MoErgo Glove80 Ergonomic Keyboard review Leave a comment
REVIEW – There are only a few choices on the market for a completely wi-fi ergonomic keyboard with keywells. Fewer choices nonetheless if you’d like it to be pre-built, and in some way even much less selection should you don’t need a 3D printed case. MoErgo noticed a necessity to enhance on the restricted shopper choices obtainable on this house, and spent near a decade refining what has launched because the Glove80. Born of necessity and refined by design iteration, the Glove80 delivers one of the best keyboard platform I’ve had the great fortune to expertise. Learn on, and I’ll take you thru it.
What’s it?
The Glove80 is a wi-fi, eighty key, totally break up ergonomic keyboard with contoured keywells by MoErgo. It’s provided in a soldered or unsoldered model, with your choice of red (linear), red pro (linear) white (clicky) or brown (tactile) choc v1 switches, and in white or gray.
Based mostly in New Zealand, MoErgo founders Steven Chiang and Chris Andreae set out in 2014 to create what grew to become the Glove80, and the manufacturing mannequin we’ve got as we speak is the results of over 500 design iterations. MoErgo launched the Glove80 on Kickstarter in 2022, and as we speak the keyboard is available from their web site.
MoErgo has built a lively group of ergo-enthusiasts on their discord, the place the founders are additionally actively engaged with the neighborhood.
What’s included?
- 1x black Glove80 Travel Case
- 1 x USB-C cable
- 1 x Key cap puller
- 12 x Additional ft for excessive angle mounting and customized mounting
- 12 x Additional silicone ft pad for top angle mounting and customized mounting
- 1 x Set of additional threaded rod and nuts for top angle mounting and customized mounting
- 1 x M4 spanner
- 4 x Additional clean MCC keycaps
- 2 x Clean MBK keycaps to function homing keys
- 12 x O-ring OD 5.5mm ID 3.5mm
- 12 x O-ring OD 6.5mm ID 3.5mm
Tech specs
Click on to develop
| Ergonomics | |
| Concave key properly | Sure |
| Thumb cluster | 6-key 2-row curved (patent pending) |
| Break up | Wi-fi full break up |
| Impartial tilt | Sure |
| Tenting | Constructed-in & repeatedly adjustable |
| Low profile design | 20mm off the desk to the highest floor of the keycap of the bottom key |
| Low journey switches | Sure |
| Palm relaxation | 3D-sculpted & removable |
| Keys & Format | |
| Variety of keys | 80 |
| Key swap household | Low profile mechanical Kailh Choc v1 switches rated at 70 million+ presses |
| Key swap selection | Linear (Pink), Tactile (Brown) and Clicky (White) |
| Keycap | Premium POM translucent MCC profile keycap labeled |
| Normal keycap language | US |
| Rearrangeable keycaps to match structure | All keys share the identical keycap profile |
| Colemak & DVORAK | Sure |
| Connectivity | |
| Wi-fi Interface | Bluetooth LE 5.0 |
| USB Interface | USB 2.0 over USB C |
| Multi-device help | 4 BLE + 1 USB |
| Firmware & Configurator | |
| Firmware | Opensource ZMK |
| OS Supported | Home windows, Mac, Linux, Android, ChromeOS, iOS, iPadOS |
| Configurator | Net-based |
| {Hardware} | |
| Microcontroller | 2 x Nordic nRF52840, with 256kB ram and 1MB flash |
| Battery life (estimated) | With LEDs off, 2-4 weeks for left hand & 2 months+ for proper hand. Check situation: powered-on 24/7 with ZMK sleep performance disabled, RGB off. |
| Per-key LEDs | 80 individually addressable RGB LEDs |
| Customizability | |
| Customized mount help | Sure |
| {Hardware} extension help | 6 digital GPIOs |
| Dimensions | |
| Width | 372mm (14.6 in) |
| Depth (w/o palm rests) | 168mm (6.6 in) |
| Depth (with palm rests) | 206mm (8.1 in) |
| Top | 60mm (2.36 in) |
| Weight | approx 600g (1 lb 5 oz) |
Design and options
MoErgo spent the higher a part of a decade iterating on the Glove80 design, and it exhibits within the particulars of the board. The place different implementations of the keywell depend on the keycaps or a “excellent circle” strategy to create the keywell arc, the Glove80 makes use of totally different arc shapes per column. In an ortholinear structure, which means every column is tuned to attenuate journey distance from dwelling row to succeed in every key based mostly on the finger that might be doing the work. Since this design is constructed into the case of the Glove80, and isn’t reliant on sculpted keycaps to create the keywell, you possibly can rearrange keycaps as wanted and never lose the ergonomic advantages.
Concerning the thumb cluster, that is additionally a singular tackle what is usually present in different off-the-shelf ergo keyboards of this kind. One other arc is discovered right here, however for a special cause. Should you have been to make a fist after which splay your fingers, you’d see your thumb journey in an arc – similar to how the thumb cluster is laid out.
The Glove80 makes use of the low-profile Kailh Choc V1 swap and solely helps a soldered PCB (no scorching swapping). Utilizing low profile switches permits the glove to sit down as low to the desk as potential in an effort to promote a impartial wrist place with the right horizontal arm place.
Like every part on the Glove80, every design selection is there for a cause – and you’ll have seen the distinctive keycap profile. It’s proprietary, and dubbed the MoErgo Choc Cylindrical profile. This resolution to create a customized keycap profile was based mostly on the necessity to have a low profile, clean edged keycap within the thumb cluster. There are different profiles available that are designed to work together on the Glove, which can be purchased separately from MoErgo. The fabric of selection for the Glove80 keycaps is POM, which is powerful and resilient however nonetheless skinny sufficient for the per-key LED’s to shine by.
