TypeMatrix split-ergo ortholinear review (chiclet keys)

[Chyros]

Jesus Christ monkeyballs.

[Shihatsu]

Just finished the video, and started right off again. Can't. Stop. Laughing.

[Muirium]

You’re welcome! Pleased it found a grateful home.

[depletedvespene]

This video is a bit shorter than usual, isn't it? No wonder, given you hated this keyboard so much.

I noticed you talked about the layout's ortholinearity, but you didn't mention the weirldy shaped mods — the two giant Shifts don't look too bad until you look at the rest of the (rather diminished) mods. That "mod cluster" on the lower left needed more work. And the exiled Enter key just makes no sense at all; would have been better, with that physical layout already in place, to swap it with the right Shift key.

[Elrick]

Oh My GAWD,

You will fit right in with our work team on site.

Your descriptions would embarrass our local obscene genius, who has a 24/7 sewage mouth that spews filth when ever confronted or asked to comment about anything.

Glad to see a like minded soul who can't bury his contempt within any fake political speeches but lets it all hang out.

My 4 rear old laughed at some of your comments but she noted down some words so she can ask her mother what it means later on. Onya Chyros, this is the BEST one you've done yet.

Good to see another HONEST review, much appreciated .

[Chyros]

Oh My GAWD,

You will fit right in with our work team on site.

Your descriptions would embarrass our local obscene genius, who has a 24/7 sewage mouth that spews filth when ever confronted or asked to comment about anything.

Glad to see a like minded soul who can't bury his contempt within any fake political speeches but lets it all hang out.

My 4 rear old laughed at some of your comments but she noted down some words so she can ask her mother what it means later on. Onya Chyros, this is the BEST one you've done yet.

Good to see another HONEST review, much appreciated .

I actually only used about half the obscenities I came up with during scripting xD . Glad you guys enjoyed it though .

[Elrick]

I actually only used about half the obscenities I came up with during scripting xD . Glad you guys enjoyed it though .

The ONLY prerequisite here is to be totally TRUTHFUL about what you are reviewing. NEVER do any sponsored reviews because they all reek of self interest and putting other priorities first before sincerity.

ALL the kids (mine) love you and how you demonstrate the Awful with the Good keyboards. You have indeed infected them with this Mechanical Keyboard vibe and they seem transfixed with the next model review being released by you, plus having to buy it for them (hate you for doing that to me) .

Please never stop the current format, despite possibly getting interest from dodgy sponsors and what not. That is how this world operates now when it comes to selling not only keyboards but everything else out there.

Just stay true to yourself and never apologize for what you have to say about - anything .

[davkol]

HEY LOOK!1 I CANNOT TYPE!!!1!

But, you see, there's progress. OP has started using his right thumb for spacebar, instead of the index finger.

*round of applause*

What revolutionary improvements are we gonna watch next time?

[kbdfr]

[…] What revolutionary improvements are we gonna watch next time?

Perhaps… correct spelling?

TypeMatrix review by Chyros.jpg (73.91 KiB) Viewed 6404 times

[Chyros]

[…] What revolutionary improvements are we gonna watch next time?

Perhaps… correct spelling?

TypeMatrix review by Chyros.jpg

That's intentional :p . It's a repeat from the previous swearing video, in which I spelt the warning screen very badly, too see who would bite :p . It worked out better than expected :p .

[AMongoose]

At this point I don't really get why you "review" anything that's not traditional staggered qwerty.
You don't like them and don't seem to give them much of a chance, fine, no need to make a 8 minute video calling a keyboard bad because you never learned to use it.

It's as if you "reviewed" a kitchen knife and kept saying it's harder to peel vegetables than with a safety peeler.

[//gainsborough]

At this point I don't really get why you "review" anything that's not traditional staggered qwerty.
You don't like them and don't seem to give them much of a chance, fine, no need to make a 8 minute video calling a keyboard bad because you never learned to use it.

It's as if you "reviewed" a kitchen knife and kept saying it's harder to peel vegetables than with a safety peeler.

You realize chyros' reviews are for entertainment, right? You also realize that the viewers of his channel actually VOTED for him to review a bad keyboard, right? People asked for this and he delivered.

Are you a bitter ex-TypeMatrix Employee or something? I would agree with your statements if these were supposed to be professional reviews that people looked at before seriously considering purchasing the item being reviewed, but that's not the case. His channel is a personal account, not a professional affiliate - his videos are opinionated reviews that showcase really old and diverse keyboards with varying switches, many of them are educational as well!

