“I don’t like it, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad” This is something I think some reviewers forget about when doing things outside their normal wheelhouse
but its totally crap though he says it like this because linus media is a shill group and that is the worse they can say about a product so if you hear from them "I dont like it but that doesn its bad" it means its a total piece of dogshit but they have to do a good video on it because they got paid to
@@billkillernic You know that people can have MIXED FEELINGS about stuff? One can also be indifferent. Or have mild preferences. Imagine the possibilities of nuanced conversations!
@@giselle8924 why do bots do incoherent porn ads. It’s like they never heard of grammarly or language tool. Just google translate and grammarly can fix this.
"i dont like it, but thats doesnt mean its bad" a very simple sentences but i wish people in the internet can understand/use that statement in general properly
It's simple. I see Taran + Keyboards, I click. I see Anthony + Retro Gaming, I click. I see Brandon + Cameras, I click. Its Brandon! I got it, excuse my hearing.
I really thought this would just be another "it sucks" review, but you actually gave some good thoughts on it, even if you didn't like it. It's reviews like this, that actually help people to learn about the product and decide if they want it. Nice.
For Germans, there is the neodeutsch keyboard layout that is using 6 layers with different modifyer keys, so you never have to leave the 3 mid rows if you look in to this kind of keyboard, you should really research more about the layout that people are using, really missing some depth in this video
@@ZexMaxwell it's a review. The Taran short circuit videos are different than all the rest. His are actual reviews. This video has every single aspect of a review. Just because it doesn't cover every conceivable thing surrounding the keyboard, like nEoDeuTsCh, doesn't mean it's not a review.
@@littlejackalo5326 i am not demanding to look in all keyboardlayout in every country, it was just an example. but as he is the typ of guy who is using several keyboard with different binding, he should have informed himself y people are using "small" keyboards in a productive environment and reason is that people are using keyboards with different layouts, with several layers and more then one modifier key and in a certain extent he himself said that he did not research enough about the usecase of this keyboard, in my eyes a shame, and lalely i think there is a lot of depth missing in several LTT vids, but it's just my opinion, maybe i am wrong
Okay, best line in a review ever: "I don't like it, but that doesn't mean it's bad". Not every use case will be *your* use case. However, I love that you gave it such a deep dive and reached out to gain understanding. Well done, guys.
I fully understand the mentality of having extra buttons just for shortcuts lol, it's always easier to have direct access to what you want to achieve since your brain doesn't need to go from an idea to a short cut to an execution. I really appreciate Taran showing his macro pad(s) too, it's eye opening to see how many buttons a person can have while still maintaining graphical memory of which button does what while I'm still stuck on 104 keys
the idea is either convenience or to save time. if you have a complicated macro to run with 1 click. As for saving time, at first it will be abit slower to remember the shortcut and lets not forget the time you need to spend to program that shortcut, but if you use the shortcut a few times you'll remember them. just like you remember where all the keys are on a keyboard
Been using a stream deck for shortcuts for a few months already, and it's a blast... I'm not even a streamer or something like that, but was one of the best investments ever... I removed all the shortcuts on my desktop and organized them in the stream deck. Also, all my common programs I use have their own profile.
Every time I see one of these videos I think "Oh hey, that'd be a neat thing to have. What is it $100? $150?" And every time it's 2x-3x what I'd expect.
@@Lawkodi That's because people are stupid enough to pay 200+ bucks on plastic keycaps. Or 6k on a case. Like sure it's nice, but if a bigger company (like gmmk or something) actually puts effort in a good built keyboard, then keyboards over lets say 500bucks become obsolete. If we look at the gmmk pro, it's not a perfect board. But look at what you can get out of the box for 200 bucks (and even that is overpriced because of the hype). Imagine they just put abit more effort in their case design.
@@Lawkodi Like I bought a solid chunk of a metal case for 35 bucks, they don't have to be expensive. The only reason my keyboard is over 100 bucks is because I wanted the iso layout, and you can't get a resonably priced presoldered hotswap iso pcb, and the correct iso keycaps so easily.
I can't stand 40%, minimum I can do is 60%. Good review by Taran, he always gives good reviews. Very insightful and analytical while being completely fair.
Amazing review!!! Love to see Taran and keyboards together. I'm a software dev, so I dont really need nor like 100% keyboards, as they take to much space, and I would rather use fn keys and multiple layers to access all functions without having to move away from the main rows, so this keyboard would be great for my use case. Also, those dials would be for looks mostly, as the only use for me would be to control volume or some other simple things like that. Also, the idea of a "Secondary keyboard" sound otherworldly for me.
I'm also a software dev, but I fall much more on Taran's side. I have no idea how people deal with constantly switching layers rather than just moving to a different key. I don't think I could ever go to anything less than an 84-key; and I do in fact use the 10-key on my 104; sometimes even using the numpad 'Enter' with my thumb while my hand is on the mouse. That said, also like Taran, if you want to Always Be Chording, that's you, and you do you. I'm not gonna judge. I just don't think it's for me. I need my number row and F1-F12 keys, both in IDEs and in video games.
@@davidskidmore3442 Yep, its all about preferences, or rather habits in my case. I switched to 65% kb while looking for something that I could unplug and store away when not working, to free some space on my table, and somewhere along the way I just got used to it. Hated it at first, mostly because of the lack of arrow keys, making navigating code quite difficult, but after a while it became second nature. Shortcuts for special characters are the same for the most part, regardless of your layout. But I agree with the sentiment; I see people using ortholinear layouts, or split kb, and I just dont have any idea how people can use those. Definitely not for me lol
I wonder if the knob could be useful for precise text selection. I know u can use ur mouse, but shift and arrow key (left and right arrow to select one character left or right, and up and down for rows. For those that didn't know) is clutch and has come in handy more times than I want to admit. I wonder if the knob can be programed to do this, with a modifier key for up and down for row selection. I can see how that could be useful.
“I don’t like it, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad” now if the internet would understand this mentality more, also I appreciate Taran reaching the Discord & keyboard creator's perpective i feel like this will be the kind of keyboard I would get exclusively as a Shortcut board, if I were to get one
but its totally crap though he says it like this because linus media is a shill group and that is the worse they can say about a product so if you hear from them "I dont like it but that doesn its bad" it means its a total piece of dogshit but they have to do a good video on it because they got paid to
The one thing they never really figured out is who it’s actually for. I know who the designers spent all that marketing money trying to target, but that person really doesn’t exist. 40% keyboard users don’t usually like stuff like this, multimedia power users usually use something larger, so it seems more like this is for people who want something quirky and expensive.
@@cammobus oh yeah the ElGato StreamDeck is great @Bill Killernic I love that your definition of "paid Shill" is "Not acting like the AVGN" I mean, I don't really disagree on them wanting to keep Working relationships with companies, but still hilarious
I have the zsa moonlander, took me about 2 weeks to properly type on ortho linear and a solid month to get back to my regular typing speed. The advantages I have seen with ortho linear is just the minimal amount of travel my fingers have to do compared to traditional keyboards
Typewriter keys absolutely don't NEED to be staggered, and that's not why they are, it's because they actually are more ergonomic that way. I guess you could argue because they need the rows to be at different elevations, that's WHY being staggered makes it THAT MUCH more ergonomic. But the idea that ortholinear is some genius masterstroke is just some DEEP inside-the-box thinking. It's probably just bunch of nerds thinking that straight lines are better than curved lines. The exact issue with this 40% size is depicted perfectly in the video, people are not made from Minecraft Steveium and forcing the position just makes you need to claw at it. same is true with normal sized keyboards but less of an issue because of the wiggle room.
