|
ijyt posted:Actually something I learned just today is that tactility is more noticeable on a lighter spring than a heavier one! Good to know! Any light tactile options that come particularly recommended? Scythe posted:My Topres (Silent 45g) feel lighter than any other switch I've used, including my girlfriend's board with MX Reds (even though they're the same weight). It might be worth noting that they actuate before the bump--I had to break my habit of resting my hands on top of my board because I would occasionally accidentally issue some keystrokes. I think they'd be good for gaming (and I do use them for that, but I don't play much twitchy stuff and am nowhere near competitive). The first part of this sounds lovely but the latter part sounds... not good. Actuating before the bump instead of on it is seems like it would send mixed signals to the brain and gently caress up your learned sense of where it happens (in addition to causing those accidental keystrokes, which is also not great). Do any of the clones not do this? mariooncrack posted:RK96. It's got all the keys, just slightly smaller. This is one of the only things I don't like about my RK84, and it took me a while to figure it out. The narrower keys seem to be why I have a higher error rate on it than my laptop despite their similar layout. At first I thought I was adapting to the new key height, but even with plenty of time to adjust the problem has not gone away. I think my hands are just too big for this key width. Is there a way to tell when a keyboard you're considering is doing this, other than just eyeballing the photos? The visual difference is pretty subtle. For that matter, are there any 75% boards at all that use regular-width letter keys, or do I have to go back up to 80% TKL to avoid it? Unsinkabear fucked around with this message at 16:57 on Oct 13, 2021 |
#
?
Oct 13, 2021 16:39
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 29, 2024 20:47 |
|
|
I hate that the nicest keycap designs are all group buys with delivery some time in the next 2 years. Days like today I hate that this is a niche hobby so we can't take advantage of economies of scale.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2021 16:49
|
|
|
Unsinkabear posted:The first part of this sounds lovely but the latter part sounds... not good. I feel like it actuating before the bump instead of on it is sending mixed signals to your brain and would gently caress up my sense of where it happens (in addition to causing those accidental keystrokes, which is also not great). Do any of the clones not do this? I feel like I made this sound like a bigger deal than it turns out to be in practice. I'm on my board with Topres (an FC660C) right now and so I just opened up a text editor and intentionally tried to get keystrokes without pressing past the bump, and I was able to do it occasionally (like 5% of the time) but only by really concentrating. It's more accurate to say that the actuation really happens "mid-bump" with Topres where on many other switches it happens post-bump. Re: my resting hands comment: I think the bump itself being so smooth and gradual made me think the weight of my hands wasn't depressing the keys when in fact I was slowly letting them sink down to mid-bump. It has never caused an accidental keystroke in-game or anything, just when spacing out reading a long article or things like that. Also, I don't believe there are any Topre clones on the market, but I could be wrong there.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2021 16:55
|
|
|
Scythe posted:I feel like I made this sound like a bigger deal than it turns out to be in practice. I'm on my board with Topres (an FC660C) right now and so I just opened up a text editor and intentionally tried to get keystrokes without pressing past the bump, and I was able to do it occasionally (like 5% of the time) but only by really concentrating. It's more accurate to say that the actuation really happens "mid-bump" with Topres where on many other switches it happens post-bump. Ah, thanks for the follow-up. That sounds pretty alright, then. I know the Novatouch TKL used a knockoff Topre before getting rudely discontinued, and I thought the NiZ/Plum/Epomaker brand(s) were too. If the latter group is using actual Topres, that might explain why the cost went up over the last couple years until they were almost as much as the real thing.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2021 17:03
|
|
|
Blinkz0rz posted:I hate that the nicest keycap designs are all group buys with delivery some time in the next 2 years. I've realised that the keyboard community is full of people who would happily spend £100s on hardware but be so skint as to not waste a single drop of lube. Z the IVth fucked around with this message at 17:31 on Oct 13, 2021 |
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2021 17:29
|
|
|
Unsinkabear posted:Good to know! Any light tactile options that come particularly recommended? Hard for me to say as I've not had a chance to try many, fairly new to all this myself. I've heard decent things about mx cherry clears and something called ergo-clears. Could also go the labour intensive root of buying heavier tactile switches and swapping out their spring for 45g springs.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2021 18:21
|
|
|