The board is basically made from plastic, coupled with the minimal design aesthetic, make it fairly gentle weight. There’s a single USB-C port and button energy swap on the prime of every board, and the built-in palmrest could be simply eliminated. Every half of the Glove80 additionally contains 6 GPIO pins for module extensibility, which opens the door for modding attachments onto the board.
Lastly, trying on the tenting mechanism, there’s a threaded bolt design which permits the consumer to dial within the wanted angle. That is deceptively easy, however signifies that the tenting system is totally out of the best way should you don’t need or want it. The identical bolts may be used to connect the Glove80 to a base plate, and clamp it onto no matter you’d like from there. Some examples of this observe courtesy of MoErgo. One of many new tasks on my checklist is to setup my very own captains chair!
Meeting, Set up, Setup
The Glove80 arrives packaged within the included journey case, and is able to exit of the field. There’s a single USB-C cable included, however with the 2 halves I’d counsel getting a split USB-C cable to assist with cable administration and make charging simpler (a full cost takes as much as 4 hours). The handbook will stroll you thru the default key combos wanted to pair Bluetooth into one of many 4 profiles, and that connection course of is fairly straight ahead.
I knew instantly that the default keycap structure was not going to work for me, so I headed over to the configurator. MoErgo has an online based mostly firmware builder for ZMK, and whereas it does require an account, it’s fairly intuitive to get your structure set. There are numerous choices and options right here, which is all well documented. Importing the firmware onto the board does take some effort because it must be loaded into every half individually after placing the board into bootloader mode.
I constructed out my structure to be as near an OEM QWERTY keyboard as potential, which has helped significantly with switching between keyboards as typically as I do. All in favour of attempting this structure in your Glove80? Have at it!
With the structure set, pulling keycaps to reposition is customary fare, although MoErgo does advocate making use of some counterforce on the switches with the included spanner to make sure they don’t elevate. I used to be largely good with remembering to do that, and am happy to report that every part was superb even once I didn’t bear in mind to observe the instructed protocol.
Efficiency
Typing with the Glove80 is an absolute pleasure. The POM keycaps have a singular really feel which is absurdly clean, and paired with the crimson professional switches the important thing actuation is tremendous gentle and responsive. The case received’t ship a deep sound profile, however such is the tradeoff for being minimal, light-weight, and ergonomic.
Pivoting to ergonomics, the Glove is well essentially the most snug board I’ve used. Notable comps embody the Ergodox, Sofle, Dygma Increase, and Kinesis Freestyle. The Ergodox is the closest as an ortholinear, although the Glove80 is my first board with a keywell. You possibly can really feel the distinction in how little your hand is shifting when typing on a Glove80, a lot in order that I turn into very conscious of it when utilizing different keyboards. Probably the most stunning points of typing on the Glove80 was the way it promoted correct typing method. I spotted that I had grown accustomed utilizing my pinkies solely on the very far reaches of a typical keyboard. Regardless of sitting on dwelling row, I used to be utilizing a form of claw-like hand place, which the Glove80 received’t abide… MoErgo has helped me undo 30+ years of typing unsuitable.
Totally break up keyboards provide the potential to set the halves at shoulder width, which promotes good posture and for me helped with recurrent shoulder ache from an outdated sports activities damage. Being totally wi-fi between the keyboard halves means you’ve gotten as a lot or as little room as it is advisable to work with, with out coping with bridge cables. I’ve had zero points with the halves speaking to one another.
You will have seen… the Glove80 doesn’t resemble something near a normal keyboard. It takes a little bit of muscle reminiscence retraining to leap into the Glove, and whereas actually subjective, this transition interval could possibly be important. Actually, I’m truly the third Gadgeteer to take a crack at reviewing it. Each Julie and Kenneth gave it a go earlier than it landed with me, and in discussing their expertise, it boiled right down to adapting their typing model and workflows to the Glove80. It may be a tough transition to go to a columnar structure by itself, however add within the keywell and all 1u structure of the Glove80, and it turns into a special beast totally. MoErgo recommends limiting typing to only 30-60 min per day on the Glove80 till you may get again to 40wpm, at which level you need to be able to shift to it full time. It’s an funding of each money and time, however should you’re coping with RSI that different keyboards haven’t helped with – this can be your ticket out.
What I like in regards to the MoErgo Glove80
- Distinctive ergonomic consolation and adaptableness
- Prebuilt, plug and play expertise
- MoErgo staff is invested of their neighborhood
What must be improved?
- Could be good to have firmware flashing through webapp
- Official sidecar mods akin to a trackball or touchpad could be superb
Closing ideas
In a world stuffed with heavy, slab keyboards that prioritize sound acoustics over operate, the Glove80 is a breath of recent air. It delivers an unparalleled ergonomic typing expertise whereas compromising little or no. How are you going to inform if it’s best for you? At $400 it’s actually an funding, although nonetheless on the decrease finish of price for comparable boards. Should you’re on the fence, for these within the US there is a leasing service the place you possibly can attempt a specifically constructed Glove80 that options the entire totally different swap varieties. This isn’t affiliated with MoErgo, however gives a possibility to see if what the Glove presents is price the fee. For me, it’s endgame – till they arrive out with an built-in trackball.
Value: $399 – $409 (is determined by key switches)
The place to purchase: MoErgo
Supply: The pattern of this product was supplied free of charge by MoErgo. MoErgo didn’t have a last say on the overview and didn’t preview the overview earlier than it was revealed.