I have the Ergo Dox. It took 3-4 weeks to get used to split, ortho, thumb keys and layers. I cannot live without it now! Layers and programability is so nice.
@@sboinkthelegday3892 yeah linear on a single board is worse. It’s only possibly useful for some people on split boards because you can adjust the angle yourself.
40% is definitely a niche, that's for sure. I own 40% boards, but it's limited uses that it is practical. It has real limited uses for gaming, where the size would be amazing, but that's why I have a split 65% that has macro/F keys on the left and just use the left half to give more room for my mouse. I would say, just for word processing it works great and it's nice if you want to bring a mechanical keyboard with you to use with a laptop to type, but don't want a full space. All that being said, 75% is still my sweet spot. I've more or less not required a numpad for a while and if I need one, I can just use a standalone numpad (which I actually prefer because how big a full sized board takes up desk space. I still need F keys, I actually still would love a 75% with two columns of macro keys to the left as well.
I'd like to congratulate Taran on coming across far more relaxed and at ease than I think I've seen from him previously. This was a really quality and balanced review piece for a complex piece of kit.
After 30 years of keeb use (programming) I have come to love Ortholinear and rock 2 Preonic keyboards due to their layout. After so long, it did take a few weeks to get used to Ortholinear but my hands after a long session are still semi-fresh and not hurting as they would on stagger layout. Again, it's not for everyone but it CAN be learned, even after my 40+ years using them from the original IBM until today. Ortholinear is a win in my book as I don't have to go reaching across keys to get what I need. It DOES take some time. Well done LTT and Taran.
Nice to see a really objective overview of a product. Often people get so blinded by their own preference they ignore the potential for others. Excellent overview Taran!
For me (a touch-typist), it started with wanting to reclaim the space taken up by a numpad and nav cluster. I bought a Keychron K2 and spend 6 months trying to get used to the number row. The stagger made this tricky, and it got especially tricky when I tried to learn the function keys by feel. The Planck-style boards really are the answer to this type of problem. The layered keys keep everything close together, and the ortholinear layout makes it easier to find keys by feel. For numpad users it also creates an opportunity to put a numpad on a layer for quick number entry. I'm totally sold. I can do everything on this board without looking at the keys. There's an argument to be made for the Preonic keyboard instead, as it gives another row for more gaming keys, and would make a more natural fit for mapping a numpad to the keys. I like the Planck though.
We need more Taran videos. Honest review : not to the taste of the reviewer, but actually tries to show and learn about the pros and cons. Even reached to the community / creator to get more understanding about the product and the potential use cases. Very well done !
I started using a 40% planck daily about 3 years ago. I even went as far as to learn dvorak to keep muscle memory between regular qwerty boards and ortho boards separate. I prefer small boards with lots of layers now. everything I could possibly need is within 1 row, and even have some unused room for macros in the future. Was the time it took to re-learn and get back up to my normal typing speed with dvorak worth it? Probably not, but it was fun :)
"Was it worth the effort?Probably not, but it was fun!" Is exactly the kind of person keyboards lime these are made for I think, and tbh, if I was a digital creator, I'd so go for it, I love to tinker with such stuff!
Another fellow plank user here and love the layout. My hands are on the smaller side, so the lower amount of travel distance allows me to type for longer without starting to feel the fatigue i used to with regular boards. But ive used quite a good amount of keyboards in my day to day that i can switch between staggered, ortho, and alice pretty easily now.
I lived in a 300 sq ft Manhattan studio apartment for a while, and I play games with a secondary gamepad, so I needed a small keyboard. I bought the Planck EZ, a 40% ortholinear board. I can say that it definitely is hard to get used to the key layout, and it's hard to find the software layout that works for you and memorizing it. It took me probably a month to get used to ortholinear, and another two months to find the right software and memorize that. But now, two years later, I am REALLY happy that I bought it. It saves me desk space, I type faster than I ever did on a staggered board, and it's customized the way I want. I don't think I'd buy this Creator Board, but I can easily see why "the right person" would look at it and instantly know it was for them.
If they are actively coming up with new modules, which based on the numpad render, it seems like they are, this has so much potential. I’d love to see if they can come up with a way of making the base extendable based on your chosen layout without introducing flex. Maybe they could have base add-ons too. It would be amazing to see a truly modular product that can be specced as a 40% ortholinear board for one person or as a traditional full size board for someone else and be expandable over time with more modules as a person’s needs (or budget) changes
Made a BM40 about half a year ago. It took me about 2-3 weeks of typing and testing different custom layouts using QMK to get completely used to it since I use it for programming and type in english and spanish on a daily basis. I never looked back. The 40% ortholinear layout is AMAZING once you get used to it. Got a boost in wpm for both languages and it also helped a lot with my carpal tunnel issues. Getting some knobs on top of that seems like an amazing idea to me. 👌
This really appeals to me. A small keyboard that I can store multiple layers of keys on, with some dials and customizable keys. I have quite a limited amount of desk space, with some 3D space tools, a graphics tablet, midi devices and a few smaller specialized inputs, this would allow me to have everything in one device. While there aren't lots of modular sections. I could really see the value of being able to create my own little boards to expand with, although I guess that would require API access. So while it might not be for me right this second, it for sure is a step towards something that could be extremely useful for my specific use case.
I knew he would dislike it. I got mine two weeks ago and I adore it! To be fair, a guy with like 6 keyboards probably wasn't going to like something like this. But I'm glad he was more open minded than in the past.
I have to ask - why is a 40% keyboard without hot-swappable switches, that isn't even really "modular", and is WAY over-priced something that you "adore"? Genuinely curious if this keyboard is doing something for you a far cheaper board couldn't, or you just liked that it was niche and didn't care about the cost?
@@dposcuro He shouldn't have to explain, it's very clearly not that modular. Sure it's more modular than a K70 or the like but only by virtue of the K70 being non-modular. There's four bits you can move around to a very limited number of positions, big whoop
@@foodgeek320 People that have money like to buy products that cost too much and they love them because of it. Or they are just an account for the company posting botted comments. Either one is equally likely.
i've used some variety of 40% board as a daily driver for two years at this point, and I personally feel that the target demographic is more for programmers than digital artists. I love my Corne because having access to every key from home row with layer switching is incredible from a programming perspective, but when I do music production work my workflow suffers from having my modifiers split between two halves.
The thing that made me understand (and ultimately switch to an ortho, 40% board) is the line: don’t move fingers towards functions, move functions to your fingers. Once I got used to my OLKB, there’s pretty much nothing on the market to move me back.
And yet, I have the exact opposite view of Ortho... Or 40%. I love my 65%. Can't use anything smaller. Really love TKL's... And while I understand the logic of Ortho style keyboards, I find the staggered keys help me with positioning and speed, especially in total or near total darkness
Probably one of the best actual reviews I have encountered, went fully in depth and thorough use case detail, even sought out the community. "I don't like it, but that doesn't mean it's bad." Great thing to include. Would love to see more like this.
This is is nature of products for a niche, they dont have much demand so they are expensive and the enthusiasts who are into it are really insightful on how the product should be and help in its development a lot. I think taran did a good job of showing this and letting everyone know that if they find themselves in this niche they can get it and it will be a great experience.
