Looking for some purchasing advice.
At the moment I use a Typematrix non-mechanical keyboard which is starting to wear out and become unresponsive. I was really happy with it apart from wishing it was mechanical. A mechanical clone of that, maybe a bit wider, is really my dream.
So what are my options? The mechanical ortholinear keyboards I've seen tend to be of the compact and minimalistic variety, but size isn't my priority I'm looking for something full-featured, preferably with some media keys and shortcut buttons. A number pad or some way to input numbers with a calculator-style layout is essential as my job involves numerical data entry.
Other "nice to have" things I'm more willing to compromise on:
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I type in Dvorak so blank keys or Dvorak labels would be preferable
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Hard-wired Dvorak switch is nice to have, the Typematrix has it, handy if I want to switch layouts in software to access special characters without worrying about finding a Dvorak-based layout.
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Ideally no assembly required
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I'm in the UK, I'll import if necessary but local availability is better. On that note the 105-key layout is preferred (but not that the Typematrix has that either)
Open to alternative suggestions that ignore any of the above.
ZSA used to make the Planck, but it looks like it's been discontinued. That, and it's smaller than what you're looking for. But you could maybe look for a second hand one if you're interested?
That would definitely be much smaller than I'm looking for, but thanks, ZSA's other keyboards are now under consideration.
I have a Moonlander and absolutely love it! I also need a numpad, so I've got a layer mapped so that when I hold the bottom key on the left thumb cluster, the right side turns into a full numpad. It takes a bit of getting used to, but I can touch type the entire numpad at this point.
Moonlander FTW! I've been using ergo keyboards forever. Typematrix, Ergodox, TECK, you name it. The Moonlander is my goldilocks endgame board. Not too small, everything where it should be.
Is there a lock button where I can lock it in to "numpad mode"? It does look good, if maybe a bit pricey, and I could of course just get a separate numpad if it doesn't work out for me...
Yes, you can lock it with a key press. It's up to you how you want to go to the numpad layer and how you want to get back.
I have a Moonlander and based my layers on this tour. You can see the layers at the top. This kind of thing isn't limited to ZSA keyboards. Almost any QMK keyboard can do this kind of layers.
My first thought was OLKBs Planck or Preonic. There is also a copy cat on AliExpress. I have a Planck and I get super lost in the sauce without having a super different F and J key. The height also kills me without a big wrist rest. I've since moved over to a diy board using Choc or the even lower X switches My Board.