 We have had all sorts of bizarro keyboards through the lab lately, from super ergonomic to super ergo no thank you. But the one thing that all of them have in common is that they're just not that cool. To be fair, the Kinesis Freestyle Edge isn't uncool, it just lacks the wow factor of the more flashy mainstream keyboard options that are out there. So then, introducing the latest iteration of the infamous Ergodox EZ keyboard. A no compromises ergonomic keyboard that actually looks as good as it feels. And, for the first time ever, now comes with user replaceable key switches. Today's video is brought to you by Zotac. Zotac's Z-Box PCs are compact, and they have different variants that are great for applications like streaming and gaming. Check them out at the link below. Looking at it, the Ergodox EZ is kind of like a mashup of two boards from rival Ergoboard maker Kinesis. It's a split keyboard, like the Freestyle Edge, but it has thumb clusters and ortho-linear keys like the Advantage 2. It's a small 76 key board, which lands at somewhere between a 60% and a 10 keyless, so there's no function row, but it does have navigation keys wherever you decide to put them. Now since Ergodox started out as an open source, build your own board company, customizability is in the EZ's DNA. They include F and J keycaps that don't have tactile guides in case you plan on rearranging the letters in a Dvorak or Colmak configuration, and even if you order your board with a legend on the keycaps, which you're not even required to do, some keys are still left on mark so as to not be confusing after you customize your layout. And customize you will, because the default layout is pretty different. For example, the backspace is now more easily accessible over here beside the A key, while the apostrophe is way down here under the Z. That is too far for me. I'm very possessive of my apostrophe key. Now for his part, James our writer actually went through nine iterations before landing on the perfect layout. That sounds like a lot of work, but that high number actually just goes to show how easy it is to tweak the configuration. Just use the online configurator tool and flash the firmware to save it right onto the board. And while you're at it, you don't have a ton of keys on this thing, so you'll probably want to take advantage of at least a couple of the 32 available layers, which you can switch between in some pretty cool ways, like switching only as long as you hold a particular key down, or switching layers but only for a single key press, kind of like how shift works on your phone. All this customization does mean that, yes, this board can take some time to get used to, especially if you're not used to ortho-linear or non-staggered keys, which I guess then brings us into ergonomics. The split board lets you tilt each key module to keep your wrists from bending outward, so that's good. But if you want to cut out wrist extension, you'll need the nice and solid, but sold separately, silicone fuzz collect, I'm sorry, excuse me, wrist rests, and same goes for battling pronation. You actually need the tent kit for another 30 bucks extra. It's not cheap, but the legs are metal, making them nice and durable. The cute little dipped feet are available in white or black to match the color of your board. Once it's installed, you can tilt each individual leg through ratcheted steps or using the included washers steplessly. It takes longer to set up than Kinesis's, also sold separately, lift kit, so the end result is more versatile and feels more quality. In fact, overall, build quality has a lot to do with the EZ's cool factor. It doesn't look like it was made in the 90s, like many other ergonomic keyboards, and that beauty is more than skin deep. The keycaps, for example, are made by Signature Plastics, the printed set is double shot injected ABS plastic with a lower profile than most keycaps, and a roughened surface finish on the top so they don't get that gross shiny look as they wear out, and the unprinted set is PBT with a special bonus as well. Since there's no reason to move them around, they're sculpted, meaning that each row has a differently shaped keycap for improved ergonomics. Then, underneath the keycaps, it gets real, because you'll find one of 12 different switch types available right out of the box. I'm sorry, did I say one of? Believe it or not, our board right here actually has five different switch types plugged into it right now. The EZ makes swapping them out, well, easy. Just use the included dual pull edge tool to swap out some Cherry MX Browns for reds on the WASD keys, maybe some blacks on the keys you don't want to strike accidentally, like Q in Overwatch, maybe some super crunchy, kale, thick gold for the number keys, and I mean, hell yeah, why not? Let's throw some Cherry MX Whites in here for, I don't know, these keys. In the future, you'll even be able to order small numbers of extra switches directly from Ergodox, but for now, their ordering system only allows you to buy a complete set, which I guess brings us nicely to our gripes. It wasn't easy to dox these marks, but I have to talk about the cable. I appreciate that these are detachable and therefore replaceable in theory, but they stand out as the least premium aspect of the entire package. Not only are they not braided, they've got like printing on them, like they just went to a store and bought them. Next up is the lighting. The underglow, pretty freaking sweet. It does contribute to the coolness factor. There's lots of options for colors, patterns, and brightness, but is this as good as backlit keys? Maybe that's a matter of opinion, but I do hope to see that on a future version of the board. As for the bottom line, whether to buy, that depends on what you're willing to spend. Just the board by itself, without even switches, is $225 US dollars. A basic configuration then is $270, and if you add all the bells and whistles, which to achieve proper ergonomic status, we'd recommend, you're sitting at $355. As for any bonus key switches you want to throw in, well that's going to cost you too. So is it a lot for a mechanical keyboard? Yes. Is it a lot for a programmable mechanical keyboard? Yep. Is it a lot for a programmable mechanical keyboard with RGB lighting? It sure is. But is it a lot for an ergonomic keyboard? Actually, no. So if you're looking for a board that's as functional as it is eye-catching, then the Ergodox EZ might be worth making the switch. Speaking of making the switch, if you're hosting your website on a less versatile, less reliable platform, or if you don't have one at all, why don't you sign up for Squarespace? Squarespace makes it easy. They've got beautiful templates, all of which feature responsive design, so your site will look great on any device, and they've got 24-7 support via live chat and email to make it simple for you to get set up. Cover pages is a feature that actually allows you to set up a beautiful one-page online presence in just minutes. And they've got tons of other great features as well, including the ability to publish content in Apple News format directly from the Squarespace blog module. So start a trial with no credit card required, and start building your website today. Then when you sign up for Squarespace, head over to squarespace.com forward slash LTT, we'll have that linked below, and use offer code LTT to get 10% off your first purchase. So thanks for watching, guys. If this video sucked, you know what to do, but if it was awesome, get subscribed. Hit that like button or check out the link to where to buy the stuff we featured in the video description. Also linked down there is our merch store, which has cool shirts like this one, and our community forum, which you should totally join.