The Dygma Raise is an incredible ergonomic gaming keyboard with a split design and hot-swappable mechanical switches. It can be purchased with your preferred type of switches, and you can even mix and match on the same keyboard. There aren't many extra features, but it's one of the most customizable keyboards we've seen. It has individually-lit RGB backlighting along with underglow LED strips, and every key can be reprogrammed. The keyboard can only be purchased directly from Dygma's website, as it isn't currently available at major retailers.
Our Verdict
The Dygma Raise is an impressive gaming keyboard. It has low latency, can be fitted with the mechanical switches of your choice, and has outstanding build quality. Its split keyboard design lets you position the two halves for optimal comfort, and it has individually-lit keys. You can reprogram and set macros to every key on the board.
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Outstanding build quality.
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Excellent ergonomics.
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Excellent typing experience.
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Customization software still in development.
The Dygma Raise is a fantastic office keyboard. It has excellent ergonomics, as you can position the keyboard however you like, and it comes with built-in wrist rests. Our Cherry MX Brown unit provides a fantastic typing experience, though you can get it with almost any type of mechanical switches that you want. It might take some time to get used to the keyboard's layout, but on the upside, it's compatible with all desktop operating systems.
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Outstanding build quality.
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Excellent ergonomics.
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Excellent typing experience.
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Customization software still in development.
The Dygma Raise is a wired-only keyboard that can't be used with wireless mobile devices. It can be used with tablet-like devices like the Microsoft Surface Pro, as it has a USB port and runs on Windows, but the keyboard is a little too big to carry around.
The Dygma Raise is an excellent keyboard for programming. It's highly customizable, so you can choose the type of switches that best suits you. Its ergonomics are excellent, and you can reprogram any key, with an unlimited amount of profiles. It's fully compatible with all desktop operating systems, and you can reprogram and set macros to any key on the board.
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Outstanding build quality.
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Excellent ergonomics.
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Excellent typing experience.
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Customization software still in development.
The Dygma Raise is disappointing for a home theater PC setup. You can't use it wirelessly, so you need to have a cable running from the board to the computer. Also, there's no built-in trackpad or volume control wheel; on the bright side, it does have media hotkeys and RGB backlighting.
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Outstanding build quality.
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Excellent ergonomics.
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Excellent typing experience.
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Customization software still in development.
The Dygma Raise offers impressive raw performance, with great single-key and good multi-key latency. It also has full N-Key rollover and can take full effective advantage of its 1000Hz polling rate without bottlenecking.
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Outstanding build quality.
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Excellent ergonomics.
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Excellent typing experience.
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Customization software still in development.
- 8.5 Gaming
- 7.8 Office
- 2.6 Mobile/Tablet
- 8.2 Programming
- 2.8 Entertainment / HTPC
- 8.1 Raw Performance
- Updated Nov 29, 2023: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.3.1, which adds a new estimated PCB latency test to the Single-Key Latency section and a new Analog test to the Switches section of this review. You can see the full changelog here.
- Updated Aug 30, 2023: We've added text to this review for the new tests added in TBU 1.3.
- Updated Aug 30, 2023: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.3, which overhauls how key input is evaluated. We've added new tests for Single Key Latency, Multi Key Latency, Data Transmission, and Chord Split. We've also introduced a new Raw Performance usage and adjusted how the Gaming and Office usage scores are calculated. You can see the full changelog here.
- Updated Jun 12, 2023: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.2. This update introduces new Backlight Features and Backlight Clarity test boxes. We've also added a new Switches test box, added additional test comparisons to our Hardware Customizability test box that we introduced with our last Test Bench. For an in-depth look at our changes, you can see our full changelog here.
- Updated May 19, 2023: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.1. This update adds several new tests addressing Hardware Customization, Macro Keys And Programming, and Wireless Mobile Compatibility. We've also added new objective evaluations to the Typing Noise test, and we've simplified several tests and removed several others that were no longer relevant. For an in-depth look at all our changes, you can see our full changelog here.