Memorizing layers is a lot easier when you program it yourself. And you can move the function keys somewhere more accessible so your wrist doesn't turn to spaghetti. I like small form factor boards, but find split boards much more comfortable than their non-split cousins. If they ever made a split version of this board (or just made a splittable version of the alpha PCB) that would be super awesome!
That's ok taran, a lot of people don't understand us 40%ers. It takes a bit to learn, but I really like how everything is right under my fingers, I never have to move my hands, even for uncommon characters or complicated shortcuts. I recommend checking out a video from WinterNebs called something like 'my 34 key keymap (and how you can make your own)' or a video from GothamDoes called 'a guide to wierd keyboards'. Or ben vallack has his entire journey from 60% down to only 16 keys on his channel. It's worth a watch, he goes into depth on the journey many of us in this niche-in-a-niche-in-a-niche take.
Gotta love Taran reviewing stuff. Should've create a new channel called LongCircuit and have Taran reviews all the stuff. Gotta love that man's thoughts on those kind of things.
Modular means it is made of (separate) modules, not for layout customize, so the company can make any kind of modules (MOAR KNOBS), or so you can change a faulty module instead of all the keyboard.
Geez guys, I nearly forgot all about Taran. Perhaps he just hasn't had any desire to host but he is such an individual that really draws your attention when he shares his interests. Get this man an Intel Extreme Upgrade, yeah? Yeah?
I feel like the admission that the product is not for you, and that you see what's there is super powerful in a review. It would have been so easy to say "it's too hard to use, hence it's junk". Or even for a short circuit type video "Oh yeah the community says it's good". But taking the time to spell out that it's too small for you, uses modifiers vs (what you seem to prefer) a plethora of buttons, etc really lets people figure out what is good vs bad for themselves.... Good review.... If people weren't so lazy (myself included) I wish more reviews were like this.
I like every one of this guy’s videos. Call it cynical, call it picky. We need more people like this. A lot of the stuff made today is flat out inferior to things that already exist, can be had for less and/or aren’t worth the asking price.
And not $400. I think I could survive without the numpad, but anything less than 84 keys is just unusable for me. Looking at an RK84 which is about as minimal as I think I could stand.
Yeah it would be great if it was just a normal keyboard. Full size keyboard work great, any changes to them just make it worse. If anything your keyboard should be the one thing that you don't make any compromises on functionality over aesthetics.
@@davidskidmore3442 I've been using a 60% for the past year and I really only miss my arrow keys and numpad when I need to do exclesheets for Uni. It's actually not that bad as a whole to be honest.
@@profosist Surprisingly, there are no similarly modular full size keyboards on the market, at all. The keyboard community has an affinity for less functional, tenkeyless designs. The market is now overloaded with smaller, ortholinear and tenkeyless options. Full size keyboards tend to be basic models lacking any customization options. There are a few full size that now allow hotswap, but nothing further.
I doubt that it's the ortholinear layout that Taran found difficult to learn, but the (very minimal) 40 % layout. I use an ortholinear keyboard with an (almost) full layout, and it really doesn't take that long to learn. And it fixed the pain in my left hand (I was twisting my left wrist on a staggered keyboard).
Honestly one of my favorite short circuit videos. :) Thank you for the time you put into researching more about it instead of just saying something like "It's bad because I don't like it"
If you really grok layers, then there's nothing like a 40% keyboard. Because you hardly have to move your fingers to type anything. The biggest problem is you end up carrying the thing with you everywhere to avoid having to type on a "normal" layout again.
As a person who has a lot of the "SLIM" Mechanical keybaords, good to see these become more common. Since now hopefully, shortly I can find keycaps for them. CURRENTLY, I'm SOL. Khail Low profile keycaps. I mean they're super near impossible to find. SO... Glad to see more people make them.
was taran, the guy who uses like 7 keyboards at a time, really the best person to review a 40%? I guess understanding that he doesn't even remotely fit within the niche that this is targeting is a fair thing, but taran is the last person I'd have thought of for a 40% review
I understand he knows a lot about keyboards (which is probably why they picked him), but I did wonder the same thing. Nothing against Taran btw and I did enjoy this review, because I do like his personality, but it left me wondering what someone who is the target audience would think of it: did the creator indeed make the right choices?
True. I love Taran and his passion about macro-ing everything, but we all know that he clearly has his very own preference of what keyboard should work, and that's left little room to see it unbiased(and he know it that he's super niche!) I think it might be more beneficial to general viewers if they let other staffs try it and share their own opinion from various perspective.
With it being ortholinear, and fully customizeable as far as how the keys work, and with its (basically useless) modularity, I COULD see a use case for something like this for creatives who want to use it in a portrait orientation purely as a shortcut board. If you treat the whole thing basically as a macro plate and did custom key caps or something, it could prove a lot more valuable than trying to use it as a daily driver.
Taran should do more than just keyboards and marco stuff. He is more articulate than most other whole 'review' youtubers like MKBHD, UnboxTherapy and iJustine
Ortho-linear key layout is one of those things that once you get used to it, it will be hard to ever go back. Once I got used to it on my ergodox, my WPM increased noticeable, as well as and way less straining while typing. If you put in the time to learn it, I don't think you will regret it. So much more comfortable, and makes typing feel very natural and smooth.
I've known about this board for a while since I came across it on TikTok, it is an interesting product but not anything revolutionary and extremely expensive if you are looking for a macropad. Also, the creator's logic of professionals not wanting to fiddle around with switches is a bit contradictory considering this is a modular product and so users are encouraged to fiddle around with different layouts. I don't find the creators reasoning that hot-swap sockets are somehow for a younger audience focused on gaming sound, plenty of enthusiast keyboards that are just as expensive or more than his board are hot-swap compatible because it is a useful feature that saves people time not because it is a function for gamers.
I get it, cause while the accesoires are heavily specific for your workflow, switches are so subjective that if you don't hate it, you won't mind it. Althought i'd prefer a hotswappable pcb, for the folk that wants to tinker that much
I wouldn't say they're way to popular, cause like in everything in this hobby, it's a matter of prefference and tbh: TKL is probably the sweetspot for the vast majority of people, cause the only people that actually use the numpad use it a lot, so making 100% or battlestation custom mechs is just a niche that isn't that much viable cause the moment you start looking at a metal housing for a 100% you already know it's going to be expensive
@@DamianMarx its popular and you can see that in the amount of small keyboards you can get today vs how many full size are made. there is no comparison lol. everyone is making smaller than 100% right now because everyone is buying them. even people that prefer bigger is probably just settling on smaller for other reasons. i hate that the market has overproduced on smaller keyboards and largely ignored 100%
@@BrickTamlandOfficial I enjoy my numpad, but TKL or even a 60% is desirable just for the portability. So I have a TKL at home and a full size keyboard for work.
@@BrickTamlandOfficial Oh i'm not denying that, that they aren't popular. Like i said the trend came about cause the vast majority doesn't care about numpads and even to a degree the nagivation keys. But i won't say they overproduced smaller boards, cause the manufacturers found out the sweet spot of between 65% and TKL and everything that drops out of the norm is considered super niche so you need to pay up a lot if you want an ortho, split, ergo, 100%, battlestation and so on cause here comes the economics of scale cause why bother creating a line that will sell in the hundrerds and create a net loss, when somebody even more niche can do it who already has the tech. And i say that as a person who wants to get into ortholinears like the one in this vid Or alternatively you can pick-up a mechanical from the mainstream brands like logitech and razer or worse... a membrane (shudders in disgust).
