I am looking at building a Sofle V2.1 to swap from my Logitech Ergo K860. Tell me why I shouldn’t or why the Sofle is wrong.
The things I am looking for in an ergo keyboard
- split design
- rotary encoders look interesting
- fewer keys but more than 35 to transition
- I want to hook it up with a NiceNano! and Nice Views
I just moved from a one-piece ergo keyboard (Truly Ergonomic) to a Sofle RGB after spending Way Too Long comparing the available options. It’s pretty good so far. Some early thoughts in case they help:
- Split design lets you put both pieces exactly where you want them
- Number key row is right where you expect it, so you don’t need to switch layers for commonly used punctuation
- It’s a popular keyboard, so it’s not hard to find resources
- Column stagger feels natural right off the bat
- Rotary encoders don’t seem very useful so far; I feel like Lily58 might have had this right
- Modifier keys don’t feel natural yet, especially those on the outside
- I never thought about which thumb I used for the spacebar until this keyboard was staring at me
All in all, I’m happy with the Sofle and anticipate using it for a long time.
This is good info – thanks. I’ve also been looking at the Sofle 2.1 or the Lily 58 as a traveling keyboard for my laptop. My daily driver for my desktop is an Ergodox, and I hate having to use the laptop keyboard when I travel.
How do you have the Sofle connected? I was thinking about using BT to keep my USB ports open (my phone is usually connected as my hotspot), but worry about the battery drain and whether I can/should use the OLEDs and key lighting that way. Maybe a USB C hub is the better option.
Oleds don’t play well with wireless. They tend to use too much power. There is a power power alternative in the nice!view. Same with rgb except there is no alternatives for that one.
Doing wireless you’ll likely be using zmk which is harder to debug, with worse documentation and fewer resources. I’ve been using a wired lily58 recently and it’s been quite easy to work with. I would recommend a wired build personally.
Also, this is subjective, but I found the pinky stagger on the lily to be not enough, so I’m building a chocofi shortly. Although you have the experience with your ergodox so maybe more pinky travel isn’t something with any appeal to you lol
This is excellent information. I think you have sold me on the Sofle. I want to use the encoders for scrolling and volume/muting video calls. I am more curious than anything.
Curious, what do mean regarding the rotary encoders and the lily58 getting it right?
Lily58 has regular keys in those spots by default (I think they’re
[and]), which is more straightforwardly useful than the rotary encoders. There are surely some great uses for the encoders, but I have yet to discover themVolume! And zooming, I guess? I have a Q1 and the knob being closer to the thumbs makes a lot more sense to me than having to reach up to the upper right corner of the board.