Also, Chyros - new video idea: review kitchen knife only from the veiwpoint of someone exclusively wanting to use it to peel vegetables.

[Muirium]

@Mongoose. Why? Because entertainment. A lot of us quite like his creative profanity.

Also, as Chyros says in the review, this is one of the first boards that came his way. It’s just taken this long to get to. I tried that very board myself before him, and let’s just say it’s no Matias Ergo, or even an Apple Adjustable, let alone the one I haven’t tried: the unobtainium split Cherry. The split on this board is just as poorly thought out as he says. And the fit and feel are more than merely excreble. I’ve honestly known feces that’s better built!

No, this board deserves everything he threw at it. Its hideously flawed attempt at ergonomics is its one and only highlight, if that.

[AMongoose]

Yeah i get that it's entertainment, but it's the same video with every "ergonomic" keyboard that is not staggered qwerty.
"look i don't know how to touch type and don't want to learn to, so this keyboard made with touch typists in mind is (convulsed way to say shit)".

Totally valid opinion and please be entertained, but it's not a review of a product if you're not going to use it as intended and instead just find funny ways to call it shit.

[Muirium]

Someone send him a *good* split ergo and see what happens! Because this ain’t that. So far from it I feel strange needing to point it out…

[Laser]

Just to mention that Chyros *did* make some paid reviews in the past, and also that, once his channel became popular, saying that people won't use it to form opinions about what keyboard to buy or not - is not necessarily true ...

Although I do like the idea that his videos are "pure entertainment" and NOTHING more

[Chyros]

Just to mention that Chyros *did* make some paid reviews in the past, and also that, once his channel became popular, saying that people won't use it to form opinions about what keyboard to buy or not - is not necessarily true ...

Although I do like the idea that his videos are "pure entertainment" and NOTHING more

Hey, it's not my fault some people can't take a joke :p .

Also, I never accepted any form of money for doing a review (other than what little YT pays me, of course). I've even turned lots of boards down that companies wanted to give to me for free.

[RidgeRunner]

Wow...that keyboard seems terrible. I'm staying far away from any I see.

[Menuhin]

It's painful even to just watch you type on that thing!
Ouch!

[davkol]

The main problem with the old TypeMatrix (pre-2030) is that the slightly larger keys (like Delete) don't have stabilizers, but rather two scissor "switches", i.e., you have to compress two domes, which makes them damn stiff.

Choice of scissor switches and overall build quality is mediocre, but I could get past that. The case is quite bulky, though.

The layout is quite nice, actually:

• good-enough hand separation
• basic hardware support for both US QWERTY and Dvorak Simplified (if I knew about this, I could have sent mine Chyros' way, because it has "Dvorak" key labels—to inspire even more profanity)
• huge Backspace and Enter in the middle
• the two rows of modifiers are interesting
• great embedded tenkey

In the end, I keep a TM2030 around: more compact, nicer domes, basic US Colemak support, protective skin…

[LessthanZero]

My hands hurt just watching you try to type on it. I have never been a touch typist, I break alot of rules I only hit space with my right thumb and I only use my left hand modifiers I never touch the right side. My typing teacher(yeah I'm just old enough to have learned on an actual typewriter
) was an awful old hag that would tape a piece of paper just above the keys so it would cover your hands and then sneak around and crack you on the knuckles if she caught you peeking. I blame her for my mental block and distrust of touch typists.

[haanuman]

Painful to watch, how did you try this lol

[Menuhin]

The main problem with the old TypeMatrix (pre-2030) is that the slightly larger keys (like Delete) don't have stabilizers, but rather two scissor "switches", i.e., you have to compress two domes, which makes them damn stiff.
...
In the end, I keep a TM2030 around: more compact, nicer domes, basic US Colemak support, protective skin…

I actually thought about the TypeMatrix 2030, but that was a bit too ugly in my eyes, and for what it wants to pursue, it doesn't go all the way to the cute end (e.g. Planck) or the Ergo end (e.g. Ergodox).

I fancied a μ(micro)TRON Keyboard, but have still been barely surviving in and out of this academic slavery system.

[davkol]

The thing about TM2030 is that it's super convenient: I can throw it in my backpack without worrying about damage to keys or connection between halves, typing on it is extremely quiet, and it provides basic functions on any current system mainly with MS Windows (i.e., it has physical arrow and function keys, and the Dvorak/Colemak support comes handy). It doesn't really look like anything with a skin as well, while it's protected from damage, spills, crumbs and what not. There's no denying that this is a niche use case, but yeah…