Layout Candidates Compared
A side-by-side comparison of five keyboard layouts worth considering for a columnar split keyboard like the ZSA Voyager. Each represents a different design philosophy and makes different tradeoffs. All are vastly better than QWERTY.
All stats use the Genkey analyzer with the MonkeyRacer corpus, as reported in the Keyboard Layouts Doc (3rd Edition).
Metric glossary
Before diving into layouts, here are the metrics used throughout this note (see Keyboard Layout Metrics for full definitions and examples):
- SFB (Same Finger Bigram) — two consecutive keystrokes using the same finger. Lower is better; the most universally important metric.
- SFS (Same Finger Skipgram) — two keystrokes by the same finger separated by one intervening key. Lower is better.
- Rolls — a trigram where two keys are pressed by one hand and one by the other (e.g. pressing TH with the left hand, then E with the right). Higher is better for a smooth, flowing feel.
- Alternation — consecutive keystrokes alternating between hands. Higher means a more rhythmic, bouncing feel. Trades off against rolls.
- Redirects — a one-handed trigram where the finger direction reverses (e.g. middle-index-ring). Lower is better; redirects feel awkward.
- Scissors — an uncomfortable bigram where one finger presses a top-row key and an adjacent finger presses a bottom-row key (or vice versa). Lower is better.
Colemak DH
- Creator: stevep99 (SteveP), building on Shai Coleman’s Colemak (2006)
- Category: Colemak-like (conservative QWERTY optimisation)
q w f p b j l u y ;
a r s t g m n e i o
z x c d v k h , . /
| SFB% | SFS% | Rolls% | Alt% | Redir% | Scissors% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.177 | 7.483 | 46.0 | 29.6 | 12.1 | 0.37 |
Character: The safe default. Only 17 keys move from QWERTY, enormous community, ZSA Oryx preset. Trades peak performance for familiarity and support.
Who it is for: Someone who wants a proven layout with maximum learning resources and does not want to stray far from QWERTY. See the full note at Colemak DH.
Sturdy
- Creator: Oxey
- Category: High roll / mid redirect (NH + vowels)
v m l c p x f o u j
s t r d y . n a e i
k q g w z b h ' ; ,
| SFB% | SFS% | Rolls% | Alt% | Redir% | Scissors% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.656 | 5.566 | 49.7 | 34.0 | 6.0 | 0.34 |
Character: The stat monster. Very low SFBs, very low SFS, very high rolls, and mid redirects — a rare combination. Achieves this by placing H on the vowel hand’s bottom row (making all H+vowel bigrams outward rolls) and using an STRD home row on the consonant side. The C is on the index finger rather than pinky, which keeps pinky movement very low (2.6%).
The tradeoff is heavy right-hand usage (43-57 split) and a layout that shares almost nothing with QWERTY — the learning curve is steep. The hand balance issue is partially offset on split keyboards where you can assign space to the left thumb.
Who it is for: Someone who wants the best overall stats and does not mind a harder transition from QWERTY. Particularly good for people who value low same-finger usage above all else.
Graphite
- Creator: StronglyTyped
- Category: Alternation (H + vowels, NRTS home row)
b l d w z ' f o u j ;
n r t s g y h a e i ,
q x m c v k p . - /
| SFB% | SFS% | Rolls% | Alt% | Redir% | Scissors% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.707 | 5.181 | 45.1 | 40.2 | 3.4 | 0.19 |
Character: The alternation specialist with excellent redirects. Graphite puts H on the vowel hand and uses an NRTS home row on the consonant side, which drives alternation to 40.2% (High) while keeping redirects at a remarkably low 3.4% (Very low). The SFS of 5.181 is among the lowest of any layout (Min rating).
Graphite achieves its stats partly through a vowel block — the vowels occupy only three fingers rather than the usual four, which frees a finger for consonants and reduces redirects. The typing feel is rhythmic and bouncy, with hands alternating rapidly. Rolls are mid-range (45.1%) rather than high, which is the natural tradeoff of favouring alternation.
Hand balance is 47-53 (Leans right) — much more even than Sturdy or Canary.
Who it is for: Someone who prefers a rhythmic, alternating typing feel over a flowing roll feel. Excellent choice if you find same-hand sequences uncomfortable. Also good if hand balance matters to you.
