Best quality Cherry keyboard

IKSLM

10 Sep 2014, 22:25

Which, would you say, is the best quality cherry (yes, a keyboard from cherry, not filco, leopold, ducky...) keyboard featuring:

1. mx-black
2. "windows" keys (so no vintage stuff, i know older cases are thicker, but i'm interested in the newer stuff)

By "best quality" i mean thicker keyboard case plastic, "thicker" PCB, thick PBT caps and other stuff which, well, makes the keyboard feel better, nicer...

I'm typing this on a G80-1502LQEDE. It's a nice keyboard but the case is sooo flimsy, bends easily, the two parts just snap together (no screws).

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Halvar

10 Sep 2014, 22:31

I'm afraid Cherry doesn't make better ones than the one you have any more. Instead, they suggest you throw it away and buy a new one from time to time.

http://deskthority.net/keyboards-f2/che ... t8351.html

IKSLM

10 Sep 2014, 22:43

lol, now that's just wrong and sad

when and why did they stop making "nice" keyboard cases?

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Nuum

10 Sep 2014, 22:47

Your best bet would probably a Cherry MX-Board 3.0, it has a metal plate but otherwise the case is a little bit on the flimsy side. The keycaps are very flat and lasered ABS, but I quite like them. Also the keyboard feels fine to me as long as I don't lift it up (then it feels quite light and cheap for a mechanical keyboard).

IKSLM

10 Sep 2014, 22:50

Ah, yes, the 3.0. Had typed on it for a day, did not like the flat caps.

Findecanor

10 Sep 2014, 22:52

There is no keyboard with thick PBT caps and Windows keys. The stabilised keys still have thicker walls, though.
G80-1800 and G80-3000 are maybe more flimsy than the G80-15xx. I don't know about the G80-11900's case, but the G80-11800 w/o windows keys is pretty sturdy.
Last edited by Findecanor on 10 Sep 2014, 23:02, edited 1 time in total.

davkol

10 Sep 2014, 22:59

I have a 2011 black USB 11900. It obviously has blacks and the thick POM keycaps feel superb. I know people complain about flex and cheap case of modern 3000s, but this one appears to be quite solid, nothing creaks for sure… perhaps because it isn't as wide? I'd certainly look into 1800.

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Halvar

10 Sep 2014, 23:05

davkol wrote: I'd certainly look into 1800.
I agree. If you can adjust to the layout, the G80-1800 is probably the best one to recommend.

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Nuum

10 Sep 2014, 23:07

Ah yes, the thick POM keycaps are not bad, too, although a bit slippery to me. And also lasered, not doubleshot. I believe every black Cherry G80/G81 Keyboard uses them. Maybe the keycaps of the MX-Board 3.0 are made from POM as well, I never checked that.

IKSLM

10 Sep 2014, 23:27

I'm very attached to the home/end cluster location (use it constantly in programing) so the layout of the 118(9)00 would be a problem, maybe the hope lies with the 3000 series.

Is there a dyesub PBT G80-3000?

davkol

10 Sep 2014, 23:36

The 11900 layout is truly awkward, but I find 1800's nav cluster placement very addictive.

I don't have much trust in stock PCB-mount full-size keyboards. Possibly with a G81 backplate?

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Halvar

10 Sep 2014, 23:40

IKSLM wrote: Is there a dyesub PBT G80-3000?
Only vintage beige/white without Windows keys.

Findecanor

11 Sep 2014, 00:06

davkol wrote: The 11900 layout is truly awkward, but I find 1800's nav cluster placement very addictive.
I find the G80-1800's case to be just as bad as modern G80-3000. It is a bit smaller both on the width and on the depth (area above function keys).
I use a G80-1800 layout now... a Dolch keyboard, which has the same innards but sturdier case.
You get used to using Home/End/PgUp/PgDn on the numpad for navigation. However, because the keys send numpad codes and not proper nav-cluster codes they can not be used in Shift-combinations for selecting to the beginning/end of a line .. and I find that somewhat annoying .... But only because I am accustomed to it. If you use Emacs or VI you won't have that problem, I suppose. ;)

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scottc

11 Sep 2014, 01:09

I love the G80-1800's layout, nav cluster and all. I don't use the numpad at all, though, so that might be part of it.

davkol

11 Sep 2014, 09:05

I meant the nav cluster placement _above_ the numpad.

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scottc

11 Sep 2014, 09:21

So did I!

IKSLM

11 Sep 2014, 09:37

So it would seem that all the newer cases are generally speaking "bad".

Has anyone tried "reinforcing" the case? Like filling it with some material? Adding some metal parts...?

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the1onewolf

12 Sep 2014, 00:47

Edit: wrong thread
Last edited by the1onewolf on 18 Sep 2014, 00:41, edited 1 time in total.

davkol

12 Sep 2014, 00:51

Oh, 1wolf, you're trolling again…

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Daniel Beardsmore

12 Sep 2014, 01:29

To be honest, I am intrigued why it's so important to have a Cherry keyboard, especially considering that the desired product doesn't exist. What do Cherry do that no-one else do?

IKSLM

12 Sep 2014, 08:34

This was just an inquiry thread to see if such a cherry product does exist :)

And maybe it's just a personal thing, but even the newer cherry keyboards tend to have such an old-school-vintage looking cases (which i like).

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Daniel Beardsmore

12 Sep 2014, 09:35

I did have a visitor to the office notice my old keyboard on my desk — except it wasn't old, it was a brand new (and black!) G80-3000.

IKSLM

12 Sep 2014, 09:52

hehehe, my point exactly

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Kurk

12 Sep 2014, 10:40

Findecanor wrote: There is no keyboard with thick PBT caps and Windows keys. <snip>
I have a Cherry board with thick PBTs and Windows keys right under my desk. It's a G81-3000 LPNUS (production date J08). OK, only lasered legends of course, no fancy dyesubs (that's why it is under my desk).

Magna224

12 Sep 2014, 12:00

My g80-1000 is pretty old and still fells bad... just as bad as my 8113s and 8200s. I'm kinda interested in if any of the other cherry boards feel much significantly better. My g81-3000s feel a bit better but its rubberdome. Do the G80-3000 have a plate and feel better like the g81 version?

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Nuum

12 Sep 2014, 12:03

The G80-3000s do not have a plate. Some people mod their 3000s by putting the bottom plate of a G81 underneath the PCB, but I haven't tried that myself.

IKSLM

12 Sep 2014, 12:05

Kurk wrote:
Findecanor wrote: There is no keyboard with thick PBT caps and Windows keys. <snip>
I have a Cherry board with thick PBTs and Windows keys right under my desk. It's a G81-3000 LPNUS (production date J08). OK, only lasered legends of course, no fancy dyesubs (that's why it is under my desk).
Ok, but that's a MY switch.

andrewjoy

12 Sep 2014, 12:55

MY are horrible i would rather type on a decent rubber dome

ML on the other hand are lovely one of my favorite cherry switch.

Findecanor

12 Sep 2014, 13:34

Nuum wrote: The G80-3000s do not have a plate. Some people mod their 3000s by putting the bottom plate of a G81 underneath the PCB, but I haven't tried that myself.
From what I can see in the G80-3000 case (looking at an empty case now) that would be crazy tight unless you shave down the supporting struts inside or don't let it snap together again completely, replacing the snaps with screws.

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Nuum

12 Sep 2014, 13:41

I can't find the thread where someone has done this, I believe it was over at Geekhack. Or maybe I'm completely wrong and noone has done this.
From what I remember this mod should make the keyboard more sturdy, with less flex in the PCB. Also it would get quite a bit heavier.

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