Silent Mechanical Keyboard

[zownix]

Currently I have a Filco/mx-blue which I use at home coding late in the night annoying the hell out of my house-mates.
I really love the feeling of them but they're too loud...
I was thinking of a Filco/mx-red, should that be silent enough? If not what other mechanical silent do you recommend?

[fossala]

Realforce silenced version. http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php? ... =rf_se070s

[Mrinterface]

Hi,

The filco mx-red still has the 'clack' from the keycap. You could either get a dampened alps board or a topre for even lower audio volume levels.

You could also opt for a filco non-mx-blue with dampening rings, that should also do the trick.

[IvanIvanovich]

When I type on my reds boards it's near silent, but I don't bottom out hardly at all. If you tend to bottom out, maybe blacks are a better fit as there is more resistance it may help you from doing so. Adding o ring will help reduce noise from bottoming out as well.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Depends on target noise level and preferred force curve. MX red is linear, which you may like, maybe not. In a typical plate-mount board, red and brown are quieter (no click) but the clack is still very loud and piercing – it's pretty much a clicky board just from the noise level. (How Metadot market the Das Keyboard with browns as "silent" is beyond me.)

Various quiet boards:

• Dell AT101W/102W tactile Alps boards are loud but the sound is much deeper in pitch and more muffled compared tp plate-mount Cherry MX switches, so it's less bothersome; the feeling is nowhere near as sharp as Cherry MX blue
• Matias Quiet Pro when it ships to Europe (if you want ISO, else get an ANSI from the US) – caveat: never used one yet, still on pre-order :(
• Any Realforce, no need to waste money on silenced as they're all quiet by normal keyboard standards, and they're very tactile
• Cherry G80-3000 PCB-mounted keyboards with any non-clicky switch (e.g. Clears), as the PCB mouting makes them a lot quieter and gives them a lovely soft, mellow metallic sound – massive drop in noise level compared to a Filco, and Clears are pretty decent to type on

Never tried dampening myself. I was quite enjoying my G80-3000LQCDE-2 (clears, ISO) for its quietness and stiffer force curve compared to browns, but I'm back to my Filco with browns now, just for a change.

[xsphat]

How is the silenced Topre switch? Is there any difference in the feel of it? Sorry if this has been covered here already. I see how expensive they are, so I wondered if they had the same feel of if they were just quieter. Also, I bottom out on every keystroke so I think that would negate the sound reduction anyway, am I correct?

[Daniel Beardsmore]

The idea is to dampen the upstroke. That's where most of the noise comes from on Topre: hold a key, then release it – there's a clear sound when the key comes to a stop. Bottoming out sound is unaffected, but the upstroke sound is louder and sharper and that is what they cut out. (Personally I think it's a nice sound :-)

Couldn't comment on the feel though.

[xsphat]

The idea is to dampen the upstroke. That's where most of the noise comes from on Topre: hold a key, then release it – there's a clear sound when the key comes to a stop. Bottoming out sound is unaffected, but the upstroke sound is louder and sharper and that is what they cut out. (Personally I think it's a nice sound

Couldn't comment on the feel though.

Thank you, now I KNOW it's not worth the money to me.

[longweight]

Silenced Topre is just amazing. MX sucks!

[xsphat]

So what is amazing about it? What makes it better than plain old loud Topres?

[longweight]

It takes away the annoying "pock" on the return of the keys, it makes no difference to the typing experience (which is so much better than MX) but it does make a huge difference to the overall experience.

[webwit]

But I love the pock.

[longweight]

Then you rock the pock

[xsphat]

But I love the pock.

Me too. I like how the HHKB S is $145 more than the regular version but the silenced Realforce is $10-$30 more.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

The "pock" has a subtle metallic sound to it, it's soothing. Keyboards don't need to be silent (assuming it were possible, and it isn't), they just need to be not significantly louder than everyone else's cheap keyboards ;-)

[longweight]

I just prefer the sound of my home silenced HHKB to the standard sound, it sounds smoother

[xsphat]

Fair enough.

[Findecanor]

Silenced Topre is just amazing. MX sucks!

I wouldn't go that far. But I wish that Topre made a silenced switch that had tactility more like a Cherry MX Clear, that really cushions the stroke after actuation. I hate that I always have to bottom out on my Topre.

[tlt]

The pock made me buy a Realforce and I'm always bottom it out, but I still like it. The collapsing dome just drags my finger down. MX browns makes me type softer and not always bottom out.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

I hate that I always have to bottom out on my Topre.

Why is that a bad thing? It's not painful like with Cherry switches.

[xsphat]

I hate that I always have to bottom out on my Topre.

Why is that a bad thing? It's not painful like with Cherry switches.

Good point. That's why I gave up on Alps.