Dygma Raise review: A keyboard of two halves

Price When Reviewed

$349

Best Prices Today: Dygma Raise

Most of us spend quite a lot of time on our keyboards, however they may not be serving to us when it comes to posture or hand well being. Dygma is an organization that makes a speciality of unorthodox typing units designed to maintain your digits working, even when your typing calls for are excessive.

One such product is the brand new Raise, which not solely splits in half but in addition tilts at a pointy angle to vary the stress in your wrists. So, is it one thing that may assist maintain your arms pain-free or will it induce complications from having to relearn the fundamental rules of utilizing a keyboard? 

Further studying: The best mechanical keyboards: Top picks for every need

Design & Build

• High high quality parts
• Many configuration choices
• Split development and tilting stands
• Mechanical keyboard with programmable backlights

As any good chef will let you know, the primary chew is with the attention. With that in thoughts, Dygma lays out a veritable feast earlier than you even get to the keyboard itself.

Opening the packaging reveals a group of containers that include the elevating equipment that you simply screw into the underside of the Raise, an enhancement equipment with keycap removers, ‘O’ rings you need to use on every key, plus a cleansing material. Then there’s the attractive padded and fur-lined case wherein the precise keyboard itself resides, together with the braided cables and ‘Neuron’ adapter it is advisable to connect it to your pc. It all seems to be and feels premium.

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The Raise presents an attention-grabbing design, with two separate halves of the keyboard which you could plug into one another to make a extra normal structure. The halves are usually not precisely the identical dimension, with the left facet measuring 153.8mm and the precise a barely bigger 177.3mm. This is principally because of the H and Y keys jutting out just a little bit, on account of the truth that keyboards are usually not designed to be precisely symmetrical. Go on, take a look at yours now, you’ll see that the keys don’t line up above one another, they’re staggered.  

An anodized aluminum key plate holds all the things in place, with prolonged palm rests to make issues cozy. Mine is Atlantis Blue, however there are a number of different colours obtainable: Daredevil Red, Egyptian Gold and Royal Purple every with the selection of black or white key caps and palm pads. You get two pads within the field which you could stick onto the areas beneath the keyboard, which provides to the relaxed really feel you get when utilizing the Dygma Raise.

The pads can be eliminated, washed and caught again on, so that you don’t want to fret concerning the aesthetic changing into tatty after some use. 

The two halves of the keyboard lay flat on a desk, with no changes to tilt them upwards. Obviously, the elevating equipment provides some elevation, however solely sideways, so the typing floor can really feel just a little low when you’re used to tilting up the again of a keyboard. It’s a small factor, however I wish to have had a strategy to alter this manually. 

You’ll must screw the elevating equipment onto the bottom plates of the keyboard (all the things is included), which then offers you the choice to tilt the separate items to angles that fit your most popular typing place. 

As it is a mechanical keyboard, there are switches beneath the PTB double shot keycaps, all of which could be configured when ordering the Dygma Raise. My evaluate pattern got here with Kailh Speed Copper switches, however there are one other eight you possibly can select from together with numerous Cherry MX variants and Gateron GT Pro 2.0, with solely a most of $26 added to the associated fee generally.

If you like to make use of your personal or have a favourite set, then the Raise is hot-swappable with any switches that use 3- or 5-pin switches with an MX stem. 

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Illumination comes from RGB lights and LED strips beneath the keys and key plate that shine brightly and in a variety of colours. These could be configured through the accompanying software program (extra on that later) with the flexibility for particular person keys to be highlighted in numerous tones. 

The two halves join by slotting them into one another with the assistance of inner magnets, it’s a superb match and really straightforward to rapidly repair in place or take aside. Due to the separate sections, there are USB-C ports on each, with the included cabling permitting you to route them via the Neuron connector so that they solely take up one port in your pc. 

Keyboard really feel and typing expertise

• 60% structure with programmable thumb keys
• Split keyboard helps with arm and chest alignment
• Tilted place takes quite a lot of getting used to

Looking on the keyboard it’s instantly obvious that there are some things lacking. As it is a quick structure, you gained’t discover a number-pad on the Raise, nor (extra sadly) are there arrow keys. At least, not devoted ones. Beneath the cut up space-bar there are two ‘layer’ keys that will let you entry the particular characters and options which might be defaulted to the second and third layers (form of like superior Shift keys), though extra layers could be arrange within the software program.

