If you live in Belgium of France and like mechanical keyboards, you've probably had problems finding a nice AZERTY keyboard. In most cases, the best keyboards are only available in US-ANSI or maybe in ISO-UK. And if you're lucky enough to find a keyboard in ISO-FR layout, chances are high that it's sold out.
What is ISO-BE?
ISO refers to the shape of the keys used in Europe. You can recognize it easily by the large Enter key and the shorter left Shift. "BE" stands for the Belgian AZERTY typing standard. In Belgium, this is the standard layout that most people grew up with.
ISO-BE vs. ISO-FR
Many international brands decide to just sell the ISO-FR layout because of the Belgian market size, and because the layouts are fairly similar.
But if you type a lot for work, the difference is definitely noticeable. The letters are all in the same place, but specials symbols like the @, ! or - are not. When you try typing an email address on an ISO-FR keyboard, you will probably make a typo.
Why are ISO-BE boards so hard to find?
It's mostly because of production costs. Making keycaps with specific Belgian characters means they need to produce separate molds or print runs. For large companies, it's rarely worth it for a small market like Belgium. That is why you mostly find the ISO-BE layout on standard office keyboards. The mechanical segment usually skips it completely.
A quick note for our French customers
If you are ordering from France and are tired of premium ISO-FR boards always being out of stock, ISO-BE is actually a great alternative. Because the alphabet placement is exactly the same, the transition is fairly easy. In fact, some developers even prefer the Belgian layout because the placement of symbols like brackets ( { } ) and the @-sign are more logically positioned for writing code.
Our approach
We started Bonsai Keyboards because we got tired of having to make the choice between a premium keyboard and the AZERTY layout. You really shouldn't have to relearn how to type just to get a board that sounds thocky.
That is why we stock keyboards like the Keychron Q1 Max, Q5 Max, and V1 Max natively in ISO-BE. It gives you the heavy build quality and a hot-swappable PCB, without the headache of searching for hours for a matching set of keycaps.
Final thoughts
If you held off on upgrading your desk because you didn't want a US layout or even a French keyboard, we understand. We think your keyboard should match your daily workflow without having to spend extra money on keycaps.