A High-Class Split Mechanical Keyboard

As you might have guessed from previous posts, I’ve dived deep into the rabbit hole of "ergonomic mechanical keyboards," and it has become a recurring interest of mine. It's a great hobby—fun, rewarding, and as a bonus, it reduces pain and boosts productivity. A win-win-win situation! 😉

A New Keyboard – But Why?

I’m a proud owner of the Model 100, and it’s truly great—definitely better than the Ergodox EZ (which was also good). Recently, I took my "old" Ergodox out of the closet, updated the firmware, and gave it another try. The issues I had back then with the Ergodox EZ are now even more noticeable. At the time, I switched to the Kinesis Freestyle Edge, but that turned out to be a disappointment. The software was too buggy, slow, and the features were too limited. It’s puzzling why Kinesis didn’t adopt an open-source firmware like QMK. As a result, the keyboard remains a "curiosity" in my closet.

I’m somewhat satisfied with the Model 100, but certain aspects have led me to look for other options over time:

Too few keys: Not drastically fewer, but I could use a few more in the thumb cluster. However, as with the Ergodox, adding more keys often makes them harder to reach.
Homerow mod issues: I tried the Homerow mod, but it wasn’t for me. I type at around 90–100 WPM, and I tend to "roll" my fingers between keys. This caused odd effects that completely threw me off. Dedicated keys, especially on the Homerow, are just better for me. Similarly, the "Bottom Row mod" didn’t work for me for the same reason, although it was less frequent.
Wear on the wooden rest: The "rest" on the wooden case of the Keyboardio has become shiny over time. It’s natural for wood, but it diminishes the premium look.
Annoying tilting mechanism: The octo-stand for tilting has been a constant annoyance. I’ve fiddled with it endlessly to get different angles, but it never felt right. The stand also makes the Keyboardio extremely high, forcing me to lower my desk to avoid shoulder issues. If I skip the tilt, I get wrist problems. Alternative tilt solutions, like tripods mounted to the desk, are a disaster.
Layout editor limitations: While I enjoy tweaking firmware, I’d prefer a more user-friendly graphical layout editor. While Keyboardio offers Chrysalis, I believe Dygma’s editor is better.

Lately, I’ve had more wrist issues, prompting me to optimize my Model 100’s layout and tilt. Unfortunately, I haven’t made much progress. The online community for Keyboardio seems small. The forum is relatively inactive.

Comparatively, Dygma’s Discord has 6,000 users, while Keyboardio has just over 2,000. Though both are small, Dygma’s community appears more active, which is another point to consider.

Given that these keyboards cost over €400, it’s worth carefully weighing the options.

Go Big or Go Home!

If I’m spending money on a new keyboard, which one should I choose? I’ve considered several options:

Glove 80: A very intriguing keyboard but seems too fiddly. I read it’s a bit too light and tends to slide around. Another downside is that the keyswitches aren’t hot-swappable, so you’re stuck with your initial choice. The tenting mechanism (involving five screws) is cumbersome and detracts from the initially good impression. Ultimately, a no-go for me.
Lily58 Pro: An interesting board, but it has even fewer keys than the Keyboardio. While there are several clones and variations, none felt quite right—mainly due to the limited number of keys.
Kinesis 360 Ergo Pro: An intriguing board with ZMK support. However, at over €900 in Germany, I expect features like LEDs and wireless connectivity. (the Pro version does support wireless connectivity and ZMK - the non-pro version has a Kinesis firmware and works only wired)
Dygma Defy: The price (between €349–620) is steep, but it ticks all the boxes: more keys, proper tenting, a graphical editor, and it’s based on Keyboardio’s Kaleidoscope (which gives me hope for uploading custom firmware).

After extensive research, watching countless videos, and comparing notes in forums, I settled on the Dygma Defy. The decisive factors included:

Dygma’s YouTube channel is both informative and entertaining, with great tips on ergonomics and keyboards.
An active community on Reddit and Discord.
Transparency about development issues and bugs, with good support (though I hope I won’t need it!).
And, well, I had a birthday and combined it with Christmas to treat myself. 😉

Dygma – The Ordering Process

Once I decided to order the Defy, how did it go? Mixed, to be honest. The website doesn’t feel much like a shop. You click on the Defy (or Raise) and then "Buy."

What baffled me was that all prices were listed in USD, with no option to switch to euros—even though Dygma is based in Spain. I assumed the company was in the US because there was no indication otherwise. Very strange.

Even at checkout, payment was in USD, which felt odd.

You configure your keyboard—choosing switches, keycaps (they offer blank keycaps—finally!), tenting, wireless options, and underglow. One oddity: underglow is only available with the wireless option.

A fully loaded Defy costs over €600. But let’s be honest: my Model 100 with the octo-stand wasn’t much cheaper (~€500). It’s an expensive hobby.

Adding the keyboard to the cart was another hassle. You’re told to "Please wait 30 seconds," which is weird for an online shop. In many cases, the cart wouldn’t update for minutes, or at all, until refreshing or returning later.

Once at the payment provider, everything went smoothly. The delivery time was listed as 10–15 days. Surprisingly, I received a UPS shipping confirmation the same day. But then UPS delayed it multiple times. After about a week, it finally arrived.

