deskthority

Hi all,

I had a regular Model M or SSK for many years and eventually sold them because I thought they were a tiny bit too loud and took away too much space. I miss them...

I bought a Ducky One 2 and I'm really happy with the build quality and I went with mx blacks once and mx reds the other time. Those switches are OK but I just don't type that accurately with them, I thought time might help that but it didn't. And the designs: I love the designs but over time they tend to get old and I want something new. And I hate black keyboards, otherwise, I'd go ahead and buy the Unicomp SSK. Also had a Realforce once, loved the build quality and the no-frills design. Loved the key press until you hit the bottom, totally unsatisfying for me.

So, I'm looking for a modern, slim TKL keyboard with tactile switches that aren't the loudest (although loudness is not my priority anymore). And if it had a classic beige color scheme, that would be great! I'm located in Germany which is limiting my choice a bit...

PS: I absolutely need dedicated keys for Ins, Del, Home, End, Page Up and Page Down!

What don’t you like about Topre exactly? You want something crunchier, more like a Model M? If that’s the case, I’m guessing people will start suggesting Box Jades and Navies and the like. I don’t know them much, myself, as I’m more the other way: smooth tactility. There are options for both tastes, however.

I don't know, that bottoming out never felt good to me. I love a tactile switch more, I think the sound may have to do something with that as well. In hindsight, the Realforce definitely was the better choice compared to the MX blacks for example. I see there's a silent option for the Realforce - maybe that's something to look into...

And I'm looking for something which is ready to buy, I don't want to spend too much time on building the ultimate keyboard.

PS: Just listened to this sound demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjZbDfdJuNA
Topre is not for me, I don't like the sound of it

You’re bottoming out? Bad form.

Topre’s landing depends on the keyboard. Realforces have that familiar (to plate mounted MX and Alps users) solid metal landing, but cushioned by the dome. HHKB has a softer, gentler, and in my opinion better ending to its keystroke. All depends on taste, however. Years ago I was in a minority of more or less just me in preferring it to the Realforce plate. It’s entirely down to taste.

In short: Topre’s always softer than an MX black for landing. HHKB profoundly so. If you don’t like that, you’ll need something else like those Box switches everyone’s been into lately.

(I wouldn’t trust a sound demo over your own direct experience, btw. Microphone placement matters too much, especially for the dazzling thumps of vibrations through the desk. This applies to all keyboards, not just those I like.)

It's impossible to avoid bottoming out on Topre, at least on 45g and stiffer. It's only because of the momentum left after having overcome the bump.

Pretty much. I bottom out gently on Topre (except for Return which I like to hit with satisfying emphasis) while I bottom out much harder on linears. The tactility definitely has an effect, but yes true “no bottoming out” is tricky to the point of a quixotic search for the ineffable. You wind up slowing down to find this place where you can speed up.

https://www.keychron.com/products/keych ... 6134322265 or
https://www.keychron.com/collections/80 ... l-keyboard. Choose the "Retro" color scheme. These are also just the two I remembered of the top of my head. They have more models.

* You didn't ask if you wanted ANSI or ISO.
* You didn't mention if you needed QWERTZ/German layout. If you need QWERTZ, you've drastically limited your options.
* You didn't mention how much you wanted to pay.

Yes, I'm a fan of Kailh Box Jade switches and they are on the loud side. I'm looking forward to trying the Clickiez switches that can be "easily" converted to tactile. If you get a TKL, you may as well get one with hot-swap capability so you can try different switches at your leisure.

I don't think it really matters much where in the world you are, as a lot of companies ship just about anywhere.

$55 for the hot swap model C1 in black is pretty compelling (new mechs used to cost three times that much) but shipping is $24 which pumps my brakes a bit. Quite expect her majesty’s boys to take a square shot at me as well. Always a risk with imports here.

Don’t have any hot-swap boards of my own, see.

Thanks for the suggestions so far! The Keychron C1 looks really good - and it's cheap.

I also found a Vortex TAB75 - which I ordered with mx blues, just to give it a try. It's very compact but still has all the keys I need. And yeah, candykeys.com, which had it in stock, is located in Germany

ISO DE layout would be nice but I can live with ANSI as well. I had that for several years, I would have adjust some things for our german umlauts but it's not a dealbreaker.

