I’m a little bit of a keyboard nut. During the week, I spend most of my day sitting at a computer typing on keyboards, so it makes sense to me that I would want to ensure I was using the most comfortable keyboard I could find. I’m not someone who suffers from wrist pain, but it can’t be a bad thing to improve those ergonmics, right? And, to be fair, your wrists aren’t the only thing to worry about when it comes to sitting at the computer all day. Your back is under just as much strain.

Enter the Moonlander.

I studied on the Moonlander keyboard for about a month. I drooled over it’s fancy LEDs, mechanical key switches, and the all-around weird layout of the thing. It’s a split keyboard, meaning I can keep my arms at shoulder width and give my back a break. When you sit at a standard keyboard, your shoulders tend to be tilted in and rounded when you reach for your keys. When you can keep your arms apart, it allows you a more natural posture when you’re sitting at the computer. Go ahead, test it at your desk right now. Makes a difference, right?

Anyway, after a shipping fiasco, I’m finally typing on it. I’ve been at it for about a week and I’m really starting to get the hang of it. I’ve been constantly tweaking the key layout and layers on this thing and I’ve come to discover that the possibilities are endless. That being said, just because they CAN do a ton of different things, doesn’t mean they should do a ton of things. I’ve found myself trying to place the keys in familiar places except where there is a real benefit to speed or efficiency. This week, I’ve played with it enough that I am just about back up to my normal speed, and in some cases I’m surpassing it. It really depends on the type of things I’m typing.

In general I like it, but I do have some concerns. I wonder if I’m breaking my brain when it comes to working on a standard keyboard. There’s a huge difference here and although the human brain is pretty flexible, it’s still difficult to switch back and forth. I learned this when I tried to type on my laptop after spending about three days with nothing but this Moonlander. I kept trying to use my thumbs for things that I never would have before. It was … difficult.

All in all, though, I think I’m going to stick with it. The benefits outweigh the drawbacks so far and I just really dig the look and feel of it. It’s super fun to use. I just hope I don’t completely break my brain with other keyboards.