I'd like to share how I managed to make the Kaly42 for only 50$! - PCB's from JLCPCB with cheapest shipping: 11$ (+11$ shipping) - 22$ - 5 Units From now on, everything was from aliexpress: - Kailh Choc Switches: 40$ for 90 (Free shipping) - 40$ - 90 Units - BlackPill microcontrollers: 4$ per unit (Free shipping) - 16$ - 4 Units - Basic Blank Choc switches**: 0.2$ per unit (Free shipping if over 20$) - 20$ - 100 Units (get the free shipping, it's worth it!) - TRRS Jacks: 2$ per 10 units (Free shipping*) - 2$ - 10 Units Total for 2 Kaly42s: 100$ - 50$ each! The 70$ kit mentioned in the video doesn't have the Choc switches or keycaps included, while this total does! If you try to get only one keyboard, the total is 60$ (a bit more, but still affordable!)

Thank you very much for building the Kaly42. I am really glad that the idea of making it as straight forward as possible to buy, build and use was reflected in your experience too! Many decisions were taken to reduce effort in building the Kaly42, such as reducing the cost or only using through hole soldering and no diodes (the Corne, for example, has 42 surface mount diodes! Those are harder to solder!) and I am really happy too see it reflected in someone's experience. I am pretty overjoyed that the Kaly42 even showed up in a video that isn't my own! That was indeed a big surprise and it made my day! I just had to tell my friends and family :D I plan on making a hot-swap version in the future, making more videos on how to extract the full potential of the Kaly42 (I use 8 layers, with typing, navigation, mouse and gaming included!) and also finally pushing the Vial branch of the firmware into the vial repository. Making the Kaly42 was a Journey, from the tendinitis that started it, to the connections that I made, to the excellent community of keyboard makers, to learning circuits to make my own and finally building it and sharing it with others, and I'd like to thank you for being part of this journey too!

Props for building the 8-bit!

I just built a skeletyl. The switches were 13€, the controllers 15€, keycaps 29€, TRRS cable and jacks 10€. The rest was 3D printed by myself and I handwired it so I would guess about € extra in diodes, wires and filament. So about 75€ but the keycaps and cable are reusable and I have some switches/jacks left. Took me about a week worth of evenings as an absolute beginner. Ofc course you need a 3D printer and a soldering iron. I initially went with 3D printed caps but the smoothnes and the sound of the pom keycaps was worth it.

Hey! I just found your channel because I was looking for Glove80 reviews, but I ended up really liking your content and stayed for it. Keep it up!!! :)

I got my first splitkb from watching your review on the Glove80, I got it for myself and after a month of learning it, I'm lovin' it. It's crazy how these are not the norm but the exceptions. They're so comfortable!

While totally agreeing with the point that prebuilt split keyboards are reasonably priced for their build quality and niche market position I don’t agree with the argumentation on the cost of building one oneself: 100 bucks for soldering gear is a great overstatement. A iron that gets the job done and leaded leaded solder should be less than 30 bucks, especially when buying used. This way you don’t need to buy flux, solder pumps are awful to use, better buy copper wick, but even that is not needed even if you make a mistake. In many cities there are also maker meetups, hacker groups or repair cafés where awesome people provide soldering gear and guide beginners, making that totally free and a great experience.

Thank you for the video 👍

I'm really glad that you like the kaly! I use mine everyday for programming and I love it to bits! I cut out base plates for each half from 2mm thick sheet steel, and stuck them under each pcb with double sided tape. It gives some welcome rigidity and stability, especially when using it tented. For tenting I use laptop legs from ali express. They work wonders! Please release the files for the case! It looks absolutely fantastic!

I paid ~$200 for a pre-soldered Piantor from BeeKeeb!

wait, it's 9 bucks for 5 PCBs? i always thought they show the price for one PCB and i then multiplied it by 5. that makes things way cheaper!

Love your videos . Please , please review the ultimate hacking keyboard V2 .

I would spend anything on a keyboard that improves my work life. Magic Keyboard (5 years) > HHKB (4 years) > ZSA Voyager (current, due to wrist pain, already resolved since it arrived months ago). Money can always be made. On the other hand, health and time...

I use MT3 profile keycaps on a low profile keyboard. The heights and angles of each row slightly approximate a key well. Also the cupped tops feel great to type on.

Nice vid! Can you share your layout config for this keyboard. I've a piantor (similar) but I keep switching modifiers because I'm not fully convinced

Hey, I'm new to split keyboards and didn't want to pay these prices, so I build one entitely from scratch myself. Cost for equipment beside (I borrowed the solder iron), it was a great experience. Maybe this is also a thing for you, as you are familiar with 3D-editing. As you also mentioned the different configurators, what's your opinion on QMK/VIA? :)

For the cost of glove 80 which is good to have/nice to have, its in the price range of a new pc or a new phone which can do way more things than a 400 to 500 keyboard granted if you have wrist issues there is no price tag for health, otherwise i can see why normal people calling it expensive for something in the good to have category

When are you updating your plink neovim plugin btw ?