- Updated Apr 14, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
- Updated Mar 24, 2020: Review published.
- Updated Mar 19, 2020: Early access published.
- Updated Mar 17, 2020: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Mar 10, 2020: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Dygma Raise can be purchased in various configurations. When ordering, you can choose the color scheme (black or silver), the type of switches you want, and the keycaps are available in a number of languages. You can order the keyboard directly from Dygma's website.
Compared To Other Keyboards
The Dygma Raise is a great gaming keyboard for those looking for an ergonomic design. There are many keyboards with a split design, but the Dygma stands out with its hot-swappable switches and incredible customization options. Compared to a similar keyboard, like the ErgoDox EZ, the Dygma has significantly better build quality but lacks incline settings.
For other options, check out our recommendations for the best ergonomic keyboards, the best gaming keyboards, and the best RGB keyboards.
The Dygma Raise is much better than the Kinesis Freestyle Pro for most uses. The Dygma is better in almost every aspect, and it's a lot more customizable, but the Kinesis has better software support, and you can program macros or remap keys directly on the keyboard, which some people may prefer to using software.
The Dygma Raise is significantly better than the Matias Ergo Pro. The Dygma has a better build quality, ergonomics, and it has RGB backlighting. It's also much more customizable and it has software support. The Matias has incline settings though, which the Dygma doesn't have.
The Dygma Raise and the ErgoDox EZ are very similar in certain aspects, but the Dygma is slightly better overall. It has a much better build quality, RGB backlighting, and doubleshot PBT keycaps, although the ErgoDox is available with backlighting, and the keycaps are easily replaceable. Comparatively, the ErgoDox has better ergonomics due to its incline settings and columnar-stagger key layout, and its customization software has more features available.
The Dygma Raise is slightly better than the Kinesis Freestyle Edge RGB. The Dygma provides better ergonomics and typing experience, and it feels better built. However, the Kinesis has a customization software that feels more complete, and it has dedicated macro keys for MMO games.
The Dygma Raise is a much better keyboard than the IBM Model M. Comparing these two is proof of just how far technology has evolved. The Dygma is a split keyboard and you can customize every key with up to 10 layers of customization. It has individually-lit keys and there are LED lights underneath it that give it an underglow. The typing quality between the two keyboards is the same, but the Model M is full-sized, so it has more keys, such as a number pad.
The Dygma Raise is a better keyboard than the Ducky Mecha Mini V2. The Dygma is a split keyboard, you can place the two halves how you like, and it comes with a wrist rest. You can set macros to any key on both boards, but since the Ducky doesn't have any software, you have to do it directly from the board, which some people may prefer.
The Dygma Raise and the Logitech Wave Keys are keyboards with ergonomic designs and integrated palm rests. The Dygma is a smaller, compact (60%) wired-only model with mechanical switches. It has a true split design with two halves that you can position independently. On the other hand, the Logitech Wave Keys is a wireless, full-size model with a curved key layout that tents slightly in the middle. It also has rubber dome switches, which are significantly quieter but produce a mushier-feeling typing experience.
Test Results
The Dygma Raise isn't a particularly wide keyboard, as it lacks navigation keys and a NumPad. However, it still takes up a fair amount of space due to the wrist rests and will take more space when the keyboard is split.
The Dygma Raise has an outstanding build quality. It has a plastic chassis with an anodized aluminum plate on top for rigidity. There are no obvious gaps or loose parts in its construction, and the two halves of the keyboard are connected by metal pins. Both sides of the keyboard feel solid on their own; however, the board flexes a bit towards the middle when they're connected. The wrist rest pads are removable and washable.
The keyboard can be purchased with your preferred type of mechanical switches, and you can also choose between ABS or PBT keycaps. We tested the keyboard with PBT keycaps, which feel great to type on. The switch for each key can be swapped out, so you can have different switches for different keys. The bottom space bar row comes with swappable low-profile switches.
