Which keyboard to buy?
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- Main keyboard: Razer Ornata
- Main mouse: Razer Basilisk
- Favorite switch: Every switch that is silent
Hellow,
I am looking to buy a new small form factor keyboard from Amazon UK, Ebay UK or from another site that you can recommend to me and it is safe to buy from. I want the keyboard to be under 50£ (if the price of a keyboard is 2-5£ more it's fine) with silent switches, small form mactor and if it is possible I would like a keyboard which can be customized. Please leave your suggestions down below to help me.
Thank you
I am looking to buy a new small form factor keyboard from Amazon UK, Ebay UK or from another site that you can recommend to me and it is safe to buy from. I want the keyboard to be under 50£ (if the price of a keyboard is 2-5£ more it's fine) with silent switches, small form mactor and if it is possible I would like a keyboard which can be customized. Please leave your suggestions down below to help me.
Thank you
- Menuhin
- Location: Germany
- Main keyboard: HHKB PD-KB400BN lubed, has Hasu Bt Controller
- Main mouse: How to make scroll ring of Expert Mouse smoother?
- Favorite switch: Gateron ink lubed
- DT Pro Member: -
What is small? Is Tenkeyless small enough, or keyboards below 60%?
The HHKB Type-S fits exactly what you want, but not price-wise - $250. An average build is easily north of $100 or $180 (if you buy them new, as low cost as e.g. pcb $30, switches $30, case $15, keycaps $30, cable $5 - if you solder and assemble by yourself)
There won't be much option on Amazon UK or eBay UK. I suggest you check out https://kbdfans.cn/ they have customized build service and a lot of parts including silent switches for you to choose from in one stop.
The HHKB Type-S fits exactly what you want, but not price-wise - $250. An average build is easily north of $100 or $180 (if you buy them new, as low cost as e.g. pcb $30, switches $30, case $15, keycaps $30, cable $5 - if you solder and assemble by yourself)
There won't be much option on Amazon UK or eBay UK. I suggest you check out https://kbdfans.cn/ they have customized build service and a lot of parts including silent switches for you to choose from in one stop.
You could get an anne pro as your first board. It's not super silent but you should get a decent entry level board that fits your budget and which can also be customized with other keycaps (which isn't that easy with the hhkb).
- Muirium
- µ
- Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
- Main keyboard: HHKB Type-S with Bluetooth by Hasu
- Main mouse: Apple Magic Mouse
- Favorite switch: Gotta Try 'Em All
- DT Pro Member: µ
Here’s a 60% layout keyboard:
Note: no arrow keys. If you think you’re up for using something as compact as this (I do) then a Poker is a good place to start. Perfect for swapping caps.
Here’s a Tenkeyless layout:
This one is a Filco Majestouch. They’re nice and compatible for modding too. I think of TKL as mid-sized keyboards because they’re really a lot bigger than 60% and the more awkward sizes in between. But you get all your navigation keys with these guys so they’re a very simple migration from full-size.
Note: no arrow keys. If you think you’re up for using something as compact as this (I do) then a Poker is a good place to start. Perfect for swapping caps.
Here’s a Tenkeyless layout:
This one is a Filco Majestouch. They’re nice and compatible for modding too. I think of TKL as mid-sized keyboards because they’re really a lot bigger than 60% and the more awkward sizes in between. But you get all your navigation keys with these guys so they’re a very simple migration from full-size.
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- Main keyboard: Razer Ornata
- Main mouse: Razer Basilisk
- Favorite switch: Every switch that is silent
May I have a link to amazon uk or ebay uk for the anne pro? Can't find it
- derzemel
- Location: Bucharest, Romania
- Main keyboard: FC660C, SSK, TX-1800 Nixie
- Main mouse: Mionix Naos 7000
- Favorite switch: Alps SKCL/SKCM tactile
from what I see, Anne Pro 2 seems to be discontinued or out of stock.
There is a preorder option on CandyKeys (german shop), but it is only for the clicky blue switches.
- Menuhin
- Location: Germany
- Main keyboard: HHKB PD-KB400BN lubed, has Hasu Bt Controller
- Main mouse: How to make scroll ring of Expert Mouse smoother?
- Favorite switch: Gateron ink lubed
- DT Pro Member: -
Or directly from China:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Cube-Do ... 18946.html
But those do not have silent switches. From what I know the following are silent switches:
Cherry silent black / red
Cherry clones: Gateron silent
Cherry clones: Zeal Zilent
Cherry clones: Zeal Helios
Cherry clones: Aliaz
Alps dampened cream
Alps dampened white
Matias tactile (?)
Matias linear
Topre silent series (but they're not modular so you cannot build a keyboard from individual switches)
Cheapest to get 60 of them will still be around $30.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Cube-Do ... 18946.html
But those do not have silent switches. From what I know the following are silent switches:
Cherry silent black / red
Cherry clones: Gateron silent
Cherry clones: Zeal Zilent
Cherry clones: Zeal Helios
Cherry clones: Aliaz
Alps dampened cream
Alps dampened white
Matias tactile (?)
Matias linear
Topre silent series (but they're not modular so you cannot build a keyboard from individual switches)
Cheapest to get 60 of them will still be around $30.
Also zeal has a limited edition cheaper version of healios for a short while this month, called roselios that are identical. Still absurdly priced but worth mentioningMenuhin wrote: ↑04 Feb 2019, 14:44Or directly from China:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Cube-Do ... 18946.html
But those do not have silent switches. From what I know the following are silent switches:
Cherry silent black / red
Cherry clones: Gateron silent
Cherry clones: Zeal Zilent
Cherry clones: Zeal Helios
Cherry clones: Aliaz
Alps dampened cream
Alps dampened white
Matias tactile (?)
