ZSA Voyager

I recently decided that I should have an actual place to use my computer, other than in bed. I set up my desk with a big monitor and an old $4 Acer membrane whos keys were way too heavy. It wasn't working out. I decided I needed a new keyboard... why not one that would last the rest of my life?

The keyboard I landed on was the Voyager from ZSA. It's split, columnar, mechanical, customizable, and very high quality. Which I would expect, considering it cost me $400, over $500 including tariffs >:(.

The first step of getting the keyboard was picking the switches. I chose Pro Reds because they were the lightest option (definitely not because they had "pro" in the name). I also decided to add some shocks as I didn't know how loud the keyboard would be. After ordering it, I had to wait 11 days for it to arrive. It arrived via UPS, which handled the tariff (for an additional fee of about $20). First impressions were great: it came in a clean, undamaged, professional-looking box. Included were the following: On my first attempt, I didn't plug the TRRS in all the way, which didn't make the keyboard happy. After securing that connection, it lit up.

The Sound

This is actually the first mechanical keyboard I've used, so I'm not really sure what they're supposed to sound like... but it sounds pretty damn good. The shocks slightly dampen some part of the noise, but they also make the keys slightly less enjoyable to type on. Because it's not all that loud in the first place, for now, I've decided not to put them in.

The sound varies by key, being higher toward the edges, but that doesn't bother me while I'm typing. The sound also depends on the surface the board is on and if the keyboard is raised. While you should keep in mind that my microphone is pretty bad, this is a fairly accurate representation of how it sounds when placed on wood.

The Feel

Although the keycaps are slightly grainier than the caps on the laptop keyboards I'm used to, I've actually started to appreciate that. As for the chassis, I really don't think they could have done much better. It's very smooth and pleasant to look at. The feet snap in nice and easily, and the keyboard never slides, with or without them.

The switches I chose, Kailh Choc Pro Reds, are linear, light, and somewhat loud. I had doubts that I would like them, both because of the lightness, and the absense of a tactile bump. After I started using them, however, I don't want to go back to heavy switches.

The Lights

The lights range from a barely visible tint to almost too bright, and you can change that whenever you want while using it! You can choose any color for each key, but lighter and less saturated colors don't show up very well and are tinted by the red (or other color) of the switches.

Brightness comparison of the Voyager's lighting at high and low brightness

The Cables

The Voyager comes with 4 cables:

The USB cables, which connect to the left half of the keyboard to provide power and a connection, are super standard, unbranded, and replaceable. Their shell is a plasticy, rubbery substance, but they aren't sticky like some other cables I've used. I do wish they included a medium-length cable or made the short cables a bit longer because the only one that works for me in any situation is the long one, which is way overkill (I only ever use a third of it). Others might find the short cables work better if their computer's USB-C port is on the left, but mine isn't. The USB C-to-A adapter is also standard and unbranded.

The TRRS cable, which looks like a headphone jack, but with an extra contact, is also unbranded and normal-looking. Although not as common or cheap as USB-C, TRRS cables are replaceable. In fact, I'm considering getting a coiled TRRS cable so that I don't have to roll up the length I'm not using. The TRRS connectors are at 90 degrees, a design choice I certainly agree with.

The Software

ZSA's configuration and testing software, Oryx, is incredible- certainly one of the top reasons to get the keyboard. It's completely web-based, meaning it works on any system that can run Chromium, even Linux! The configurator is super easy to use and lets you flash the firmware right there in your browser.

The training part of Oryx is also very easy to use. I love that it uses actual coherent excerpts from books, as opposed to the jumbled garbage of, for example, Monkeytype. It's not perfect, though. I've noticed 2 issues in my time using it:

Full screenshot of Oryx training
Demonstration of Oryx training bug Demonstration of Oryx training lightmode bug

The Support

There's a key on my laptop's keyboard that goes to "Launch2." I couldn't find a way to add this key to my Voyager, so I asked ZSA support. After a little less than 24 hours, they responded with this:

Hello Ted — thanks for asking! We don't have any keys that correspond to the Launch2 keycode in Oryx. In the underlying firmware, QMK, they do have keycode 157 as the "Prev" key, but we don't surface that one.  I do think that the higher F keys are probably your best bet to re-bind that action to.

I hope that helps to clarify, and please, let me know if any other questions come up. I'll be here and glad to help. :)

—
Nick Wilson,
Customer Service,
ZSA Technology Labs Inc.

In my opinion, they did a really good job. They're friendly, honest, and actually answered my question, as opposed to the watered-down corpo speak you'd get from a bigger company.

Additionally, I've contacted them about the two Oryx issues, and I was told it's been passed off to the dev team. I'll update this page if I get an update or it's fixed.

The Conclusion

Would I recommend you get the keyboard? Maybe. If you have experience making keyboards or other electronics, and you have time to figure it out, you should consider a cheaper, more DIY keyboard, such as the Lily58. However, if you don't mind paying more, the Voyager is probably the best keyboard, customer service for a keyboard, and software for a keyboard there is.