I am looking to buy my first split keyboard. My first option was the zsa voyager and I was going to buy it until I stumbled on the whole world of split keyboards and now I can’t make up my mind. I have no experience in soldering or anything and I would prefer to get it fully assembled but if it’s way cheaper to get a kit I guess I can learn but I’m scared to mess it up. I’ll be ordering it to France so I’m looking to get the keyboard with shipping and taxes and duties for a maximum budget of 300-350€. There are so many options and websites and I don’t know which one to go for and which will be worth it. I know the quality of the voyager is the best but I’m okay with not having the greatest quality if it’s a good keyboard. Let me know if you have any advice for me since I really need the help and hoping to order the keyboard soon.
I’ve had pretty good experiences with https://42keebs.eu/ and https://keeb.supply/ for my two split keyboards. They both offer kits and assembly services. I especially like that acrylic covers from 42 keebs, and they hand write a greeting on the receipt, which always makes me feel quite nice, haha.
For a first build I feel like QMK firmware with Vial support really made it easy for me to configure the keys how I like. My second keyboard used ZMK, directly modifying config file is not exactly hard, just a little more daunting.
I did ask a colleague to teach me how to solder for my first keyboard, he spent 10 minutes explaining, I practiced a little, and then I soldered everything without too much issue. I enjoyed it a lot, but it’s probably not for everyone.
I also quite like https://splitkb.com/ with their super easy customizable designs, but never really went for that kind of budget. They should be within your budget though, you should check them out.