My experience with keyboards and the community so far
Posted: 10 Aug 2016, 17:03
My experience with keyboards and the community so far.
I decided today to write my "story " down. I am at the vacation, on a travel trough the far country, have not much to do and bad internet, so I think its the perfect time. Sorry if my English isn't that great, I am still learning it.
Two years ago started My journey into mechanical keyboards, I searched after a keyboard for my "battle station". My battlestation, a gaming Laptop and a second screen, I never owned a desktop PC before or a keyboard. So I discovered mechanical keyboards. I bought a corsair keyboard with red backlight and Cherry MX red switches. After a some months I sold the keyboard and bought a corsair k95 RGB with browns. The red switches where in my opinion to light to write. Interesting, because now I use a keyboard with vintage MX blacks and 45g springs and I can write really fast and good with it.
I bought the K95 to play with rgb feature and try MX brown switches. I also liked the floating keys effect. After I played with the RGB feature some days it became quite boring. I liked the MX brown switches, but they feeld a bit muddy, like there is sand in them. I put in the drawer and sold it some time ago. Now started my journey into community's, eBay and co. First I lurked at reedit some months, but I discovered that many people don't have much experience and interest in old keyboards. I bought in my city some typewriters, but they didn't have mechanical switches, so I discovered eBay. At the same time I bought from 7bit some round 5 know keycaps. A full blank set of spherical SA keycaps. Before this keycaps I owned only OEM keycaps from my corsair keyboard. After that I discovered massdrop and bought backlit pbt white keycaps (from vortex), quite a strange feeling, I was able to feel the legends (because bad quality) and the pbt had a strange feeling, rough and not that nice. I bought also a blank kit from bang good to fill the keyboard, became the vortex set was ANSI and my keyboard ISO. I learned the difference between keyboard layouts and also discovered massdrop as nice place to buy sometimes things for cheap (but for european's not that often). Now I received the blanks from 7bit and learned that I will probably never write accurate at blank keycaps and the spherical keycaps feel pretty nice.
I became a member of Deskthority and began to buy every mechanical shit that I could get.
I leave r/rmk behind me (after a short experience with a trackball which I sold also). I use Mechmarket still today to sell keyboards, its a nice place to buy and sell. I never dived deep into Geekhack, only for groupbuys, but my post count is still under 10.
Artisans are not really my thing, but there are some nice ones which probably will enjoy. Not the big clumsy ones, I like it more classic and simple, for example HKP blanks.
I bought in between this time at massdrop some new springs and also at Geekhack one of the first batches of Gateron switches. I saw these pricy and glorified keyboards like the ergodox, SSK, Model M, blue alps, I thought I will own some of them, but now I owned or own them all. The same with keycaps, I thought that it is impossible hard to find them, but a half year ago I got them.
Back to the story
I bought so much stuff, that filled to shelves with it, I got great deals, like a G80 HAMUS and a NIB white alps keyboard. I tested a lot of switches and then, came the day where I owned 30+ keyboards, followed by the time were I sold the most of them.
I bought almost all stuff that was in my eyes cheap an mechanical.
Here is short review of the Switches and keyboards I tested so far.
I had tested MX red and brown so far, MX red in my eyes to light and brown to muddy feeling. MX black to heavy. MX Clear also. Buckling spring disapointed me, Cherry MX blue was now my thing. I couldn't understand who sayed that they can't stand the MX Blue click. After using sometimes a 60% keyboard with gateron blues I had the same feelings. MX blues annoyed me, but the 60% form factor have grown on me. I tried again buckling springs and began to love them till today. My first model M was a great feeling, after buckling spring had grown on me. At a museum in dansk I tested a model F and beamspring. I try still today to acquire a beamspring. I bought a bigfoot Model F and loved the feeling. I thought two piece keycaps was genius, but one piece IBM keycap were even better. Sadly I failed to convert it, today I search after a Model F XT & AT. Another thing I loved was the durability of the IBM cases, the same thing with the nan tan keyboard with metal backplate I bought some time later. Cherry keyboards (G80-3000) are a bit to flimsy in my opinion, but good looking. In my opinion G80-1000 look and feel better, more like a model m. If there were a G80 with tkl form factor...
I never liked the tkl form factor that much, but I love the SSK and a cherry equivalent would be interesting.
From the form factor 60% is the best for me or 60%+numpad. I never used the f row much nor the tkl part, sometimes the arrow keys, but above the keys I never made use of them. Media controls on a keyboard are quite cool, but the 60% also have them. I discovered that (metal) plate mount feels better than just pcb mount, also a reason why I didn't liked G80 keyboards not that much from the feeling. I tried a lot of other switches. The next big switch was Alps, I bought two AEKIIs, one with cream Alps and the other with White (tactile dampened) alps, booth feel very similar.
