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[Discuss] Higher-end keyboards to try?
- Subject: [Discuss] Higher-end keyboards to try?
- From: mark at buttery.org (Shirley Márquez Dúlcey)
- Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2015 22:03:03 -0500
- In-reply-to: <54B72BB4.6080602@gmail.com>
- References: <21686.58167.784964.54113@snorkack.blazemonger.com> <20150114222024.GZ30237@randomstring.org> <54B72BB4.6080602@gmail.com>
Sadly, nobody makes double shot molded keycaps any more. You COULDN'T wear the lettering off those because it went all the way through. http://deskthority.net/wiki/Double-shot_molding On Wed, Jan 14, 2015 at 9:53 PM, Tom Metro <tmetro+blu at gmail.com> wrote: > Dan Ritter wrote: >> Daniel Barrett wrote: >>> I'm interested in getting a better keyboard, like a Cherry MX type, >>> but would like to try out a few first to compare them. >>> >>> I tried a friend's Cherry MX Blue at work at it was quite awesome, >>> though loud. >> >> MicroCenter probably has several different kinds, and are >> usually amenable to opening up boxes. > > Last time I was at Micro Center they had a demo keyboard mounted to the > shelf in the keyboard isle that featured a variety of Cherry MX switch > types. It probably isn't ideal, as there was only a subset of keys that > used each type, so you couldn't really get the feel of what it would be > like to type on a whole keyboard using that switch type. > > Then again, you never really get a feel for a keyboard until you've used > it for a week or so. > > Wikipedia has a decent description of the different switch types: > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZF_Electronics#Cherry_switches > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_M_keyboard > and: > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OfUAQiIOWQ > > >> Personally, I think the Enduras from pckeyboard.com, with proper >> buckling springs, beat everything else hollow. > > The buckling springs are stuffer and noisier than the MX blues. I have > an old machine that still has a "tenkeyless" Model M on it that I use > rarely. After years of typing on much lighter action keyboards with much > shorter travel, it doesn't take long for the model M to make my hands sore. > > > Derek Martin wrote: >> I suspect you want a brown, which has about the same tension in the >> key switch as a blue but without the click. > > I've read likewise - same tactile sensation as blues, but without the > noise. However when I tried them, I got hardly any tactile sensation > from the browns. Not only do you hear the blues, but they have a crisp > trigger point you distinctly feel. The down side is that anyone else in > the room or on the phone can hear them too. > > >> ...went to Microcenter since I figured they would have the biggest >> selection of keyboards in the store... > > I was looking for a "tenkeyless" design (also known as 80%, relative to > the size of a 104-key keyboard; the number pad is wasted space for my > uses) and I think at the time they had maybe only one choice. > > I'm also considering 70% designs, which tucks the arrow, Pg Up, Pg Down, > Home, End, Ins, and Del keys into into the main layout. Some designs do > this more effectively than others. > > (There are also 60% designs, but they compromise too much for the sake > of space savings in my opinion. At least if you are using them for coding.) > > >> ...if you'd be interested in something with a slightly smaller form >> factor, I'd also suggest the CM Storm Quickfire TK... > > That's one of the ones I've been considering. (It's an 80% design.) > Among the cheapest at under $70: > > http://tigerimports.net/sunshop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=13445 > > But no backlighting. > > > Corsair Gaming K65 RGB is pretty nice. Many keyboards in this market > have aluminum backing plates under the switches for stiffness. This one > has an aluminum bezel as well, which allows them to make the sides of he > keyboard almost flush with the keys, making it among the narrowest of > the 80% designs. But at $150 you're paying a premium for the fancy > lighting effects (full RGB LEDs with a variety of programmable lighting > patterns), and the lack of competition during the period in which it is > available exclusively at Best Buy: > http://www.bestbuy.com/site/corsair-gaming-k65-rgb-mechanical-keyboard/7547002.p?id=1219279718644&skuId=7547002&st=categoryid$abcat0513000&cp=1&lp=8# > > > Some example 70% mechanical boards (mostly) with backlighting and MX > blue switches: > > Keycool 84 > http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A7NFPF0?psc=1 > > Vortex KBT RACE TKL Mechanical Keyboard > http://tigerimports.net/sunshop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=13523 > > Deck 82 TKL Mechanical Keyboard > http://tigerimports.net/sunshop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=13456 > > Matias Mini Quiet Pro for PC TKL Mechanical > http://tigerimports.net/sunshop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=13874 > > (You can find reviews of some of these on YouTube.) > > > Some example 80% mechanical boards (mostly) with backlighting and MX > blue switches: > > Razer Blackwidow Tournament Edition 2014 (no backlighting, and I believe > it uses a knock-off MX switch, as is becoming increasingly common) > http://www.microcenter.com/product/430345/Blackwidow_Tournament_Edition_2014_Mechanical_Gaming_Keyboard > > There are like a dozen Ducky models that fit the general description, > some lacking backlighting > http://www.ncix.com/detail/ducky-dk2087-zero-brown-switch-81-90669.htm > http://tigerimports.net/sunshop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=9667 > http://www.mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=664 > http://tigerimports.net/sunshop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=13404 > http://www.amazon.com/Ducky-Zero-Shine-Switch-Keyboard/dp/B00HZTRMIM/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top > > Vortex KBT ONI TKL Mechanical > http://tigerimports.net/sunshop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=13496 > > KUL ES-87 Tenkeyless Mechanical Keyboard (Cherry MX Brown) > http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KI1ZAHY?psc=1 > > Nixeus MODA Mechanical Keyboard - Brown Switch > http://www.amazon.com/Nixeus-MODA-Mechanical-Keyboard-Tactile/dp/B00L1TLINC/ > > The CODE keyboards stand apart from the others in that they are aimed at > coders, rather than gamers. It has a DIP switch to switch it to Dvorak, > or Colemak(?). Another switch to swap Ctrl and Caps Lock. No need to > mess with keyboard settings in X. Available in both 80% and full size > versions. But it only comes in MX Green and Clear. (Green is like blue, > but requires more force. Supposedly the closest analog to buckling > springs. Clear are even more rare and work like brown, but similarly > require more force.) > http://codekeyboards.com/ > > > There are also some high-end competitors to Cherry key switches, but > they're less common. (I haven't bothered to bookmark any.) > > And if you really want to get fanatical about your keyboard, the next > spec to obsess over is what kind of plastic the keycaps are made from. > Most are ABS, but some say PBT is better. I'll be happy enough if the > lettering doesn't wear off. > > After that you can then consider modding options, such as custom colored > key caps, or putting O-rings on the stems to quiet and shorten the key > travel. It seems a whole industry has developed around providing > mechanical keyboards and accessories mostly for gamers. (If you plan to > go this route, watch out for keyboards that use MX knock-offs, as the > after-market caps may not be compatible.) > > -Tom > > -- > Tom Metro > The Perl Shop, Newton, MA, USA > "Predictable On-demand Perl Consulting." > http://www.theperlshop.com/ > _______________________________________________ > Discuss mailing list > Discuss at blu.org > http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
- References:
- [Discuss] Higher-end keyboards to try?
- From: dbarrett at blazemonger.com (Daniel Barrett)
- [Discuss] Higher-end keyboards to try?
- From: dsr at randomstring.org (Dan Ritter)
- [Discuss] Higher-end keyboards to try?
- From: tmetro+blu at gmail.com (Tom Metro)
- [Discuss] Higher-end keyboards to try?
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