TR Forums

whm1974 wrote:

Geez I would have never that choosing a keyboard would be so much effort for someone who doesn't write for a living. I know those who do, are very picky about their keyboards and will spend good money on a suitable one.

Coding and writing involve similar amounts of typing. The only difference is whether your audience is machine or human. Keystrokes are keystrokes.

You know, if I had the money and could afford to spend it, I think I would get a couple of things from Datamancer such as this keyboard and mouse:
https://datamancer.com/product/the-machinist-keyboard/
https://datamancer.com/product/datamanc ... aph-mouse/

They look so neat. Although I know don't about spending $1500 or more for a fancy Keyboard and mouse. What do you guys think?

Hi. After reading here i think i may pick a keyb feat:
- mx browns or alike
- some kind of rest for the wrists

Desirable features could be:
- backlight (single color or RGB)
- spanish distribution

I have seen with nice eyes:
- tt meka g1 (decent, no backlight)
- eleenter g2 (almost there, just ugly typo and no spanish dist)

Any toughts?

juampa_valve_rde wrote:

Hi. After reading here i think i may pick a keyb feat:
- mx browns or alike
- some kind of rest for the wrists

Desirable features could be:
- backlight (single color or RGB)
- spanish distribution

I have seen with nice eyes:
- tt meka g1 (decent, no backlight)
- eleenter g2 (almost there, just ugly typo and no spanish dist)

Any toughts?

Custom keycaps? I'm sure if you are willing to spend the money...

whm1974 wrote:

You know, if I had the money and could afford to spend it, I think I would get a couple of things from Datamancer such as this keyboard and mouse:
https://datamancer.com/product/the-machinist-keyboard/
https://datamancer.com/product/datamanc ... aph-mouse/

They look so neat. Although I know don't about spending $1500 or more for a fancy Keyboard and mouse. What do you guys think?

I think anyone who would spend $1500 on a keyboard and mouse has more money than sense.

just brew it! wrote:

whm1974 wrote:

You know, if I had the money and could afford to spend it, I think I would get a couple of things from Datamancer such as this keyboard and mouse:
https://datamancer.com/product/the-machinist-keyboard/
https://datamancer.com/product/datamanc ... aph-mouse/

They look so neat. Although I know don't about spending $1500 or more for a fancy Keyboard and mouse. What do you guys think?

I think anyone who would spend $1500 on a keyboard and mouse has more money than sense.

You can't put a price on works of art...
On another note, according to this video review of the SolidTek 6600C, my keyboard uses White Alps clones switches. And for some reason Newegg no longer sells SolidTek products. While I would buy another one at the ~$50(it was on sale) I paid for it, I I'm not sure I would be be willing to pay full price.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AapHtjj-eiY

I'm thinking of Topre's new RGB model now that I've booked a trip for Osaka.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2MHE-r ... u.be&t=192

The switches have a firm-then-buckling smooth feel to it, like the keypads on medical diagnostic stations. Has anyone heard about their reliability and if they attract hair and gunk as fast as Cherry MX designs? (Check out the Pinks at 4:10)

whm1974 wrote:

just brew it! wrote:

whm1974 wrote:

You know, if I had the money and could afford to spend it, I think I would get a couple of things from Datamancer such as this keyboard and mouse:
https://datamancer.com/product/the-machinist-keyboard/
https://datamancer.com/product/datamanc ... aph-mouse/

They look so neat. Although I know don't about spending $1500 or more for a fancy Keyboard and mouse. What do you guys think?

I think anyone who would spend $1500 on a keyboard and mouse has more money than sense.

You can't put a price on works of art...

I could see building something like that for myself as a hobby project if I was really into the steampunk aesthetic, but there's no way I'd spend that kind of money on it even if I had $1500 to blow. I'd *maybe* consider paying $250.

It's also not very practical; the gears are going to scratch up your desk unless you put something under it.

just brew it! wrote:

whm1974 wrote:

just brew it! wrote:

I think anyone who would spend $1500 on a keyboard and mouse has more money than sense.

You can't put a price on works of art...

I could see building something like that for myself as a hobby project if I was really into the steampunk aesthetic, but there's no way I'd spend that kind of money on it even if I had $1500 to blow. I'd *maybe* consider paying $250.

