Intro

[Katherine]

Heyo DT. Been a sub of /r/mech for a while and thought I'd come take a peek here too as I've been getting pretty interested in keyboards recently. Hopefully I can contribute some to the forums and community etc. I'm a Photographer and 'Fine Art' student so maybe I'll be able to post some nice stuff sometime soon.

Currently looking to try and find my first board upgrade since I got my first one ever over 3 years ago so hopefully you guys can help me decide over the next couple of weeks/months!

-Kath

[XMIT]

Welcome!

There are a bunch of photographers here. I'm a mediocre one but given a tripod, a good macro lens, good lighting and time I can produce some okay results.

[chzel]

Welcome to DT!
I think you might find our Photos and Videos section interesting!

[photekq]

Welcome. Nice porn blog

There's a knack to taking photos of keyboards; it's certainly different from taking photos of most other things. While I can take nice photos of keyboards, I'm sure I'd be hopeless at taking photos of anything else.

[Madhias]

Welcome to DT! Keyboards and fine art do fit, I like both. You'll find for sure a lot of nice pictures here, and I hope you post some photographs too!

[scottc]

Welcome!

Welcome. Nice porn blog

I was going to say "wat" but then I saw it myself...

Welcome nonetheless. If you're looking for an upgrade you'll probably notice quite quickly that we're an opinionated bunch. Many, many, many opinions.

Edit: I totally forgot about my keybase account! We should all start insisting on using GPG for PMs until DT gets an SSL cert.

[Katherine]

Thanks guys. I'll definitely check out the photos and videos. I love browsing through people's albums of all the wonderfully unique keyboards.

As far as that blog goes, no matter how hard I make it to find I always forget and leave it in plain sight somewhere. Silly placeholder website, I need to finish the one I'm working on.

[scottc]

Well if it's any consolation I think this has been the most memorable introduction thread in a while as a result...

People here (read: people apart from me) take some really nice pictures of their boards. Check out the "Best Photo" thread from the DT awards that just ran. Really awesome stuff. Lots of my wallpapers are from people here!

[fohat]

There are 2 decisions that you will need to ponder and probably experiment to discover:

(1) what kind of keyboard do you like eg: XL/large/medium/small/XS and how heavy?
(I am currently typing on one that weighs 8.25 lb/3.75 kg)

(2) what kind of key switch feel do you like light/medium/ heavy and do you need tactile feedback for each stroke?
(this one clicks decisively and continues with a ringing after-tone)

Even after you have the answer to both of those very specifically, you will still have a plethora of options.

PS - the really old ones are goofy and magnificent

[Katherine]

I've been looking around for a while and I think I've decided on a couple. I'll probably take my list of preferences to a more detailed thread sometime in the future but I was thinking something like this.

60% [ex desk space for working on photography/uni stuff]
Heavy [it won't be moving so keeping it sturdy is fine, but not a big requirement]
45g~55g [had mx blacks forever and I think I'd like something just a bit lighter]
Linear/Tactile (No Click) [not really too desperate for any kind of feedback, but not opposed either

[ohaimark]

Blacks are pretty heavy switches... If you're patient I advise getting something from Massdrop. You can usually select your switches. I strongly advise getting Gaterons of a lighter nature.

If you aren't patient, shop for a board with Cherry MX switches that meets your needs. It sounds like you'd be able to get by with Reds.

If you're interested in vintage keyboard switches, TKLs will be hard to find. I recommend SMK/Monterey Alps, which are 60ish gf. I also like NEC Blue Ovals. The other nice switches are too heavy or too costly.

[scottc]

I would definitely not recommend getting a keyboard from Massdrop if you're outside of the USA, /particularly/ if you're in the EU. Expect fees galore if you import anything with such a high value. Not worth it, honestly.

[ohaimark]

Good point! I'm US based so I never deal with that nightmare.

[scottc]

Yeah, very lucky for you! It all but makes Massdrop inviable for us outside of the USA. It's a pain.

[bocahgundul]

Wellcome bro to DT

[Muirium]

Porn is good. Just needs more keyboards. Like any prop, they can cover a multitude of sins…

I've been looking around for a while and I think I've decided on a couple. I'll probably take my list of preferences to a more detailed thread sometime in the future but I was thinking something like this.