Matias linear
Topre silent series (but they're not modular so you cannot build a keyboard from individual switches)
Cheapest to get 60 of them will still be around $30.
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- Location: Jersey, Channel Islands
- Main keyboard: KB Paradise V80 quiet click
- Main mouse: Logitech
- Favorite switch: Quiet Click
- DT Pro Member: -
You'd do better to support businesses within the community, such as web stores like The Keyboard Company, Candykeys, or Caps Unlocked. The latter store is offering something that is both getting towards your price range and sport cherry switches, which are the most popular brand.
- Menuhin
- Location: Germany
- Main keyboard: HHKB PD-KB400BN lubed, has Hasu Bt Controller
- Main mouse: How to make scroll ring of Expert Mouse smoother?
- Favorite switch: Gateron ink lubed
- DT Pro Member: -
KBDfans is kind of like a killall-competitors kind of business.squizzler wrote: ↑04 Feb 2019, 17:07You'd do better to support businesses within the community, such as web stores like The Keyboard Company, Candykeys, or Caps Unlocked. The latter store is offering something that is both getting towards your price range and sport cherry switches, which are the most popular brand.
If I have extra money to say, eat out, or have a car, or afford public transportation, then community stores with sometimes exclusive offers can also be an option for me to feed these addictive obsessive pursuits.
- Hypersphere
- Location: USA
- Main keyboard: Silenced & Lubed HHKB (Black)
- Main mouse: Logitech G403
- Favorite switch: Topre 45/55g Silenced; Various Alps; IBM Model F
- DT Pro Member: 0038
As others have said, "small" covers some considerable territory, typically ranging from 60% (such as the HHKB, Pok3R, or KBP V60) to 80% (TKL) -- many different brands. There are also various form factors in between 60 and 80% as well as niche boards in a 40% form factor.tsemb_p wrote: ↑04 Feb 2019, 06:04Hellow,
I am looking to buy a new small form factor keyboard from Amazon UK, Ebay UK or from another site that you can recommend to me and it is safe to buy from. I want the keyboard to be under 50£ (if the price of a keyboard is 2-5£ more it's fine) with silent switches, small form mactor and if it is possible I would like a keyboard which can be customized. Please leave your suggestions down below to help me.
Thank you
If you must have dedicated arrow keys, I recommend going with a standard 80% (TKL) board. Smaller boards that try to provide arrow keys tend to jumble up the lower right-hand side of the keyboard, and finding replacement keycaps can be difficult. There are many good TKL boards available at reasonable prices, but selections with silent switches are more limited.
If you can get along with arrow keys in the Fn layer, then there are many available boards in the 60% category. My personal favorite is the HHKB Pro 2, but this is expensive. I like the various offerings in the V60 line by KeyboardParadise (KBP). Many people like the Pok3r -- it is a solid board with many available options. The deal-breaker for me with the Pok3r is that while it is highly programmable, it is not completely programmable, and you cannot remap certain keys that I would like to remap.
One intermediate form factor board that appeals to me is the Vortex VIBE keyboard. It is sort of like a TKL, but it omits the F-keys (accessible in the Fn layer) and has a NumPad instead of a Nav cluster. You can toggle the NumPad into a Nav cluster using the NumLock key, as in many full-size boards. It has nearly the same programming as the Vortex Pok3r, which ruins it for me, but if you like Cherry mx switches, it has a good selection, including silent red or black.
- keycap
- Location: United States
- Main keyboard: often switching
- Favorite switch: SKCL green, SKCM salmon, monterey blue
- DT Pro Member: -
you're looking for something like a magicforce. they're cheap, switches are better than rubber, small and keycap set compatible
do not bother with vintage as much as anyone pressures you to, clearly all you need is something along the lines of cherry mx
do not bother with vintage as much as anyone pressures you to, clearly all you need is something along the lines of cherry mx
- Laser
- emacs -nw
- Location: Romania
- Main keyboard: Plum TKL \w Topre domes (work) / Novatouch (home)
- DT Pro Member: 0180
@tsemb_p - if you act quickly, that saber60 is close to what you want (programmable with qmk - I think!; switches are not silenced, but they are not clicky either): https://www.reddit.com/r/mechmarket/com ... _w_paypal/
Edit: seems to be programmable, but not with qmk
Edit: seems to be programmable, but not with qmk
- Hypersphere
- Location: USA
- Main keyboard: Silenced & Lubed HHKB (Black)
- Main mouse: Logitech G403
- Favorite switch: Topre 45/55g Silenced; Various Alps; IBM Model F
- DT Pro Member: 0038
QMK = quantum mechanical keyboard. It is firmware that enables complete programming of keyboards equipped with certain processors. See the GitHub site:
https://github.com/qmk
- Menuhin
- Location: Germany
- Main keyboard: HHKB PD-KB400BN lubed, has Hasu Bt Controller
- Main mouse: How to make scroll ring of Expert Mouse smoother?
- Favorite switch: Gateron ink lubed
- DT Pro Member: -
It's a project that borrows a lot from TMK, actually originally a fork of TMKHypersphere wrote: ↑06 Feb 2019, 10:36QMK = quantum mechanical keyboard. It is firmware that enables complete programming of keyboards equipped with certain processors. See the GitHub site:
https://github.com/qmk
https://github.com/tmk/tmk_keyboard
im a "cherry fanboi" according to some, and i dont even like ml. i do like chicklet keys on my laptop ect but ml just dont feel great to me and doesnt live up to the high quality of the mx switches. which is understandable considering it has a lot less room to work with
- Muirium
- µ
- Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
- Main keyboard: HHKB Type-S with Bluetooth by Hasu
- Main mouse: Apple Magic Mouse
- Favorite switch: Gotta Try 'Em All
- DT Pro Member: µ