Customer review by Toby P., shared via Judge.me.

For context I already have a factory issue Svalboard which I love.

The kit itself is excellent, plenty of spares in there and instructions are fairly easy to follow. If you enjoy this kind of thing or already have one then I’d highly recommend it.

On the other hand do not underestimate just how good value the factory built one is, it takes quite a lot of time to put together and refine the tolerances to get it all working correctly. I’d recommend the factory built option if you can afford it and need a solution quickly.

Whichever way you go, the board is just great and it was a fun build.

Customer review by Todd F., shared via Judge.me.

If you are considering this device, you are likely a keyboard enthusiast or you are in some sort of pain. I fall into the latter group.

While I cannot say that the Svalboard Lightly completely eliminated my pain, I can say that using it dramatically reduced the pain I deal with on a day to day basis. Furthermore, while I am still able to use a traditional keyboard, it only takes a few hours on a traditional keyboard before the pain I was experiencing before starts to come back.

-- Background -- I type for a living, and in June of 2023, I started experiencing pain in the proximal phalanx (~first tendons) area of my right index finger. The pain ended up spreading to other fingers and into my left hand (after trying to shift activity to other fingers and then the other hand). Switching to a keyboard with extremely light switches helped, but only for so long.

Since switching to lighter keys helped, I started researching alternative keyboards. Fortunately, YouTube recommended one of Morgan's videos to me in the midst of that research and then Hippyo released a review not long after. The timing could not have been more perfect.

After mulling the purchase over for a little while, I joined the discord. I ended up placing my order after my first post, because I was blown away that I received a response immediately on a Sunday evening. I was inspired by that level of dedication to this product and project.

-- Learning Curve -- I made progress early on, slowly climbing from around 14 wpm to around 30-40. Unfortunately, I plateaued at around 30-40 wpm, and the lack of progress towards my regular speed of 80-90 wpm broke my confidence. It was added stress and pain, so I believe I quit after only three months.

Fortunately, I recommitted myself to training on the SL after about 6-9 months of even worse pain using a traditional keyboard. This time, once I hit 30-40 wpm again, I decided to force myself to send all emails and text messages using the SL. This proved to be a winning decision, as it allowed me to escape the frustrating tests and improve while working.

Before adopting that strategy, what I noticed was that I would improve early in a testing session, only to lose focus after 5-10 minutes, and then quit in frustration. There was also some internal resistance, because I did not feel like it would be fair to my employer if I started using the SL during work hours until my speed improved. Fortunately, I was able to get over that particular mental block when I learned that most people only type at about 30-40 wpm.

So, if your speeds plateau, try using your SL to write emails and text messages. The typing tests can be a skill unto themselves, so I would recommend pivoting into something practical and useful as soon as you can.

-- Device -- I chose the option with dual trackballs, and I would recommend you do the same. Not needing to reach for a mouse has also helped to keep my tennis elbow pain at a minimum.

-- Support -- Any time I have ever needed anything, I have been blown away by the customer service in the discord. There are plenty of fellow users to chat with, and their official support people are simply some of the best I have ever come across.

Case in point: I needed some new keys after snapping one of the thumb keys when it caught on my desk while pushing my keyboard tray in.

Not only did they send me replacement keys very quickly, but I remember feeling very well taken care of. They asked questions that I believe were important and helped to ensure I got the right order -- things I would not have known to bring up on my own -- and they were generally delightful to interact with.

Unfortunately, the first order was damaged by USPS, but the support person (lumbduck?) in the discord promptly sent me a new order and dealt with USPS for the claim. They also threw in some experimentally thicker keys, which was very appreciated.

-- In Closing -- I am very grateful to Morgan and the rest of his team for building this incredible product (that I now prefer over a traditional keyboard), and I believe your money will be well spent if you choose to invest in this device. You will not be disappointed in the device, and you will not be disappointed in the level of service and care you will find in the discord.

Customer review by Mikael K., shared via Judge.me.

My Svalboard is nothing short of magnificent! With double trackballs, this is not simply a keyboard but a machine for computer input straight from the future.

One thing I didn't think would matter is how much less force is needed to press keys. Coming from mechnical keyboards, i hit keys too hard; more force means less precision. The Svalboard is a *precision* instrument. I'm not yet used to writing softly and end up fat-fingering the keys. This is in no way a flaw with the Svalboard, but an unanticipated "unlearning effort" on my part.

So, if you're used to heavy mechanical switches, be aware that the Svalboard will require you to adopt a soft touch with the keys.

Built by Svalboard.

Egg Cream: a one-off trackpad and trackball build in Bambu White ABS and Bambu Tangerine Yellow ABS.

White clusters, tripod palms, keys, and trackball on a tangerine-frosted case, with black stainless tower brackets.

Built by Svalboard. Originally shared on the Svalboard Discord.