Btw there I tried retrobrighting the first time, very cool, sadly my UV lamp broke some months ago.
I disliked the dampened feeling, I also disliked O-rings for cherry mx, booth feels just unnatural.
I desoldered at on AEKII all switches, also a new experience, later desoldered switches on some more keyboards. Alps are in my opinion the easiest ones to desolder. Cherry switches without are also easy, harder are switches with a plate, with jumper wires or with a diode inside. I tried also to desolder switches with a rgb led inside (4 pins) out of a keyboard with metal plate, that was one of hardest things of my live, I broke half of the switches.
I discovered Alps switches and clones of them. White Alps are nice and clicky, blue alps feel better, the NIB Alps were the best of them, smooth and clicky.
I tested Alps clones, a linear Alps clone switch was a really nice discovery, buttery smooth, sadly the keyboard didn't work.
I really like clicky switches, so at most I searched after them. Kpt switches were pretty clicky, but inside flimsy and cheap feeling. Peerless switches are better rubber domes and the mods really stiff at offcenter hits. Aristotle switches are good, but the plastic is such cheap it breaks from just looking at it.
The most Alps and clone switches were sadly pretty stiff from the dirt inside.
Cherry ML switches are not that bad. I tested vintage black switches and loved them, nixdorf were even better, smooth and not that heavy (maybe the heaviness came from the scratchy feeling of new Cherry switches). Gateron switches are smooth like vintage Cherrys.
The most awfull switches I ever tried are yellow mitsumi minatures, even rubberdome feel better, followed by the new type of Cherry MY, feels like someone played on the beach with the keyboard.
Back to the day where I decided to let most of my keyboards go.
I decided to sell nearly everything I have and buy my dream keyboards. I traded my HAMUS (I really loved this board, I mever used it, but it was my first big deal, I found it on ebaykleinanzeigen for 17 Euro incl. shipping) for SSK. I never regret this deal, the SSK is my most used keyboard till today, I will never sell it.
Thanks ramnes here, but I removed the the mod that made it not pingy (dont know the name), the normal buckling spring feeling is me enough.
I accepted that didnt need 10 G80-3000 and sold everything except my SSK, also nearly all keycaps I owned so far.
I tried many profiles, bought Triumph dye subs, GMK Triumph Adler replica (which I own still today, nice keycaps), also original cherry doubleshots (which I also use still today), granite DSA keycaps (also nice, but I sold them), PMK SA (I like sphericals but cant type on blanks).
At least I bought rgb gmk keycaps, which I really like, I also bought in Muriums unicomp groupbuy rgb mods for my IBM keyboards. I like different coloured mods a lot.
Another dream I fulfilled was a blue Alps 60% keyboard, some time ago I bought for 1 Euro + shipping and had luck, a blue Alps keyboard. Together with hasu's ALPS64 pcb I build a 60% keyboard.
I build through the time many stuff.
My first project was a selfbuild keyboard with handwiring and a teensy 2.0, but I failed and dumped the project. Then I tried to build a ps2/AT/XT/ADB converter, sadly only the ADB part worked (some days ago I bought a "orihalcon XT converter").
The next things I build, were after I sold all my keyboards.
Four 60% keyboards, the Alps keyboard I mentioned before, a keyboard with cherry MX vintage blacks, a keyboard with vintage blacks (45g springs) and "ergo clears".
Also a FSSK, sadly it didn't work complete, but I think I can fix it some day.
Then I build a ergodox (the case was from a giveaway, thanks DT and falbatech), but I disliked it, I am not that flexible that I could learn the layout.
After I sold everything and got/build some of my dream keyboards I believe the funniest part was to try new things out, new switches, new keycaps, new keyboard and be a part of a groupbuy or a project.
My now favority switch differs from the switch I choose at the beginning. I think all switches need some time to experience them.
I type now at most on my SSK and my 60% with vintage blacks and 45g springs.
Except my FSSK and a dysfunctional 60% board I finished every project.
I search on Ebay often after vintage keyboards and bit on them, its really funny. Some auctions are just to good to let them go, even if I owned allready the keyboard. I try allways to try new switches and keyboards out, if they are in my budget.
Except Nixdorf and other curiosities I avoid Cherry keyboards, the last G80-3000 I bought, I gifted to my girlfriend.
But there is much new stuff outer here that I want to try, like: a working model F and beam spring, topre (hhkb), more spherical keycaps, more alps switches, alps clones, a keyboard with aristotle switches, a plank, alps to cherry keycap adapters and much much more. Another dream of me is to made like Wodan a deal with a recyling center. I have also some own ideas, like a universal plate with cutouts to remove the stabilizer (are there any projects like this?). Maybe my own groupbuy, its a long time ago that there were a groupbuy for stickers (not switch stickers).
I will be a long time member and I really enjoy this community (and community driven activities like secret santa and DT awards) I am ready for the next years and for new experiences.
