Orthovia Orthomouse Alternative

TL;DR: Does anyone know of alternative to the Orthovia Orthomouse? Something with thumb scroll *buttons* (not a wheel) that are placed vertically (not remapped horizontal front/back buttons.)

The Orthomouse is the only thing I've ever found that isn't painful to use for long periods. But their quality is crap, & they break down quickly. I've gone through five in about six years.

I'm afraid they may not be made any more. The Orthovia website is dead. Retailers still have them, & I fear I may have to stock up, which is pricey.

The best feature is the thumb buttons. The middle click button is directly on the thumb. And I can scroll by moving my thumb up & down without bending my thumb at all. I find traditional scroll wheels painful to use. I haven't found *anything* that does this.

I'm getting desperate. I'd be open to paying commission for repairing some of my dead ones, or maybe even Frankensteining a mouse that won't break into one of my many chassis. I don't have the ability to attempt myself.

Thanks for reading.

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u/markus_obsidian — 6 days ago

Haimu Whisper vs Boba U4TX for Kinesis Advantage 2

My intention is to order a Kinesis Advantage 2 with custom keycaps. I have a sampler, and i am torn between the Haimu Whisper and Boba U4TX.

I think i like the feel of the Boba U4TX better, but i have been repeatedly warned about the noise of the KA2's hollow body. I am worried about fatigue after eight-hour days as well.

I like the feel of the Haimu Whisper but am not convinced is worth the upgrade over the stock keycaps (browns?)

Would appreciate a tie breaker or insight.

Thank you.

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u/markus_obsidian — 3 months ago

I think i have a tall order. TL;DR: Looking for split ergo keyboard w/ support for pedals.


My fifteen-year-old Kinesis Advantage 2 is on its last legs. I am in need of an equivalent replacement. I am looking for a replacement with similar ergonomics. Deep key wells. Lots of thumb buttons.

The dealbreaker thusfar has been pedals. I make heavy use of the triple pedal--don't even know what kind. But it connects directly to the keyboard with what looks like an RJ11 jack. The macros are in the keyboard itself. I am particularly accustomed to holding the center pedal to enable the num pad in the right key well.

Kinesis seems to have discontinued these old pedal models. I am not confident that a keyboard i bought today would meet my workflow with any pedals, much less a pedal from fifteen years ago.

So i am looking for an alternative & am overwhelmed. It seems the pedal support i want will require customization that is beyond me.

At a glance, the Dactyl Manuform looks about the right shape, but i have no idea how pedals would work. I have no experience with keyboard firmware but i am comfortable with programming. I have no appetite for any hands-on hardware customization beyond snapping stuff into place.

I feel stuck. I would very much appreciate some advice.

Thank you for reading.

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u/markus_obsidian — 4 months ago