Imprint

I started my ergo mech keyboard journey about 6 or 7 months ago when I bought a Kinesis Advantage360 on a whim because I heard it mentioned in a youtube video and thought it'd be cool to try out. After a few days of adjustment, I realized this style of keyboard was The Way, and then eventually found myself looking around the broader mech ergo market to see what else was out there, which is how I came across the Imprint. As much as I love the Kinesis, I could tell without even touching it that the Imprint's custom sizing and integrated trackballs would put the it in its own league, so I decided to go for it. It just arrived yesterday and I'm absolutely floored by how awesome it is. It feels amazing, it sounds amazing, Erik's customer service was amazing... it's just overall totally fantastic and amazing. The fact that Erik was easily able to replicate the key-grid layout of the Kinesis has made the transition to this board about as seamless as possible. With only about 20 minutes of practice on Monkeytype, I was immediately at my normal WPM and accuracy. The trickiest thing to get used to for me was the amount of column stagger, especially for my right hand pinky side... but it really just took a few minutes of practice before it felt totally comfortable. This might actually be the first keyboard I've used where it's actually more comfortable to hit all the number keys with the "proper" fingers... the 1 and 0 key are just right there for my pinky, no reaching required. And the trackballs... what a dream. I've customized my workflow in a very keyboard-centric way, but there are of course still some apps and tasks that just require a mouse, and so being able to do those things with minimal movement or change of my overall body position just feels incredible.

Anyway, I love this thing. It's awesome. It's worth every penny of the price, especially if you use a computer professionally, or for whatever reason are on one for long periods of time. If you're on the fence because you're not sure that it's worth the price, let me just put that hesitation to rest -- I cannot recommend it more strongly.

I went from Kinesis Adv 2 to a poorly built Dactyl to the Cyboard Imprint. It's the best keyboard I've ever used. (My friend stayed at my apartment and has an Advantage 360, and he agreed it was awesome to use.)

In addition to the custom hand photos, I got a custom layout that allowed me to have a full bottom row and have arrow key access like the Kinesis.

This is the best feeling split ergo Kinesis style keyboard I've had. The thumb clusters are the best and most accessible, the custom hand printing helps bring keys even closer together, and Erik is super responsive in the Discord with any questions.

I've also gotten the keyboard serviced once, and it's been super easy to work with Cyboard with that.

This keyboard does 99% of what I want.
Split Ergo
Fully programmable, QMK or other equivalent
Hotswap MX
Personally adapted ergonomics
Rentable
Great customer support / community

The only minor improvements would be an easier to adjust tenting.

It's certainly a higher price tag, but there seems to be little else on the market that compares well, especially with personalised ergonomics.

A keyboard that I hope to get many MANY years of joy using.

I've used the Moonlander, Dactyl Manuform, and MS Sculpt keyboards. This one checks every single box I've been looking for and more. It's expensive, but it's something I'll use every day so it's more than worth it for me.

The keyboard is what I expected. I was pleased to see that it i is easily configurable. I did not expect that I could control my mouse with the keyboard, this is a nice extra feature.