60% [ex desk space for working on photography/uni stuff]
Heavy [it won't be moving so keeping it sturdy is fine, but not a big requirement]
45g~55g [had mx blacks forever and I think I'd like something just a bit lighter]
Linear/Tactile (No Click) [not really too desperate for any kind of feedback, but not opposed either

Hmm. Seeing as I'm typing on one just now, I might as well go straight ahead and recommend the HHKB.



Costly! But easily the best 60% of them all. Premium PBT dyesub caps, with classy Helvetica legends no less. The switches are uniform 45g Topre, which feel a lot lighter than MX black, and don't click. What they do have is a lot of tactile feedback in a smooth curvy give, instead of the ratchety bump you might have felt from MX brown or clear.

Topres are notorious as being the endgame keyboards: once you get a taste for these, you're lost from MX. All true! But personally I'm all about the click so I have plenty of other boards besides. My HHKB (and my Realforce TKL) are simply the best quiet keyboards I have. They're up there with IBM's finest for me, overall. Head and shoulders above anything else available new.

Which is reassuring. As they're a pain in the arse to find in Blighty!

[Ray]

Some pictures remind me about this community

[vivalarevolución]

Please, give them some time before attempting to indoctrinate in the Cult of Topre.

[seebart]

Please, give them some time before attempting to indoctrinate in the Cult of Topre.

More specifically the "Cult of HHKB".

[Muirium]

Why steer anyone away from the good stuff? Time is money. And the more mistakes you make on your way to the best boards, the more crap you'll have to sell off to afford the destination! Going straight to the finish costs less in money as well as time and the frustration that is mods, especially dickering with MX.

If I could advise my DT newb self, it would be this: "Save your pennies. The IBMs are fine, but just skip MX. Especially the caps. It's a quest of no return, and ultimately you'll find up you simply don't like them half as much." Not applicable to everyone, of course, but there is a common pattern in the keyboard scene of starting with MX, deep diving into customs and mods, then winding up on an HHKB or Realforce.

[infodroid]

"Save your pennies... just skip MX. Especially the caps. ...

What do you make of the current state of MX Topre sliders? Is there any hope?

[photekq]

"Save your pennies... just skip MX. Especially the caps. ...

Save your soul! Don't listen to anyone's opinions. All switches are good and bad depending on who you ask. The only way you'll know which ones you like is to try them!

Remember : it's all a matter of opinion.

[Muirium]

Absolutely. The trouble with opinion is that everyone (me included!) loves what they know. We all underestimate the other stuff we haven't tried yet. So many of us start out with MX, and barely reach beyond it, that discussions wind up about "browns" and "reds" and Gaterons etc, and close off other possibilities.

My first post at DT was just like that. The more experience I had with MX, the less I respected it. Because my experience with other switch families — especially IBM — was growing too.

[photekq]

Indeed. I still have to expand my switch collection. I will have a HHKB Type-S, silenced 45g Realforce, 55g Realforce (which I will then convert to silenced 55g Realforce) and blue alps in the mail soon, but even after those I have quite a lot left to try!

[Muirium]

Have you tried Space Invaders yet? I keep forgetting just how delicious the clicky black ones are, and then I rediscover them.

Literally. As I found me and Andy's boards from Cindy in a drawer here the other day. Damn, it's been a while! So juicy and gloriously different to my HHKB. Yet the dyesub caps are similar enough in feel to draw comparisons.

"Save your pennies... just skip MX. Especially the caps. ...

What do you make of the current state of MX Topre sliders? Is there any hope?

Get a NovaTouch and install dampers! They work a treat.

I don't know about using those sliders on HHKBs or Realforces though. I suspect NovaTouch housings are subtly bigger.

[photekq]

I haven't tried Space Invaders! I'd love to though.

[Muirium]

We'll work something out!

[scottc]

Me neither!

[Muirium]

Mwahahaha…

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

I got another clicky black NMB from Cindy a while ago (and Andy did too) that I'm trying to bring back this time, along with all those NeXTs and the rest! Not as nice looking as that wonderful one I got from Facetsesame, but the feel is identical. One of the greats.

[Hypersphere]

We may love what we know, but we also know what we love. I am not sure I would be as convinced about my preferences for IBM capacitive buckling springs and silenced Topres if I had not sampled Cherry mx along the way. Indeed, I keep some mx boards in my keyboard rotation mainly to reinforce my preferences and dislikes from time to time. Moreover, having some variety is fun. I am looking forward to doing a custom build using vintage Alps switches -- which I now know that I like much better than Cherries.