Hi Tek (Space invader) Black Tactile Switches

terrpn · 13 May 2015, 04:55

was not aware space invaders came in black tactile (2 eye) version?

i'm curious..........anybody know how close these are to beige tactile?

pictures borrowed from google images...............

002 · 13 May 2015, 07:37

I would wager that 2-eye black tactile is probably the *most* common Hi-Tek "Fury Bear" switch

I don't know what all the fuss about beige tactile is...personally I think they are terrible but I am not sure if the keyboard I have is just really badly worn. The feel scratchier than MX browns and they bind really easily. Black tactiles are much nicer.

Muirium · 13 May 2015, 12:41

Tactile?

http://deskthority.net/review-f45/nmb-r ... t8469.html

The ones I see are mostly the gloriously clicky blacks.

klikkyklik · 13 May 2015, 13:37

I thought I recognized that poor dirty old thing. That's my keyboard; the pictures are from my blog.

I wish I had an answer for you on the comparison to beige tactiles, but I have not experienced them. Are they becoming a newly sought-after switch?

As far as two-eyed black tactiles being more common than clicky, I would like to point the reader at the Keypocalypse spreadsheet, and sort it by keyswitch type. Of the 39 keyboards with two-eyed black space invaders, only one of them is listed as tactile.

What's funny about that little story is that the only one of those that is listed as tactile is the one I put dibs on. I had a line on it before the spreadsheet was even built, and at the time I put my order in for it, I had only seen XMIT's label of "Clicky" on the board, and that's why I wanted it - I didn't actually want another space invaders two-eyed black tactile. However, the spreadsheet shows tactile, so he has a note to double-check it and was quite gracious about it. If it turns out to be tactile, I'll grab one of the other boards, because what I'm really after is a black clicky a la Muirium's!

The point being that I might respectfully debate that black two-eyed space invader tactiles are more common than the clicky. There is a lot of history in that spreadsheet...

If you're interested, I had also posted those pics in this thread, where the tactiles I think were also a bit of a surprise to Daniel Beardsmore. 002 and Muirium also made an appearance there.

If you end up with a board that has beige browns in it, report back! 002 knows his stuff, and it would be interesting to compare notes with his. I'd even be interested in the coin test on it in comparison to mine.

Muirium · 13 May 2015, 16:02

Oh yeah, I remember now! Forum threads > organic recall. Naturally.

I hear the linears are good. I've yet to try them. Both my boards are clicky black.

seebart · 13 May 2015, 16:25

Muirium wrote: ↑I hear the linears are good. I've yet to try them. Both my boards are clicky black.

the one-eyed white linears in my Commodore are superb. Smooth and uniform.

terrpn · 13 May 2015, 16:28

ok...............kind of on the same lines i have heard as well, usually a little scratchy?

these tactiles blacks are pretty darn nice, i really like them. i have black clicky's coming out of my butt, however this is my first black tactile. kind of feels like my grey tactile, but maybe not as stiff?

xmit has 1 beige he is keeping and another he is selling that is just to rough for what he is asking. dirty, yellowed, missing caps and needs a donor board.

40 bux plus shipping is to high

i want to try a beige, so will keep looking........

seebart · 13 May 2015, 16:30

terrpn wrote: ↑i have black clicky's coming out of my butt..

XMIT · 13 May 2015, 18:27

I have two two-eyed black tactile keyboards:

http://coronthica.com/by-uuid/000a9c9e- ... d477da9dc/
http://coronthica.com/by-uuid/7defb325- ... 6644640b0/

The tactile and linear Space Invaders boards are less common. My intention is to replace their missing keys (using some clicky boards as donors, some of which are already missing keys), clean them some, and offer them for sale.

For this:

> anybody know how close these are to beige tactile?

The next time I come across one, I'll pull it and do a side by side comparison. I'm curious too! I wish I had some force testing equipment to give you a real answer. >_<

I'll post any updates to Space Invaders pricing in my sales thread. But, as a rule, if you feel any price is too high, send me a PM! I do "spy" on most posts but occasionally miss something.

