I hit the character limit on the first part of my review so here's the second part.
Another PRO of the Cyboard Imprint is the tenting solution. It's effective, flexible, and easy to set up. The funny thing is that as I experimented with various tenting configurations, I discovered that the base shape of the Imprint, without any tenting at all, was very comfortable for me, and in fact this became my preferred configuration. So I see this as a win either way.
I ordered my Cyboard Imprint on May 1, 2025 and received it on July 1, 2025. I ordered my Cyboard Imprint with these options:
Variant: Letters + Numbers + Functions (5 rows)
Bottom Row Style: 5-Key
Upper Shell Material: Black Nylon (MJF process)
Base Plate Material: Anodized Aluminum
Anodizing Color (Aluminum Base Plates): Black
Palm Rest Insert Material: Black Leather
Switches: None (install your own MX switches)
Keycap Compatibility: DSA
Keycaps: Blank Black
Connectivity: Wired Only
Integrated trackball(s): Left Hand, Right Hand
Left Hand Trackball Color: Black
Right Hand Trackball Color: Black
PROS:
White Glove Customer Service!!!
The ergonomics of this keyboard are exceptional. I have many other ergonomic keyboards including three other split-ergo keybords (ErgoDox EZ, Kinesis Advantage 360 and Kinesis Advantage2) and my Cyboard Imprint has proven to be the most ergonomic for *me*. This may or may not mean that it'll be the best for you, as ergonomics are a very individual thing.
I really love my custom-made Advantage 360, however the extra bevel of body material that extends 1/4" on the outer edges of the keyboard, beyond the keys themselves, means that when I use a mouse with the Advantage 360 the mouse itself must be positioned sightly further away from the keyboard itself versus the Cyboard Imprint, which has *no* additional body material - the edges of the outer keys on the Cyboard ARE the edge of the keyboard itself. This means that if I use a mouse with the Cyboard (I do) that I can position that mouse approximately 1/4" closer to the side of the keyboard, and it turns out that for my body this slight change makes all the difference. I can't really use my mouse with my Advantage 360 because tht additional 1/4" offset induces RSI in my mousing arm's elbow. So far after two months using my Cyboard with my mouse I haven't had that issue. You may wonder why I'm not using the trackballs on my Cyboard. I'll mention that in the Cons section.
If you get a new Cyboard you're going to likely find that adapting to the pinky keys (the outer most two columns of keys on both sides) is going to take a few weeks. I especially struggled with accurately hitting the keys 1/! =/+ on the left pinky, and 0/) and -/_ on the right pinky. The reason I'm not listing this as a con is that this is by-design. These pinky key columns are intentionally shifted downward in order to accommodate the reality that your pinky finger is far shorter than the rest of your fingers. Be patient and you'll adapt and then this will be a positive thing for you.
The QMK firware with Vial, used to adjust the layout of the Cyboard Imprint, is exceptionally flexible and also easy to use. I absolutely love it. My favorite feature is the ability to assign two roles to the same key depending on whether it's held or tapped. I'm using this for my control keys so that when they're held they act as BTRL keys, but when they're tapped, without hitting any other keys, they act as HOME and END. I'm doing the same for my ALT keys, making them dual-purpose keys with the PGUP and PGDN keys. This effectively gives me four extra keys, and pairing CTRL with HOME/END is also very natural as it's common when using HOME/END to also use their modified versions (CTRL+HOME and CTRL+END). My Kinesis Advantage 360, with SmartSet firmware, also has a Tap/Hold feature, but no matter what timing I set on it, I can't get it to work perfectly. On my Cyboard Imprint this feature does work perfectly.
CONS:
Trackballs are Too Sensitive - I find that when I use a Cyboard trackball for my mouse pointer that it's simply too sensitive for me, even on its lowest sensitivity setting, to be accurate and quick. So I have not been using either of my trackballs on my Cyboard. Fortunately, for me, I've been able to use my vertical mouse without causing RSI. I realize that I may be able to use my trackballs by modifying the firmware code, and I'll return to this at some point, but for now, since my vertical mouse is working for me, I haven't felt the pressure to explore that route. But the ability to modify the firemware code itself is a PRO that could potentially fully outweigh this single CON.
FUTURE SUGGESTIONS FOR MORE IMPROVEMENT:
To make the Cyboard Imprint even better, I'd suggest adding the following options, at checkout time:
- An option for including sound-dampening material within the body of the keyboard.
- An option for lubricating the keyswitches
When I built my Advantage 360, I did it with Upgrade Keyboards, who provided those additional options, and I used the exact same keyswitches on my Cyboard Imprint as I did on my Advantage 360, and yet my Advantage 360 is MUCH quieter to type on, and a more pleasant typing experience too, from the key-feel perspective. So from my view, these additional customization options could make the Imprint even better.
I had some issues with the trackball and Erik was very prompt and responding and held when we troubleshoot the issue. I really love this keyboard and the customer service.
I am loving the new keyboard, it looks and works great. The hand fit is amazing.
Love the keyboard but really wish there was more beginner friendly tutorials for Vial with the Imprint. It's intimidating for those who are new to QMK