@@DamianMarx what im arguing is the market was shaped by the overproduction of small keyboards. my argument is that many do want the numpad but the production of 100% is far more uncommon so people make the choice to buy what is out there, which is a flood of tiny keyboards. its a cycle.
I use an OLKB Planck, Preonic, and a custom Boardwalk keyboard daily. It took probably 2-3 months to get used to it and back to my average speed on a regular keyboard. Was it worth it? I think in the long run, yeah. VIA makes it easy to swap keys when I switch operating systems, the Planck is used as just a macropad, and the hundreds of dollars gone from my wallet have helped my posture as I cry in the corner. Jokes aside, ortholinear is cool but probably not the best move for those who have their setup dialed and have work to do always (Like Taran). If you have a lot of free time, it's fun :)
ortholinear is amazing because you can literally move keys around after the fact and just change layout in software. If I ever build my own board, it's going to be full hotswap ortholinear so I can take keys out of the grid for the space bar, shift or enter
I think people are being way too soft on this keyboard. The makers are very good at handwaving people's valid concerns and complaints away as "design choices". At the 400 dollar price point, it's feels like it's missing a handful of huge features (metal base, hotswap, otholinear vs staggered PCBs, wireless?). Reddit wasn't too nice on this board either, its appeal is too niche.
As another fan of full keyboards, I feel absolutely the same: Idea is awesome, especially love modularity and the dials. Though part of me wants to have gone with a custom keyboard, I ended up with the ROG Claymore II for that full keyboard with some degree of modularity. Wireless with the option of shedding some weight when you don't need the numpad is nice. But seeing a sorta community-funded board with nice options are awesome. I'd love to see a custom keyboard with swappable switches that could go 60% -> full on a whim and have those dials.
It looks like it'd be great for macros, triggers, basically anything except typing. But not at that price. You could get better hardware for those purposes with $400.
These types of 'cool' hipster keyboards are far too tiny for any reasonably sized adult hands. I don't know how people type, I guess a life of macbooks with chiclet keyboards have tortured everyone into stockholm-syndroming themselves into ergonomic deniers and now proper hand spacing is 'uncool'... But this stuff looks damn uncomfortable.
Ugh, it was hard to watch through the after-test comments (as it felt so forced) but as you basically alluded to: yes, a predictable setup - be it large and spacious, is all better at all times than a condensed but complex setup. (in my opinion).
Via is just a fork of QMK, which means you can use Via on any QMK keyboard if you flash Via enabled firmware. There's also Vial, which is like Via, but fully open source (the UI isn't quite as nice yet though). Also, my suggestion if you want to switch to ortholinear or split, switch to Colemak at the same time. You have to retrain anyway, might as well go all the way to get all the benefits. Consider Eukey while you're at it, it's an amazing layout. It's basically ANSI with super easy access to pretty much all special glyphs in Latin alphabets, and something I'd recommend looking into even on regular staggered QWERTY/ QWERTZ/ AZERTY keyboards.
This keyboard is way too niche, even for shortcircuit. There's a fine line between looking interesting and looking stupid. This keyboard looks stupid af.
I'm definitely not a 40% person, but I am an 87 key guy. Removing the numpad makes sense to me because I wasn't using it 99% of the time. This definitely looks like a "not for me" thing as well.
to the point about forgetting what each button does: it's a lot easier to remember if you've been tweaking the layout for a while - part of that is just learning, but there's a certain element of "I made this, so I will remember it"
Its actually nice that they now offer a mirco version with 16 keys and two dials (vertical and horizontal), thats only 130 USD. A XXL version is also annouced, where you may use the Mirco board as numpad, similar to what Taran showed. I guess the mini would be a nice start for those just sometimes creating content or starting out as myself.
“I don’t like it, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad”
This is something I think some reviewers forget about when doing things outside their normal wheelhouse
Reviewers?? I think this a sentence everyone should be muttering a lot more often!!
@@timvancolen true, very true
We need more people in this mindset in general.
but its totally crap though he says it like this because linus media is a shill group and that is the worse they can say about a product so if you hear from them "I dont like it but that doesn its bad" it means its a total piece of dogshit but they have to do a good video on it because they got paid to
@@billkillernic You know that people can have MIXED FEELINGS about stuff? One can also be indifferent. Or have mild preferences. Imagine the possibilities of nuanced conversations!
Secret Lab Chair sponsor while sitting in a different brand's chair. Oh Taran, never change.
but, he does overtly whisper "I'm gonna get that one!"
I was like "wut?". How does he even get away with it. There's no way he didn't do that on purpose.
They are not sponsoring him, they are sponsoring video
@@giselle8924 why do bots do incoherent porn ads. It’s like they never heard of grammarly or language tool. Just google translate and grammarly can fix this.
@@FaZekiller-qe3uf I don't know maybe it's to try and foul the anti spam bot
"i dont like it, but thats doesnt mean its bad"
a very simple sentences but i wish people in the internet can understand/use that statement in general properly
nah its bad
@@JUSTKOZ lol.. see you just prove my point.. i said in general.. read it properly next time ;)
Nah its just fuckin bad. But they don't get money for shitting on products.
Taran needs to make more videos, he's great.
I miss him on techquickie
Technically he is making videos constantly. Editing them. 😆
@@ToobeyAmbi lol
yes
For years, people have been saying this every time he's in a video. Unfortunately it doesn't seem like we'll ever get our wish.
It's simple. I see Taran + Keyboards, I click. I see Anthony + Retro Gaming, I click. I see Brandon + Cameras, I click.
Its Brandon! I got it, excuse my hearing.
i see dennis and any electronic, i weep like that cpu socket was weeping
With Anthony it doesn’t even have to be retro gaming.
I see riley nd tech linked i click.
Took the words right out of my mouth.
I see Madison with Linus
I really thought this would just be another "it sucks" review, but you actually gave some good thoughts on it, even if you didn't like it. It's reviews like this, that actually help people to learn about the product and decide if they want it. Nice.
its not a review. its an overview.
For Germans, there is the neodeutsch keyboard layout that is using 6 layers with different modifyer keys, so you never have to leave the 3 mid rows
if you look in to this kind of keyboard, you should really research more about the layout that people are using, really missing some depth in this video
@@kobold2376 this isn't Germany, bud. Imagine if reviewers had to take into account the intravenous of every different country on earth.
@@ZexMaxwell it's a review. The Taran short circuit videos are different than all the rest. His are actual reviews. This video has every single aspect of a review. Just because it doesn't cover every conceivable thing surrounding the keyboard, like nEoDeuTsCh, doesn't mean it's not a review.
@@littlejackalo5326 i am not demanding to look in all keyboardlayout in every country, it was just an example.
but as he is the typ of guy who is using several keyboard with different binding, he should have informed himself y people are using "small" keyboards in a productive environment and reason is that people are using keyboards with different layouts, with several layers and more then one modifier key
and in a certain extent he himself said that he did not research enough about the usecase of this keyboard, in my eyes a shame, and lalely i think there is a lot of depth missing in several LTT vids, but it's just my opinion, maybe i am wrong
Okay, best line in a review ever: "I don't like it, but that doesn't mean it's bad". Not every use case will be *your* use case. However, I love that you gave it such a deep dive and reached out to gain understanding. Well done, guys.