Huh, interesting. Got a Kickstarter email today about the Keychron K14. At a glance it’s a K2 minus the function key row but with an extra column on the right side. 72 keys for the K14 vs 84 keys on the K2. Kind of a middle ground between the K2 and my beloved 61-key K12. Do I need a new keyboard? No. Am I considering selling my K2 and ordering an aluminum frame hotswap RGB K14? Maybe.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2021 18:39
|
|
|
Blinkz0rz posted:Days like today I hate that this is a niche hobby so we can't take advantage of economies of scale. It doesn't help that keyboards only tend to run once or twice, so what economy of scale there could be is eaten up by designers having to endlessly develop their own iterations of the metal rectangle from scratch
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2021 18:53
|
|
|
I'm still very miffed by missing out on the cloudline TKL, the side profile and design philosopher really spoke to me  Tempted by the Monokei Kage but not sure I'm really sold on the TKL layout at that price, though the frosted polycarb with copper weight looks gorgeous.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2021 19:07
|
|
|
I don't remember seeing this silliness posted here before, but I may have missed it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20pC05yisRM
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2021 19:10
|
|
|
ijyt posted:I'm still very miffed by missing out on the cloudline TKL, the side profile and design philosopher really spoke to me It doesn’t help that once you deep dive the really tempting boards are usually $400 plus and show up 8 months later if your lucky to have the group buy still be open or hasn’t happened yet. That 65% with knob I posted is basically my perfect board, but at $500 to build it right, is it really worth it over a GMMK Pro? That gives me all the keys I need, is basically the same size, and has RBG I don’t mind honestly. But fixing the stabilizers to sound amazing will be a slight pain…. But i could do that for half the cost. Ugh.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2021 20:43
|
|
|
At this rate I will end up trying to design and produce my own board. All the available 65% layouts with southpaw numpad are ugly Kind of tempted by the viendi 8L but it's gaudy.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2021 20:46
|
|
|
ijyt posted:At this rate I will end up trying to design and produce my own board. All the available 65% layouts with southpaw numpad are ugly Did you see the one I posted? 65% with knob. I don’t love the arrows being right there and wish there was a spacer, But otherwise think it’s fire. https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=113285.0
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2021 20:55
|
|
|
Kinda missing the "numpad" part of that though
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2021 21:03
|
|
|
LionArcher posted:Did you see the one I posted? 65% with knob. I don’t love the arrows being right there and wish there was a spacer, But otherwise think it’s fire. I did and it's lovely but I want to find an extended 65% if possible. Just saw this fucker from 2018 and I'm gutted that the project got cancelled, my perfect board layout. 
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2021 21:03
|
|
|
ijyt posted:I did and it's lovely but I want to find an extended 65% if possible. Hot drat that is incredible. Maximum right hand mouse space while still keeping easy access to everything else. Why isn't this the loving standard?! Edit: less compact, but I'm also amused by this leftie-targeted option where they kept everything standard size and just flipped the whole drat thing: 
Unsinkabear fucked around with this message at 21:15 on Oct 13, 2021 |
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2021 21:06
|
|
|
ijyt posted:I did and it's lovely but I want to find an extended 65% if possible. Would you accept something that isn't a full numpad? https://charue-design.com/collections/sunsetter This will run again after R2 delivers.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2021 21:27
|
|
|
Unsinkabear posted:Hot drat that is incredible. Maximum right hand mouse space while still keeping easy access to everything else. Why isn't this the loving standard?! The Hex.6c was a southpaw fullsize custom keyboard and honestly looked pretty awesome. Agreed that the current standard layout is outdated and doesn't account well for mice at all. Also that Sunsetter is neat! I'll keep my eye on it for sure.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2021 22:04
|
|
|
I think I found my white whale. Only downside is that the PBT keycap option does not have translucent letters, so the backlighting on it is basically worthless. I know people seem to be generally in favor of PBT, but if my options are doubleshot ABS with backlighting or PBT with none, do I have to be smart and go with the latter? Is my finger oil really guaranteed to trash those beautiful white ABS keys? P.S. gently caress Gateron for making literally one tactile switch.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2021 22:28
|
|
|
ijyt posted:I did and it's lovely but I want to find an extended 65% if possible. If you can live without the F-Row, Ext65 should be having an R2 towards the end of the year. And the Mysticworks Wyvern is nearing shipping, so there might be some extras available.
|
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2021 01:43
|
|
|
https://shop.custommk.com/collections/evo70/products/evo70 The group buy for this just ended but you can still preorder. It's a 70% with a rotary encoder. It was posted before but I think someone was looking for one in this form.
