3D prints and assembly time (also low, because I've built a few keyboards from scratch before.)
  - lemper 6y ago
    I've been using it for almost two years. It's good enough for me, though I only use top two thumb keys on each hand. it costed me 70 usd to build that keyboard (time included).
- easygenes 6y ago
  Fantastic, thank you! That's exactly the sort of thing I was thinking of.
_jal 6y ago
You can find a lot of company, inspiration and resources at https://geekhack.org/ https://geekhack.org/ .
ornornor 6y ago
I have a helix board and it’s nice to have a programmable layout but the ergonomics aren’t great because I haven’t found a good way to tent it. I’m considering a kinesis advantage 2 but at 400 eur + import taxes (I’m in Switzerland), it’s a fair sum to put in a keyboard I won’t be able to return. Why do you say the weight was a problem? Doesn’t it stay in your desk and doesn’t move around at all? Anything else you think is worth knowing about the keyboard?
- johanvts 6y ago
  I have the advantage 2, it absolutely stays put thanks to some small rubber feet. It's very bulky, but I like that. It feels solid and provides great wrist support, every other keyboard seems to hit me with some sharp edges or require separate wrist support. I think it's near perfect, I just want them to make a version with blue switches or even better swappable switches.
  - ornornor 6y ago
    Thanks. Do you have the brown switches version or the linear force/red?
- easygenes 6y ago
  It's not the weight, but the amount the keys are raised above the desktop that bothers me the most. I find it difficult to arrange as ergonomically as I like and it just doesn't look good on the desk.
  - ianhowson 6y ago
    I'll second that. I found that the height off the desk put pressure on my wrists and shoulders. The wrist pads get sweaty and gross and wear out very quickly. It's still a great design. Also every person that walks by your desk will interrupt you to say "that's a weird keyboard."

ianhowson 6y ago

Google 'dactyl' and 'dactyl manuform'. It's relatively cheap to get the cases 3D printed. Most people are hand-wiring the switches rather than trying to make flex PCBs.

lordofgibbons 6y ago
I've been looking into getting the Dactyl Manuform for a few months now, but haven't found any experience reports about it. Do you use it, and recommend it?
- ianhowson 6y ago
  Not yet -- ask me in two weeks! I found enough reports on Reddit that I figured it was worth trying, and I used a Kinesis Advantage for a long time. If you haven't used a Kinesis, I would recommend buying or borrowing one first. The price of a KA vs. a from-scratch Dactyl [Manuform] is similar, but the KA doesn't need assembly and is easy to resell if you don't like it. At this point I have a ton of keyboard parts lying around, I've used QMK a lot, and I have strong preferences for certain switches (which I already own), so the cost is just the 3D prints and assembly time (also low, because I've built a few keyboards from scratch before.)
- lemper 6y ago
  I've been using it for almost two years. It's good enough for me, though I only use top two thumb keys on each hand. it costed me 70 usd to build that keyboard (time included).
easygenes 6y ago
Fantastic, thank you! That's exactly the sort of thing I was thinking of.

_jal 6y ago

You can find a lot of company, inspiration and resources at https://geekhack.org/ https://geekhack.org/ .

ornornor 6y ago

I have a helix board and it’s nice to have a programmable layout but the ergonomics aren’t great because I haven’t found a good way to tent it. I’m considering a kinesis advantage 2 but at 400 eur + import taxes (I’m in Switzerland), it’s a fair sum to put in a keyboard I won’t be able to return. Why do you say the weight was a problem? Doesn’t it stay in your desk and doesn’t move around at all? Anything else you think is worth knowing about the keyboard?

johanvts 6y ago
I have the advantage 2, it absolutely stays put thanks to some small rubber feet. It's very bulky, but I like that. It feels solid and provides great wrist support, every other keyboard seems to hit me with some sharp edges or require separate wrist support. I think it's near perfect, I just want them to make a version with blue switches or even better swappable switches.
- ornornor 6y ago
  Thanks. Do you have the brown switches version or the linear force/red?
easygenes 6y ago
It's not the weight, but the amount the keys are raised above the desktop that bothers me the most. I find it difficult to arrange as ergonomically as I like and it just doesn't look good on the desk.
- ianhowson 6y ago
  I'll second that. I found that the height off the desk put pressure on my wrists and shoulders. The wrist pads get sweaty and gross and wear out very quickly. It's still a great design. Also every person that walks by your desk will interrupt you to say "that's a weird keyboard."