I fully understand the mentality of having extra buttons just for shortcuts lol, it's always easier to have direct access to what you want to achieve since your brain doesn't need to go from an idea to a short cut to an execution. I really appreciate Taran showing his macro pad(s) too, it's eye opening to see how many buttons a person can have while still maintaining graphical memory of which button does what while I'm still stuck on 104 keys
I just wish I had the amount of Desk Space that Taran has. :P
the idea is either convenience or to save time. if you have a complicated macro to run with 1 click.
As for saving time, at first it will be abit slower to remember the shortcut and lets not forget the time you need to spend to program that shortcut, but if you use the shortcut a few times you'll remember them. just like you remember where all the keys are on a keyboard
Been using a stream deck for shortcuts for a few months already, and it's a blast... I'm not even a streamer or something like that, but was one of the best investments ever...
I removed all the shortcuts on my desktop and organized them in the stream deck. Also, all my common programs I use have their own profile.
Taran also made multiple videos about his setup a few years back, and he has a full tutorial on his channel for setting it up
Every time I see one of these videos I think "Oh hey, that'd be a neat thing to have. What is it $100? $150?"
And every time it's 2x-3x what I'd expect.
custom keyboards be like that. Some custom keyboards are 2000$+
Exactly. At first I was like "oh that looks nice, I bet it's way overpriced and $300" - checks website, and.. it's $400, because of course
Even for 100 bucks it would be a pricey thing to have.
@@Lawkodi That's because people are stupid enough to pay 200+ bucks on plastic keycaps.
Or 6k on a case.
Like sure it's nice, but if a bigger company (like gmmk or something) actually puts effort in a good built keyboard, then keyboards over lets say 500bucks become obsolete.
If we look at the gmmk pro, it's not a perfect board. But look at what you can get out of the box for 200 bucks (and even that is overpriced because of the hype). Imagine they just put abit more effort in their case design.
@@Lawkodi Like I bought a solid chunk of a metal case for 35 bucks, they don't have to be expensive. The only reason my keyboard is over 100 bucks is because I wanted the iso layout, and you can't get a resonably priced presoldered hotswap iso pcb, and the correct iso keycaps so easily.
I can't stand 40%, minimum I can do is 60%. Good review by Taran, he always gives good reviews. Very insightful and analytical while being completely fair.
Taran always knows how to be honest and cut the thru the hype, appreciate reviews like this
Glad to see Taran again!
Amazing review!!! Love to see Taran and keyboards together.
I'm a software dev, so I dont really need nor like 100% keyboards, as they take to much space, and I would rather use fn keys and multiple layers to access all functions without having to move away from the main rows, so this keyboard would be great for my use case.
Also, those dials would be for looks mostly, as the only use for me would be to control volume or some other simple things like that.
Also, the idea of a "Secondary keyboard" sound otherworldly for me.
I'm also a software dev, but I fall much more on Taran's side. I have no idea how people deal with constantly switching layers rather than just moving to a different key. I don't think I could ever go to anything less than an 84-key; and I do in fact use the 10-key on my 104; sometimes even using the numpad 'Enter' with my thumb while my hand is on the mouse.
That said, also like Taran, if you want to Always Be Chording, that's you, and you do you. I'm not gonna judge. I just don't think it's for me. I need my number row and F1-F12 keys, both in IDEs and in video games.
@@davidskidmore3442 Yep, its all about preferences, or rather habits in my case. I switched to 65% kb while looking for something that I could unplug and store away when not working, to free some space on my table, and somewhere along the way I just got used to it. Hated it at first, mostly because of the lack of arrow keys, making navigating code quite difficult, but after a while it became second nature. Shortcuts for special characters are the same for the most part, regardless of your layout. But I agree with the sentiment; I see people using ortholinear layouts, or split kb, and I just dont have any idea how people can use those. Definitely not for me lol
Check out the zsa planck keyboard. I'm also a developer and I love having all the keys I need closer together
I now use a zsa moonlander but I mapped all the keys to the planck keyboard layout because I loved it so much
I wonder if the knob could be useful for precise text selection. I know u can use ur mouse, but shift and arrow key (left and right arrow to select one character left or right, and up and down for rows. For those that didn't know) is clutch and has come in handy more times than I want to admit. I wonder if the knob can be programed to do this, with a modifier key for up and down for row selection. I can see how that could be useful.
“I don’t like it, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad” now if the internet would understand this mentality more, also I appreciate Taran reaching the Discord & keyboard creator's perpective
i feel like this will be the kind of keyboard I would get exclusively as a Shortcut board, if I were to get one
A Stream Deck is cheaper
but its totally crap though he says it like this because linus media is a shill group and that is the worse they can say about a product so if you hear from them "I dont like it but that doesn its bad" it means its a total piece of dogshit but they have to do a good video on it because they got paid to
The one thing they never really figured out is who it’s actually for. I know who the designers spent all that marketing money trying to target, but that person really doesn’t exist. 40% keyboard users don’t usually like stuff like this, multimedia power users usually use something larger, so it seems more like this is for people who want something quirky and expensive.
@@skraegorn7317 yeah i was suspecting as much...
@@cammobus oh yeah the ElGato StreamDeck is great
@Bill Killernic I love that your definition of "paid Shill" is "Not acting like the AVGN" I mean, I don't really disagree on them wanting to keep Working relationships with companies, but still hilarious
doing a sponsor read for a chair while sitting on a chair from a different company... only lmg can pull this off
Here mate, have a reply from a person who isn't a bot. You deserve it.
Ive reporting bot spam for the last 5 mins under this video alone, wtf is going on
but he did say he's gonna get that one
I never realised that undo/redo could make so much sense on a dial
Company: adds macro keys to keyboard
Taran: Is for me ? 👉👈
They are about to release a full layout keyboard! Would definitely love to see a review of that also
I have the zsa moonlander, took me about 2 weeks to properly type on ortho linear and a solid month to get back to my regular typing speed. The advantages I have seen with ortho linear is just the minimal amount of travel my fingers have to do compared to traditional keyboards
Yeah I have moonlander. I love it. The thumb clusters make a lot of difference.
Typewriter keys absolutely don't NEED to be staggered, and that's not why they are, it's because they actually are more ergonomic that way. I guess you could argue because they need the rows to be at different elevations, that's WHY being staggered makes it THAT MUCH more ergonomic. But the idea that ortholinear is some genius masterstroke is just some DEEP inside-the-box thinking. It's probably just bunch of nerds thinking that straight lines are better than curved lines. The exact issue with this 40% size is depicted perfectly in the video, people are not made from Minecraft Steveium and forcing the position just makes you need to claw at it. same is true with normal sized keyboards but less of an issue because of the wiggle room.
@@mattcargile the thumb clusters are game changers, plus I like the fact I can remove the right side so that I have more room for my mouse when I game
I have the Ergo Dox. It took 3-4 weeks to get used to split, ortho, thumb keys and layers. I cannot live without it now! Layers and programability is so nice.
@@sboinkthelegday3892 yeah linear on a single board is worse. It’s only possibly useful for some people on split boards because you can adjust the angle yourself.
