Ever wondered if the regular keyboard is as good as it gets? Well, Work Louder asked that question with its Creator Board—a keyboard that does things a bit differently. Not everyone will like this keyboard, and that’s fine.
The Unconventional Setup: Meet the Creator Board
So, here’s the Work Louder Creator Board, a modular, ortholinear 40 percent keyboard made for digital creators who use a lot of shortcuts in their work, especially in video and photo editing. The QWERTY layout remains the same, but the “ortholinear” keys are squared off instead of staggered. Regarding the “40 percent,” it’s the magic number that removes the number row and changes a few keys to make more room.
Under the Hood: Simple Customization
Imagine this: Creator Board put together with simplicity in mind. A printed circuit board (PCB), some low-profile switches, a main daughterboard, all attached to a polycarbonate slab. It’s kind of like a pedal board, and it’s a playground for DIY enthusiasts. You can use a hex screw to take it apart and rearrange the layout however you like in just a few minutes.
Typing Tango: Learning to Dance
Now, typing on this keyboard is a bit like learning a new dance. At first, it’s a bit confusing—I was typing at a slow 25 words per minute. But with practice, I got faster, reaching 60 and eventually touching 90. Still not quite as fast as my usual 115 wpm, but progress is progress. The Kailh Choc Brown low-profile switches give it a bit of a laptop keyboard feel—they’re efficient but don’t have the same long key travel as regular mechanical switches.
Spacebar Struggle: A Little Issue
The tricky part is about to begin—the spacebar. It rests on a single switch despite being two keys wide. When you press a key and miss the center, it won’t be registered. This really irritated me. One solution is to make the spacebar smaller so it’s easier to press without accidentally hitting the wrong key. Partially desoldering and reassembling the spacebar as two separate keys are two more involved solutions. A spacebar stabilizer is being considered by Work Louder as a potential solution to this issue.
Multimedia Magic: Getting Stuff Done
The Creator Board isn’t trying to be your only keyboard. But when it comes to editing photos and videos, it’s really good. It comes with a basic layout, and what makes it stand out is VIA—a tool that lets you customize everything. Want special shortcuts, brush size changes, or apply your favorite Lightroom settings? If it involves moving the mouse and pressing keys, VIA can help.
The Catch: The Price Tag
The price is the most important thing, so let’s discuss it now. This keyboard is priced similarly to Teenage Engineering products and has the same design and unique features. For $259, you can get the Creator Board at its most basic level. With the extra stuff (that I checked out), it goes up to $409. If you go for the XL version, which has a number pad and a bigger size, it goes all the way up to $559. Yes, it’s a bit pricey.
For the Right Person: A Special Keyboard
Let’s be real. Creator Board won’t be your only keyboard for everything. It’s made for certain things, and not for everything. If you type a lot of numbers, it might be a bit annoying without a number row. Gaming might not be its strong suit either. But if you want a keyboard that does what this one does, there’s not much else like it. Looking at it and thinking, “The arrangement is the exact thing I want,” will lead to your complete satisfaction. It’s made for a certain group of people, and it does that job really well, even if it’s not everyone’s favorite.
