I wrote a blog post a little ways back on the different ergo keyboards I was looking at. At the time I wasn’t really sure what I wanted. There are a lot of options and despite being a fairly niche product.
Without dragging this out too much I just kept coming back to ZSA. From their site to user reviews, you can really tell the quality is there in their products.
In the end I decided to go with the Voyager. I’ll lay out the major points on how I got there and some first impressions. This really won’t be an exhaustive review. There are some great ones already and I’ll link to them at the bottom of the page.
PORTABILITY
I knew there would be a fair amount of rewiring in my brain to switch to an ergo keyboard. That actually hasn’t been to big of an issue. With that said though I didn’t want to have to switch between the Voyager and standard keyboards. So portability is a a pretty important aspect for me.
Also, I travel a little for work and sometimes for personal reasons. The Voyager is definitely designed with mobility in mind. It is ZSA’s product with the smallest form factor and comes with a few different length cables, magnetic feet, and a nice carrying case.
The more I thought about this the more I realized how important it would be to me and my situation.
NUMBER OF KEYS
I’ve invested a lot of time into getting more out of the tools that I have at my disposal on linux. Vim/Neovim, tmux, zsh, sed/awk/grep/jq, etc… Anyway, I’m spending less time with the mouse in my hand.
This is completely subjective but it was the perfect amount of keys to hit the perfect balance of efficiency and customization for me.
BUILD QUALITY
I really took a close look at some of the more bespoke ergo keyboards such as the Dactyl Manuform. I do really like the layout of the keys and the possibility of having the trackball right in the board.
The one comment I read/heard over and over again with these boards is they feel cheap. They are hand built and usually 3D printed. All very cool but for the amount of money these type of keyboards cost, it is kind of a bummer.
The Voyager is the other end of that spectrum. Metal back plate. High quality plastics. Strong magnets for the feet. There is no question build quality is extremely important to ZSA.
SOFTWARE
ZSA has their own software for customizing your board called Oryx. And it is perfect… Getting your keyboard setup the way you want could not be easier. Clean UI. Configuration history. A million options clearly explained. Browser based.
Chef’s kiss.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
I’m really loving my first weeks with the Voyager. It has delivered what I was hoping for and my research is paying off.
My only criticism, and this is really picky, the sound isn’t great. To give some background I really had found a switch/keycap combo that I loved. Lubed Akko Sponge switches and high profile ASA (think old school) key caps. The keycaps catch your finger so nice. The unique tactile double bump of the switches were so satisfying. For me it is just a dream combo.
Unfortunately as I have gotten older, my fingers get sore. I code a lot. Pretty much every Spring, between New Years and Memorial day when there are no days off, my fingers start to ache. There are just not enough breaks to give my fingers a rest.
My new board has low profile caps and switches. The switches have a really low actuation pressure too. I’m getting used to typing on it pretty quickly. Most importantly my fingers feel great. The typos are falling off fast after a rough couple of days. But…
Compared to my last setup, it sounds and feels just okay. I think like 80% of the issue comes from the keycaps. They look great and are made well. It is more a result of the form factor. They are small and thin. Over time I think I might revisit the switches and keycaps. This is such a small thing. But I would be lying if it didn’t bug me a little.
Okay, that was a lot for such a small issue. I’m extremely happy with this keyboard. I have no doubts this is going to work for me long term. Switching to an ergo keyboard has been a complete win for me. It only took about a week to get back to my normal typing speed too!!!
The Voyager will not be for everyone. But if you are looking for an ergonomic keyboard I’m convinced one of the ZSA family of products will fit you needs. The site, the communication, and the product are all top notch and give you no doubt the money you are spending is worth it. Cheers ZSA, well done.
Doug Grubba - software developer 
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