It's also not very practical; the gears are going to scratch up your desk unless you put something under it.

Well you buy the keycaps here:
https://datamancer.com/product-category ... =/keycaps/
I suppose that I could buy a very good mechanical board and replace the keycaps with the typewriter ones. Good gods I caught the "make you own" keyboard bug, thanks a lot guys...

just brew it! wrote:

whm1974 wrote:

Geez I would have never that choosing a keyboard would be so much effort for someone who doesn't write for a living. I know those who do, are very picky about their keyboards and will spend good money on a suitable one.

Coding and writing involve similar amounts of typing. The only difference is whether your audience is machine or human. Keystrokes are keystrokes.

Also gaming, especially the RTS types. When people are doing 600-800 actions per minute (apm), they can't all be coming from the mouse.

whm1974 wrote:

just brew it! wrote:

whm1974 wrote:

You know, if I had the money and could afford to spend it, I think I would get a couple of things from Datamancer such as this keyboard and mouse:
https://datamancer.com/product/the-machinist-keyboard/
https://datamancer.com/product/datamanc ... aph-mouse/

They look so neat. Although I know don't about spending $1500 or more for a fancy Keyboard and mouse. What do you guys think?

I think anyone who would spend $1500 on a keyboard and mouse has more money than sense.

You can't put a price on works of art...

Not to mention extremely un-ergonomic for the mouse. Form over function for sure.

whm1974 wrote:

Custom keycaps? I'm sure if you are willing to spend the money...

whm1974 wrote:

I suppose that I could buy a very good mechanical board and replace the keycaps with the typewriter ones.

You know, these days things like these are more accessible than ever, in terms of cost: 3D printing. This and this may help, among the others.

Now I'm wondering if I'm going to end up with $1000's of my money in keyboards.
Is there a cure for this? Or maybe a support group, Keyboard Anonymous perhaps? 

whm1974 wrote:

Now I'm wondering if I'm going to end up with $1000's of my money in keyboards.
Is there a cure for this? Or maybe a support group, Keyboard Anonymous perhaps? 

Well, on the bright side, you don't ever have to replace them when you build a new PC. A quality keyboard, if treated well, could theoretically last decades. Maybe someone's lifetime in the case of IBM Model M's.

Vhalidictes wrote:

whm1974 wrote:

Now I'm wondering if I'm going to end up with $1000's of my money in keyboards.
Is there a cure for this? Or maybe a support group, Keyboard Anonymous perhaps? 

Well, on the bright side, you don't ever have to replace them when you build a new PC. A quality keyboard, if treated well, could theoretically last decades. Maybe someone's lifetime in the case of IBM Model M's.

Yeah, but from watching YouTube videos and reading the deskthority forum and Wiki it seems that collecting mechanical keyboards and building your own has become a hobby.

Did you buy it from Amazon?

screenwizard94 wrote:

Did you buy it from Amazon?

The SolidTek ASK-6600C? I brought it from Newegg for about almost half of Amazon is charging for it. For the $50 it cost me I would highly recommend this keyboard, but I'm not sure at $90.

just brew it! wrote:

At least I never made that mistake. After trying the switch tester at Microcenter I decided that browns are not for me. I suppose if I was in an office environment where the noise of the blues was an issue, browns (with o-rings) might be the least worst option.

Another reason it'd be nice to have a Microcenter here. Visited a Fry's Electronics when I happened to be in Austin but all they had were Black and Red keyboards at the time, the Blue models weren't out for demo and they had no such cherry switch tester. The local PC shops don't even bother with keyboards out for demo anymore. 

I'm quite happy with MX Clears and don't need o-rings with them. I think they are the most quiet option out of all the MX keys short of buying o-rings. I briefly considered getting o-rings for the MX Brown keyboard but the keys wouldn't depress far enough for my liking after I tried a couple. 

Kougar wrote:

I briefly considered getting o-rings for the MX Brown keyboard but the keys wouldn't depress far enough for my liking after I tried a couple. 