I built the corne recently with a pretty cheap soldering iron from taobao, the tip that came with it seemed good enough. I just used a slab of cheap MDF instead of buying a dedicated mat. you can also just use a sponge or even wet kitchen towels instead of brass wool. The fume extractor is a bit OTT too, it's about a day of soldering per open source keyboard if you're a newb like me, it's not really worth it unless you're doing soldering every day, just remember to breathe out. I remember having to do soldering in high school and it was a public school, didn't have much fancy equipment either. Another thing is, you can make the microcontroller and OLED screen hotswappable, which means that you can reuse those as well as the keyswitches/caps for other PCB designs. It's a bit disingenuous to compare the corne kit with LEDs, tenting, wireless (which adds more components and a more expensive microcontroller), when those features aren't features included in the Kaly42.

Love my Pinecil soldering iron

Can you share your voyager layout? 🎉

I’d be really interested to try that Naya Create as well, but I can’t choke down that price tag. I’m pretty happy with the Advantage 360. I don’t know if you’ve completely given up on the 360 (would be understandable given the issues a lot of people have with BT connectivity and it being an absolute chonk for travel) but there are GUI configurators for it now. It still requires flashing the firmware, though, so it’s not as simple as “save it and it’s updated” like, IIRC, the ZSA configurator is.

Might want to check out the Keebio Iris 8. You get a lot of options, even to print it yourself.

great video! I guess the difference is A) the price for tools is fixed, so your 2nd built keyboard onwards is cheaper, and B) If you intend to eventually design a keyboard making some kits seems like a good first step. but your point still stands, building a keyboard is not really a cheaper option!

How the hell did you manage to get 20$ shipping cost from JLC? I just checked some past orders and shipping was always 5-10$ for me (Switzerland). Did you select some express option?

Does writing with 36 keys make things better for you? I never had RSI, but I would imagine having less keys should remove the need of having a concave keyboard like the kinesis.

It’s always important to keep in mind shipping. Glove80’s price INCLUDES shipping and shipping for that thing to the US is 100 bucks alone.

Slightly off topic, but which IDE are you using at 2:09?

Ergo keyboards with integrated pointing devices: Charybdis (trackball) or Dilemma (trackpad) by a Belgian dude. My comments keep disappearing, I wonder if it's because of his company's name? The Charybdis is my favorite ergo keyboard among many (almost all of yours and more).

Dactyl Manuform from Wylderbuilds! Please!!!

Too many keys for me. 34 keys is my sweet spot. Still though, that is a lovely keeb. Also, KeebMaker 100% 👍

anyone complaining about the price of something you use every single day at the sake of your health that will cost so much more if you don't take care of your hands hasn't had to deal with the struggle of losing your job output due to said issues. to get something more ergo friendly for under $1000 is insane

9 dots keyb is the future

I DO think split mechanical keyboard out there are overpriced. 95% of the advantages of using a split mechanical keyboard lies on it being split, orthogonal, mechanical and programmable. You don’t need RGB backlight, you don’t need expensive keycaps, you don’t *necessarily* need any special web-based layout configuration application (read online tutorials about how to compile and flash you firmware), you don’t need special plastic pieces or comfy pads to give it some inclination, rise it from your desk or rest your wrist (build the pieces yourself with cardboard). You don't need it either to be concave like a Dactyl, although it might increase ergonomics. Besides that, you don’t need all the electronic and soldering stuffs you mentioned to build just ONE keyboard; if you have those tools, you may well use them to build twenty keyboards. I had zero experience in electronics and soldering, and I did build my Sofle keyboard buying all components on Aliexpress, except the PCBs, and reading online tutorials. If you are a computer nerd somehow, a programmer, or are just curious enough, you can do the same. Not including the tools I had to buy because it was just my first time building one keyboard, the total cost of my built was not above 100 dollars, and this included shipping from China (Aliexpress). Now that I have the tools and knowledge (except electronics), I can build almost any split mechanical keyboard just by reading online tutorials and watching UKposts videos. Of course, I would also need the time to do so. So, yes, 300-400 bucks is overpriced in my opinion.

build myself a dactyl manuform for 80 bucks all sources from aliexpress other than my switches (40)!!!!!

what? you can buy a hotswappable one

Are you related to distrotube? You sound like him and have the same facial expressions.

finally a video that can shut up the group of people who go into a prebuilt ergonomic comment section an just go ahahaa pay my bills or get a keyboard with more lights ya fools you get razers useless dookie for 300 already

you can get a sofle/ corne kit for like 30 all you need is pro micro switches and caps maybe like 60-70 max

Yeah, 114 usd isn't cheap. But keyboard manufacturers are not buying these components from retail

Prebuilt keyboards are overpriced, my mind wasn't changed.

just buy a pinecil.

Nope still seems overpriced.

no one? really?? LiLY 58...