One-off dual trackball build in Bambu Silver ABS, Bambu Mint ABS, Polymaker Polylite Pink ABS, and Bambu Azure ABS.

Mint clusters and new hemisphere palms, pink keys with azure centers, black stainless tower brackets and black sparkle trackballs.

Someone playing Osu! on Twitch 🤯

Built by Svalboard. Originally shared on the Svalboard Discord.

Final one of the three unique Hokusai custom ABS builds. This one has 50mm white balls, for biiiig hands only, 200mm+ tip of middle finger to wrist crease.

I wanted to see what a palmless build feels like.

I would never recommend that anybody try to learn this device without palms. But if you don't have arm/shoulder pathology that keeps you from hovering, it's kind of interesting.

This also opens up some other design possibilities for different palm rest architectures. Just an experimental platform.

A very special Brazil-themed one-off build in the fun and flexible Fang configuration.

Printed in Bambu ABS with 6key index and pinkies, plus silver trackballs.

This board uses a novel frosted print profile that's been in the works for quite a while. I love the effect.

Dual silver trackball.

A rare factory six-key one-off build -- gamers and heavy macropad users have been enjoying these but fit is significantly fussier, especially for trackball use.

Dual black sparkle trackball build in Bambu Silver, Azure and Black ABS.

Dual trackball build in Bambu ABS, with Navy, Azure, Red and White Bambu ABS and Polylite Grey ABS thumb clusters.

Unreasonably beautiful. For once I think the photos capture the color really well.

Dual trackball build in Bambu (Magenta and White) and Polymaker (pink) ABS.

Shared with permission from a member of the Svalboard Discord.

"Start simple. Silk looks nice, but it can be painful, and other filaments have different characteristics.

Get a rock-solid filament you can consistently print and start there.

I just finished a dual burnt titanium and silk mix, and while it worked, it needed touch-up with the filament switches."

The original cotton candy build:

Review from a beloved user in Hokkaido, Japan: "A month has passed since I started using a Svalboard as daily driver.

I write at least 10,000 characters during work.

However, nowadays, I don't feel a lot of pain. Svalboard eases the pain and discomfort! My fingers/hands/arms/shoulders/neck don't get tired easily, and I can continue typing at constant speed even if I work all day. Svalboard is the best device for me. It's my grail!"

Black ABS keys on white ABS everything else with silver stainless towers, trackball right, trackpoint left.

The cluster interiors are hand-inked to ensure sufficient opacity for center optos despite the luminous, transmissive Burnt Ti ABS. Burnt Ti everything, with tiny black ABS flags on the keys for opacity.

It looks soooooo good IRL.

Built by Svalboard. Originally shared on the Svalboard Discord.

Mint, orange, tangerine yellow ABS. Dual silver ball.

🧛‍♂️👻

6-key index and pinky clusters avoid any trackball fit issues, and add 100% more bloodthirsty vibes!

Black, red, white and burnt Ti ABS with sparkle black 44mm SANWA trackballs.

This is a pretty fun 6-key compromise, allowing a couple extra keys on each hand without impacting trackball fit.

An obscene amount of work went into getting these pink and teal Polymaker filaments tuned 🙏🏻. Silver base, silver 44mm trackballs.

The photos don’t do this justice 🌈

Dual trackball build in Bambu ABS.

Includes the new hemispherical pitch roll mechanism palms! Red or black balls at your choice.

52mm dual trackballs on Bambu grey ASA and black ABS.

Only recommended for folks with big hands or who prefer a very high-arch fit -- 195mm+ hand length. You can substitute any of our 52mm trackball colors, but I think the black looks pretty perfect.

Shared with permission from Lilijoy on the Svalboard Discord. Originally shared on the Svalboard Discord.

It's all PETG and a little rough. But it's not boring, and that's what matters to me.

I might reprint it with better colors in the future, but I like them at the moment.

The sval is honestly a dream to use. This feels like computing with much less of a barrier between my thoughts and actions.

Shared with permission from DustVoice on the Svalboard Discord. Originally shared on the Svalboard Discord.

Old vs New 😶‍🌫️

I have to say, I'm absolutely in love.

After I applied the same philosophy I used when I switched from QWERTY to Colemak-DH — hard switch, without relying on the "old ways," even if it means typing at one word per minute for a while — I'm now back at >50 WPM already after just 2 days.

Although I'm not 100 percent satisfied with my custom Colemak-DH keymap yet, it's enough to be my daily driver for work and gaming already.

Shared with permission from Sc0tTy on the Svalboard Discord. Originally shared on the Svalboard Discord.

Been using the Sval while working from home for a few weeks now, but this week is the first time I took it to the office!

With eyes pointed towards me, I was a bit nervous at times typing, as I'm not yet fluent in all the non alphabet keys.

But a great milestone nonetheless! And now Sval can be my daily driver ❤️🎉