I think it's great and exactly what I expected. I would only suggest that there is a more feasible step-by-step process in relation to setting up the trackball automatic layer switch. I know most programmers probably use QMK but I don't know how to yet and a simple tutorial on how to do so with both one, or two trackballs I think would go a long way. Great Product.
After trying out a wide number of split columnar keyboards (corne, sofle, glove80, Kinesis 360 pro) I can honestly say that the Imprint is my favorite keyboard of them all. Been using this as my daily driver for over 2 months now and I've truly enjoyed the hot swap ability on this board as opposed to the glove80 and Kinesis 360 pro. I've swapped out over 10 different switches on this board and the Imprint solution is 100x better than the cheap Aliexpress hot swap boards held together with hot glue.
what I found best on this board that was lacking from other keyboards:
- hot swap
- 6 key thumb cluster that's comfortable and within reach
- trackball
I got the 3 row variant in nylon, with two trackballs, and an aluminum base plate, and I couldn’t be happier. Having a bespoke keyboard built to measure for your own hands provides a typing experience you can’t get from an off the shelf board. I moved from a kinesis advantage and typing on this makes the kinesis feel like a cheap piece of garbage. Erik is amazingly responsive on the discord and is extremely responsive.
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.