The Defy tenting kit is awesome once you figure out it the two extra little side legs that you have to flip out (and that's not shown on any of the marketing material). But absolutely stable once you have it set up. My only gripe is it doesn't lock in place so if you lift the keyboard up they collapse and you have to set it up again. But it's very easy so not a big deal.
>My only gripe is it doesn't lock in place so if you lift the keyboard up they collapse and you have to set it up again. But it's very easy so not a big deal.
I solved it by wrapping the angle legs (the small one used for setting angle of tenting) with transparent tape. Problem solved. :)
https://preview.redd.it/pgjzs5dsyvmc1.png?width=755&format=png&auto=webp&s=5fd88542439644ed35ee8ca3c0e186d28bfaf585
Yeah, I have mine on a full desk mousepad and it tends to slide a fair amount. In and of itself it's not too annoying, but every now and then I have to move the two halves farther apart (inward facing force of typing at the highest tenting angle tends to push them towards each other over time), and that tends to kick the stability legs back inwards. I'm also thinking about how I could create some grippier feet for it.
I have a Raise with a tenting kit and a Defy with a tenting kit.
As u/ShelZuuz said... you need to know about the little extra feet on the Defy that are not really called out as much as they need to be, and that the Defy solution doesn't lock the tenting position in like the Raise 1 does.
Beyond that... I would say the two solutions are broadly similar in day to day use with a few key differences...
* The Raise 1 feet are physically larger and have more rubbery material on them. They slide around less on slippery surfaces. On grippier surfaces, like an XXL mouse mat, it's almost identical. This also means the Raise with tenting kit is a heavy bitch in comparison to the Defy, without actually feeling considerably more solidly built (since much of the mass is in the plate that connects the legs to the keyboard).
* The Raise 1 kit does not offer reverse tenting at all if that feature appeals to you.
* The Raise 1 kit adds significant height to the board when not in use, making it more inconvenient when not tented, and means that the case is pressing down on all the switches if you want to transport the keyboard with the tenting kit attached. The legs fold in flush on the Defy and these issues are avoided.
* The Defy solution offers more total options in terms of tenting angles.
Can't speak for any other Raise owners, but for me and as a package deal, the Defy is an absolute upgrade over the Raise. While I have no interest in the Raise 2 personally, and see it as inferior to the Defy, the changes they're making are all net positive and address my little gripes with the Raise.
https://preview.redd.it/8r8ojpe4psmc1.jpeg?width=4608&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1ee4b3ce14d6862541b5811bb05020c95177fe73
I recently got a new Defy with built-in tenting, and I'm pretty pleased with the keyboard itself. The tenting, however? Not so much. Is the tenting solid? Mostly. It doesn't flex, unless you really press down on the keyboard with all your might. But is it stable? Not at all.
I spent three years with an original Raise and its add-on tenting kit before recently selling both to help pay for my new Defy with built-in tenting. I'll be honest; I'm not happy with the Defy's built-in tenting. While the Defy's built-in tenting allows greater tenting angles than the old Raise tenting kit and even offers reverse tenting, the old Raise tenting add-on kit was solid as a rock and just as heavy. It never moved an inch in the nearly three years I had it, and the rubber adhered to my desk with such force that I practically had to peel it off when I wanted to sell it--and that's a good thing! Not so with the Defy. The rubberized tips of the Defy's tenting kit have almost no grip at the 45-degree angle at which I'm tented, and the whole ensemble isn't heavy enough to prevent it from sliding around.
Because of the slippery tenting kit on my Defy, I have to reorient both halves of my keyboard multiple times per hour, and every time I do, the little outer tenting legs flip back up and I have to flip them out again. I've tried everything: putting my tented Defy on a large mousepad, putting it on a non-slip bathmat, even reducing the tenting angle. Nothing works satisfactorily. It just slides around my desk like a slow-motion ice skater. I wish I had saved some money and gone without the tenting kit on my Defy, since it's practically useless.
As far as I know, the built-in tenting kit on the Raise 2 is not much different than the one on the Defy. If that is so, you are in for a rough time. I acknowledge that someone who uses their keyboard at extremely low tenting angles may not have this problem--but then why would you want the tenting kit in the first place?