This keyboard has excellent ergonomics and can be separated into two halves and placed however you like. There are no incline settings, but most people should be fine without them, as the keyboard has a fairly low profile. The wrist rest pads are removable, which adds a bit of incline.
There's full RGB backlighting on this keyboard and the keys are individually-lit. There are also LED strips on the bottom of the keyboard that gives it an underglow. Customization and brightness adjustments are done through the Bazecor software, as the brightness can't be adjusted directly on the keyboard.
The cable comes in two parts. The USB-A to USB-C cable connects the computer to its 'Neuron', which is where the microprocessor and onboard memory are housed. From there, the two USB-C cables connect to the keyboard, and every cable can be replaced. Replacing the USB-C cables that connect to the keyboard for longer ones will provide greater freedom to position the two halves of the keyboard to your liking.
The Dygma Raise is a wired-only keyboard.
Update 07/21/2021:Bazecor now lets you set macros from the software, so we updated the review accordingly.
The Dygma Raise has very few extra features, but it doesn't lack customization options. You can reprogram every key, and you can have up to ten layers of customization. You can bind mouse commands to the keyboard or set multiple commands to a single key by binding them to a specific keypress pattern (single press, double press, or a long press). You can easily set macros to any key on the board by using the Bazecor software. Also, the board is hot-swappable, meaning you can easily swap out the switches. The keyboard comes with one set of switches plus a few extra ones; you'll have to purchase additional ones separately.
If you want a mechanical keyboard that lets you set macros directly from the board, look into the Ducky Mecha Mini.
- Dygma Raise Keyboard
- 2x USB-C to USB-C cable
- USB-C to USB-A cable
- Dygma Neuron
- Extra mechanical switches
- Keycap and switch remover
- Carrying case
- Stickers
The typing experience on the Dygma Raise is fantastic. The keys are very stable and the PBT keycaps feel solid. It may take some time to get used to the split keyboard design, in addition to the 8-piece space bar. The slightly higher pre-travel distance is great for reducing unintended keystrokes. Typing feels light, and the keyboard's low profile is comfortable and doesn't cause any fatigue. If you're looking for a simple keyboard without any features and outstanding typing quality, check out the IBM Model M.
Typing noise with the Cherry MX Brown switches is quiet and it shouldn't bother your surrounding colleagues when used in an office environment. However, it might be louder if you choose clicky switches, as they produce an audible click in addition to the tactile bump.
The Cherry MX Brown switches on our unit provide satisfying tactile feedback and require a bit of force to actuate. The pre-travel distance is slightly higher than the usual 2mm, though it shouldn't be noticeable for most people. If you prefer a different feel, you can get it with Cherry MX Red (linear and silent), Blue (clicky and tactile), as well as various Kailh switches, including low profile ones (for the bottom spacebar row). Also, the board is hot-swappable, meaning you can easily remove the stock switches and install the ones you prefer.
This keyboard has impressive and fairly consistent single-key latency performance, providing a responsive-feeling experience for playing games in all genres.
This keyboard has good multi-key latency performance, providing a responsive-feeling experience for playing games in any genre.
This keyboard has excellent data transmission performance, with a maximum polling and effective update rate of 1000Hz. It also has full N-Key Rollover and can send multiple keystrokes per USB report.
This keyboard provides great chord split performance. It has very low 4-chord and reasonably low 8-chord latency, making it well-suited for playing complex rhythm games requiring multiple simultaneous keystrokes.
Update 07/21/2021:Bazecor now lets you set macros, so we updated the text accordingly.
The Dygma Raise uses the Bazecor software for customization. It's available on Windows, macOS, and Linux. This software allows you to reprogram each key, customize the backlighting on a per-key basis, and set macros to any key on the board. You can have up to 10 layers of customizations and an unlimited number of profiles, as they're exported as a file stored on your hard drive, and you can also import profiles from other users.