Glove80 Keyboard

Video Review

Contoured keywell (Bowl-Shaped Surface)

The keys form a overall concave bowl-shaped surface, so that your fingers dip onto the keys. No bending up the wrist, and the contoured keywell fits the different lengths of fingers.

• If you never used a ortholinear layout keyboard (where the key columns and rows are form a rectangular grid, not slanted or stagger), might take you 3 weeks to adopt.
• If you have used a columnar layout keyboard (such as ergodox), it'll just take few days to adopt.

Thumb keys

The thumb keys, fixed many problems of traditional keyboard. Thumbs are powerful, and all the modifier keys such as Ctrl Alt ❖ Window ⌘ command are now right under your thumbs. Also, the Backspace is right there, one of the most frequently used key. No more twisting your right wrist or moving hand to hit the top right of keyboard.

In comparison to the Kinesis Advantage2 Keyboard, the glove80 is a better design of the thumb keys. Better physical design, and better default functions on them.

In particular, Shift is placed on the thumbs, available for both hands. (instead of the pinky on traditional position) Also, you have Ctrl Alt for both hands.

For Mac users, the keyboard comes with extra keycaps labeled ⌘ and Option , and you can program them via firmware or easily set it up via MacOS. [see Mac: Swap CapsLock Control Option Command Keys]

Low Profile

This keyboard is engineered to be very low profile, so that the keyboard base does not add much height to the keys.

Removable Palm Rest

To remove the palm rest, just unscrew it at the back. Those are thumb screws, you can twist it to screw. No need screwdriver. Very easy to remove and screw back on.

Adjustable Feet for Tenting

To ajust tenting angle (rasing the middle of keyboard), just twist the feet. Excellent design. (by default, it's tented about 8 degrees.) It comes with extra long screw feet if you want it really slanted.

Keycaps

The keycaps are custom designed by MoErgo.

• Keycap material is POM plastic (won't wear-shine, won't age-yellow) [see Keycap Material: ABS, PBT, PVC, POM]
• Keycap top surface shape is cylindrical concave. [see Keycap Profiles]
• Key labels are laser marked. (never wears off) Key Label Printing Tech

Changing Keycaps (Add Mac Command Option Keycaps)

WARNING: Be very careful when pulling the keycaps, you may pull out the key switch and damage it. Choc switch keycaps are very tight. When you pull a keycap, use the bundled wench to hold down the switch under it.

USB Port and Power

• At the back, there is a USB-C port, and a power switch button. The port and switch are on BOTH left-hand-side and right-hand-side parts.
• The power button is a nice push-in. It stays down when its in on-status.
• The left keyboard is the main part. Plug USB to that part if you want wired.
• The left and right talk via latest bluetooth (not proprietary wireless protocols).

The MoErgo (Magic) Key

The lower left corner key with the MoErgo logo is the “magic” key. It is a key for selecting bluetooth device and show battery status, and other keyboard config.

Key Switch

key switch is Kailh Choc Switch.

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  Kailh Choc Switch

Battery

Show Battery Status

To show battery levels, press the lower left key on left part.

• The lights on the QWERT row, shows the battery levels for left-hand-side.
• The lights on the ASDF row, shows the battery levels for right-hand-side.

Battery Life

Assuming lights off, and the device is switched on 24/7 the life is around 3 weeks on left hand and 3 months on right.

Charging Battery

Each hand has a battery.

To charge each part, just plugin the USB-C to USB-A cable.

According to the manual, charging time is 3 to 4 hours.

Backlight

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  Glove80 Backlight

Show Bluetooth Connection Status and Connecting to Bluetooth

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  Glove80 Bluetooth Connection

Glove80 Keyboard Layout

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  Glove80 Keyboard Layout

Firmware and Programing the Keyboard (Create Custom Key Layouts and Key Macros)

• Glove80 Keyboard, Create Custom Layout

Glove80 Unboxing

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  Glove80 Unboxing

Glove80 Manual

• glove80-user-guide.pdf

Conclusion

• As the physical build, and design, it's excellent.
• Typing on it has the best experience. i'd say slightly better than kinesis advantage 2.
• The user interface for programing the keyboard is not very good.

At over $300, it's a bit expensive, however, you don't have much choice, if you want a bowl curved surface keyboard. They are all above $300. If you want bluetooth in addition, they are above $400.

Best points:

If you never had ergo keyboard, this is a major step up. It fixed all the baggage of the mechanical Typewriters we are inherited with. [see Keyboard Design Flaws]

If you already have ergo keyboard experience, here's the better parts:

• Superb physical design. Light weight and elegant. Not huge, not bulky.
• Superb thumb keys design.
• most powerful and flexible programability of the keys. xtodo detail.
• Contoured surface.
• Nice fullsized function keys F1 F2 etc. Most ergo keyboards omit them.

Things that may not suitable for you:

• The left-hand-side and right-hand-side talk via bluetooth. This means, if you are a James Bond working for big gov with top secret of missiles, this keyboard may not be suitable. (the keyboard implement Bluetooth 5.x, which is probably the most secure wireless protocol, and is done via the open source ZMK firmware. This should be more secure than any proprietary protocol, and can be updated via firmware.)
• The lightest choice of the choc switch is choc red, with activation force of 50g. This may be too heavy if you are used to the Cherry MX Red linear (45g). (it is possible to have lighter switches. Look at their site for info on this.)

Where to Buy

• https://www.moergo.com/