6 ms·

I'm very happy with my Glove80. I started with a prototype 3D printed model last year: the creators are friends of mine, and I wrote the LED status display cod

I'm very happy with my Glove80. I started with a prototype 3D printed model last year: the creators are friends of mine, and I wrote the LED status display code for them. I also dropped the prototype down a flight of concrete stairs (sorry! It still works though). I now have a production model with the white clicky keyswitches. Ultra happy with it. I've been using Kinesis Advantage2s for a shade over two decades - the same model DanielDK used for a long time. The Glove80 is simply better. I prefer the clicky keyswitches. Ergonomics are great. It's really repairable - everything is held together with screws (spare parts for my Advantage2s are not available, and the function keys are not repairable). Open firmware so you can make it do wacky stuff if the need arises. Small and light enough for travel - I should get a proper case but it's survived a fair few trips stuffed into my backpack. Yeah, adaptation to new keyboard layouts is hard. I used a layout that mimicked my old Advantage2 - so I'd paid the cost to learn columnar already. I found the default Glove80 layout was better, but switching meant a month of confusing Ctrl and Shift. All better now!

wakeupcall 3y ago
As a general question to anybody that used the Kinesis Advantage and switched to the Glove80: how's the thumb cluster? The double-length keys for bk/delete/enter/space allows a lot of vertical travel freedom on the hand. Instead of flexing the fingers I can just move the whole hand down and hit the lower row _very_ comfortably while not having to worry about the thumb at all. I've mocked a few pieces of paper to advantage with the shape of the glove80 cluster and I really can't decide if that's good or bad. While the inner thumb keys of the advantage are pretty far from the key wells, the most important modifiers are all closer compared to the glove80. Trying it on the mockup, the glove80 cluster placement forces my hand on a higher position and requires the thumb to stretch more. I've been looking at the advantage 360 and I don't like the complete removal of the Fn row, while at the same time I also hate the old Fn keys on the advantage. The glove80 layout is really nice, but I find the thumb cluster of the advantage to be pretty darn good.
- nprateem 3y ago
  I find the bottom row easy to hit but find the top rows are awkwardly placed. I've got round this by using the top row as toggles for the momentary layers on the bottom row keys, so it's fine. I wouldn't want to press them as part of normal typing personally.
- schengnz 3y ago
  Due to the 3D nature, it is very hard to mock up with a few pieces of paper. One thing to note is that the Glove80 thumb cluster plane is at a very different location and angle, compared to the the Kinesis Advantage thumb cluster plane. In fact the Glove80 thumb cluster plane is much lower and slant down gently (nowhere as much as DM) towards the opposite half. OTOH the KA thumb cluster sits significantly higher than the keywell. Due to the thumb plane difference, "the glove80 cluster placement forces my hand on a higher position and requires the thumb to stretch more" is not the case in reality for me.
  - wahnfrieden 3y ago
    The thumb cluster on Advantage is simply too high. Glove80 solved it.
  - wakeupcall 3y ago
    I would definitely reposition the thumb cluster on the KA to be slightly lower (no more than 1cm lower really), however I didn't find this to be a problem for me. I rest my hands with the pinky/thumb at about 15' (that is, the hand is is not with the palm flat but at about 45" compared to the keyboard). If I extend pinky and thumb, they're naturally on the same plane. If I could tent the halves though that 1cm of difference would be nice. On the kinesis I can hit comfortably ctrl+alt + "=" (and pretty much any other key on either half) with thumb+pinky, on both halves. Holding shift is also entirely possible with pinky or ring, even in combination with ctrl/alt/ctrl+alt and while typing with the remaining 3 fingers. Seems a stupid thing to do when written, and maybe it is, but hey .. emacs, and I'm doing it with ease actually. I normally chord the modifiers with one hand and type with the other, but if there's a weird combination I'll just do it with a single hand too. I could definitely 3d-print an entire glove80 mock if I found a model. For a long time I've been pondering about just 3d-printing a modified dacytl to fit my own preferences, but it's one of those things I wish to just pay for, have some QC without wasting time, and be done.
just_testing 3y ago
You're using silent clicky switches? What's the activation force? (I have an Ergodox EZ and love it)
- dinvlad 3y ago
  Those are white clickies, the loudest of all I think: https://www.moergo.com/pages/glove80-key-switches https://www.moergo.com/pages/glove80-key-switches

wakeupcall 3y ago

As a general question to anybody that used the Kinesis Advantage and switched to the Glove80: how's the thumb cluster? The double-length keys for bk/delete/enter/space allows a lot of vertical travel freedom on the hand. Instead of flexing the fingers I can just move the whole hand down and hit the lower row _very_ comfortably while not having to worry about the thumb at all. I've mocked a few pieces of paper to advantage with the shape of the glove80 cluster and I really can't decide if that's good or bad. While the inner thumb keys of the advantage are pretty far from the key wells, the most important modifiers are all closer compared to the glove80. Trying it on the mockup, the glove80 cluster placement forces my hand on a higher position and requires the thumb to stretch more. I've been looking at the advantage 360 and I don't like the complete removal of the Fn row, while at the same time I also hate the old Fn keys on the advantage. The glove80 layout is really nice, but I find the thumb cluster of the advantage to be pretty darn good.

nprateem 3y ago
I find the bottom row easy to hit but find the top rows are awkwardly placed. I've got round this by using the top row as toggles for the momentary layers on the bottom row keys, so it's fine. I wouldn't want to press them as part of normal typing personally.
schengnz 3y ago
Due to the 3D nature, it is very hard to mock up with a few pieces of paper. One thing to note is that the Glove80 thumb cluster plane is at a very different location and angle, compared to the the Kinesis Advantage thumb cluster plane. In fact the Glove80 thumb cluster plane is much lower and slant down gently (nowhere as much as DM) towards the opposite half. OTOH the KA thumb cluster sits significantly higher than the keywell. Due to the thumb plane difference, "the glove80 cluster placement forces my hand on a higher position and requires the thumb to stretch more" is not the case in reality for me.
- wahnfrieden 3y ago
  The thumb cluster on Advantage is simply too high. Glove80 solved it.
- wakeupcall 3y ago
  I would definitely reposition the thumb cluster on the KA to be slightly lower (no more than 1cm lower really), however I didn't find this to be a problem for me. I rest my hands with the pinky/thumb at about 15' (that is, the hand is is not with the palm flat but at about 45" compared to the keyboard). If I extend pinky and thumb, they're naturally on the same plane. If I could tent the halves though that 1cm of difference would be nice. On the kinesis I can hit comfortably ctrl+alt + "=" (and pretty much any other key on either half) with thumb+pinky, on both halves. Holding shift is also entirely possible with pinky or ring, even in combination with ctrl/alt/ctrl+alt and while typing with the remaining 3 fingers. Seems a stupid thing to do when written, and maybe it is, but hey .. emacs, and I'm doing it with ease actually. I normally chord the modifiers with one hand and type with the other, but if there's a weird combination I'll just do it with a single hand too. I could definitely 3d-print an entire glove80 mock if I found a model. For a long time I've been pondering about just 3d-printing a modified dacytl to fit my own preferences, but it's one of those things I wish to just pay for, have some QC without wasting time, and be done.

just_testing 3y ago

You're using silent clicky switches? What's the activation force? (I have an Ergodox EZ and love it)

dinvlad 3y ago
Those are white clickies, the loudest of all I think: https://www.moergo.com/pages/glove80-key-switches https://www.moergo.com/pages/glove80-key-switches