tl;dr — ZSA's Moonlander is a split, mechanical, ergonomic keyboard. I've used two of them daily for years with zero issues. It's much more comfortable than a laptop keyboard or the Microsoft Sculpt, and ZSA's software makes customization easy. 5/5 keyboard.
I own two Moonlanders — one for home and one for work. I've been using one for >5 years and the other for >4 years. I use them for writing and programming; I make a living as a software developer.
I was fortunate enough to have a past employer cover the cost. Otherwise I'm not sure I would have gotten them; maybe would have gotten something cheaper on AliExpress. I think ZSA is expensive but a trustworthy place to start one's journey with ergonomic split keyboards.
The transition
I came into this with no prior experience with mechanical or split keyboards. There was a learning curve, but it took less than a month and my words per minute gradually improved. The thing that takes getting used to isn't just the split — it's the columnar layout, where the keys are arranged in columns rather than staggered like a traditional keyboard. The transition period was definitely worth it.
Comfort and ergonomics
It's much more comfortable to type on than a laptop keyboard. My hands and shoulders feel less cramped. The split design makes it easier to type with good posture, though of course the keyboard is only one aspect of an ergonomic setup.
I tent my keyboard a bit to make typing feel more natural. The Moonlander comes with adjustable "legs" such that my palm is no longer parallel to the table (if 0 degrees is parallel then it's more like 20 degrees) and I find it's more natural to type at an angle. Tenting is optional with this keyboard and you can even go further with add-ons like ZSA's platform kit for greater angles.
I'm using brown switches. I don't know much about switches, but I read somewhere that brown switches were a safe starting point. I got O-rings recently to reduce the travel. Coming from a laptop keyboard, this Moonlander keyboard definitely has more travel that can take getting used to.
I haven't tried other split keyboards so I can't compare, but I have tried a Microsoft Sculpt and my MacBook's keyboard, and the Moonlander is significantly better than both.
Customization with Oryx
ZSA's Oryx is a visual editor for remapping keys, but it's more powerful than simple remapping. This is the layout I use. My layout is a bit basic. Some examples of what you can do:
- If I hold a letter just a bit longer than usual, it becomes the capitalized variant, so there's no need to ever do shift+letter.
- There's a concept of layers — tapping one key can remap all other keys to a predefined layout, and tapping again brings you back to the original layer.
- A single key can send a sequence of other keys.
Customizing is a bit of a rabbit hole. There are things you can customize that I didn't even think about before getting a ZSA keyboard. There's much more I could do with my layout, but for now it's good enough.
Build quality after >5 years
After >5 years of daily use, the quality is the same as when it was new. Build quality is good, typing experience is good, tenting legs are still good, ports are fine. The only thing that's changed is it's not as clean as when I first got it. I don't travel with my Moonlander much, so maybe that's part of why it's lasted so long.
The Voyager
I also own a ZSA Voyager, but it feels like it has too few keys for me. I'd need to figure out a more optimized layout before I could use it daily, so it's mostly collecting dust.
What's next
My next keyboard could be something cheaper, and I'd be more comfortable tinkering or maybe building my own. But honestly, ZSA's keyboards just work and I'm not sure I want keyboards as a hobby. They're more of a means to an end. I intend to use my Moonlander until it dies, then maybe revisit the Voyager. I would like to use a lower profile keyboard like the Voyager eventually, I think it'd be more comfortable. I also need to look into getting some palm rests or something.