So, urgent down and holding one will immediately make the ESDF keys glow, reworking them into a brief set of arrow keys. While that is initially fairly off-putting (I take advantage of arrow keys so much it seems), you may rapidly alter to the function, with the added bonus that you simply don’t have to vary your hand place to navigate via paperwork. 

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This is essential, as a lot of the design ethos behind the Raise is for environment friendly and ergonomic typing or normal keyboard use. As a regular keyboard, it’s responsive and cozy to make use of. The suggestions from the keys is stable with out being too clacky, and the journey feels sufficient in order that you recognize you’ve pressed the important thing however don’t discover your fingers sitting too excessive.

If you’re a touch-typist like myself, it’s possible you’ll discover the primary few hours a bit disorientating, as you attempt to hit the space-bar or different keys in that area with various success. Stick with it although and it’s best to discover that you simply get again as much as full pace very quickly in any respect. 

Of course, as soon as familiarity with the structure is achieved, it’s time to drag the keyboard aside! 

The cut up mode is the primary main change with regards to typing positions. The precept is that your shoulders are extra open whenever you separate the completely different sections, which ought to assist with pains in that area in addition to with the neck. Admittedly it does really feel bizarre at first, however I used to be stunned how rapidly I adjusted to the brand new angles and was in a position to kind at a quick pace as soon as extra.

It’s additionally a good suggestion to attempt angling the halves in order that they don’t sit within the conventional straight line {that a} regular keyboard calls for. This can take stress off of your wrists and loosen up the again and shoulders. It was curious how instantly I felt a distinction in how the muscle mass have been getting used. Thankfully, the positioning can simply be tailor-made to your private desire, making it a simple means of testing orientations to see which is essentially the most snug to make use of.

There’s undoubtedly some trial and error right here, nevertheless it’s fairly enjoyable experimenting.

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As somebody who suffers with a group of typing associated maladies, I did discover that utilizing the Raise within the cut up configuration was in all probability my favourite and seen that my shoulders didn’t ache as a lot as they normally do after a protracted day. There’s additionally numerous scope when it comes to how far aside you may place the 2 segments, due to the beneficiant size of the cables. So if you’d like you may place a mouse or trackpad within the hole you may. Cups of tea are additionally an possibility, simply don’t spill them on the keyboard.

Of course, with a reputation like Raise, there’s the final mode to discover the place the 2 sides are tilted upwards to type a form of tent. This is achieved through the 4 legs beneath. You pull these out from their fundamental flat setting, then unfold the arms and push them within the notches within the base. Sounds a bit sophisticated, nevertheless it’s extremely easy and solely takes a number of seconds. There are 4 notch choices, each growing the angle of the lean. These go from a slight 10-degree slope as much as a pointy 40-degree incline. 

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I discovered the decrease settings fairly snug to make use of, with the angle seemingly taking just a little stress off my wrists. This modified although as I elevated to the upper angles, the place I discovered it uncomfortable to carry my arms up, even with the help of the palm rests. I do have a number of points on this space although, with a protracted historical past of shoulder issues and arthritis, so this might simply be my very own private alignment reasonably than the keyboard. 

Software and programmable options

• Bazecor software program suite
• Create completely different layouts and shade schemes
• Programmable macros
• Superkey function

Alongside the spectacular variety of methods you may bodily adapt the Raise to your preferences, the software program that accompanies the keyboard is the place you may actually tweak issues to an virtually ridiculous diploma. 

The Bazecor title of the suite may sound like a villain from the Wheel of Time, however there’s nothing monstrous about it. Once it’s downloaded and put in in your PC or Mac you’re taken by the hand via the varied methods you may configure the keyboard. 

Everything is specified by a logical method, with visible cues making it clear easy methods to become familiar with the instruments on provide. There can also be a variety of superb tutorial movies on the Dygma website that take you thru the capabilities of the Raise. 

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First up there’s the important thing enhancing part. Here you see a map of the board with all the present keys. You can choose from completely different layers, of which there could be a most of 10! If you wish to add particular options to any key then simply click on on it and also you’ll then be capable to choose the varied combos of keys that you simply wish to set off whenever you hit it.

Alternatively, if there’s one you don’t use very a lot, you may map it to a different one from the complete sized keyboard displayed on the web page. For occasion, I seemed on the second layer of my setup and located a key that wasn’t assigned. So I chosen it, then put within the mixture for a screenshot and assigned the important thing a particular shade to remind me. Then, at any time when I switched to layer two, the important thing would mild up pink and instantly take a screenshot when pressed. Very helpful. 

