Technology

I’ve owned a lot of mechanical keyboards. Over two years ago, I started using an Ergodox layout, starting with the SliceMK. It was difficult to get used to the ortholinear layout of the Ergodox, but I’m glad I stuck with it, as I really enjoy the experience of typing on split keyboards. I later added the W-Ergo to my keyboard lineup, the first keyboard I’ve used with SA profile keycaps. A few weeks ago I built out another Ergodox profile keyboard: the IF-Ergo. It uses the Gateron Baby Kangaroo V2 switches, as well as the Domikey Crisis and Cyberpunk SA keycaps. This keyboard replaces my Slice MK as the primary keyboard for my work laptop.

Software

I was considering getting another W-Ergo, but it appeared that Keyclicks was no longer taking orders for them. I was previously under the impression they were a rebranded IF-ERGO keyboard, as the PCBs and cases look amazingly similar. The IF-ERGO shipped very quickly, and I discovered it wasn’t just a rebrand of the W-Ergo. Although it shares a lot, the battery placement and a few board details are different. It works with the VIAL software, just like the W-Ergo, but is detected as a totally different device. I couldn’t simply import my layout from the W-Ergo. VIAL shows it alongside many of the other IF keyboard offerings, but doesn’t show the matrix key tester for some reason. It’s a very odd way to support a given family of keyboards, and I was confused by the lack of a key testing screen. Still, I was able to use other keyboard testers to verify all the switches worked.

Switches

I had briefly considered the Gateron Baby Kangaroo switches before when trying them on my previous switch tester, but they only came in non-clicky versions. Recently, Gateron released a V2 tactile version of this switch, and I decided to just go for it. I ordered these from Kinetic Labs, purchasing 5 packs, each with 18 switches, for a total of around $60, including shipping.

I was unsure of these switches at first. They didn’t have a loud click I’ve come to expect when playing with them in my hands. However, after they were installed and had keycaps attached to them, they became my absolute favorite switches. They have an amazing “bouncy” feel that makes them feel great to type on, while still providing a really nice “thunk” sound on key presses when combined with the SA keycaps I paired with them.

Keycaps

I really liked the sculpted feel of the SA DreamEater keycaps I had gotten previously. It’s pretty difficult to find sculpted keycaps for Ergodox layouts. Although the alphanumeric keys can be used from standard layouts, most companies don’t allow for buying individual 1.5U or 2U keys, which need to be carefully selected for the Ergodox modifiers in order to match the rows correctly. I ended up ordering three different sets of keycaps from KPrepublic. I ordered a Domikey Crisis SA Ergo keyset, which provided green and grey keys for the Ergodox modifiers. I paired them with the Domikey SA Cyberpunk purple alphanumeric keys. Finally, I ordered the mod plus pack, which I hoped I could pull some modifiers from to have some labeled keys. The entire order was about $90.

Delivery of the keycaps did take considerably longer than any of the other components, so in the meantime, I used a bunch of random DSA keycaps I had leftover from various other kits and projects.

This allowed me to get the keyboard set up and configured, and I enjoyed trying out the Kangaroo tactile switches while waiting on my full keycap set.

I probably could have forgone getting the MOD Plus pack, as there were only 7 labeled modifier keys I could use from it in my layout. The shift key on the right thumb is actually an R3 profile, which is kind of nice since it does slope up a bit.

Total Damage

Also a Logitech Appeared

I recently sold my Vortex Race 3 and picked up this cheaper Logitech POP Keys Wireless for use with one of the machines I use with my homelab.

Conclusions

The IF-ERGO is very similar to the W-Ergo. If they did start with a shared design history, they have diverged enough to be noticeable. I prefer the VIAL support for the W-Ergo, displaying a full matrix tester and focusing on configuration for that specific keyboard. However, the W-Ergo also has an annoying quirk of not sending the first keystroke if it has been idle for a while. (I assume it’s waking from low power mode). The IF-ERGO does not have this issue. The IF-ERGO also shipped immediately with good store communication, whereas the W-Ergo took forever to ship and no longer seems to be available.

The best part about this build has definitely been the Gateron Baby Kangaroo switches. They are the best switches I have typed on. They feature a double spring, which makes key rebounds fast and bouncy. They still feel like a heavy tactile switch, but are much less fatiguing for long stretches of typing.

I still prefer the look of the SA DreamEater keycaps on my other Ergodox keyboard, but the Domikey sets feel much better. It’s difficult to find sculpted Ergodox keycap sets, so I think this build came out fairly well for what I could find.

For now, both of my primary machines now have Ergodox layouts with sculpted keycaps. I’m satisfied with both, but the new Gateron Baby Kangaroo switches are so good that I may replace the Kailh Box White switches with another set of them at some point in the future.