deskthority

I'm in need of a mechanical keyboard to have on-the-run, for daily use. So far I've been considering the WASD v2 TKL, but I still find it kind of big. From what I've seen, the most appealing to me is the KBT Race 2, for two reasons:

• it has a limit of 64 characters per key on the Fn layer (as opposed to only 14 for the Poker II);
• it has dedicated buttons for tilde (~) and backtick (`), for Home, End, Page Up/Down, Delete and arrow keys, which I use a lot, because I spend most of my time programming in Linux environments.

What I don't like is the LED backlighting, but mkay.

So here are my questions:

1) Since the KBT Race 2 uses UV-coated keycaps, can I expect that they wear off with intensive use, leaving behind ugly transparent patches? Or are these OK-ish?

2) From what I understand, the KBT Race 2 uses a quite uncommon keycap profile, called R5, meaning the height of the caps is different for every row, contributing to an overall ergonomic key disposition.

1. If I wanted to change the keycaps, would I be able to find R5 caps somewhere?
2. If not, would any regular MX-compatible keycaps match the KBT Race 2?
3. If regular MX-compatible keycaps do fit the KBT Race 2, would it look awkward i.e. would the keys on row i from the top be placed lower than the keys on row i+1 from the top? I'd really like a nice little board with blank keycaps. (Yes, I know the HHKB Pro 2, but it's too expensive, as well as lacking some necessary keys for my usage.)
4. Noob question, I'm still learning: can I fit PBT keys on this board?

3) If I wanted to order a KBT Race 2 in France, I gather the only option is Qtan's shop. (I've tried to dig on the forum before asking this.) Is this correct? Is there anything I should know regarding delivery? For instance, I've seen on his ebay page that he can legally do I-don't-know-what such that the buyer pays lower import taxes. If such a proposition is made to me, do I risk anything with the customs i.e. is there a risk that the board is confiscated by the customs officers?

Sorry if my list of questions is too long. I'd really value your input. You see, I've only been a mechanical keyboard convert for six months and I'm currently in my manic phase. On DT, I finally found the wealth of information I needed plus the right community to ask for opinions and advice. Oh, and friends consider me increasingly boring since my conversion, it must be somehow related I guess.

A ISO version of KBT Race is expected around April-June if you want ISO, I want one when it comes out. https://www.facebook.com/KBTeurope

Can't comment about the keycaps questions but by PCB keys do you mean PBT keys, I see you changed it ok.

If you want another compact keyboard they have Leopold FC660M on Massdrop right now.

crunch wrote: A ISO version of KBT Race is expected around April-June if you want ISO, I want one when it comes out. https://www.facebook.com/KBTeurope

Thanks for your reply. Thanks for the hint, but I actually I can't stand ISO. It's a long story. I basically used ANSI all my life (only ANSI was available in Romania back in the 1990s) and when I got to France 5 years ago I was shocked at how difficult it was to find anything ANSI. It was also my first introduction to ISO, and uhm... it didn't go too well.

Can't comment about the keycaps questions but by PCB keys do you mean PBT keys.

Errr... yeah, that's what I meant, thanks. I edited my first post. The question was not very clear perhaps, I was actually thinking about the width of PBT keys, I was wondering whether that could somehow pose problems to inter-key spacing. From what I gather, they have the exact physical size as non-PBT key caps, but I just wanted to double-check.

If you want another compact keyboard they have Leopold FC660M on Massdrop right now.

Thanks. I briefly considered this one, but then again, the layout is so bizarre. I'd say 'not that well thought-out' if I wouldn't risk stepping on somebody's toes here It's just that, for that extra space on the right to accommodate the arrow keys and Insert/Delete, I would have expected Page Up/Down as well, or Home/End as dedicated keys as well. Standing as it is, I can't help it but see that patch as wasted space. I think it would annoy me to have such a board. Leopold owners, please accept my excuses, this is just a question of personal taste (and keyboard usage).

What about Keycool 84 very similar to KBT Race but with more standard keycaps.

crunch wrote: What about Keycool 84 very similar to KBT Race but with more standard keycaps.

Ah, now that's a nice layout indeed. Thanks, I'll look into it. So far, I've only found www.kc-keycool.com. Apart from nice pics, I see no specs listed. From a mere visual inspection, I'd say it's not programmable, but maybe I'm wrong.

Here is a picture of my old Race it had zinc alphas, great Banggood PBT modifiers and blank signature plastics PBT keys were required.
The lack of R5 keycaps in replacement kits is not a big deal, you just lose the slight ergonomic gain. If I did it again, I would have gone with all blank modifiers, would have kept the board more consistent.

Race is indeed possibly the worst board to buy if you are interested in upgrading the keycap with aftermarket ones. The 1.5 Esc and Del keys are very problematic. It also uses more 1.25 keys on the bottom 2 rows than will come in typical sets, which would force you to have to source additional keys.
If you're set on this one, there did exist a non backlight model that come with PBT keys (not blank though) as the stock caps so it would be best to try and locate one of those.

Evilcamels wrote: it had zinc alphas, great Banggood PBT modifiers and blank signature plastics PBT keys were required. The lack of R5 keycaps in replacement kits is not a big deal, you just lose the slight ergonomic gain. If I did it again, I would have gone with all blank modifiers, would have kept the board more consistent.

Great, thanks for the feedback. I was afraid keys would look awkward, but if I'm only losing the ergonomic factor then it's not that bad.

IvanIvanovich wrote: Race is indeed possibly the worst board to buy if you are interested in upgrading the keycap with aftermarket ones. The 1.5 Esc and Del keys are very problematic. It also uses more 1.25 keys on the bottom 2 rows than will come in typical sets, which would force you to have to source additional keys.

Ah, I was afraid I'd hear that. So does this mean that if I get 'any' 1.5 or 1.25 keycap, it will fit (the Esc/Delete and arrow keys, respectively) but not have the right geometry?

IvanIvanovich wrote: If you're set on this one, there did exist a non backlight model that come with PBT keys (not blank though) as the stock caps so it would be best to try and locate one of those.

Yes, it should exist, this is what I understand from the KBT Race 2 manual. However, Qtan does not seem to be selling it. I started looking on Amazon. There's only one board left (non backlit, PBT) with MX Clears on amazon.co.uk. I'm not sure I want those switches. Other than that, the feedback for the seller (Mister Deal -- it suddenly gets a bit less inviting) is generally positive, apart for some 4/5 comments stating that the packaging was not great (yikes!) or that there were delays (I don't care about this one), but there's also a 1/5 comment stating the client ordered a keyboard with PBT keycaps and received the backlit version instead.