Hey, all. I am brand new* to the world of mechanical keyboards, and after researching them for a week or so, I have just bought a UHK from a fellow employee. I am very much looking forward to getting this keyboard and seeing what all it can do.
My main goal is to get a split keyboard that will help me stop being so hunched over and stop pulling in my shoulders. I also wanted one that is basically similar to a standard keyboard, to make the transition easier on me, and it seems like the UHK fits the bill there.
I am very impressed with the configurability of this keyboard, and am wondering if anybody has any suggestions for config changes for a Unix user. As a Unix admin (and, notably, a very prolific vi user), I hit Escape all day long. I’m thinking I might want to swap ~ (by which I mean the ~` key, but I can’t type that more than once or the forum software turns it into fixed-font “code” text) and ESC, remapping the ~ key to ESC, and making ~ be a layer key. It looks like this is simple enough to do in the Agent.
I’m wondering about other config changes I should consider on day 1. And yes, I will be consulting the configuration category.
** brand new = I currently use a 2025 MacBook Air, 2024 MacBook Pro, and Apple A1314 keyboard. In decades past I have used mechanical keyboards from IBM (5150, Model M), NeXT (I still have my NeXT Cube), Atari (800, 600XL), and others. For the last 20 years I have exclusively used membrane keyboards. So yeah, not really “brand new,” but “brand new” from the perspective of “I’m looking into alternate keyboards now.”
Welcome!
All I can say is, you can configure the UHK just about any way you can imagine. You’ll likely be tweaking your layouts quite a bit for a little while, so just take your time and don’t be afraid to ask questions if you get stuck. There’s a lot of super helpful people here.
I am getting a UHK 60 v2, dark red case, silent pink switches, with wooden palmrests, the trackpoint module, and the key cluster module. He will ship it today, so I should get it sometime next week.
I don’t think I will like linear switches (I like some tactile feedback), so I think I will be swapping out the switches pretty soon. I might also make my own keycaps at Yuzu, and I might have a friend 3D-print a tenting stand for me, but on day 1 I am just going to enjoy my new keyboard.
My UHK60 arrived today, and wow is this awesome. The layers are going to take some getting used to, especially the lack of physical arrow keys and escape key, but I think I am going to really like it. I definitely need to swap out the silent pink keys, though – not sure if I want blue or brown yet.
Mouse mode is so very cool. I really like how the RGB colors change based on the selected layer, and that only active keys are lit.
This keyboard is in very good, maybe excellent, condition, but the braided coiled cord is frayed, so I might buy another at some point.
I am making several changes in short order, so I need to pace myself: In addition to swapping out my A1314 for the UHK60, today I also replaced my Apple Magic Mouse with a Logitech MX Master 3S. My standing desk and anti-fatigue mat are scheduled to arrive on Wednesday.
Of course, you’re not stuck with the switches that are sold in the UHK Shop; there’s a zillion different switches out there. Basically any non-low profile MX style switch is compatible…
And as for the RGB LEDs, you can also set your own per-key color scheme:
