UPDATE:
8 months later, daily use.
The keyboard has held up extremely well, I've been really happy with it.
Even though it's been many months of daily use, I'm still missing some double stroke keys. I don't know if that's a muscle memory thing or due to the key feel of the browns. In hindsight I think I should have gone for the blue. I wouldn't mind the noise and I think the more distinct spring action would have helped my muscle memory training better.
I've only detached the keyboard sides once, but it is a great option to have, although I do wish the connecting cable was just a couple inches longer.
The memory keys on the left side are reasonably easy to configure in the app.
The foam pad mod I did was definitely a great idea. These were the ones I got: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073W1RYGJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1 - the small size fits perfectly from the base of the palm rest to the bottom of the indent under the CTRL FN ALT keys. Without these the base of my hands were getting sore by the end of the day. Highly recommended mod.
Kinda looking forward to whenever this breaks so I can justify getting a version with the blue switches, but the way this is made, I have a feeling it's going to be a decade+ before it has any issues.
Definitely a great keyboard!
ORIGINAL REVIEW ========================
I plan to update this review after a few months of use, but here are my first impressions. (Cherry MX Brown version)
PREFACE:
I did a ton of research on cherry mx switches before buying to be sure I got what I thought would be the most to my preference. If I had to do it again, I might go for blue switches, but I'm completely happy with the brown.
COMPARING TO MICROSOFT ERGO 4000:
Key feel is pretty dramatically different to the msft ergo 4000 which is what I've used for what feels like 20 years. For reference, the ergo 4000 uses rubber dome type switches vs the spring loaded switches in these keyboards. It's quite a different feel. It doesn't take more pressure to hit these keys, but the responsiveness is different and I find I miss double letters a bit (like ff and bb). I'm sure that will subside as my muscle memory retrains on this.
Because of the missed double letters I was wondering if I would do better with a cherry mx blue keyboard instead that has a more distinct crack to the switch input. If I have to replace this at some point I will probably try blue switches.
Noise isn't an issue for me (I work alone in a home office), but these cherry mx brown switches don't seem any louder than the msft keyboard. Maybe a touch sharper in sound but it's not anything annoying.
I miss the vinyl/leather padding at the base of the msft keyboard, even after just an hour of use. So much so that I bought some low profile foam pads for palm wrests intended to go on laptops. I'll see how they do.
The left CTRL key on the msft keyboard is wider, lower profile and smoother edged than on this board, so it seems like it was more comfortable to hit, but I'll have to see how I get used to this.
I read a complaint about size of this keyboard. It's ok for me, but it is definitely a few inches wider.
The main difference I'm noticing so far is the msft keyboard has much lower profile keys that seem to take less action to press. These keys sit high and I feel like my fingers move a fair amount more. It's satisfying to type on, but it's definitely a difference, and at first use so far I prefer the lower profile keys on the msft keyboard.
I read there are other cherry switches (not offered on this keyboard) which have lower travel before registering, and overall slightly lower profile (like 3mm vs 4mm) and I wonder if those would be better for me, not that that's an option here.
GAMING:
I was concerned that these switches might be annoying during gaming, but a solid hour in my FPS game of choice, I noticed no adverse effects, other than missing a few hits of shift & ctrl because the layout is slightly different (and a few errant shift lock hits).
So far so good, and any concerns I had about gaming I think are gone.
I can just barely squeeze my old Sidewinder II flight stick in between the two sides of the board, but the keyboards have to be at an extreme angle. If there was just one more inch in the connecting cable it would have been perfect for me. Hopefully the mfr releases a longer cable for it soon. That was a setup I was really hoping to get working.
INITIAL SETUP:
Packed well in foam & foam slip covers. I managed to get the small connector cable plugged in the correct way the first time, was pretty easy.
Downloading the new firmware and software was a hassle trying to convince my browser and windows to actually run the setup exe file, as it keeps warning about it being potential malware. cloudnine really needs to fix that.
It comes with a handy hotkey reference page which got me going perfectly quickly, and I got the lights set up to my preference very quickly, and it's as cool as I wanted it to be. Backlit keys make a huge difference (letters rubbed off on my 10 year old keyboard were a prime reason for getting a new keyboard just now) and the cool factor is definitely worth it, plus typing in the dark is much better.