Thanks for all.
I decided today to write my "story " down. I am at the vacation, on a travel trough the far country, have not much to do and bad internet, so I think its the perfect time. Sorry if my English isn't that great, I am still learning it.
Two years ago started My journey into mechanical keyboards, I searched after a keyboard for my "battle station". My battlestation, a gaming Laptop and a second screen, I never owned a desktop PC before or a keyboard. So I discovered mechanical keyboards. I bought a corsair keyboard with red backlight and Cherry MX red switches. After a some months I sold the keyboard and bought a corsair k95 RGB with browns. The red switches where in my opinion to light to write. Interesting, because now I use a keyboard with vintage MX blacks and 45g springs and I can write really fast and good with it.
I bought the K95 to play with rgb feature and try MX brown switches. I also liked the floating keys effect. After I played with the RGB feature some days it became quite boring. I liked the MX brown switches, but they feeld a bit muddy, like there is sand in them. I put in the drawer and sold it some time ago. Now started my journey into community's, eBay and co. First I lurked at reedit some months, but I discovered that many people don't have much experience and interest in old keyboards. I bought in my city some typewriters, but they didn't have mechanical switches, so I discovered eBay. At the same time I bought from 7bit some round 5 know keycaps. A full blank set of spherical SA keycaps. Before this keycaps I owned only OEM keycaps from my corsair keyboard. After that I discovered massdrop and bought backlit pbt white keycaps (from vortex), quite a strange feeling, I was able to feel the legends (because bad quality) and the pbt had a strange feeling, rough and not that nice. I bought also a blank kit from bang good to fill the keyboard, became the vortex set was ANSI and my keyboard ISO. I learned the difference between keyboard layouts and also discovered massdrop as nice place to buy sometimes things for cheap (but for european's not that often). Now I received the blanks from 7bit and learned that I will probably never write accurate at blank keycaps and the spherical keycaps feel pretty nice.
I became a member of Deskthority and began to buy every mechanical shit that I could get.
I leave r/rmk behind me (after a short experience with a trackball which I sold also). I use Mechmarket still today to sell keyboards, its a nice place to buy and sell. I never dived deep into Geekhack, only for groupbuys, but my post count is still under 10.
Artisans are not really my thing, but there are some nice ones which probably will enjoy. Not the big clumsy ones, I like it more classic and simple, for example HKP blanks.
I bought in between this time at massdrop some new springs and also at Geekhack one of the first batches of Gateron switches. I saw these pricy and glorified keyboards like the ergodox, SSK, Model M, blue alps, I thought I will own some of them, but now I owned or own them all. The same with keycaps, I thought that it is impossible hard to find them, but a half year ago I got them.
Back to the story
I bought so much stuff, that filled to shelves with it, I got great deals, like a G80 HAMUS and a NIB white alps keyboard. I tested a lot of switches and then, came the day where I owned 30+ keyboards, followed by the time were I sold the most of them.
I bought almost all stuff that was in my eyes cheap an mechanical.
Here is short review of the Switches and keyboards I tested so far.
I had tested MX red and brown so far, MX red in my eyes to light and brown to muddy feeling. MX black to heavy. MX Clear also. Buckling spring disapointed me, Cherry MX blue was now my thing. I couldn't understand who sayed that they can't stand the MX Blue click. After using sometimes a 60% keyboard with gateron blues I had the same feelings. MX blues annoyed me, but the 60% form factor have grown on me. I tried again buckling springs and began to love them till today. My first model M was a great feeling, after buckling spring had grown on me. At a museum in dansk I tested a model F and beamspring. I try still today to acquire a beamspring. I bought a bigfoot Model F and loved the feeling. I thought two piece keycaps was genius, but one piece IBM keycap were even better. Sadly I failed to convert it, today I search after a Model F XT & AT. Another thing I loved was the durability of the IBM cases, the same thing with the nan tan keyboard with metal backplate I bought some time later. Cherry keyboards (G80-3000) are a bit to flimsy in my opinion, but good looking. In my opinion G80-1000 look and feel better, more like a model m
. If there were a G80 with tkl form factor...I never liked the tkl form factor that much, but I love the SSK and a cherry equivalent would be interesting.
From the form factor 60% is the best for me or 60%+numpad. I never used the f row much nor the tkl part, sometimes the arrow keys, but above the keys I never made use of them. Media controls on a keyboard are quite cool, but the 60% also have them. I discovered that (metal) plate mount feels better than just pcb mount, also a reason why I didn't liked G80 keyboards not that much from the feeling. I tried a lot of other switches. The next big switch was Alps, I bought two AEKIIs, one with cream Alps and the other with White (tactile dampened) alps, booth feel very similar.
Btw there I tried retrobrighting the first time, very cool, sadly my UV lamp broke some months ago.
