Cherry MX Clear TKL Keyboard in the UK.

ParrotAttack

24 Jun 2013, 10:39

As the title says, im looking for a ANSI Layout Cherry MX Clear THL that I can get in the UK. The one's i've got my eye on are the WASD v2 and possibly a CM (if they release it), i've also looked at a KeyCool, but there is none in stock anywhere.

Any suggestions for a keyboard I could purchase tomorrow?

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Muirium
µ

24 Jun 2013, 11:16

Either clear or ANSI layout trims local selection down big time. Wanting both essentially eliminates it. You're importing!

ParrotAttack

24 Jun 2013, 11:32

I understand i'd be importing, but still, there isn't even much to import!

Hence why I would be looking for suggestions, or places to purchase the listed keyboards. I'm aware of Taobao, but it's like a minefield for a foreigner!

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Muirium
µ

24 Jun 2013, 12:02

Well, Ducky has The Black Mamba!

Image

MX Clear, TKL, quality and sold in Europe so no Taobao roulette to play. But ISO German! Pretty nice caps though, if you're of Henry Ford's taste when it comes to colours. Could replace them with UK ISO easily enough, too. But not ANSI.

If that's a sticking point, Ducky is the first manufacturer I'd look into for clears anyway. They're on a par with Filco for build quality these days (well ahead of Noppoo, Keycool, etc.) and pretty good at offering crazy combinations. Our local importer (who supplies the UK stores like KustomPCs and CCLonline) isn't as good as Ducky Nordic at supplying our ANSI needs, unfortunately. That's what you get for going against the flow, like me.

Beyond Ducky, and Europe, is Qtan. He's got a decent little catalogue, shipped out of Hong Kong, I think. Do a forum search and you'll see people are generally happy with him too. (His site's a bit clunky, poke around a bit and you'll find some clears even if the filter says none. I found a clear Leopold for instance.)

Oh and beware MX clear vs. MX white. Often clear is called "white axis" in China while white is "milk axis". There's similar issues with blue and green. White is a soft click switch. Be sure you're getting clear! (I like them both, myself.)

ParrotAttack

24 Jun 2013, 12:07

Hey Mu, you've been a great help.

I'm obviously English, so i'm not adverse to an ISO Layout, I just wanted ANSI cause it's easier to get custom keycaps for...

And I already looked at QTan, but went straight for the filter, so i'll search a bit more thoroughly to see what I can find.

And yeah, I knew about the milky/white mixup on taobao, but that will be my last port of call, don't really want to deal with all that.

I'll look over the 2 websites you recommended.

Parrot.

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Muirium
µ

24 Jun 2013, 12:14

I had a look for clears at the UK sites I mentioned, but no dice. Ducky availability is in a dry spell just now as the Ducky Shine 3 is rolling out soon. Clears (and greens) are the kind of alternative option they generally sacrifice when up to something new.

I'd jump on the German Black Mamba, myself, but I like blank caps anyway, so I'm not fussy about which version of ISO the black on black legends say!

ParrotAttack

24 Jun 2013, 12:24

Thanks dude, I know about the Shine 3, and the WASD v2, all manufacturers seem to be releasing the new generation of keyboards at the moment, so it's all a bit dry, but hopefully more options will be available shortly!

I'll keep the Black Mamba in mind.

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ماء

24 Jun 2013, 12:35

WASD v2 with dip switch for changing the layout if you use colemak or dvorak
or Leoold 660M but mini

ParrotAttack

24 Jun 2013, 12:40

I use a standard layout :) and i don't want a leopard as the space bar is unique :/

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Muirium
µ

24 Jun 2013, 12:48

Here's the Leopold FC660M as shot by Qtan:

Image

Space bar looks 6.25 units wide to me. Maybe 6. (1 unit = the width of one ordinary alpha key). If I were less of a newb I could eyeball that for sure!

6.25 is standard width. 6.0 isn't as common, but both are fairly widespread in group buys.

ParrotAttack

24 Jun 2013, 14:28

The space bar is 6.25 units wide, but the stab positions are not standard in standard places, so something that would fit a ducky, filco, QFR etc. won't fit on a leopard...I may be wrong, but this is what I have been led to believe.

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Muirium
µ

24 Jun 2013, 14:37

That would indeed suck. Don't know why they would have fiddled with stabs. The only thing they can do, honestly, is put off modders from buying their keyboard!

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ماء

24 Jun 2013, 15:43

mx clear start to the mainstream, maybe he will follow the mx green.
you're just waiting,
ducky shine 3,cm storm and wasdv2 all still coming soon but only ducky shine 3 which convincing others still rumor wasdv2
not yet to be made ducky

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7bit

24 Jun 2013, 16:08

Both most recent 6.25 units SP-space bars fit (SA and DCS-family).

ParrotAttack

24 Jun 2013, 17:26

@ Mu - Yeah, it's odd that they would do that, but the QFR TK has a 6.5 space bar, so OEM's do make odd decisions!

@ ماء - They are getting more main stream, and more companys seem to be producing them, so like you said, hopefully they will be more readily available in the future. I e-mailed WASD today, i'll post any response I get from them. (Apologies if I got your name wrong, I just copied and pasted it.)

@ 7bit - Is that the infamous SP Universal Spacebar, if it indeed does fit, that's good to know!

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ماء

24 Jun 2013, 18:38

ParrotAttack wrote: @ ماء - They are getting more main stream, and more companys seem to be producing them, so like you said, hopefully they will be more readily available in the future. I e-mailed WASD today, i'll post any response I get from them. (Apologies if I got your name wrong, I just copied and pasted it.)
So,you chose wasdv2 ;) good :lol:

ParrotAttack

24 Jun 2013, 21:20

Well, I will wait and see, nothing seems to be available yet!

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ماء

25 Jun 2013, 11:10

Maybe,leopold FC200 Mx Clear

ParrotAttack

25 Jun 2013, 13:49

Interesting, where could I get a Leopold from in the UK? (Or as an import)

User avatar
ماء

25 Jun 2013, 14:39

I do not know, it's old product of Leopold
maybe, you can make a WTB on here(DT) or GH or you can look it up on google
EXAMPLE:
https://www.google.com/search?q=Leopold ... refox-beta
or others keyword

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Muirium
µ

25 Jun 2013, 14:59

The right way to tell some "let me google that for you" is to give them a google search URL with the precise answer to their question. Not an irrelevant mess of hits with nothing to do with buying a Leopold in Britain!

They are obscure over here. Qtan's I linked earlier is the only one I've seen in clears, ready to ship. But I've not looked hard.

ParrotAttack

25 Jun 2013, 15:39

Yeah Mu, I have searched quite hard, and they seem pretty hard to find :/ I know of QTan, but that layout is seriously weirding me out! I'd prefer the standard TKL layout [F Row for CAD work ;)] so i'll just keep looking :( Atleast I know what i'm looking for now anyway!

mech greenhand

21 Nov 2013, 15:30

Keycool 84 and 87 with cherry mx clear switches ..on aliexpress.

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