Muirium · 13 May 2015, 19:01

How smooth are your linears, XMIT? I like a good clean switch. Alps degrade badly when dirty, so I worry for space invaders too, with their topless mechanism. I've been lucky with my blacks, but I was lucky with Alps for a while too… until I wasn't!

XMIT · 13 May 2015, 19:08

Recall that nearly all of the boards I got from Cindy are somewhere between dirty and filthy.

The Alps switches are indeed quite scratchy. They are very susceptible to dirt as others have noted here and on other threads. If you hit a dirty switch anywhere but head on it will probably bind.

The vintage Blacks are just buttery smooth even when they are filthy. The only smoother switches I have are Hall Effect and the very similar ITW/Cortron.

The dirty linears, I'd say, are closest to brand new, non broken in, non vintage MX Blacks. A tiny bit scratchy and just about the same weight.

With time, patience, some dishwasher detergent and some dry PTFE lubricant or similar I'm sure they can be quite nice.

seebart · 13 May 2015, 19:09

Like I said, mine are really nice and that Commodore board is from the mid eighties so they age much better than any Alps.

Muirium · 13 May 2015, 19:20

Thanks for the info, XMIT. I'll ponder them. The trouble with NMBs is, of course, caps and therefore available layouts. I've got the second clicky black board I wanted, for a TKL hack sometime. Well, it's sitting with Andy's identical one in California! Clicky but overlooked until I can alter the layout. I have a cunning plan…

In any case, I'm so spoiled on Topre now that I'm unlikely to appreciate a tactile switch, so linear and clicky are the ones for me. The clicky blacks have a chock to them that's the antithesis of Topre, or even buckling spring, yet I like them anyway! But these tactile Matias switches I'm on just now (testing the Ergo Pro) feel like Topre gone wrong to my fingers. Subjective but true!

Seebart: Age isn't the same thing as wear. I've got a couple of AEK IIs in mint condition and they're fantastic. They were my first Alps boards and I was obviously quite fortunate. Since then my luck ran out and I've found grungy Alps for the most part, which aren't much use. Specifically a salmon switch AEK I that needs a lot of poking and artful lube to bring back to goodness. Something I kept aside while I was in America was the green Alps Zenith keyboard I also got from Cindy. It's dirty and needs attention. But green Alps are somewhat legendary. So I left it for a future surprise.

seebart · 13 May 2015, 20:04

Yes right age and wear are obviously not the same. Of course I don't know how much usage most of my keyboards have had. Yup that Zenith I got from lowpoly last year was a good buy. Those green Alps are nice. Glad to hear you got one now too.

terrpn · 13 May 2015, 20:48

Muirium wrote: ↑How smooth are your linears, XMIT? I like a good clean switch. Alps degrade badly when dirty, so I worry for space invaders too, with their topless mechanism. I've been lucky with my blacks, but I was lucky with Alps for a while too… until I wasn't!

xmit has some older xt linear whites that should be pretty smooth as long as the dirt has not got into the switch?

i have some white gundum (?) hi tek xt boards that are especially smooth

just pop a converter on it and you are good to go

fohat or daniel...............would be my go to guy as he is far more knowledgeable on hi tek than myself

Muirium · 13 May 2015, 20:53

Gundam!?!

I'd like to see these! I assume you mean the switch faces, but my imagination has a Gundam branded mecha board going now!

terrpn · 13 May 2015, 21:45

yup...............gundam- thats it

facetsesame · 13 May 2015, 21:56

Wow, seems like Hi-Tek could have created a novelty cap market long before it existed!

The stepped caps on these boards look nice, and useful too - off centre presses were the one weakness of the otherwise excellent clicky blacks as I recall.

002 · 13 May 2015, 23:18

Sorry yes, I'm a fool -- I equated tactile with clicky. It is indeed clicky blacks the most common.