The Ultimate Hacking Keyboard Review: A Truly Unique, Truly Expensive Keyboard for Pros
by E. Fylladitakis on March 12, 2020 10:00 AM ESTConclusion
Unlike the vast majority of mechanical keyboards nowadays, the Ultimate Hacking Keyboard truly is a unique product - a wholly unique design that is being marketed almost exclusively towards IT professionals. The developer of the keyboard designed it to be reliable and easily customizable, without the extraneous bells and whistles that would be unnecessary for a professional.
As a keyboard targeted towards professionals, the UHK is based on a 60% layout in order to maximize productivity and reduce fatigue. However, this is going to actually work only with professionals who use a single keyboard every day and will tailor the UHK to their specific work needs. For everyone else, having to result to multi-key combinations for virtually anything else but basic input will probably have a negative impact.
The customizability of the UHK is its greatest selling point. Its Agent software initially seems simple but can be used to create very complex layouts and layers, making it a true weapon at the hands of an experienced professional. Users can also expand/customize their keyboards with additional modules that are available from the manufacturer for about $60 each, allowing the tailoring of the UHK to their specific needs.
The only real issue with the UHK is its unreasonably high price tag. It is currently retailing at $275 plus shipping, and this is without any of its accessories. The palm rest alone costs an additional $75, which is more than a whole mechanical keyboards using Kailh switches retails for nowadays. And the complete price tag for the UHK system can go higher still, as the future expansion modules will another $60.
Meanwhile, although the pricey keyboard is appropriately extravagant in some ways, it's also not very impressive in others; at it's core you're still looking at a keyboard built using Kailh switches, and lacks even basic backlighting. While we cannot deny the excellent quality and customizability of the UHK, it lacks enough features to fully justify such a price tag.
To summarize, we believe that the market potential of the UHK is significantly limited. It is, at the same time, both the smallest mechanical keyboard and the most expensive mechanical keyboard that we have ever reviewed. But its feature set, while impressive at times, just can't justify such a humongous price tag. The UHK is a product designed strictly for a small percentage of IT professionals and experts – it may be a real toolbox at the hands of an IT expert, but also is an unreasonably expensive choice for practically everyone else.
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ABR - Thursday, March 12, 2020 - link
This. 60% is popular in the custom keyboard maker community by virtue of being the quickest route to completing project boards with desired components and features. But to voluntarily submit to suffer with modes to save literally 2" of desk space is sheer madness.CSMR - Thursday, March 12, 2020 - link
The split keyboard design is lazy. So inconvenient to have moveable pieces with an extra cable. The perfect shape is in the MS Sculpt keyboard and a wired (and possibly mechanical) version of that would dominate all these split keyboard clones.phoenix_rizzen - Thursday, March 12, 2020 - link
Nope, the split keyboard works great for a lot of people as you can adjust the distance between the halves, and the angles of each half independently. The one-piece egro keyboards are only comfortable for one specific size range of people. If your hands are too big/too small, or your shoulders too wide/narrow, then the keyboard isn't comfortable at all.My keyboard tends to have the left half of the keyboard at more of an angle than the right, which makes it more comfortable for me, and eliminates any angle in my wrists. Having the split in the middle keeps the right half closer to the mouse pad, without having to bend my left wrist/elbow to reach the left half.
Just because it works for you doesn't mean it works for everyone. :)
PeachNCream - Thursday, March 12, 2020 - link
This is a good point, but the number of people with your level of dramatic physical asymmetry is fairly small when compared to the population at large that only experiences minor differences between their left and right due mainly to muscular usage for left or right hand dominance (something that can even be corrected to a great extent through balanced exercise routines that develop the muscles of both sides). I am not at all saying that the market of asymmetric people shoudn't be served. Everyone, regardless of body form, deserves to have a chance to at effective data entry, but the price to play puts this out of reach of some of those afflicted with severe asymmetry and that does them a disservice by dangling a solution they cannot easily afford in their faces.Voo - Monday, March 16, 2020 - link
Really? I used to have the sculpt and the Natural Ergonomic 4000 and I find an actual split keyboard way more comfortable.Also if you want your hands in a natural position, the tiny separation those one-piece keyboards give you is by far not enough to keep your wrists straight.. at least for me.
mondalaci - Thursday, March 12, 2020 - link
Hi there, and thanks for the review! I'm László Monda, the founder of the UHK. Please let me comment on some of the points metioned.1. The price is actually reasonable compared to other high-end split mechanical keyboards. We have multiple competitors who offer more expensive keyboards.
2. We don't yet offer PBT caps, nor backlighting, but we'll offer them in a future UHK hardware revision along with many other improvements. We don't have an ETA about this yet. Feel free to subscribe to our monthly newsletter at the bottom of our site, so we can keep you updated.
3. It's a common misconception that Kailh switches are lower quality compared to Cherry switches. Kailh switches actually have thicker metal pins which makes them less prone to bending. Also, Kailh almost always has stock unlike Cherry. These are the reasons we pick Kailh over Cherry, not the price.
4. The front side printing on the keycaps shows their Mod layer functions, not their Fn layer functions.
5. The metal plates are actually very sturdy on their own. The plastic shell is not required for sturdiness, it merely contains the electronics.
6. The three letter abbreviations of the keymaps is easily modifiable in Agent by clicking on them.
PeachNCream - Thursday, March 12, 2020 - link
Why is it that your typing style is alarmingly similar to teh doubled up anecdotal happy user comments from the supposedly two different people below?mode_13h - Friday, March 13, 2020 - link
Good eye, but I *do* think that double-post is informative. It would bother me for a poster not to disclose their affiliation, but that would be my main concern - not the content.EmbeddedShire - Thursday, March 12, 2020 - link
I preordered it some time ago and got it last year, I think. I've been using it at work ever since and I love it.I don't type particularly fast, but never having to leave the home row (e.g. for the arrow keys or pg up/down, home, end) has made typing more comfortable than with a standard keyboard. Also having the two halves about 50 centimeters apart feels fantastic while lying back in the chair.
As to the price, yeah it's pretty high so this must be something you really really fancy, but it's well worth IMO. It's a very high quality piece and maybe the perks are not immediately obvious:
great repairability, _everything_ is open sourced (PC software, firmware, BOM, schematics, PCB), support for all Linux & Mac, configuration is stored in onboard memory so you can carry it around, endless modding potential (got 2 exposed I2Cs + power connectors on each piece) and it's solid - works perfectly, no quirks, doesn't feel like a flimsy DIY project.
If you're interested in this sort of thing, you'd be hard pressed to find a similar package.
I'm obviously biased, but for me it's the best thing since sliced bread :)
PeachNCream - Thursday, March 12, 2020 - link
The double posting of duplicate content with different user names makes it clear you are not a legitimate, unbiased user of this particular product. No one is fooled by two people (randomcommenter and EmbeddedShire) copying and pasting the same statement.If you are planning to shill for your company, at least put some effort into it!