Most budget friendly ergo split?

[u/ThiceBeno]

Hi everyone! I'm a fairly new finder of this sub, but it seems to have been found at an ironic time. Im a software developer and we had a guy start at work that uses a split keyboard, that started my interest, so I was already looking at them.

I've been using PCs regularly for over 20 years since I was 11, and wouldn't you know it my bad habits and awkward typing/mouse angles caught up to my wrists, Merry Christmas right haha... With my recent diagnosis I decided I should seriously look at getting an ergo split to help and maybe a track ball? Problem is most of these options are way out of my price range especially the prebuilt ones and I don't even have the tools to do the DIY ones even if they are cheaper.

So I'm looking for some help. I'd love some suggestions and thought people have on ergo keyboards and mice (if mice are allowed to talk about in this sub?). Anything I can learn to help the pain in my wrists.

Also looking for what's the best option for budget friendly ergo split to help with wrist problems? This time of year is rough anyway with three kids birthday and wife's birthday all within a month of Christmas. Ideally I'd love to be around $100 but seems that is near impossible. Is there any options in that range, or something near by I could save up for (though not ideal for how my wrists are feeling), or does anyone have a decent old one laying around they'd like to part with.

Thanks a ton, you guys seems like a really cool community looking forward to hanging around!

[u/Keybug]

There's the Perixx PERIBOARD-524B for 40€ on German Amazon, not sure if you can get it elsewhere. It doesn't get cheaper than that.

A little-used Kinesis Freestyle might be another good option - I used one happily for years before I got into mechanical boards. But unless you get into custom mechanical switches, a rubber dome board like the two above can be just as good.

Also, you should be wary of rushing to an option with very few keys. There are many good reasons to keep the number row, for example. See here.

What exactly is your problem WRT mousing? If it's mostly shoulder pain, just switching to a tenkeyless keyboard (not necessarily an ergo) can do wonders. Also consider using a second mouse, trackpad, ... with your left hand to give your right hand a break from time to time.