Bicycle For Your Mind
QB 006: Revisiting the Planck EZ
A reader asked for a follow up on the experience of using the Planck EZ and I thought it was worth a revisit. After using the Planck for more than six months, these are my thoughts on it.
My hands don’t hurt. There is no pain or discomfort in the wrists or the fingers. I have been typing exclusively on the Planck, both on the iMac and on the Air. I have been doing a lot of typing and there is no pain. That alone makes this a good investment, for me.
I don’t know what the contributing factor is. Is it the keyboard? Is it the placement of the trackpad? These are the possible factors:
- Ortholinear arrangement of the keys, means less travel for the fingers.
- The Planck is a small keyboard with 47 keys. Which means that it takes less space and the trackpad is right next to it. Less movement for my hands and fingers.
I don’t know what is contributing to the lack of pain. I am assuming it is the Planck but I don’t know the exact contributing factor. This is anecdotal evidence at best.
Downsides
The Planck destroys your ability to type on a staggered layout. The ortholinear arrangement leads to habits which make it virtually impossible to type on a staggered layout. I am sure that if I made up my mind to switch, I could. Will take me a few weeks to get used to it, it is not impossible to go back. However, the idea of using both is a bad one.
Auto-Shift, the ability to hold down a letter for the capitalized version is another bad habit which grows on you and makes it difficult to switch. Forgetting the Shift key to type capitalized letters is something that I took to easily. When I type on something other than the Planck, I find myself holding down keys waiting for the capitalized letter to appear. It is a deeply frustrating experience.
Conclusion
The Planck is fantastic. It is habit-forming and ruins you for other keyboards. The absence of pain and discomfort in my wrists and fingers is noticeable. The customization and Auto-Shift makes it a personalized experience and I am glad I made the switch.
I am happy with the Planck. I am saving for the Moonlander Mark I.
Note: You can find my configuration for the Planck, here.