I disliked the dampened feeling, I also disliked O-rings for cherry mx, booth feels just unnatural.
I desoldered at on AEKII all switches, also a new experience, later desoldered switches on some more keyboards. Alps are in my opinion the easiest ones to desolder. Cherry switches without are also easy, harder are switches with a plate, with jumper wires or with a diode inside. I tried also to desolder switches with a rgb led inside (4 pins) out of a keyboard with metal plate, that was one of hardest things of my live, I broke half of the switches.
I discovered Alps switches and clones of them. White Alps are nice and clicky, blue alps feel better, the NIB Alps were the best of them, smooth and clicky.
I tested Alps clones, a linear Alps clone switch was a really nice discovery, buttery smooth, sadly the keyboard didn't work.
I really like clicky switches, so at most I searched after them. Kpt switches were pretty clicky, but inside flimsy and cheap feeling. Peerless switches are better rubber domes and the mods really stiff at offcenter hits. Aristotle switches are good, but the plastic is such cheap it breaks from just looking at it.
The most Alps and clone switches were sadly pretty stiff from the dirt inside.
Cherry ML switches are not that bad
. I tested vintage black switches and loved them, nixdorf were even better, smooth and not that heavy (maybe the heaviness came from the scratchy feeling of new Cherry switches). Gateron switches are smooth like vintage Cherrys.The most awfull switches I ever tried are yellow mitsumi minatures, even rubberdome feel better, followed by the new type of Cherry MY, feels like someone played on the beach with the keyboard.
Back to the day where I decided to let most of my keyboards go.
I decided to sell nearly everything I have and buy my dream keyboards. I traded my HAMUS (I really loved this board, I mever used it, but it was my first big deal, I found it on ebaykleinanzeigen for 17 Euro incl. shipping) for SSK. I never regret this deal, the SSK is my most used keyboard till today, I will never sell it.
Thanks ramnes here, but I removed the the mod that made it not pingy (dont know the name), the normal buckling spring feeling is me enough.
I accepted that didnt need 10 G80-3000 and sold everything except my SSK, also nearly all keycaps I owned so far.
I tried many profiles, bought Triumph dye subs, GMK Triumph Adler replica (which I own still today, nice keycaps), also original cherry doubleshots (which I also use still today), granite DSA keycaps (also nice, but I sold them), PMK SA (I like sphericals but cant type on blanks).
At least I bought rgb gmk keycaps, which I really like, I also bought in Muriums unicomp groupbuy rgb mods for my IBM keyboards. I like different coloured mods a lot.
Another dream I fulfilled was a blue Alps 60% keyboard, some time ago I bought for 1 Euro + shipping and had luck, a blue Alps keyboard. Together with hasu's ALPS64 pcb I build a 60% keyboard.
I build through the time many stuff.
My first project was a selfbuild keyboard with handwiring and a teensy 2.0, but I failed and dumped the project. Then I tried to build a ps2/AT/XT/ADB converter, sadly only the ADB part worked (some days ago I bought a "orihalcon XT converter").
The next things I build, were after I sold all my keyboards.
Four 60% keyboards, the Alps keyboard I mentioned before, a keyboard with cherry MX vintage blacks, a keyboard with vintage blacks (45g springs) and "ergo clears".
Also a FSSK, sadly it didn't work complete, but I think I can fix it some day.
Then I build a ergodox (the case was from a giveaway, thanks DT and falbatech), but I disliked it, I am not that flexible that I could learn the layout.
After I sold everything and got/build some of my dream keyboards I believe the funniest part was to try new things out, new switches, new keycaps, new keyboard and be a part of a groupbuy or a project.
My now favority switch differs from the switch I choose at the beginning. I think all switches need some time to experience them.
I type now at most on my SSK and my 60% with vintage blacks and 45g springs.
Except my FSSK and a dysfunctional 60% board I finished every project.
I search on Ebay often after vintage keyboards and bit on them, its really funny. Some auctions are just to good to let them go, even if I owned allready the keyboard. I try allways to try new switches and keyboards out, if they are in my budget.
Except Nixdorf and other curiosities I avoid Cherry keyboards, the last G80-3000 I bought, I gifted to my girlfriend.
But there is much new stuff outer here that I want to try, like: a working model F and beam spring, topre (hhkb), more spherical keycaps, more alps switches, alps clones, a keyboard with aristotle switches, a plank, alps to cherry keycap adapters and much much more. Another dream of me is to made like Wodan a deal with a recyling center. I have also some own ideas, like a universal plate with cutouts to remove the stabilizer (are there any projects like this?). Maybe my own groupbuy, its a long time ago that there were a groupbuy for stickers (not switch stickers).
I will be a long time member and I really enjoy this community (and community driven activities like secret santa and DT awards) I am ready for the next years and for new experiences.
Thanks for all.