The Star of the Show

I won’t describe the unboxing or quality since there are hundreds of videos online. Instead, here are my impressions:

Thumb cluster: Transitioning from the Keyboardio was surprisingly easy. I was concerned about the thumb cluster but found it excellent. I use all eight thumb keys and could replicate my Keyboardio layout for space, enter, backspace, and delete.
Palm keys: While I miss them a bit, I’ve noticed my hands rest more comfortably without them.
Magnetic palm rests: These feel great, and I can wear metal-banded watches again without discomfort.
Wireless mode: Surprisingly convenient. Switching between up to five devices is seamless, thanks to customizable keys for device toggling.
Software quirks: Bazecor, the graphical layout editor, works reasonably well but has limitations, especially over Bluetooth. Some features, like LED adjustments, don’t work wirelessly. Backups can be cumbersome to manage, especially when syncing layouts between two Defys.
LED features: The Defy has fewer LED effects compared to the Model 100, which is a shame. Customizing underglow effects would be great, but current options are limited. I’m tempted to experiment with custom firmware to unlock more potential.
Typing experience: It feels smoother and faster than the Model 100, though my typing speed hasn’t improved significantly according to Monkeytype. The flatter design and better tenting contribute to a more comfortable experience.

Is It Worth the Money?

For a keyboard enthusiast (which I clearly am), it’s worth it. For the average user, probably not—unless they struggle with RSI or carpal tunnel syndrome. Typing on the Dygma Defy is undeniably comfortable.

The lack of a cable between the two halves is a big plus, making the setup feel more flexible.

Issues Encountered

I had trouble connecting the Defy to my office computer via Bluetooth. After some tinkering, the keyboard appeared to "reset" itself: all LEDs turned off, and it became unresponsive over Bluetooth. Thankfully, it worked via cable, but with odd behavior on the right half. Bazecor recognized the keyboard, but changes wouldn’t apply until I enabled the "Custom Layouts Only" setting. Restoring a backup initially failed with error messages.

Dygma’s Discord support was helpful, though. They acknowledged the bug (despite claiming it was fixed) and guided me through reconnecting.

Software Updates

Flashing updates to the Defy is straightforward, though the process occasionally "hangs" during installation, as noted in the official guide. I successfully updated to version 2.0 Beta 9, which supposedly improves battery life. The software still has bugs:

Battery drain: currently, the battery lasts about 1-2 days with LEDs, without much longer, maybe a full workweek
The Focus protocol also doesn’t work perfectly. According to the documentation, it should allow LED color changes via the protocol, enabling animations on the keyboard. However, this feature doesn’t currently work and needs improvement.
There are also occasional issues with the board itself. Just today, I experienced an unintended factory reset upon startup. Luckily, I still have my Model 100 to fall back on - so that I could log in and fix the settings on the Defy. 😉
there are some features missing in the software, which I was used to. Some of them I can live without (having an LED-Effect as "Screensaver"). But other would be really nice to have, like QUKeys (being able to have Key combinations mapped to functions or macros).
LEDs need to be more versatile, there need to be more effects than those 5 and it has to be configuratble
the configuration software Bazecor is not really free of bugs either and you cannot do some things via bluetooth - which is a bummer.
The whole connectivity is really complex to build reliably in software. The defy needs to decide, which channel to use or fallback on (Wired vs. Bluetooth). There is a known bug right now, that causes the defy to start in Bluetooth mode when starting up your computer. The fix is easy: either use Bluetooth or just re-connect the board. But it is a bit annoying.

Despite these issues, the "Superkeys" feature stands out. It allows different behaviors (e.g., tap, hold, double-tap) for the same key, simplifying complex modifiers.

Final Thoughts

The Defy truly feels like an upgrade. The built-in, thoughtfully designed tenting mechanism makes typing more comfortable and less straining. Its impressive features and lighting effects add to the experience. The Defy feels more polished as a product compared to the Model 100. While I had to write custom firmware for the Model 100 using Arduino, which I didn’t mind, having a graphical configurator for on-the-fly mapping changes is a significant improvement. It eliminates the need for constant flashing, something I’d have to implement manually on the Model 100.

Is the price justified? That’s a question each individual needs to answer. For me, it feels worth it.

Would I recommend it? Since the palm keys aren’t ideal for everyone, I would absolutely recommend the Defy. It’s not as drastically different from a regular keyboard, making the transition relatively smooth. The Model 01’s adjustment period was much longer.

Bugs and Issues

Yes, unfortunately, bugs remain an issue. Despite being over a year old, the Defy still has many bugs. The developers are working on them, but it’s still a bit rough around the edges. I didn’t encounter such problems with the Model 100.

Most issues revolve around connections. The keyboard must determine whether to use wired, RF, or Bluetooth connections—a more complex task than expected. The current beta firmware partially addresses this, but it’s not perfect.

I’m curious whether I’ll eventually flash my own firmware onto the Defy. It might be worth exploring. Either way, it’s an exciting prospect.

Due to a startup bug on the Defy, I had to reconnect my Keyboardio Model 100. It still feels great, even if the Defy is slightly more comfortable to type on, mainly due to the tenting. I can also still highly recommend the Model 100 to anyone.