Dygma Defy After 12 Months — An Honest Review

This is a follow-up to my first article about the Dygma Defy from December 2024. That one was about first impressions — this one is about what's left after a year of daily use. I've been typing exclusively on split keyboards for years. It all started after a motorcycle accident that left me with wrist pain — since then, no regular keyboard has touched my desk. After the Ergodox-EZ, the Keyboardio Model 01, and the Model 100, I landed on the Dygma Defy about 12 months ago. Why I switched is covered in the other article. Did it live up to my expectations, or was it a bad call? Time for an honest verdict.

The Journey Here: Ergodox → Keyboardio → Defy

Once you've switched to split keyboards, there's no going back. The initial transition was exciting, of course, but in my memory it wasn't nearly as painful as I had feared. And every subsequent switch between split boards was significantly easier — you're already used to the concept. Going from the Model 100 to the Defy was accordingly no problem at all. I already knew thumb clusters, the general layout is similar enough. Within a day or two, I was back to normal typing speed. I do sometimes miss the Keyboardio's palm key, though. It was genuinely useful in some cases (for one-handed combos, for example) — but it's not a real problem. What really stood out positively was that I could switch back to the Model 100 without any issues, no long readjustment needed. Muscle memory, you know. 😉

Tenting: The Real Reason for Switching

Tenting was one of the main reasons I switched. The Keyboardio's Octo-Stand drove me crazy — this massive thing underneath the keyboard that isn't really finely adjustable. With the Defy, I use an angle of 15 to 25 degrees, depending on how I'm feeling and my desk setup.

However: If you go steeper than 25 degrees, it gets wobbly. That's where the included solution reaches its limits. I'm considering 3D-printing something custom — a sturdier mount that allows steeper angles. I don't have the right idea yet, but the project is floating around in the back of my mind. There are other solutions involving various stands, but those need to be clamped or screwed to the desk somehow. Not really my thing right now, and too inflexible. But tenting alone wasn't the only factor. Another reason was the constant struggle with too few keys (at least for me). That kept bugging me, and constantly switching between layers gets annoying. A really nice feature is the Bluetooth connectivity. It's great — I can connect my Defy via Bluetooth to the iPad and via cable to the Mac, and switching between them works perfectly. That's simply not possible with the Keyboardio. Also, the two halves of the Defy not needing a cable between them is nice. It didn't bother me that much before, but without it is definitely nicer. 😉 And one of the Model 100's advantages is the cool quasi "curved" arrangement of the specially shaped keycaps. That feels great when typing (unless the keys are worn down), but unfortunately you can only use Keyboardio's own keycaps. That's annoying. Please don't get me wrong: the Model 100 is an amazingly great keyboard! I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a split keyboard. But if you want to take it up a notch, the Defy is simply better.

Wireless: Cable-Free Is Freedom

In my first article, I had mentioned a few Bluetooth issues. After 12 months, I can say: that's completely resolved. The board runs stable, whether via Bluetooth, the USB dongle, or cable. And precisely this flexibility is fantastic — completely wireless at the office (Gateron Brown Silent switches, my colleagues appreciate it), at home it runs via cable. If something does act up, you just plug in the cable briefly and you're good. No stress. Working wirelessly without a connection cable between the two halves is not to be underestimated, by the way. You can position the halves however you want, at any angle, any distance. That alone was worth the switch from the Model 100. As I mentioned above, the ability to combine Bluetooth with cable, or to connect multiple devices via Bluetooth (up to 4), is great. Especially for someone who has multiple computers, tablets, and such — it's really helpful.

Layout: QWERTZ Stays, ADNW-XOY Waits

I'm currently typing QWERTZ. Yes, I know — as someone who's this deep into keyboards, I "should" switch to an optimized layout. I've tried ADNW-XOY, and the layout is even still sitting on a layer, ready to go. But honestly: I can't make the switch. Every now and then I get the urge and think, now I'm going to switch. And then I toggle to XOY and... 10 minutes later I'm back. It just doesn't work for me. The problem isn't just the typing itself (you could probably get that under control eventually). It's everything around it. The muscle memory for hjkl in Vim(!), for CMD-C / CMD-V, for all those shortcuts that have become second nature — they just don't work anymore with a new layout. And then you're sitting there, typing at what feels like 20 WPM (probably less), and every shortcut becomes a scavenger hunt. Eventually you switch back to QWERTZ because you actually wanted to get some work done. Maybe someday on vacation. Maybe. And even then I'm too impatient. Since I'm always reconfiguring keys on the board anyway, one could also switch gradually. But that's probably even dumber. So I'm sticking with QWERTZ — I type about 100 WPM when it counts, and I don't have to search.

