Traditional keyboards are simply not great for a lot of reasons. I experimented with tons of different keyboards and keyboard layouts mostly out of curiosity. You don't need to go far to feel the difference: microsoft curved keyboards are already much better than most regular keyboards.
Once you realize you can reduce finger travel by orienting the keyboard to the natural direction of the finger flexion you won't go back easily, and you'd likely want to go further with something you can orient in any way you like.
And yes, 'ortholinear' plays a big part in how you position the keys. I've used a lot earlier models of fully split keyboards such as the "comfort keyboard", but it never felt as natural as a simple linear grid, as I tended to put the keyboard at weird angles just to achieve what a simple vertical array of keys does. Heck, I'll go as far as saying that if you want to experiment without going crazy, the first step would be to try an ortholinear keyboard. It makes more difference.
I've personally settled on a Kinesis Advantage Pro. It does many things right out of the box. I can only complain about the function keys, but I barely use them anyway. It's not fully split, but the position is good enough, and it avoids the issue of fixing the keyboard pads to the table in order to avoid movement which is an issue I had with all split keyboards (and no, a rubberized mat is not enough).
I think the price is right for the build quality, and I didn't want to go the DIY route mostly because I have other projects going on (a DIY keyboard is a lot of work - I have plenty of respect for those who make even a flat one).
Edit: typo.