SUMMARY:
So far so good. Nothing is awful, nothing is bad, setup was easy enough, key feel is satisfying, gaming is fine, comfort is ok, lights are super cool. It's a definite recommend.
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Cloud Nine C989 Split Keyboard Overview
Creative Resource
Product Description
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Easily Reach Your DeviseKeep your phone or mouse right in front of you! There is plenty of room for a mouse, phone, or even a drink to sit right between the keyboard halves! You'll never miss a text or have to reach across your desk to grab the mouse with this setup! |
USB Pass ThroughPlug in a mouse, phone charger, microphone, or ANY other accessory to the back of the keyboard. Your peripherals stay within easy reach thanks to the pass-through USB A port. |
Dedicated Multimedia DialA clickable center dial wheel lets you adjust volume on the fly! It's also useful for instantly dimming the keyboard brightness and changing the RGB lighting patterns! |
Gamers demand the best from their keyboards and so should you.
We built the C989M keyboard with only premium components so you can stay in the fight longer.
Maximize your gaming endurance by keeping your hands in their natural position.
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Genuine Cherry Mechanical SwitchesDominate your competition with lighting-fast 2ms response times and performance that only genuine CHERRY MX RGB switches can provide! |
Customize Per-Key Functions and Back LightingConfigure your keys for the ultimate FPS or MOBA setup. Personalize the RGB lighting to help you immediately spot keys and never lose your placement! |
Gaming Grade Circuitry100% anti-ghosting with 104 key rollover on USB ensures that every key press registers - no matter how fast you play. |
Ultimate Gaming KeypadPersonalize your gaming setup and dominate the competition by keeping your mouse and vital keys within quick reach. Simply disconnect the right half to create the ultimate gaming keypad! |
Compare with similar items
This Item  Cloud Nine C989M Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard for PC - Kailh Tactile Brown Switches - RGB Light Up LED Backlit with USB - Ergo Split Key Board with Macro |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | Currently unavailable. | $31.99 | $181.99 | $59.99 | -18% $179.99 List: $219.99 | $69.99 |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Monday, May 6 | Get it as soon as Monday, May 6 | Get it as soon as Monday, May 6 | — | Get it as soon as Monday, May 6 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Comfort | ||||||
| Ergonomic | ||||||
| For gaming | ||||||
| Value for money | ||||||
| Brightness | ||||||
| Sold By | — | KEMOVE-US | Keymecher | Keychron 2020 | Cloud Nine Ergo | Perixx USA |
| connectivity tech | USB | USB-A, USB-C | USB | USB-C | USB | USB |
| number of keys | 104 | 61 | 85 | 87 | 19 | 84 |
| hardware interface | usb | — | — | usb | usb | usb |
| compatible devices | Gaming Console | PC | Laptop, PC | Laptop | PC | Laptop |
| keyboard description | Mechanical | Mechanical | Gaming | Mechanical | Ergonomic | US |
| operating system | Windows XP | Mac OS, Windows | Windows, Mac OS | Windows, Mac OS | Windows | Windows 10 |
Reviews with images
Drawbacks might not justify the high price.
