Looking for some purchasing advice.
At the moment I use a Typematrix non-mechanical keyboard which is starting to wear out and become unresponsive. I was really happy with it apart from wishing it was mechanical. A mechanical clone of that, maybe a bit wider, is really my dream.
So what are my options? The mechanical ortholinear keyboards I’ve seen tend to be of the compact and minimalistic variety, but size isn’t my priority I’m looking for something full-featured, preferably with some media keys and shortcut buttons. A number pad or some way to input numbers with a calculator-style layout is essential as my job involves numerical data entry.
Other “nice to have” things I’m more willing to compromise on:
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I type in Dvorak so blank keys or Dvorak labels would be preferable
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Hard-wired Dvorak switch is nice to have, the Typematrix has it, handy if I want to switch layouts in software to access special characters without worrying about finding a Dvorak-based layout.
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Ideally no assembly required
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I’m in the UK, I’ll import if necessary but local availability is better. On that note the 105-key layout is preferred (but not that the Typematrix has that either)
Open to alternative suggestions that ignore any of the above.
I know this violates a lot of the requirements, but it’s what I use and getting stuff in Ireland was a pain in the ass, so if none of the other solutions work as a last resort you can check https://mechboards.co.uk/products/helidox-corne-kit it’s a very small keyboard and requires full assembly, however it is ortholinear and fully configurable, once you get used to the concept of layers it offers a lot of possibilities, e.g. with the press of a button I have a numpad, but it takes a while to get used to and to edit the layout to fit what you prefer.