I was debating all the options with myself having the same hesitation about a month ago. I decided to try a version of the redox that comes already assembled: https://ergomech.store/shop/neodox-52. The keyboard with all the options I wanted came to less than $200 USD before shipping. I am looking forward to trying a split keyboard with some column stagger and with lots of thumb-keys. I felt good about this design because it has full alpha and num row keys with plenty of keys left over but I can still experiment with QMK when I want to try adding functionality. I'll be posting a review when the keyboard arrives. I would recommend contacting this particular store ahead of time to ask about what you are hoping for before making your purchase. They were very helpful and responsive when I emailed them. Ask about current lead times since they are moving offices.
I was debating all the options with myself having the same hesitation about a month ago. I decided to try a version of the redox that comes already assembled: https://ergomech.store/shop/neodox-52. The keyboard with all the options I wanted came to less than $200 USD before shipping. I am looking forward to trying a split keyboard with some column stagger and with lots of thumb-keys. I felt good about this design because it has full alpha and num row keys with plenty of keys left over but I can still experiment with QMK when I want to try adding functionality. I'll be posting a review when the keyboard arrives. I would recommend contacting this particular store ahead of time to ask about what you are hoping for before making your purchase. They were very helpful and responsive when I emailed them. Ask about current lead times since they are moving offices.