40% is definitely a niche, that's for sure. I own 40% boards, but it's limited uses that it is practical. It has real limited uses for gaming, where the size would be amazing, but that's why I have a split 65% that has macro/F keys on the left and just use the left half to give more room for my mouse. I would say, just for word processing it works great and it's nice if you want to bring a mechanical keyboard with you to use with a laptop to type, but don't want a full space.
All that being said, 75% is still my sweet spot. I've more or less not required a numpad for a while and if I need one, I can just use a standalone numpad (which I actually prefer because how big a full sized board takes up desk space. I still need F keys, I actually still would love a 75% with two columns of macro keys to the left as well.
I'd like to congratulate Taran on coming across far more relaxed and at ease than I think I've seen from him previously. This was a really quality and balanced review piece for a complex piece of kit.
After 30 years of keeb use (programming) I have come to love Ortholinear and rock 2 Preonic keyboards due to their layout. After so long, it did take a few weeks to get used to Ortholinear but my hands after a long session are still semi-fresh and not hurting as they would on stagger layout. Again, it's not for everyone but it CAN be learned, even after my 40+ years using them from the original IBM until today. Ortholinear is a win in my book as I don't have to go reaching across keys to get what I need. It DOES take some time. Well done LTT and Taran.
Nice to see a really objective overview of a product. Often people get so blinded by their own preference they ignore the potential for others.
Excellent overview Taran!
For me (a touch-typist), it started with wanting to reclaim the space taken up by a numpad and nav cluster. I bought a Keychron K2 and spend 6 months trying to get used to the number row. The stagger made this tricky, and it got especially tricky when I tried to learn the function keys by feel. The Planck-style boards really are the answer to this type of problem. The layered keys keep everything close together, and the ortholinear layout makes it easier to find keys by feel. For numpad users it also creates an opportunity to put a numpad on a layer for quick number entry. I'm totally sold. I can do everything on this board without looking at the keys.
There's an argument to be made for the Preonic keyboard instead, as it gives another row for more gaming keys, and would make a more natural fit for mapping a numpad to the keys. I like the Planck though.
We need more Taran videos. Honest review : not to the taste of the reviewer, but actually tries to show and learn about the pros and cons. Even reached to the community / creator to get more understanding about the product and the potential use cases. Very well done !
been using this board for a couple months. video editing and after effects. i was 50/50 on it at first. absolutely love it now.
FINALLY! Another Taran Video!
I started using a 40% planck daily about 3 years ago. I even went as far as to learn dvorak to keep muscle memory between regular qwerty boards and ortho boards separate. I prefer small boards with lots of layers now. everything I could possibly need is within 1 row, and even have some unused room for macros in the future. Was the time it took to re-learn and get back up to my normal typing speed with dvorak worth it? Probably not, but it was fun :)
"Was it worth the effort?Probably not, but it was fun!" Is exactly the kind of person keyboards lime these are made for I think, and tbh, if I was a digital creator, I'd so go for it, I love to tinker with such stuff!
fellow planck user here! i agree; have a hard time going back to standard layouts
Wow two different p o r n spam bots on one post.
Another fellow plank user here and love the layout. My hands are on the smaller side, so the lower amount of travel distance allows me to type for longer without starting to feel the fatigue i used to with regular boards. But ive used quite a good amount of keyboards in my day to day that i can switch between staggered, ortho, and alice pretty easily now.
Also a fellow Planck user and I fully agree. Small keyboards with layers is most defiantly my preference.
as always, Taran seems very passionate about the subject that he goes over the whole ShortCircuit idea. Nice to see every so often
I lived in a 300 sq ft Manhattan studio apartment for a while, and I play games with a secondary gamepad, so I needed a small keyboard. I bought the Planck EZ, a 40% ortholinear board. I can say that it definitely is hard to get used to the key layout, and it's hard to find the software layout that works for you and memorizing it. It took me probably a month to get used to ortholinear, and another two months to find the right software and memorize that. But now, two years later, I am REALLY happy that I bought it. It saves me desk space, I type faster than I ever did on a staggered board, and it's customized the way I want. I don't think I'd buy this Creator Board, but I can easily see why "the right person" would look at it and instantly know it was for them.
If they are actively coming up with new modules, which based on the numpad render, it seems like they are, this has so much potential. I’d love to see if they can come up with a way of making the base extendable based on your chosen layout without introducing flex. Maybe they could have base add-ons too. It would be amazing to see a truly modular product that can be specced as a 40% ortholinear board for one person or as a traditional full size board for someone else and be expandable over time with more modules as a person’s needs (or budget) changes
Made a BM40 about half a year ago. It took me about 2-3 weeks of typing and testing different custom layouts using QMK to get completely used to it since I use it for programming and type in english and spanish on a daily basis. I never looked back. The 40% ortholinear layout is AMAZING once you get used to it. Got a boost in wpm for both languages and it also helped a lot with my carpal tunnel issues. Getting some knobs on top of that seems like an amazing idea to me. 👌
the macro king is here
This really appeals to me. A small keyboard that I can store multiple layers of keys on, with some dials and customizable keys. I have quite a limited amount of desk space, with some 3D space tools, a graphics tablet, midi devices and a few smaller specialized inputs, this would allow me to have everything in one device. While there aren't lots of modular sections. I could really see the value of being able to create my own little boards to expand with, although I guess that would require API access. So while it might not be for me right this second, it for sure is a step towards something that could be extremely useful for my specific use case.
I knew he would dislike it. I got mine two weeks ago and I adore it! To be fair, a guy with like 6 keyboards probably wasn't going to like something like this. But I'm glad he was more open minded than in the past.
I have to ask - why is a 40% keyboard without hot-swappable switches, that isn't even really "modular", and is WAY over-priced something that you "adore"? Genuinely curious if this keyboard is doing something for you a far cheaper board couldn't, or you just liked that it was niche and didn't care about the cost?
@@foodgeek320 Genuine question: How would you make it more modular?
@@dposcuro He shouldn't have to explain, it's very clearly not that modular. Sure it's more modular than a K70 or the like but only by virtue of the K70 being non-modular. There's four bits you can move around to a very limited number of positions, big whoop
@@foodgeek320 People that have money like to buy products that cost too much and they love them because of it. Or they are just an account for the company posting botted comments. Either one is equally likely.
This keyboard feels a gateway drug.
i've used some variety of 40% board as a daily driver for two years at this point, and I personally feel that the target demographic is more for programmers than digital artists. I love my Corne because having access to every key from home row with layer switching is incredible from a programming perspective, but when I do music production work my workflow suffers from having my modifiers split between two halves.
The thing that made me understand (and ultimately switch to an ortho, 40% board) is the line: don’t move fingers towards functions, move functions to your fingers. Once I got used to my OLKB, there’s pretty much nothing on the market to move me back.
Hm, never think about keyboard like that before, it kinda make sense. Sold!
And yet, I have the exact opposite view of Ortho... Or 40%. I love my 65%. Can't use anything smaller. Really love TKL's... And while I understand the logic of Ortho style keyboards, I find the staggered keys help me with positioning and speed, especially in total or near total darkness
it looks like a test bench and I love it for that alone
Probably one of the best actual reviews I have encountered, went fully in depth and thorough use case detail, even sought out the community. "I don't like it, but that doesn't mean it's bad." Great thing to include. Would love to see more like this.