Money is not so much of an issue. I mean, if the board has really high quality key caps and a very solid construction, I wouldn't mind spending something like 150 euros or so - shipping included. I don't like to order from the US or so as it takes ages to arrive and often you get problems with customs etc.

PS: The Q3 QMK is also looking very nice... How is the build quality, is it worth the money? Would love to give the gateron switches a try...

I'm not a fan of the Gateron optical switches. I do like their "standard" red switch, which is linear.

What part of the TAB75 is classic?! That's not classic!

For me, I have two complaints about the TAB75 -- other than whining/whinging about the cost -- is that it's not hot swap, which it really should be for that price, and the layout is cluttered. A true TKL fits me better. Again, I'm just talking about me.

zuglufttier wrote: ↑

26 Jun 2022, 17:14

Thanks for the suggestions so far! The Keychron C1 looks really good - and it's cheap.


PS: The Q3 QMK is also looking very nice... How is the build quality, is it worth the money? Would love to give the gateron switches a try...

Moin

I do have a board that could suit u. Iam typing this right now and of all the non custom mx boards i have typed on i do gotta say this one is my favorite.
shorturl.at/fgvOS

TKL, ISO DE, retro colour scheme, more then solid build quality. NO weird software download needed, gateron red pro´s which come prelubed. and a fair price. I like it a lot !

Grüße ausm Süden

The KBParadise V80 is pretty no nonsense and can come with Matias switches, which are some of the best clicky switches on the market at the moment. That said, you'll struggle to find anything with the same wonderfully simplistic design, build quality and general amazing feel as a Realforce board with that same design that walks the line between modern and vintage - but if you don't like the switch you don't like the switch. I personally use 55g and find them incredibly wonderful to bottom out on, it's one of those switches that at first I actually wasn't 100% sure how I felt about until it accidentally became the keyboard I used the majority of the time! I'm kinda tempted to lubricate the domes at some point, but I'd be petrified of breaking the thing so whether I'll do that is to be determined.

The same applies to keycaps, I'd say. If you don't mind buying new caps then it's not the biggest deal, though ALPS caps can be difficult to come by if you're looking for them at the wrong time, assuming you go with Matias switches.

LambdaCore wrote: ↑

30 Jun 2022, 03:22

The KBParadise V80 is pretty no nonsense and can come with Matias switches

Are they actually being sold anymore?

Bjerrk wrote: ↑

30 Jun 2022, 03:32

LambdaCore wrote: ↑

30 Jun 2022, 03:22

The KBParadise V80 is pretty no nonsense and can come with Matias switches

Are they actually being sold anymore?

I mean that's still a fairly recent keyboard, is it not? I'd be surprised if it wasn't! I'll have to check the stock though.

LambdaCore wrote: ↑

30 Jun 2022, 03:49

I mean that's still a fairly recent keyboard, is it not? I'd be surprised if it wasn't! I'll have to check the stock though.

I was looking for one recently, but admittedly I may have half-assed it (and I'm not really aware of where you buy non-vintage keyboards )

Thanks for all the suggestions! I'm still waiting for my TAB75 to arrive - looks like the shop is on holidays...

And yes, that one is not a classic choice But the color scheme is OK and I like the small form factor.

I'll let you know what I think of it when it finally arrives!

OK, I finally got it! I went with the ansi version of the TAB75... Not by choice but by mistake Spent 120€ including shipping.

I really like the build quality and the slight texture on the keycaps and the case. And the color scheme is just what I wanted, it has a tiny retro look to it.
The caps feel very solid and it also sounds pretty nice, not pingy at all. Yes, it's loud but the mx reds weren't silent either, so I take the haptic feedback and ignore the noise The mx blues feel a bit scratchy (compared to the buckling springs) but I think I'll get along with them quite nicely. Layout isn't perfect... But it's mostly about the position of the home/end keys but I think I'll get used to that.

If not, you'll see me again

Awesome that you found a keyboard you like!
Can't help but find it a bit funny that you ended up with something that doesn't have a classic look and isn't really a TKL either

It has a classic color scheme, so I'm happy

Soldered in MX blues in an awkward ungerman layout? There’s definitely scope for improvement. You’ll be back.

I’ll not say you made a mistake, just that I’d find all those compromises itchy to put up with for long.

Layout is not a real problem, I used ansi for many years. It's actually a bit better for my job in IT
I have to configure the layout a bit for my umlauts, that's all.

And the switches, yeah, we'll see about them