For extra advanced duties there’s the macro possibility. In this menu, you may configure or stay file macros that can paste in a preset textual content to a doc or full a collection of instructions to perform a process. Again, the programming is visible and easy to become familiar with, making this a really highly effective and usable function. 

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There’s additionally one thing known as Superkeys the place you may assign as much as 5 instructions to any key. These are then accessed by a mixture of faucets and holding down that exact key. As an instance, you possibly can map a macro to a key, however it’s going to solely set off when you faucet the important thing then instantly faucet once more and maintain it down.

There are 5 attainable actions you need to use to set off the important thing, and whereas they might take just a little studying, the wise implementation by Dygma implies that it’s not laborious to grasp them rapidly. You can all the time seek advice from the Bazecor software program to remind your self which keys are mapped and what instructions they may execute. 

Alongside this, the software program permits you to improve the firmware for the keyboard, in addition to tweak all the overall settings to a powerful diploma. 

Price & Availability

If you’re used to selecting up any outdated keyboard as long as it’s low cost, then the Dygma Raise in all probability isn’t for you. This is a premium product via and thru, and that’s not solely mirrored in its high quality but in addition the worth. 

On the Dygma site, the baseline configuration begins at $419 (approx £345) and you’ll improve numerous options for added prices. It must be famous although that the choice switches and different upgrades are all cheap, with the most costly variant solely including $26 (approx £21) to the ultimate invoice, so that you’re not being inspired so as to add a great deal of extras on high to get the configuration you need.

Out of the field, the Dygma Raise is able to go and has all of the options talked about on this evaluate. 

In the mechanical keyboard world, there are additionally different choices, such because the OnePlus Keyboard 81 Pro, though that lacks any backlighting, can’t be cut up and doesn’t include palm rests. It does value much less, at $219/£249, in order that’s one thing to think about. If you simply desire a fundamental ergonomic keyboard with a curved typing floor, then the Logitech Wave Keys can do the job for $59.99/£69.99.

There’s additionally the Truly Ergonomic Cleave keyboard, which doesn’t cut up or elevate however does function an angled positioning of all of the keys which might take stress off your wrists. It’s absolutely mechanical and configurable and can set you again $299 (approx £247).

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Should you purchase the Dygma Raise?

Paying high greenback for a keyboard may not be excessive on lots of people’s listing of priorities, however in an age the place shelling out practically a grand on a cellphone isn’t uncommon, I’d say investing in a top quality keyboard that you possibly can use day by day for years is one thing price critical consideration.

The sheer degree of flexibility and customization obtainable within the {hardware} and software program makes the Dygma Raise some of the versatile and attention-grabbing merchandise I’ve reviewed in a very long time. Even after a number of weeks with it, I stored discovering new issues it may do to make my typing life a bit simpler.

It does really feel just a little intimidating at first, and relearning to kind can fry your mind for a number of days. I additionally didn’t get on that nicely with the steeper inclines within the tent place however you may.

I’ve discovered the structure, nice software program expertise and tutorial movies imply that reasonably than being overloaded with options you’ll by no means use, the Raise is sort of a precision instrument that may flip the standard keyboard right into a powerhouse management middle on your pc. More importantly, my arms felt much less painful than they normally do after I use my conventional outdated keyboard for a full day’s work. And you may’t put a value on that. 

Specs

• 64(ANSI model) / 65(ISO model) mechanical switches and 4x low-profile mechanical switches (hot-swap sockets for Mx switches and 4x Kailh hot-swap sockets for Choc switches.)
• PBT double-shot keycaps (English US and UK) and high-end laser-etched ABS OEM profile keycaps for sprint and non-English languages.
• Customizable RGB LEDs on the keycaps and 60 LEDs for the underglow.
• Atmel tiny 88 U-CN Keyscanner Microcontroller
• Sonix Sled 1735 LEDs Microcontroller
• Annodized aluminum Key plate
• Atmel ATS AMD 21G18A-U ​​Neuron Microcontroller
• Splittable chassis
• Raising equipment for angling two keyboard sections (between 10 and 40 levels)
• USB-C
• Neuron interface solely requires single USB-C slot on PC
• Programmable through Bazecor software program suite
• 315.63 mm x 201.76 mm x 33.6 mm.
• 895g

This evaluate initially appeared on techadvisor.com.