They seem to come in two thicknesses, and yes the thicker ones limit key travel too much for my tastes too. Need to get the thinner ones.

whm1974 wrote:

Yeah, but from watching YouTube videos and reading the deskthority forum and Wiki it seems that collecting mechanical keyboards and building your own has become a hobby.

For some people, sure, but isn't that true for anything?

As long as my Rosewill Reds keep actuating and the keycaps remain legible, I've got no such urge.

Guess I'll add my contribution to the fray. I am typing this, if you can call what I do "typing", on my new Corsair Vengeance K65. It's currently available on Amazon for a shade under $79.00 US, and so far I like it. Has Cherry Red's in it, which seem fine to me although I have some o-rings on order to quiet it down a little. (Should have gotten them at the same time, but I decided to wait and hear for myself.)
Seems solidly constructed, except for the mini usb connection at the board, however I don't intend to ever disconnect it and the strain relief slot for the cable is pretty solid so that shouldn't be a problem. Seemed small at first compared to the Logitech K120 I've been using but then I realized that I just never noticed how much length the num pad adds. Plus I now have volume control that the Logitech didn't, and have realized how much it was missed.
Could only find a few reviews of it prior to buying, however they seem generally favorable, so I bit the proverbial bullet and bought. construction seems solid and finish is good, only time will tell about durability. Overall, I'm happy with it.

I am really late to the party, but I figured might as well as upgrade to a mechanical keyboard after having lots of strange operations going on due to the Control key deciding that being stuck was a good idea. My current keyboard ended up retired, and in came a Corsair Strafe non-RGB (the red LEDs only version), with MX browns. Scored a nice, if slight discount, too, at the store I bought it from.

I actually tried quite a few keyboards (local stores were quite open about demoing keyboards, so I got quite the amount of hands-on type with all the kinds of mechanical switches, and how the exact keyboards felt. Could get some time typing on whatever Razer Green is on the Blackwidow, MX blue clones on another keyboard, and the real MX reds and browns (heh)

I find the clicking noise on the former two a bit... off-putting, to be honest. Browns felt just right on the Corsair Strafe and MSI's slightly cheaper equivalent without that annoying click - just the bump is enough. Reds felt too mushy - kind of like using a rubber dome keyboard, and not an upgrade in the slightest. Do people want Reds?

I guess I ended up buying the Corsair as

• USB passthrough is convenient - connecting my mouse to the pass-through seem to make the wire hit other objects a lot less compared to having it dangle high up at the rear of my PC
• it seemed to feel like it has better build quality to my hands and eyes
• after the discount, is the second cheapest "real MX" option I could get without going for something that seemed to be shipping-damaged
• won't be getting something off-brand with clone switches

The way I type on my keyboards usually, it doesn't seem to be particularly louder than how it normally is with either my work keyboard (just a Logitech K200) or the busted keyboard.

Have to say, though... typing feels so good on one of these! Even though I usually don't write long documents, writing out forum posts and chat responses felt a lot more "reliable".

trackerben wrote:

I'm thinking of Topre's new RGB model now that I've booked a trip for Osaka.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2MHE-r ... u.be&t=192

The switches have a firm-then-buckling smooth feel to it, like the keypads on medical diagnostic stations. Has anyone heard about their reliability and if they attract hair and gunk as fast as Cherry MX designs? (Check out the Pinks at 4:10)

I have Topre Realforce, and also used Cherry MX for a long time (and still using). Topre are better as far as touch typing comfort goes, hands down. Soft but definite, and also quiet; I call them "Rolls Royce of keyboards". As for reliability, I only had Topre for 2 years so not very long time, but they did not fail so far. I had Cherry MX fail in a shorter time. Of course Topre RGB could be different, as they are surely more complex internally.

bronek wrote:

trackerben wrote:

I'm thinking of Topre's new RGB model now that I've booked a trip for Osaka.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2MHE-r ... u.be&t=192

The switches have a firm-then-buckling smooth feel to it, like the keypads on medical diagnostic stations. Has anyone heard about their reliability and if they attract hair and gunk as fast as Cherry MX designs? (Check out the Pinks at 4:10)

I have Topre Realforce, and also used Cherry MX for a long time (and still using). Topre are better as far as touch typing comfort goes, hands down. Soft but definite, and also quiet; I call them "Rolls Royce of keyboards". As for reliability, I only had Topre for 2 years so not very long time, but they did not fail so far. I had Cherry MX fail in a shorter time. Of course Topre RGB could be different, as they are surely more complex internally.