This was an excellent review - somehow different from normal LMG stuff. I loved the 2 weeks later recap. More of this please!
given the macro videos, "I prefer full keyboards" is an understatement
More Taren content please, he’s both awkward and authentic - just like me!
This is is nature of products for a niche, they dont have much demand so they are expensive and the enthusiasts who are into it are really insightful on how the product should be and help in its development a lot. I think taran did a good job of showing this and letting everyone know that if they find themselves in this niche they can get it and it will be a great experience.
i will watch anything with Taran in it, even the ads
glad to see an enthusiast keyboard product not being instantly bashed by the comments because it's different.
Memorizing layers is a lot easier when you program it yourself. And you can move the function keys somewhere more accessible so your wrist doesn't turn to spaghetti. I like small form factor boards, but find split boards much more comfortable than their non-split cousins. If they ever made a split version of this board (or just made a splittable version of the alpha PCB) that would be super awesome!
That's ok taran, a lot of people don't understand us 40%ers. It takes a bit to learn, but I really like how everything is right under my fingers, I never have to move my hands, even for uncommon characters or complicated shortcuts.
I recommend checking out a video from WinterNebs called something like 'my 34 key keymap (and how you can make your own)' or a video from GothamDoes called 'a guide to wierd keyboards'. Or ben vallack has his entire journey from 60% down to only 16 keys on his channel. It's worth a watch, he goes into depth on the journey many of us in this niche-in-a-niche-in-a-niche take.
I would support LTT opening a new channel entirely dedicated to Taran reviewing input devices.
Gotta love Taran reviewing stuff. Should've create a new channel called LongCircuit and have Taran reviews all the stuff. Gotta love that man's thoughts on those kind of things.
This is more suited as a application shortcut keyboard than a typing keyboard
Modular means it is made of (separate) modules, not for layout customize, so the company can make any kind of modules (MOAR KNOBS), or so you can change a faulty module instead of all the keyboard.
This is so fair, and much more thorough than I expect from an unboxing channel.
That's because it's a Taran video who does what he wants
Ortholinear seems INCREDIBLY niche
I prefer TKL keybs. This looks cool tho
Geez guys, I nearly forgot all about Taran. Perhaps he just hasn't had any desire to host but he is such an individual that really draws your attention when he shares his interests.
Get this man an Intel Extreme Upgrade, yeah? Yeah?
Daaaaaamn. I usually don't like how Taran review things, but this one slaps hard. AMAZING review.
I feel like the admission that the product is not for you, and that you see what's there is super powerful in a review. It would have been so easy to say "it's too hard to use, hence it's junk". Or even for a short circuit type video "Oh yeah the community says it's good". But taking the time to spell out that it's too small for you, uses modifiers vs (what you seem to prefer) a plethora of buttons, etc really lets people figure out what is good vs bad for themselves.... Good review.... If people weren't so lazy (myself included) I wish more reviews were like this.
keyboards are the most personal preference thing. you should always go and try it before you buy it
too bad you can't find enthusiast keyboards in person, they all come from online shops mostly in china
@@axmoylotl well you can buy switch testers to see if you like the switches but apart from that yeah you can't do much
@@solace1x exactly what i did. They are so overpriced though, but that's just how hobbyist stuff is
@@axmoylotl yeah it doesn't take long before you go down the rabbit whole of spending way to much money than you initially thought you would
I like every one of this guy’s videos. Call it cynical, call it picky. We need more people like this. A lot of the stuff made today is flat out inferior to things that already exist, can be had for less and/or aren’t worth the asking price.
Would be interested if it were full sized, with standard key spacing, a numpad, function keys. And hotswap.
And not $400. I think I could survive without the numpad, but anything less than 84 keys is just unusable for me. Looking at an RK84 which is about as minimal as I think I could stand.
Yeah it would be great if it was just a normal keyboard. Full size keyboard work great, any changes to them just make it worse. If anything your keyboard should be the one thing that you don't make any compromises on functionality over aesthetics.
@@davidskidmore3442 I've been using a 60% for the past year and I really only miss my arrow keys and numpad when I need to do exclesheets for Uni. It's actually not that bad as a whole to be honest.
You literally describing a completely different product, one that someone else likely already offers.
@@profosist Surprisingly, there are no similarly modular full size keyboards on the market, at all. The keyboard community has an affinity for less functional, tenkeyless designs. The market is now overloaded with smaller, ortholinear and tenkeyless options. Full size keyboards tend to be basic models lacking any customization options. There are a few full size that now allow hotswap, but nothing further.
Honestly probably the short circuit that took the most time/work.... and I appreciate that, thank you!
Taran, you always put in so much thought and effort. I love your videos man!!!
I doubt that it's the ortholinear layout that Taran found difficult to learn, but the (very minimal) 40 % layout.
I use an ortholinear keyboard with an (almost) full layout, and it really doesn't take that long to learn. And it fixed the pain in my left hand (I was twisting my left wrist on a staggered keyboard).
Check out cheese turbulence's review for this product
Oh man. The pre-scrollwheel days. Haven't really thought about it. That DID suck. lol
Taran, you know you can use VIA for your hasu controller right? But you need to do some code to make it compatible
Honestly one of my favorite short circuit videos. :) Thank you for the time you put into researching more about it instead of just saying something like "It's bad because I don't like it"
i'll never understand 40% keyboards. 60% was already pushing it
If you really grok layers, then there's nothing like a 40% keyboard. Because you hardly have to move your fingers to type anything. The biggest problem is you end up carrying the thing with you everywhere to avoid having to type on a "normal" layout again.
As a person who has a lot of the "SLIM" Mechanical keybaords, good to see these become more common. Since now hopefully, shortly I can find keycaps for them. CURRENTLY, I'm SOL. Khail Low profile keycaps. I mean they're super near impossible to find. SO... Glad to see more people make them.
was taran, the guy who uses like 7 keyboards at a time, really the best person to review a 40%? I guess understanding that he doesn't even remotely fit within the niche that this is targeting is a fair thing, but taran is the last person I'd have thought of for a 40% review
I understand he knows a lot about keyboards (which is probably why they picked him), but I did wonder the same thing.
Nothing against Taran btw and I did enjoy this review, because I do like his personality, but it left me wondering what someone who is the target audience would think of it: did the creator indeed make the right choices?
True. I love Taran and his passion about macro-ing everything, but we all know that he clearly has his very own preference of what keyboard should work, and that's left little room to see it unbiased(and he know it that he's super niche!) I think it might be more beneficial to general viewers if they let other staffs try it and share their own opinion from various perspective.
@@teekatas Taran might be a niche use case but so is this keyboard. I doubt LMG have anyone on the team who would like this.
With it being ortholinear, and fully customizeable as far as how the keys work, and with its (basically useless) modularity, I COULD see a use case for something like this for creatives who want to use it in a portrait orientation purely as a shortcut board. If you treat the whole thing basically as a macro plate and did custom key caps or something, it could prove a lot more valuable than trying to use it as a daily driver.
$400 is pretty damn expensive for a macro pad though.
@@oliverer3 Agreed, it's STILL to expensive. Just saying it could be a use case.
@@guerillagrueplays6301 Fair Fair
“Not the sports guy” 😂
Taran should do more than just keyboards and marco stuff. He is more articulate than most other whole 'review' youtubers like MKBHD, UnboxTherapy and iJustine
Love mechanical keyboards, but this is definitely not for me. Happy and excited for the ones who are buying this though, looks really nice!