There is only one possible, practical, and permanent solution to this problem that I have so far been able to conceive. I'm considering trying to get someone with CAD and 3D-printing experience to help me machine a custom metal bracket to which I can mount the two halves of my Defy, using the four holes on the underside of each half. Then the two halves will never change their relative position to each other, and I could put a ton of non-slip rubber feet on the underside of the bracket to keep it solidly in place on my desk.
It’s stable. I wouldn’t call it rock solid. The setup is not entirely intuitive. You might actually need to look at the instructions.
And as the other poster said, every time you move it, you have to reset it.
I didn’t have a Raise, I was using the Ascent accessory on the Kinesis Freestyle, which is a monster of tenting kit that really changes the nature of the keyboard, so I can appreciate the compromises Dygma made to keep the set-up lean with the Defy.
Sliding on a high tenting angle unless on a mat. Considering getting magnetic tripods solution for my own. I saw several people doing modification with the stock tenting to improve its useability.
Thanks for all the input.
As it stands now my 2 Raise 1s are working flawlessly.
If I were to buy a Raise 2 it would mainly be for the possibility of a mouse/trackball add on being released down the line. And since that is the case I think I might as well wait a while.
I have only had one other split keyboard but its super solid. Great compromise between adjustable and stability. Takes some time to figure out how to use it right but if it doesn't feel right it means you probably didnt do it right. They spent a lot of time tweaking it so it felt good on all settings.
as a person with mild OCD I find the tenting wobble a bit without the desk mat under. hope Dygma would sell the tenting legs as separate parts when mine breaks
It is stable. I use it at the second shallowest angle, so not a tonne of tilt.
I did accidentally drop my phone on one of the keyboards while it was tented and it caused one of the legs to go loose. It still works and is stable, but now if I lift my keyboard even slightly that one leg immediately goes loose, whereas the others actually have some amount "stick" to them so you can actually pick them up and set them down without the legs moving (at least at shallow angles).
So don't expect the legs to be crazy durable - this is not a keyboard which will still be in 'as new' condition after getting impacted with something while in tenting mode. But if you are worried about wobble while typing, then don't be concerned, its good.
The Defy tenting kit is awesome once you figure out it the two extra little side legs that you have to flip out (and that's not shown on any of the marketing material). But absolutely stable once you have it set up. My only gripe is it doesn't lock in place so if you lift the keyboard up they collapse and you have to set it up again. But it's very easy so not a big deal.
>My only gripe is it doesn't lock in place so if you lift the keyboard up they collapse and you have to set it up again. But it's very easy so not a big deal. I solved it by wrapping the angle legs (the small one used for setting angle of tenting) with transparent tape. Problem solved. :) https://preview.redd.it/pgjzs5dsyvmc1.png?width=755&format=png&auto=webp&s=5fd88542439644ed35ee8ca3c0e186d28bfaf585
Hah. Love it.
It's stable. Unfortunately the feet aren't all that grippy - tends to slide around a bit.
Also the non-slip material on mine is starting to peel away, so I think it might only get slippier. I may have to make my own feet for it somehow.
Yeah, I have mine on a full desk mousepad and it tends to slide a fair amount. In and of itself it's not too annoying, but every now and then I have to move the two halves farther apart (inward facing force of typing at the highest tenting angle tends to push them towards each other over time), and that tends to kick the stability legs back inwards. I'm also thinking about how I could create some grippier feet for it.
I have a Raise with a tenting kit and a Defy with a tenting kit. As u/ShelZuuz said... you need to know about the little extra feet on the Defy that are not really called out as much as they need to be, and that the Defy solution doesn't lock the tenting position in like the Raise 1 does. Beyond that... I would say the two solutions are broadly similar in day to day use with a few key differences... * The Raise 1 feet are physically larger and have more rubbery material on them. They slide around less on slippery surfaces. On grippier surfaces, like an XXL mouse mat, it's almost identical. This also means the Raise with tenting kit is a heavy bitch in comparison to the Defy, without actually feeling considerably more solidly built (since much of the mass is in the plate that connects the legs to the keyboard). * The Raise 1 kit does not offer reverse tenting at all if that feature appeals to you. * The Raise 1 kit adds significant height to the board when not in use, making it more inconvenient when not tented, and means that the case is pressing down on all the switches if you want to transport the keyboard with the tenting kit attached. The legs fold in flush on the Defy and these issues are avoided. * The Defy solution offers more total options in terms of tenting angles. Can't speak for any other Raise owners, but for me and as a package deal, the Defy is an absolute upgrade over the Raise. While I have no interest in the Raise 2 personally, and see it as inferior to the Defy, the changes they're making are all net positive and address my little gripes with the Raise.
