I’ve finally gathered enough evidence to make it official: split keyboards are absolutely worth the hype.

I was skeptical at first, but having only tested one for a couple of weeks the benefits became impossible to ignore.

So, why should you care? Here’s my list, from the broadest perks to the most niche:

• Standard keyboards hurt! Simply moving your hands apart to match your shoulders makes a shocking difference. My back pain from typing has almost vanished.

• If you put it in an angle, you get less wrist pain too.

• Minimal hand movement by default. The physical separation forces you to fix those inefficient typing habits you didn’t even know you had.

• The thumb cluster is genius. Seriously, why have we been wasting our two strongest fingers on just the spacebar?!

• You can put a little snack in the middle. :D (A practical and delicious feature.)

• It’s just stylish… Let’s be honest, it looks cool.

• Last but not least … You can be like a Jedi building your own lightsaber! The open-source world is full of totally customizable variations for max efficiency. So, why not thinker?

Cons Link to heading

The only true con is that these guys are usually not cheap … so if you’re a broke student it can be difficult to get one. But if you have the skills you can build your own for little money.

The other “cons” are personality dependent. Like the learning curve can be either a chore or an exciting new challenge it depends on personal framing.

If you want my suggestion … Link to heading

If you’re an old soul who doesn’t want to change too much, just buy a standard keyboard that’s split down the middle. You’ll get the two biggest freebies: less pain and slightly better habits.

But if you’re an adventurer? Dive headfirst into the weirdest open-source design your budget allows. Tinker with it, tweak it, and unlock those massive typing speed gains. It’s one heck of a brain workout.

FAQ Link to heading

“But will I forget how to use a normal keyboard?”

That’s a total myth. It’s like asking if you’ll forget your native language after moving abroad. You don’t. The only real risk is getting a slower on a standard board, and even that’s minimal if you stick with a QWERTY layout. (If you jump to something like Colemak, the effect is more pronounced, but still manageable.)

So, there you have it. My verdict is in: give a split keyboard a shot. Your shoulders (and hands) will thank you.