I use flauncher. It’s ugly and doesn’t have a lot of features but I don’t care. I only have two apps installed, so I’m rarely looking at or using the launcher anyway.
I’ve been using a Tex yoda ii for years and I love it. If you want to avoid leaving “home row” nothing beats a 60% keyboard with a trackpoint! I just bought a Tex Shura but haven’t tried it out yet.