Keyboard Reccomendations?

booyahwarrior

21 Sep 2018, 01:31

I was wondering what some good keyboards for me would be. I want something that is good for typing. I am currently using a Corsair K70 Rapidfire, which is great and all, but I do feel like I made a mistake buying it instead of something better and cheaper. I am not a big fan of Cherry MX Browns unfortunately. 60% would be ideal for the keyboard. What would you guys recommend for me?

Thank You!

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abrahamstechnology

23 Sep 2018, 21:16

If you don't mind soldering, you could probably build a 60% from parts from AliExpress for ~$100. Although I believe there is a hot swap kit available, with plastic and wood case options, the wood case being more expensive.

What kind of switches are you interested in?

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Hypersphere

24 Sep 2018, 15:43

Better is easier than cheaper. No keyboard is perfect, but my all-time favorite keyboard is the HHKB Pro 2, and I now own around 200 keyboards! People kept recommending the HHKB to me, and I kept postponing a trial for two reasons: the expense and the seemingly foreign layout. Finally, I gave it a try, and I took to the layout almost immediately. Now the HHKB is my main keyboard at work and home. I still rotate through other keyboards, but I remap most of them to somethng as close as I can get to the HHKB layout.

If you can get access to several keyboards to try out, this is the only way to be sure. You can try to narrow down such variables as form factor, layout, switch type, and keycap type.

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Muirium
µ

24 Sep 2018, 16:17

If 60% curious, the place to start is a Poker. Strong value for money there, and immense scope to customise things afterwards, like caps and cases.

Now yes, I’m suggesting this while literally typing on an HHKB! It’s the apex keyboard for me, too. Absolutely adore mine, now I have it the way I always wanted. But this is not an inexpensive keyboard, to say the least. And not everyone can handle 60% for that matter, either.

Give the Poker or some other 60% layout a shot. My tip for the MX side of the universe is actually humble old MX black. MX is best when linear, its native form, and black is a good weight for real world use, which is why Cherry picked it to start in the first place. I’m kind of intrigued by the thought of the new damped MX blacks, and how they might perform vs. my Type-S Topre.

As Hypersphere says, it’s best to try as many boards as your enthusiasm and expenses allow. If they don’t allow much, choose between an affordable Poker or the unicorn so many of us prize!

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Hypersphere

25 Sep 2018, 19:44

Yes, Cherry mx and clones added tactility and clickiness to their inherently linear design by grafting bumps and slipping clickers onto the stems, apparently attempting to mimic the sound and feel of other switches such as tactile/clicky Alps or IBM buckling springs.

I'll never forget the letdown I experienced when trying out my first modern mechanical keyboard (a Filco Majestouch 2 TKL with Cherry mx switches) after having used an IBM Model M for several years. Since then, I've tried all the modern Cherry mx switches and haven't taken to any of them. However, I do rather like "vintage" Cherry mx black switches, although they are slightly too heavy for me.

Among mx clones, I have encountered two types that I find tolerable. The first is Gateron yellow, which is a smooth linear switch intermediate in weight between mx red and black. The second is Zeal Zilent 67g, which is a smooth tactile switch internally silenced on both the downstroke and return stroke that is much lighter than Cherry mx clear and not gritty in feel like Cherry mx brown.

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Muirium
µ

25 Sep 2018, 20:17

“Zilent.” Ngh!

What do you make of damped linear MX then, Hyper?

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Hypersphere

25 Sep 2018, 21:09

Muirium wrote: “Zilent.” Ngh!

What do you make of damped linear MX then, Hyper?
Zilent. I guess it's a branding thing. I discovered Zilents after I had heard about silent mx reds and a bit later silent mx blacks. I wanted something heavier than reds, but silent blacks were not yet available. I found the Zeal PC site, and they were running a sale to clear out the last of their v1 Zilents, which are tactile rather than strictly linear. I emailed the owner for recommendations of spring weights, and based on my preferences, he suggested 67g (Zeal springs are calibrated for bottom-out force rather than actuation force). The choices were 62, 65, 67, and 78g, so I went for 67g, thinking that 78g might be too heavy.

I haven't yet tried damped linear mx. Reviews I've seen of silent reds and blacks have been positive. I've found that Gateron switches tend to be smoother than Cherry switches, and I think that Zeal switches are made by Gateron. Zeal has damped linears called "Healios", which can be ordered now for a projected December shipping date. Likewise, Zeal Zilents v2 can be ordered now for December shipping. The v2 Zilents are claimed to have enhanced tactility compared to v1 Zilents.

I put the v1 67g Zilents into my Tokyo60 DIY hot-swappable kit, and it's not a bad keyboard (form factor and default layout are HHKB). With the tactility, silence, form factor, and layout, you could almost believe you were typing on an actual HHKB Type-S (if you didn't know better). Pic of my Tokyo60 below:
Tokyo60crop13.jpg
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Some particulars of my Tokyo60:

Case: anodized CNC aluminum (included in kit).
PCB: QMK-programmable; hot-swappable switch sockets; default layout = HHKB (included in kit).
Switches: Zeal PC "Zilent" 67g
Alpha caps: Imsto dye-sub PBT
Blank black mods: Imsto PBT
Yellow blank Fn cap: Originative PBT

The spacebar switch was too light, so I swapped in a spring from an mx clear. Now I don't have as many unintentional spaces.

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LessthanZero

26 Sep 2018, 18:21

I would recommend any Northern board, omnikeys are great. Older Focus boards preferably a fk-5001. Try to get a used Alps board with few hours and you won't be disappointed. Also I prefer boards with the f-row on the left as you can tell by my recommendations.

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abrahamstechnology

26 Sep 2018, 22:45

I have a WY-30 keyboard that I plan on restoring and refitting with Box Jades, (the version without the function key block) It's more of a compact 75%-ish layout. It should be ready in a few weeks (waiting on shipping from China for the box jades) PM me if interested.

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Hypersphere

27 Sep 2018, 00:56

Most of the time I like to use boards with a 60% form factor and US-ANSI HHKB layout. However, my love for Alps switches has led me to use some superb full-size keyboards, such as the Northgate Omnikey 101 with White (pine) Alps switches (case painted burgundy red and switches fitted with Dolch keycaps):
omni101burgundy_upleft_crop.jpg
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and the Leading Edge 3014 with Blue Alps switches (case painted burgundy and alpha switches fitted with IBM 5140 dye-sub PBT caps):
dc-3014a1.jpg
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Alps switches can be opened without desoldering, enabling them to be "top modded" to create hybrids. One of my favorite boards is a Northgate Omnikey 101 top modded with springs and sliders from Orange Alps switches (case painted black and alpha switches topped off with SGI dye-sub PBT caps):
NG_White-Orange_25a.jpg
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The top Northgate pic reminds me to replace the trap-door badge with a "bubble" variety that I have rattling around in a spare parts drawer. The Northgates in particular are super-solid boards, and their design makes it very easy to install a Teensy for programming and converting PS/2 to USB if you are so inclined.

At the moment, I am typing on the Leading Edge 3014 -- the Blue Alps have a distinctive sound and feel that makes it seem that the key is punching through the desk (as described by Chyros):
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=78 ... msg1993829

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