Lite

Nice review! You really cover everything, and I agree with you on the placement of the arrow keys being awkward. It's the main reason I wouldn't consider the QK Alice Duo or NocFree Lite. I also wonder why so many QMK keyboards continue to come with VIA instead of VIAL. I'd guess that someone has al

I use a row-staggered Zuoya GMK70. Per my other comment, I really struggled to learn column stagger while staying proficient with row stagger, so this is a better solution for me. I'd be more concerned about ditching row stagger if I had issues with my fingers, but the split is more important to me

I would second this. I have no experience with the epomaker keyboard mentioned but this category row staggered splits sound like a great option for the OP. A couple years ago I went with the Kinesis Freestyle Edge from eBay, and it totally solved my wrist pain. No tenting was needed for me, just hav

Is the keyboard programmable? I recently got a NocFree Lite which is a 65-key. I was worried about the adjustment as I use a numpad often for work, but I reaaally wanted a mechanical, hot-swappable, split keyboard and the NocFree checked so many of my boxes. Thankfully the NocFree is programmable wi

I use a Zuoya GMK70. It's a barebones that I got from AliExpress. No built-in tenting, but it's got a flat bottom so it's easy to add your own feet. For more options, check out YellowAfterlife's fantastic searchable index. If you click on the links in the keyboard names, there are photos. https://ya

No worries at all. The Nocfree Lite is plug-and-play and prebuilt, no soldering or such needed. Though it's a hotswap board, meaning that you can change the switches and keycaps to anything you like. To change the keycaps and switches, you will need some sort of a tool, I personally use something li

I just want to add that the NocFree Lite is a great option if the budget can be stretched. I didn't realize that it doesn't need a cable between the halves, so I left it out of my comment since it's more expensive than the Split65 and GMK70. The funky /? key is a dealbreaker for me personally, so I'

Nope, no soldering. It's clear to me you're looking for a fast and easy solution, so I wouldn't recommend something that requires a lot of DIY work. Just switches and keycaps on on the GMK70. As mentioned, the GMK70 requires a USB-C cable that can handle at least 10Gbps data throughout. I don't know

I wouldn't consider the Lite for myself due to the unusual placement of the /? key. I just know it would throw me off too much, but other people are fine with it. I'd expect it to be just as tall as the Split65 and GMK70 due to the full-height switches. The & looks like a great keyboard, but it's a

Yeah sorry, that wasn't clear. Always look very closely at the keyboard layouts, because everyone does something slightly different. The Spli65 is pretty much a standard laptop-style 65% keyboard, which I see as a good thing. It means there's no learning curve. The NocFree Lite has the weird /? key