Alternate title: Good, even great, but not perfect.First off, let's get the not so good stuff out of the way: This setup is enormous. It's not suited at all for small frames or small hands. Compared to my old Microsoft Ergo4000, there isn't much comparison. My favourite keyboard ever for ergonomics was an old Logitech, but I got tired of replacing batteries. Even without separating the two halves, it's already apart more than enough for me, and did not need to be this wide. With the fact that you can separate the halves, I am not sure why they designed it so big. Aside from that...keycaps are kinda just okay, and already are starting to wear off after less than a week of use. They will be super slick in no time. I have used much cheaper keyboards that wear much better than this. I think they are doubleshot though, so the characters won't vanish, which is a good thing. I'd sooner go ahead and make them shiny, since they are going to end up that way. Also, and this is odd, there NO extra switches, keycaps or pulling tools were included. The reason is that this is advertised as gaming grade, but the switches are NOT replaceable/upgradeable. For a keyboard of this type and cost, this is a no-brainer for most, and a deal breaker for many.Ergonomics: Aside from being large, the 8 degree tenting angle is helpful. The keybase is sadly not sloped, but is on a flat plane (prolly for PCB manufacture). Keycaps are graduated somewhat though, which makes up for this when reaching the top rows. Good job. It's sadly flat for each hand from side to side, which is NOT ergo at all. Also, there is NO way to tilt the entire keyboard front to back, which is, for a keyboard of this type and price, odd indeed. They put so much work into this, and left all this out. Very curious from a design perspective. Regardless, because of the angle you can type for hours without all the fatigue of a straight keyboard.Settings/software: this is where the system needs a lot of work, and almost seems like it's a "new" software release. The UI is super simple to figure out, which is awesome (and since there was no manual included). Lots of colour settings, even though I just like static colours. Macro configuration settings is a place where more work could be done, and sometimes you want to reconfigure the non-macro keys too. Hopefully in the future they will add more features. There are some "hotkeys" which get to just a few colour settings using Fn, but I could not get any of these to work, ever. The software was able to set most of these, and while the [Apply] feature still has me flummoxed (as to when it actually works and doesn't), I was able to finally get the colour scheme I wanted (mostly purple). Alas, doing the most recent firmware update has locked these colours in place, and quick custplomer service response helped me update the firmware so I could change either the sidelighting, and the knob.Build: Solid. I still think the cheap plastic elements are going to have that worn/polished quality in no time, but that's all too common nowadays. CherryMX brown don't have the tactile response I was expecting, but do have more travel and lightness than some of the "clone" switches I have used before. Sadly these are NOT the newer linear/optical, but the older mechanical standbys, but they still work. Keys are tall and responsive, and they did that part right. Side note: I like long key travel, as it's helpful if you have long nails. Extra USB ports on the back is also a welcome plus. I hope one can reconfigure the center knob to do editing. Switcheals are NOT replaceable or upgradeable. Boo.What's in the box (and it's a surprisingly tiny box):Both keyboard halves, a braided 20cm connector cable, a braided USB cable for your PC (nice). A quickstart cheatsheet (just paper, very enviroconscious, YaY) on how to download the latest updates, and how to connect. SUPER well packed, with molded foam (not so enviroconscious, but awesome packing).Conclusion: Okay, maybe it's worth it. For health reasons, it's way cheaper than wrist surgery. If you are new to touch typing, you won't cheat with this, and WILL learn how to type. For most, the drawbacks won't ever justify the high price, but you might like it.
Top reviews from other countries
Mr. James L. Cornmell
Works on Linux, setup software only PC though
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 14, 2023
Mr. James L. Cornmell
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 14, 2023
I only have three cons, some are resolved in a few days:
con 1: It is expensive, but since I've had RSI and I get through a keyboard every few years I'm hoping I can just replace the switches and/or key caps, so in the long run will save money (hopefully, we shall see).
con 2: US layout only, I'm in the UK so took a week to get used to the slightly different layout.
con 3: Keyboard setup software only works on Windows, so if you have one, or a friend who has one you can setup the keyboard. Once this is done it works perfectly on Linux (I'm using Kubuntu 23.04 x86_64, Linux 6.2.0-32-generic).
Images in this review
T. Robinson
Very solid US keyboard with programmable macro keys
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 25, 2021
T. Robinson
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 25, 2021
It is a US layout which I hadn’t realized and as such would potentially have returned if the shipping and duty weren’t such a pain (US import).
Have overcome this by programming a macro key as a gbp symbol.
Slight software bug in that the keyboard lighting does always get retained and not figured out why.
That aside looks and feels like a quality keyboard.
Configurable illumination is great - have setup two modes - one for gaming and another for general use.
Round control knob in the middle not really used by me but may figure out a sensible use for it eventually.
Key actuation feels very nice - was interested in a cherry red but not an option.
Images in this review
M Twombley
Very comfortable but a little large.
Reviewed in Canada on June 29, 2022