4 ms·

Those thumbs are doing a lot of work. Can't imagine that being ergonomic.

Arrowmaster 1y ago
Thumbs are one of your stronger fingers. In contrast the pinky is by far the weakest but we have dedicated it to almost every modifier and outlying key. I currently use an Elora from SplitKB so I can't speak to the Moonlanders thumb cluster, but if you find one you like it's a massive difference in how much usage you can get out of your thumbs while typing.
- MichaelDickens 1y ago
  For me the biggest benefit of thumb keys isn't finger strength, it's the fact that the thumb is separated from the rest of the hand. It's really easy to hit a thumb key while hitting any other key on the "main" part of the keyboard. Whereas on a traditional keyboard, typing something like shift-T or ctrl-R requires stretching out your hand.
  - microtonal 1y ago
    It's really easy to hit a thumb key while hitting any other key on the "main" part of the keyboard. Mirrored home row mods are even much nicer (IMO).
- microtonal 1y ago
  Thumbs can get overuse injuries: https://getreuer.info/posts/keyboards/thumb-ergo/index.html https://getreuer.info/posts/keyboards/thumb-ergo/index.html I have used ergo keyboards with thumb clusters for several years now. After a while, even though switching to a split ergo keyboard alleviated wrist pains, I developed thumb discomfort. In the end I solved it by only frequently using the resting key of each thumb (space and backspace). And using the other thumb keys for infrequent things. I use homerow mods to have all modifiers in the alpha block. if you find one you like it's a massive difference in how much usage you can get out of your thumbs while typing Until they start to hurt. It can take a few years (just like wrist pains). Be careful!
  - Arrowmaster 1y ago
    The Elora I use follows the circular thumb cluster format so I have three keys per thumb that can be used with little movement the rest are for rarely used layer switches and such. One of those three is for often used layers. I have homerow mods configured but still need to work on using them more. Unfortunately a lot of what's best for typing conflicts with what's best for gaming. Almost every example split layout puts space on the right half and I move it to the left. Still need shift and control on pinky holds. And the Elora has an exaggerated pinky stagger but swapped to WQSD makes an almost perfect diamond, but at the expense of the old Q now being A is below instead of above and Z is really far away.
- lawn 1y ago
  Thumbs are also less agile than all the other fingers, so having it move around a lot is not great. Also, RSI on your thumb (especially with smartphone usage) is very common. So yes, you should probably have the most frequent keys on your thumbs but only very few (I'd say 1-2).
microtonal 1y ago
Not sure why people are downvoting this. This is a serious concern and quite a lot some people using thumb clusters develop thumb discomfort or pain: https://getreuer.info/posts/keyboards/thumb-ergo/index.html https://getreuer.info/posts/keyboards/thumb-ergo/index.html In my experience (having also had thumb discomfort on ergo boards) thumb clusters can be great, but you have to make sure to avoid too much thumb movement.
- Jcampuzano2 1y ago
  When I first got a keyboard with a thumb cluster that had 6 keys I was originally a bit overzealous and had a bunch of relatively frequently used keys assigned to them. I actually ended up developing a little bit of what I think was some tendonitis in my thumbs when I first started using it quite a bit. Ever since then, I primarily only use two of the keys of each thumb clusters with frequency, and they both require very little movement to reach (the two large keys on a kinesis 360). The others that require a little bit more extending of the thumb are more infrequently used keys that don't ring all the time.

Thumbs are one of your stronger fingers. In contrast the pinky is by far the weakest but we have dedicated it to almost every modifier and outlying key. I currently use an Elora from SplitKB so I can't speak to the Moonlanders thumb cluster, but if you find one you like it's a massive difference in how much usage you can get out of your thumbs while typing.

MichaelDickens 1y ago
For me the biggest benefit of thumb keys isn't finger strength, it's the fact that the thumb is separated from the rest of the hand. It's really easy to hit a thumb key while hitting any other key on the "main" part of the keyboard. Whereas on a traditional keyboard, typing something like shift-T or ctrl-R requires stretching out your hand.
- microtonal 1y ago
  It's really easy to hit a thumb key while hitting any other key on the "main" part of the keyboard. Mirrored home row mods are even much nicer (IMO).
microtonal 1y ago
Thumbs can get overuse injuries: https://getreuer.info/posts/keyboards/thumb-ergo/index.html https://getreuer.info/posts/keyboards/thumb-ergo/index.html I have used ergo keyboards with thumb clusters for several years now. After a while, even though switching to a split ergo keyboard alleviated wrist pains, I developed thumb discomfort. In the end I solved it by only frequently using the resting key of each thumb (space and backspace). And using the other thumb keys for infrequent things. I use homerow mods to have all modifiers in the alpha block. if you find one you like it's a massive difference in how much usage you can get out of your thumbs while typing Until they start to hurt. It can take a few years (just like wrist pains). Be careful!
- Arrowmaster 1y ago
  The Elora I use follows the circular thumb cluster format so I have three keys per thumb that can be used with little movement the rest are for rarely used layer switches and such. One of those three is for often used layers. I have homerow mods configured but still need to work on using them more. Unfortunately a lot of what's best for typing conflicts with what's best for gaming. Almost every example split layout puts space on the right half and I move it to the left. Still need shift and control on pinky holds. And the Elora has an exaggerated pinky stagger but swapped to WQSD makes an almost perfect diamond, but at the expense of the old Q now being A is below instead of above and Z is really far away.
lawn 1y ago
Thumbs are also less agile than all the other fingers, so having it move around a lot is not great. Also, RSI on your thumb (especially with smartphone usage) is very common. So yes, you should probably have the most frequent keys on your thumbs but only very few (I'd say 1-2).

microtonal 1y ago

Not sure why people are downvoting this. This is a serious concern and quite a lot some people using thumb clusters develop thumb discomfort or pain: https://getreuer.info/posts/keyboards/thumb-ergo/index.html https://getreuer.info/posts/keyboards/thumb-ergo/index.html In my experience (having also had thumb discomfort on ergo boards) thumb clusters can be great, but you have to make sure to avoid too much thumb movement.

Jcampuzano2 1y ago
When I first got a keyboard with a thumb cluster that had 6 keys I was originally a bit overzealous and had a bunch of relatively frequently used keys assigned to them. I actually ended up developing a little bit of what I think was some tendonitis in my thumbs when I first started using it quite a bit. Ever since then, I primarily only use two of the keys of each thumb clusters with frequency, and they both require very little movement to reach (the two large keys on a kinesis 360). The others that require a little bit more extending of the thumb are more infrequently used keys that don't ring all the time.