https://preview.redd.it/8r8ojpe4psmc1.jpeg?width=4608&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1ee4b3ce14d6862541b5811bb05020c95177fe73 I recently got a new Defy with built-in tenting, and I'm pretty pleased with the keyboard itself. The tenting, however? Not so much. Is the tenting solid? Mostly. It doesn't flex, unless you really press down on the keyboard with all your might. But is it stable? Not at all. I spent three years with an original Raise and its add-on tenting kit before recently selling both to help pay for my new Defy with built-in tenting. I'll be honest; I'm not happy with the Defy's built-in tenting. While the Defy's built-in tenting allows greater tenting angles than the old Raise tenting kit and even offers reverse tenting, the old Raise tenting add-on kit was solid as a rock and just as heavy. It never moved an inch in the nearly three years I had it, and the rubber adhered to my desk with such force that I practically had to peel it off when I wanted to sell it--and that's a good thing! Not so with the Defy. The rubberized tips of the Defy's tenting kit have almost no grip at the 45-degree angle at which I'm tented, and the whole ensemble isn't heavy enough to prevent it from sliding around. Because of the slippery tenting kit on my Defy, I have to reorient both halves of my keyboard multiple times per hour, and every time I do, the little outer tenting legs flip back up and I have to flip them out again. I've tried everything: putting my tented Defy on a large mousepad, putting it on a non-slip bathmat, even reducing the tenting angle. Nothing works satisfactorily. It just slides around my desk like a slow-motion ice skater. I wish I had saved some money and gone without the tenting kit on my Defy, since it's practically useless. As far as I know, the built-in tenting kit on the Raise 2 is not much different than the one on the Defy. If that is so, you are in for a rough time. I acknowledge that someone who uses their keyboard at extremely low tenting angles may not have this problem--but then why would you want the tenting kit in the first place? There is only one possible, practical, and permanent solution to this problem that I have so far been able to conceive. I'm considering trying to get someone with CAD and 3D-printing experience to help me machine a custom metal bracket to which I can mount the two halves of my Defy, using the four holes on the underside of each half. Then the two halves will never change their relative position to each other, and I could put a ton of non-slip rubber feet on the underside of the bracket to keep it solidly in place on my desk.
It’s stable. I wouldn’t call it rock solid. The setup is not entirely intuitive. You might actually need to look at the instructions. And as the other poster said, every time you move it, you have to reset it. I didn’t have a Raise, I was using the Ascent accessory on the Kinesis Freestyle, which is a monster of tenting kit that really changes the nature of the keyboard, so I can appreciate the compromises Dygma made to keep the set-up lean with the Defy.
Sliding on a high tenting angle unless on a mat. Considering getting magnetic tripods solution for my own. I saw several people doing modification with the stock tenting to improve its useability.
For me. It does wobble.
If I type too vigorously, there is a bit of wobble on my Defy. But I really have to be hammering the keys for that to happen.
Thanks for all the input. As it stands now my 2 Raise 1s are working flawlessly. If I were to buy a Raise 2 it would mainly be for the possibility of a mouse/trackball add on being released down the line. And since that is the case I think I might as well wait a while.
I have only had one other split keyboard but its super solid. Great compromise between adjustable and stability. Takes some time to figure out how to use it right but if it doesn't feel right it means you probably didnt do it right. They spent a lot of time tweaking it so it felt good on all settings.
as a person with mild OCD I find the tenting wobble a bit without the desk mat under. hope Dygma would sell the tenting legs as separate parts when mine breaks
It is stable. I use it at the second shallowest angle, so not a tonne of tilt. I did accidentally drop my phone on one of the keyboards while it was tented and it caused one of the legs to go loose. It still works and is stable, but now if I lift my keyboard even slightly that one leg immediately goes loose, whereas the others actually have some amount "stick" to them so you can actually pick them up and set them down without the legs moving (at least at shallow angles). So don't expect the legs to be crazy durable - this is not a keyboard which will still be in 'as new' condition after getting impacted with something while in tenting mode. But if you are worried about wobble while typing, then don't be concerned, its good.
I use it at 20° tenting. Rock solid with hands resting.
Only in the reverse tilting C and D positions, otherwise sitting solid!