I completely agree with you the Rolls Royce thing. In fact the new RGB Model fits even better with it!

seankay wrote:

bronek wrote:

I have Topre Realforce, and also used Cherry MX for a long time (and still using). Topre are better as far as touch typing comfort goes, hands down. Soft but definite, and also quiet; I call them "Rolls Royce of keyboards". As for reliability, I only had Topre for 2 years so not very long time, but they did not fail so far. I had Cherry MX fail in a shorter time. Of course Topre RGB could be different, as they are surely more complex internally.

I completely agree with you the Rolls Royce thing. In fact the new RGB Model fits even better with it!

Now I'm all "keyed up" to get one. Especially if there's a new tenkeyless version. Topre RGB stems are compatible with Cherry MX and therefore MY keycaps, which I can transfer from an industrial keyboard I've been keeping for just this purpose.

Found these:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJpplaqwwX0
Aside from colors, per-key actuation points can be set with hardware spacers, the Fn key, and/or the app, not sure which works best from the video.

flip-mode wrote:

I caved. I picked up a Drevo Tyrfing 87 key board with off-brand brown switches for $40. I refuse to spend $100 on a keyboard, but I can do $40.

...

I have no hesitation recommending this thing. It's a damn sight more affordable than the models that get all the attention. Typing on mechanical keys is possibly nicer than typing on rubber domes. But I still would not pay upwards of $75 or more dollars for the privilege.

How's the keyboard working out for you? It seems that most people that have issues with the browns have had them by now. Do you still like the keyboard?

I'm torn between getting the browns and the blues. I am susceptible to RSI, but that's more because of my setup at work than my setup at home.

And, now I have the Drevo Tyrfing. After reading that they have a 10-day, no questions asked, money back guaranteed, I took the plunge and got the blues.

This is vastly superior to my previous membrane keyboard. The key action is much smoother and the keys are easier to push, despite claims that they're too hard to push. Now, to start working on only pushing the keys as far as they need to go.

Also, the keys are not as loud as I was led to believe.

titan wrote:

Also, the keys are not as loud as I was led to believe.

I thought the same about my MX Brown key keyboard when I first got it. The test will be what do you think of it in six months and after your fingers adjust to the MX Blue keys.

Just took the delivery of a new Topre Realforce (my second - one for my desk at employer's , another for home office). It is one sweet keyboard

Color me envious

I posted this elsewhere, but I figured I'd add it to this list, as it's a less common switch people might be interested in.

Just upgraded to Matias QuietClick APLS clones (in a KeyboardParadise V80, TKL), and I'll never go back to Cherry. My understanding is the feel is similar to the Topres, in that it's a lot more cushioned at the bottom of the travel (but not mushy). Feels so much better than my old O-ringed Cherry Browns. I knew within a few days that I'd never go back to Cherry. They really do feel "more tactile" than just adding a stiffer break-point like moving up to Blues. I get more feel along the entire travel of the key, whereas it always felt more like freefall after passing the actuation point on Cherrys. It's also significantly quieter than O-ringed Cherry Browns- it's basically membrane-level noise.

Matias switches might be even harder to try out in person than Topres, but I took the plunge and have no regrets. If Cherry browns feel a bit "vague" or you feel like you bottom out too hard (but feel O-rings add mushiness), consider Matias. I don't game on it, but for typing, I vastly prefer it to Cherry. (I still wonder if I'd like Clears but I didn't have access to those anywhere)

Specifically for the KBP board, it's almost identical to my old CoolerMaster Storm, which I'd rate as "solid enough" - not amazing but definitely good enough for the money ($120ish IIRC)

I have issues with most mechanical keyboards because I like super-light keys and most of the designs are above 60 cN.

I discovered a old NMB keyboard with "space invaders" switches... and I hope it doesn't die any time soon because it's near-perfect.

If you're curious: https://imgur.com/a/fH526