|
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2021 02:08
|
|
|
ijyt posted:I'm still very miffed by missing out on the cloudline TKL, the side profile and design philosopher really spoke to me I also wanted this so bad, but ultimately decided I didn't want to spend as much as they were asking. The blue one did look very nice though
|
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2021 02:37
|
|
|
The last page and a half has been a very timely discussion for me, too. I think I’m about at a purchase decision, and could use a sanity check and a bit more info: #1: I went in to this looking for a hotswap TKL, either by buying one stock or building it from parts. My current understanding is that components for these layouts aren’t standardized, so you need to get the case, the PCB, and the plate all from the same company or you risk them not fitting together properly. Is that true? #2: If it is true, am I pretty much limited to finding something on the MechMap TKL Keyboard Picker, or entering a group buy for a zillion dollars and months/years of waiting?
|
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2021 04:29
|
|
|
Screama posted:I also wanted this so bad, but ultimately decided I didn't want to spend as much as they were asking. The blue one did look very nice though Oh yeah the money saved means it doesn't sting as much as it usually would, the blue was super pretty though.
|
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2021 08:20
|
|
|
Kestral posted:The last page and a half has been a very timely discussion for me, too. I think I’m about at a purchase decision, and could use a sanity check and a bit more info: Some group buys will have multiple PCBs that the case is compatible with, so you kind of have to assess them on a case-by-case basis. It's usually not so much the key layout that is the deal-breaker, but an incompatibility like the usb port being on the left side instead of the right or something. Buying something pre-made is the easiest way to go, but I would also consider looking at the 2nd hand market as you can sometimes find very good boards for a decent price. Most people in this hobby take quite good care of expensive boards, but all the usual caveats about buying from strangers online apply.
|
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2021 09:47
|
|
|
I got a Keychron K2 a couple days ago. It's a pretty nice keyboard for the $70. Shame the bluetooth is unusable. Being able to go wireless was the main reason I was interested in it so I might return it, I'm still on the fence about it.
|
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2021 17:57
|
|
|
Have you checked if it came with the newest firmware? https://www.keychron.com/pages/keychron-firmware-for-k2
|
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2021 17:59
|
|
|
Cabbages and Kings posted:Does anyone have experience 3d printing their own caps? rutomoda 3d printed the Trifl keycaps. https://rutomoda.com/ https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=112653 ijyt posted:I'm still very miffed by missing out on the cloudline TKL, the side profile and design philosopher really spoke to me Just keep trying for Geon's Frog TKL if you're unsure about the format especially at that price.  That's 10:00 AM Eastern I actually passed on the Cloudline because I'm just not that into TKL's despite the fact that particular one was VERY pretty. Also, I don't want to have sunk that much money into a board that I have to wait over a year for just to have a board in a layout I don't want. I'd rather have that money to buy other dumb pretty poo poo that will deliver in a third to half the time. GnarlyCharlie4u fucked around with this message at 20:12 on Oct 14, 2021 |
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2021 19:16
|
|
|
Framboise posted:Got my first group buy item I ordered today, a deskmat from ePBT Aesthetic. I am so sad I missed out on that set.
|
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2021 19:21
|
|
|
Epsilon Plus posted:I am so sad I missed out on that set. I mean... it's not over yet. Cannonkeys is doing extras for the deskmats soon I think... MKEU still has preorders open... https://mykeyboard.eu/catalogue/category/keycaps/epbt_221/
|
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2021 20:24
|
|
|
GnarlyCharlie4u posted:rutomoda 3d printed the Trifl keycaps. I’m attempting to get a Frog tomorrow too and one thing to keep in mind is they announced in their Discord there are more cases then PCBs so even if you get a W on case you still run the risk of not being able to buy anything to use it with. Also no hot swap boards are available for this months drop. They’re hoping to have them by November.
|
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2021 20:33
|
|
|
Sacred Cow posted:I’m attempting to get a Frog tomorrow too and one thing to keep in mind is they announced in their Discord there are more cases then PCBs so even if you get a W on case you still run the risk of not being able to buy anything to use it with. Also no hot swap boards are available for this months drop. They’re hoping to have them by November. Doesn't seem like much of a problem if you were willing to wait for a Cloudline to deliver though.
