As someone who is a permanent remote employee (likely for my entire career moving forward) I am at my desk for at least 8 hours a day, often longer. Combining this with my preference for PC gaming and side projects, I can comfortably say I spend 10+ hours a day at a computer.

This lifestyle over a prolonged period of time has made me want to have the absolute ideal setup. Similar to how it is important to have a good mattress because you spend so much of your life sleeping. To achieve this I have recently upgraded my monitors to 1440p 144hz to help with eye strain, I have a wireless flagship-quality mouse so my wrist isn’t strained, and a quality wireless headset to have freedom of movement during meetings and long hours.

The one peripheral I have been struggling with is a proper keyboard. Since I have been using a computer all day as an adult it feels as though my keyboard is never up to par with the rest of my setup. Every few months I get tired of the typing experience and spend another chunk of money on a new keyboard. The first mechanical keyboard I ever owned was a Logitech G710+ with Cherry MX Brown switches, which I used starting in 2010. The upgrade from a membrane keyboard to a mechanical keyboard was mind-blowing to me at the time. I can only equate it to my experience after buying a squatty potty–you don’t really know you have a problem until you experience the solution.

I used this board until around 2014 or 2015, when I got the itch to have a more unique keyboard. At the time this was mainly for aesthetic purposes and not so much the actual typing feel or layout. I went through keyboards from five or so major brands before landing on a full-sized Ducky One keyboard. It had an orange plastic base, with black keycaps, and white LEDs.

This board is what ultimately started my search for the best layout, as I had all but stopped using the numpad and the Cherry Brown switches were feeling a bit stale as well. The next keyboard I used was an off-brand tenkeyless using Cherry Black switches. I enjoyed the weight of those switches, but not so much the linear feel, since I would always bottom out and after hours of that your fingers tend to throb with discomfort.

The 60% Revelation

As I moved more toward the professional world and my full-time career, I started to value the longevity of my typing experience and comfort even more. This is what led me to ditch the tenkeyless, also known as 80%, format for a slew of smaller keyboards. I eventually went for the Ducky One 2 mini, a well-known keyboard in the 60% form factor.

This keyboard holds a special place with me because I had never experienced a 60% keyboard before. The comfort of not needing to move your wrists to get to different sections of the board is a godsend for anyone who types a lot. If you haven’t tried this format, I recommend it at least enough to test. The largest downside for me was that I really needed arrow keys as well as a few additional side keys. You can see in the image above, there are no arrow keys on the first layer. To use arrow keys on a One 2 Mini, you need to use the function layer. This necessity is what led me back to researching other options. I couldn’t be the only person who wanted a smaller keyboard footprint and arrow keys, right?

Enter the 65% keyboard layout. My ideal number of keys and form factor. The keyboard size I had been searching for. At the time I wanted to have a “fun” keyboard more so than the perfect typing experience. After much research, I landed on a Ducky x Varmilo Miya Panda with Cherry Clear switches.

This is a 65% layout board with the addition of the arrow keys and the cluster of keys on the top right. I can honestly say I thought this board would be my end game and I would not need another. Spoiler, I was oh so wrong. Although I liked this board and its layout, the weight of Cherry Clear switches and the art on the board, coupled with how quickly white keycaps attract any marks from food, oil, or grease, I knew I would need to side-grade to a different 65%. Another round of research later, I chose to go back to my keyboard roots and picked up a Ducky One 2 SF shown below.

I wanted to move back to lighter switches to save my poor fingers from a life of slamming on keys with this board and opted to use the newer Cherry Silent Red switches. This worked out well for about a year and a half. Over time and constant use, I began to loath the mushy feeling of the silent switches. This almost membrane-esque feel was not worth the reduction in sound. I thought my keyboard journey was over. In reality, I was about to crest the horizon into a level of keyboard customization I couldn’t fathom.