Ortho-linear key layout is one of those things that once you get used to it, it will be hard to ever go back. Once I got used to it on my ergodox, my WPM increased noticeable, as well as and way less straining while typing. If you put in the time to learn it, I don't think you will regret it. So much more comfortable, and makes typing feel very natural and smooth.
I've known about this board for a while since I came across it on TikTok, it is an interesting product but not anything revolutionary and extremely expensive if you are looking for a macropad. Also, the creator's logic of professionals not wanting to fiddle around with switches is a bit contradictory considering this is a modular product and so users are encouraged to fiddle around with different layouts. I don't find the creators reasoning that hot-swap sockets are somehow for a younger audience focused on gaming sound, plenty of enthusiast keyboards that are just as expensive or more than his board are hot-swap compatible because it is a useful feature that saves people time not because it is a function for gamers.
I get it, cause while the accesoires are heavily specific for your workflow, switches are so subjective that if you don't hate it, you won't mind it. Althought i'd prefer a hotswappable pcb, for the folk that wants to tinker that much
Yay! Taran is back! I always find your honesty refreshing. Good video
i like this guy and i hope he is back to review some 100% size keyboards in the future because i hate tiny keyboards and they are way too popular.
I wouldn't say they're way to popular, cause like in everything in this hobby, it's a matter of prefference and tbh: TKL is probably the sweetspot for the vast majority of people, cause the only people that actually use the numpad use it a lot, so making 100% or battlestation custom mechs is just a niche that isn't that much viable cause the moment you start looking at a metal housing for a 100% you already know it's going to be expensive
@@DamianMarx its popular and you can see that in the amount of small keyboards you can get today vs how many full size are made. there is no comparison lol. everyone is making smaller than 100% right now because everyone is buying them. even people that prefer bigger is probably just settling on smaller for other reasons. i hate that the market has overproduced on smaller keyboards and largely ignored 100%
@@BrickTamlandOfficial I enjoy my numpad, but TKL or even a 60% is desirable just for the portability. So I have a TKL at home and a full size keyboard for work.
@@BrickTamlandOfficial Oh i'm not denying that, that they aren't popular. Like i said the trend came about cause the vast majority doesn't care about numpads and even to a degree the nagivation keys. But i won't say they overproduced smaller boards, cause the manufacturers found out the sweet spot of between 65% and TKL and everything that drops out of the norm is considered super niche so you need to pay up a lot if you want an ortho, split, ergo, 100%, battlestation and so on cause here comes the economics of scale cause why bother creating a line that will sell in the hundrerds and create a net loss, when somebody even more niche can do it who already has the tech. And i say that as a person who wants to get into ortholinears like the one in this vid
Or alternatively you can pick-up a mechanical from the mainstream brands like logitech and razer or worse... a membrane (shudders in disgust).
@@DamianMarx what im arguing is the market was shaped by the overproduction of small keyboards. my argument is that many do want the numpad but the production of 100% is far more uncommon so people make the choice to buy what is out there, which is a flood of tiny keyboards. its a cycle.
I missed Taran, glad to see him in a video again.
Well i thought that really god sent for taran. Because of the layout is perfect for shortcut
I use an OLKB Planck, Preonic, and a custom Boardwalk keyboard daily. It took probably 2-3 months to get used to it and back to my average speed on a regular keyboard. Was it worth it? I think in the long run, yeah. VIA makes it easy to swap keys when I switch operating systems, the Planck is used as just a macropad, and the hundreds of dollars gone from my wallet have helped my posture as I cry in the corner. Jokes aside, ortholinear is cool but probably not the best move for those who have their setup dialed and have work to do always (Like Taran). If you have a lot of free time, it's fun :)
Best advertisment for secretlab when your a sitting in a maxnomic chair.
ortholinear is amazing because you can literally move keys around after the fact and just change layout in software. If I ever build my own board, it's going to be full hotswap ortholinear so I can take keys out of the grid for the space bar, shift or enter
Ugly, expensive, way too small/too few keys and difficult to use for normies - /r/mechanicalkeyboards will love this
Ok I don’t know if I would say ugly…
I think people are being way too soft on this keyboard. The makers are very good at handwaving people's valid concerns and complaints away as "design choices". At the 400 dollar price point, it's feels like it's missing a handful of huge features (metal base, hotswap, otholinear vs staggered PCBs, wireless?). Reddit wasn't too nice on this board either, its appeal is too niche.
As another fan of full keyboards, I feel absolutely the same: Idea is awesome, especially love modularity and the dials. Though part of me wants to have gone with a custom keyboard, I ended up with the ROG Claymore II for that full keyboard with some degree of modularity.
Wireless with the option of shedding some weight when you don't need the numpad is nice.
But seeing a sorta community-funded board with nice options are awesome. I'd love to see a custom keyboard with swappable switches that could go 60% -> full on a whim and have those dials.
It looks like it'd be great for macros, triggers, basically anything except typing. But not at that price. You could get better hardware for those purposes with $400.
the Elgato Streamdeck is $199 Canadian...so even cheaper in USD.
Feels like it's been ages since we've seen Taran on camera, good to see him back.
These types of 'cool' hipster keyboards are far too tiny for any reasonably sized adult hands.
I don't know how people type, I guess a life of macbooks with chiclet keyboards have tortured everyone into stockholm-syndroming themselves into ergonomic deniers and now proper hand spacing is 'uncool'... But this stuff looks damn uncomfortable.
Plus asking for $400, while their design is basically "here is a pcb, an acrylic and some keys" is nuts.
Loving the keyboard content!
Ugh, it was hard to watch through the after-test comments (as it felt so forced) but as you basically alluded to: yes, a predictable setup - be it large and spacious, is all better at all times than a condensed but complex setup. (in my opinion).
Via is just a fork of QMK, which means you can use Via on any QMK keyboard if you flash Via enabled firmware. There's also Vial, which is like Via, but fully open source (the UI isn't quite as nice yet though). Also, my suggestion if you want to switch to ortholinear or split, switch to Colemak at the same time. You have to retrain anyway, might as well go all the way to get all the benefits. Consider Eukey while you're at it, it's an amazing layout. It's basically ANSI with super easy access to pretty much all special glyphs in Latin alphabets, and something I'd recommend looking into even on regular staggered QWERTY/ QWERTZ/ AZERTY keyboards.
This keyboard is way too niche, even for shortcircuit. There's a fine line between looking interesting and looking stupid. This keyboard looks stupid af.
Classic case of 'well designed, but who is it for exaaaactly?'.
Good to see you again Taran, it's been a while!
Love Taran videos! Hope we see more in future.
I'm definitely not a 40% person, but I am an 87 key guy. Removing the numpad makes sense to me because I wasn't using it 99% of the time. This definitely looks like a "not for me" thing as well.
Best most natural review ever. I love the keeb but I also love the review.
I'm so glad Tom Green reviews keyboards.
Just messing around, love you guys and all that you do
to the point about forgetting what each button does: it's a lot easier to remember if you've been tweaking the layout for a while - part of that is just learning, but there's a certain element of "I made this, so I will remember it"
Its actually nice that they now offer a mirco version with 16 keys and two dials (vertical and horizontal), thats only 130 USD. A XXL version is also annouced, where you may use the Mirco board as numpad, similar to what Taran showed. I guess the mini would be a nice start for those just sometimes creating content or starting out as myself.