Canary
- Creator: Eve
- Category: High roll / mid redirect (NH + vowels, CRST home row)
w l y p k z x o u ;
c r s t b f n e i a '
j v d g q m h / , .
| SFB% | SFS% | Rolls% | Alt% | Redir% | Scissors% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.684 | 7.038 | 49.7 | 31.5 | 7.8 | 0.08 |
Character: The scissor eliminator. Canary achieves the lowest scissor score in the document (0.08%, Min) by placing only rare consonants on the bottom row of the middle, ring, and pinky columns. It pairs this with very high rolls (49.7%) and low SFBs (0.684%).
The price is heavy right-hand usage (42-58 split, the most imbalanced of any layout here), elevated SFS (7.038%, Mid high), and high redirects (7.8%). The SFS is high because Canary keeps the NH column as a double stack, which concentrates same-finger skipgrams on the right index.
Canary was designed with scissor avoidance as an explicit priority, making it especially suited to keyboards where vertical finger travel is uncomfortable — which includes columnar boards like the Voyager.
Who it is for: Someone who dislikes vertical finger stretches (scissors) above all else and wants very high rolls. Be aware of the hand balance issue and the elevated SFS.
Recurva
- Creator: Brys (GalileoBlues)
- Category: High roll / mid redirect (HML + vowels, SNTC home row)
f r d p v q j u o y
s n t c b . h e a i
z x k g w m l ; ' ,
| SFB% | SFS% | Rolls% | Alt% | Redir% | Scissors% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.603 | 4.905 | 48.4 | 34.6 | 5.5 | 0.27 |
Character: The SFS minimiser. Recurva has the lowest SFS in this comparison (4.905%, Min rating) while maintaining very low SFBs (0.603%) and high rolls (48.4%). It achieves this by using an unusual SNTC home row with an RN double stack on the vowel hand, which spreads finger usage more evenly than NH-based layouts.
Redirects are mid (5.5%), a solid middle ground. The main tradeoff is high pinky movement (6.0%, High) and a right-heavy hand split (44-56). Recurva is newer and less widely adopted than the other layouts here, which means fewer community resources and learning tools.
Who it is for: Someone who is bothered by same-finger skipgrams (the feeling of the same finger being used twice within a three-key sequence) and wants very clean stats overall. Good if you are willing to accept higher pinky usage for smoother finger transitions.
Comparison table
| Layout | Category | SFB% | SFS% | Rolls% | Alt% | Redir% | Scissors% | Character |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colemak DH | Colemak-like | 1.177 | 7.483 | 46.0 | 29.6 | 12.1 | 0.37 | Safe default, huge community |
| Sturdy | High roll | 0.656 | 5.566 | 49.7 | 34.0 | 6.0 | 0.34 | Best all-around stats |
| Graphite | Alternation | 0.707 | 5.181 | 45.1 | 40.2 | 3.4 | 0.19 | Rhythmic alternation, lowest redirects |
| Canary | High roll | 0.684 | 7.038 | 49.7 | 31.5 | 7.8 | 0.08 | Lowest scissors, very high rolls |
| Recurva | High roll | 0.603 | 4.905 | 48.4 | 34.6 | 5.5 | 0.27 | Lowest SFS, very clean stats |
How to decide
- If you want safety and community support — Colemak DH. The most documented layout, built-in ZSA Oryx support, Ctrl+Z/X/C/V unchanged. You will never lack for help.
- If you want the best overall stats — Sturdy. Very low SFBs, very low SFS, very high rolls, and reasonable redirects. The layout that wins on the most metrics simultaneously.
- If you want a rhythmic, alternating feel — Graphite. The highest alternation with the lowest redirects. Typing feels like a balanced ping-pong between hands.
- If scissors bother you most — Canary. The lowest scissor score of any major layout. Especially relevant on columnar boards where vertical stretches feel worse.
- If same-finger skipgrams bother you most — Recurva. The lowest SFS with excellent stats elsewhere, though with higher pinky movement as the tradeoff.
The honest truth
Any of these layouts is vastly better than QWERTY. The differences between them are small compared to the improvement over QWERTY. Colemak DH’s “worst” metric (SFB at 1.177%) is still dramatically better than QWERTY’s (~6.6%). Pick one and commit for three months. The layout you actually learn is infinitely better than the theoretically perfect layout you never switch to.
Source
Keyboard Layouts Doc (3rd Edition)
See also
- Colemak DH — detailed note on the safe default choice
- Layout Design Philosophy — the five categories of layout design and what drives each one
- Keyboard Layout Metrics — deep dive into what SFB, SFS, rolls, redirects, and scissors measure
- Keyboard Layouts MOC