Thumb Cluster: The Heart of It All

The thumb cluster is the most important feature of the Defy for me. I use it extensively. On the left: Delete, Backspace, Hyper/CMD, and a few layer switches. On the right: Space, Enter, and also CMD. I've also put CTRL and ALT there. That's the big advantage over the Model 100 — enough keys! One thing that immediately bothered me about the default configuration: Shift is on the thumb by default. Sounds logical, and it is — but I couldn't get used to it because it completely messed up all my existing muscle memory. So I reconfigured that right away. And thankfully, the Defy is programmable.

SuperKeys and Homerow Mods: Nice in Theory

I spent quite some time experimenting with SuperKeys and homerow mods. The idea is compelling: fewer keys, more functionality, fingers stay on the home row. In practice, at least homerow mods didn't work for me. I "roll" too much when typing — meaning I press the next key before I've fully released the previous one. With homerow mods, this leads to constant misfires. Sometimes an a turns into CMD, sometimes a quick sd triggers some layer switch. After a few weeks of frustration, I gave up.

All the better that the Defy has enough keys in the thumb cluster to house all the modifiers there. That's far more reliable than any timing-based system. But the SuperKeys are super. You can do really practical things with them:

• Tap Tab: Tab
• Hold Tab: Shift-Tab

Or, and I genuinely use this: tap n for normal n (obviously), but hold it for ~. Same with e/€ and l/@ — super! And since I've adjusted the timeout accordingly, I currently get misfires only very rarely (probably still wouldn't be enough for homerow mods — most of my current errors are with "l"). But also things like: tap is CMD-C, hold is CMD-V, tap then hold is CMD-X. And much more. Cool concept, I'll use it more. For example, I've set Alt so that holding gives Alt, but tapping gives + — another key saved.

Switches: The Joy of Swapping

Hot-swap is one of those features you don't realize how great they are until you have them. Over the 12 months, I've tried quite a few: Started with Gateron Brown Silent (quiet, tactile, office-friendly) and Gateron White Clicky (loud and satisfying). Then came Boba switches, and currently at home I have really nice thocky loud switches whose name I honestly can't remember. At the office, it's the Gateron Brown Silent again — because as much as I love the clacking, my colleagues see it differently. The point is: you can just change the character of the keyboard. Different switch, different typing feel, different mood. That sounds like a gimmick, and it probably is — but it's fun.

Keycaps: Ups and Downs

I currently have blank PBT keycaps from Ranked on it. They feel good and look clean. But if I had one wish: I'd immediately get the Linear-A keycaps from Keyboardio. Those symbols from Minoan script as legends — that's style, and it also solves the problem that keycap legends don't match anyway when using alternative layouts. Unfortunately, they're not available for the Defy. What also bothers me: While you can use standard Cherry MX keycaps for the main keys, the thumb cluster requires special caps. Standard caps don't fit there. That limits your options, and right now my setup looks a bit Frankensteined — the blank Ranked caps on the main field, and the original Defy caps on the thumb cluster.

Bazecor: It's Gotten There

In my first article, I had mentioned some bugs in Bazecor. That's improved significantly. The software works well now, is clear and organized, and makes customizing layouts and layers really easy. I regularly find myself in there when I'm reconfiguring something — and it just works. No crashes, no data loss, solid software.

RGB LEDs: A Gimmick That's Fun

Yes, the RGB lighting was actually one reason I got the Defy. Don't worry, I know that's not a rational buying argument. But it's just fun to type in a dimmed room in the evening with the keyboard glowing in the colors you've chosen. The LED effects are less varied than the Model 100's, but for nice ambient lighting, they're more than enough.

Firmware: Functional, but Room to Grow

For the Keyboardio Model 100, I had written my own firmware — with a few bells and whistles and customizations that go beyond what the standard software offers. I wanted to port that to the Defy as well, but it hasn't worked out so far. The firmware architecture is different, and I haven't gotten around to really digging into it yet. So I'm currently on the Defy's stock firmware, configured through Bazecor. It works, it's solid, it does what it should. But it's missing that playful element I had on the Model 100 with my custom firmware.

Verdict After 12 Months

Would I buy the Dygma Defy again? Yes. It's not perfect — the tenting could be more stable at steeper angles, the keycap situation for the thumb cluster is annoying, and the firmware customization isn't as open as on the Keyboardio. But overall, it's the best split keyboard I've had so far. The thumb cluster is excellent, hot-swap switches are a great feature, wireless works reliably, and the tenting works well in the range up to 25 degrees. Who is it right for? Anyone who already knows they want a split keyboard and cares about tenting and a large thumb cluster. If you're coming from a regular keyboard, expect the transition to take a few weeks — but it's worth it. And if, like me, you need an ergonomic solution after an accident or with RSI issues: the Defy is currently my recommendation. And if anyone from Dygma is reading this: Linear-A keycaps for the Defy. Please.

My split keyboard history: Ergodox-EZ → Keyboardio Model 01 → Keyboardio Model 100 → Dygma Defy