|
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2021 21:02
|
|
|
So it turns out Epomaker has the absolute worst return policy I've ever seen that isn't just "no." Maximum of 7 days from delivery whether the issue is dissatisfaction or defect, and returns that can't prove a specific defect to their satisfaction are charged a 35% restocking fee. And that's assuming you can make your mind up on what is and isn't working for you in those seven drat days, which I most certainly cannot. Especially not in something as subtle as keyboards, or in something like a nonstandard layout that requires adjustment time. Just say no returns unless defective, at that point. So the search continues. I tried to find the GK96LS from another vendor, but it seems the only other place they operate is Amazon, and they've pulled it from their store there. Unsinkabear fucked around with this message at 21:17 on Oct 14, 2021 |
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2021 21:14
|
|
|
GnarlyCharlie4u posted:rutomoda 3d printed the Trifl keycaps. Love the price, hate the side profile and the USB port is in the total wrong place for my desk setup unfortunately I'm genuinely strangely so fussy about how a keyboard looks that at this point I'm going to start learning cad. Unsinkabear posted:So it turns out Epomaker has the absolute worst return policy I've ever seen that isn't just "no." Maximum of 7 days from delivery whether the issue is dissatisfaction or defect, and returns that can't prove a specific defect to their satisfaction are charged a 35% restocking fee. And that's assuming you can make your mind up on what is and isn't working for you in those seven drat days, which I most certainly cannot. Especially not in something as subtle as keyboards, or in something like a nonstandard layout that requires adjustment time. Just say no returns unless defective, at that point. It's a little more pricey compared to the Epomaker as you'd need switches and caps, but what about the Tofu96? https://kbdfans.com/products/tofu96-mechanical-keyboard-diy-kit ijyt fucked around with this message at 21:56 on Oct 14, 2021 |
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2021 21:43
|
|
|
Unsinkabear posted:So it turns out Epomaker has the absolute worst return policy I've ever seen that isn't just "no." Maximum of 7 days from delivery whether the issue is dissatisfaction or defect, and returns that can't prove a specific defect to their satisfaction are charged a 35% restocking fee. And that's assuming you can make your mind up on what is and isn't working for you in those seven drat days, which I most certainly cannot. Especially not in something as subtle as keyboards, or in something like a nonstandard layout that requires adjustment time. Just say no returns unless defective, at that point. RK100 might fit the bill.
|
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2021 22:08
|
|
|
Unsinkabear posted:Ah, thanks for the follow-up. That sounds pretty alright, then. Minor nitpick, Novatouch's internals were made by Topre.
|
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2021 22:09
|
|
|
ijyt posted:It's a little more pricey compared to the Epomaker as you'd need switches and caps, but what about the Tofu96? mariooncrack posted:RK100 might fit the bill. These are both gorgeous but they have the numpad on the right side. What got me so excited about the Epomaker is the very compact right side and the numpad on the left. It's confusingly listed on the same page as the (completely different) traditional layout, with only one letter different between their names, but you can see it here:  I want to be able to play shooters with nothing in the way of my mouse hand, and also simultaneously mouse and numpad when working in excel. It looks glorious. Is there anything else out there with a layout like that?
|
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2021 22:53
|
|
|
Unsinkabear posted:These are both gorgeous but they have the numpad on the right side. What got me so excited about the Epomaker is the very compact right side and the numpad on the left. It's confusingly listed on the same page as the (completely different) traditional layout, with only one letter different between their names, but you can see it here: There may be but oftentimes you can come close with a keyboard and separate num pad on the left. It's often more economical at least. That's what I've been doing for a while but the old goldtouch numpad seems like it's been getting flaky lately, I might get something fancier.
|
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2021 23:08
|
|
|
Rexxed posted:There may be but oftentimes you can come close with a keyboard and separate num pad on the left. It's often more economical at least. That's what I've been doing for a while but the old goldtouch numpad seems like it's been getting flaky lately, I might get something fancier. This was actually my initial plan, I even asked Royal Kludge if they had a numpad coming (no luck). But all the discrete numpads I found in my initial searching either had reports of jankiness over time, chiclet keys with microscopic travel, or price tags almost as high as a full keyboard from the same manufacturer. And forget making them match if you don't go the latter route. Also, some people seem to dislike the numpad drifting around the desk separately and not always being in the same place relative to your home keys. I don't know how much of a problem that actually is, but I can imagine myself being grumpy about it some days, so that also made the integrated left side more appealing. I can def settle for 75% + separate pad on the left if I have to, though The Electronaut posted:Minor nitpick, Novatouch's internals were made by Topre. Good to know. Maybe trying to do that at such a low price point is what sunk it? Unsinkabear fucked around with this message at 00:16 on Oct 15, 2021 |
|
#
?
Oct 15, 2021 00:12
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 29, 2024 20:47 |
|
|
I mean, my Varmilo numpad is... fine? if you just want a standard mech numpad. I got it used from mk.com for like $20 though so maybe you wouldn't want to pay more like $50 for one. And obv it's prebuilt and not a kit.
|
|
#
?
Oct 15, 2021 01:01
|
|
