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SwissCM posted:I've been looking for a good media center keyboard and I think I found one: Keep us informed. I've had my eye on that one as well. For content, if this was wireless, I'd be all over this in a heartbeat. Hell, even if it was just USB, I'd still go for it.  Click here for the full 640x480 image.
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Dec 30, 2009 05:55
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Anyone do any gaming with one of the newer Apple keyboards (thin chicklet type)? If so, how's that working for you? I like the look and general feel of one, but hesitant to take the plunge.
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Dec 30, 2009 15:54
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For those looking for a good media center keyboard, this showed up on Engadget the other day. Looks pretty awesome.
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Dec 30, 2009 16:33
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Alright, Model M buddies. My unicomp 103-key bit the dust sometime last night after a kitten knocked a full glass of coca-cola into it. Suggestions on a more interesting replacement that doesn't feel like a laptop? I don't think I've ever used a keyboard with cherry switches or any of boutique brands (except Das Keyboard, which I didn't really like).
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Dec 30, 2009 19:24
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My Das Keyboard is starting to give up the ghost after a few years of heavy use, so my wife picked me up a Happy Hacking Professional 2 for Christmas with blank key caps. Holy poo poo these Topre keys are nice. After using this thing a while I don't want to type on anything else. It's too bad Topres are so expensive. Thing is working beautifully for gaming and for long programming sessions. At work I use a few different Happy Hacking Lite 2s and the new Apple tenkeyless wireless bluetooth keyboards, and I'm really happy with them. Just dropping another few hundred on another Topre HH sounds really nice.
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Dec 30, 2009 20:54
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A Duck! posted:My Das Keyboard is starting to give up the ghost after a few years of heavy use, so my wife picked me up a Happy Hacking Professional 2 for Christmas with blank key caps. Wow those Happy Hacking Professionals are nice, drat almost makes me want one, but i would feel crazy dropping 200 bucks on a keyboard... Still watching videos, what makes them so much better besides the springs. Is it more for proper typers? sotorious fucked around with this message at 23:35 on Dec 30, 2009 |
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Dec 30, 2009 23:20
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Twiin posted:Alright, Model M buddies. My unicomp 103-key bit the dust sometime last night after a kitten knocked a full glass of coca-cola into it. Suggestions on a more interesting replacement that doesn't feel like a laptop? I don't think I've ever used a keyboard with cherry switches or any of boutique brands (except Das Keyboard, which I didn't really like). Buckling Spring are just too much of their own beast. I happen to love cherry switches, and Cherry Blues are kind of like buckling switches in feel, but lighter. Browns are a slightly different beast, as the tactile feel is there, but not so much audibly. In either case, Filco is the goto brand for cherry right now. They are relatively cheap, sleek looks, standard layouts, and n-key rollover. There are a couple of other Cherry switches, but coming from buckling spring, I doubt you'd enjoy them. The biggest one outside of Blue and Brown is the Black, which is linear force activated, no tactile feel at all. Depending on which Das Keyboard you used, you may have already used Cherry Blues, as that is what Das II is, but the first one was rubber dome. Your other big switch players are ALPS and Topre, neither of which I have used yet, so this is just a collection of what I've seen around on them. ALPS come in a couple different flavors. The ABS M1 keyboard comes with their simplified Black switches (simplified refering to a a simplification of the switches ALPS did some year back, the older more "complicated" ones are more sought after). It doesn't have NKRO, so it might not be the best for gaming, but its pretty cheap for a mechanical switch board if you wanted to give ALPS a try. I think the blacks it uses are closer to Cherry Browns than Blues. Topre, which, like A Duck! said, are in the HHK2. They are a odd design, similar to a rubber dome, but with springs that cause an capacitance that does the actual activation, and a unique rubber dome cup that "snaps" causing a feel closer to mechanical. tl;dr: If you want to try something new, go with something with Cherry Blue or Brown, ALPS White or Black, or maybe give Topre switches a try. NickPancakes fucked around with this message at 23:33 on Dec 30, 2009 |
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Dec 30, 2009 23:29
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I'm not a real big fan of Buckling Spring or Cherry Blacks, but I have used Blues and liked those. Topre switches are a little weird. They kind of feel like Cherry Blues, but a lot more smooth for lack of a better term. You feel the little cup snap, and it has really great tactile feedback, but it's not going to have the meaty thunk that BS or Blacks have. They definitely have more feedback than Cherry Browns. A guy at work has had a HHP2 for a few years, and he absolutely hammers the poo poo out of it and it still goes strong. I like it because there's really not much to fail or corrode like a dome keyboard, because all the conductivity is handled through the spring and some really solid traces instead of just a printed set of traces. I've seen him take apart his HHP2 several times, and it looked really easy to clean without having to worry about loving up the keyswitches because of how it's put together. Plus, this thing could take a direct nuke and still have enough rigid strength to bludgeon several hobos to death, and still hammer out a few thousand lines of code after. I'm personally a huge fan of the 60 key layout of the Happy Hacking, but if you need 87 or 103 keys, you might want to check out the Realforce Topre keyboards. If you want Cherries, check out Filco/Majestoch keyboards, we have a ton of them at work and they are solid, solid keyboards. After owning two Das, I really can't recommend them over a Filco. I do computational physics (hours and hours and hours in Matlab/Solidworks/programming), and I've been known to play some MMOs now and then, and Das keyboards just do not hold up like you would expect for the price. Pay a little more for a Filco. Or a lot more for a Realforce/HH Topre. I feel like an audiophile trying to pimp overpriced cables or something, but if you're going to spend hundreds of hours at a computer, a good keyboard/mouse/LCD is some of the best money you can spend. Oh god now I really want to replace my Lite 2s.
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Dec 30, 2009 23:53
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A couple days ago I was stuck at my computer typing about 30 pages, and I got absolutely sick of my mushy G15. My Filco Majestouch 104 w/ Cherry Blues should be here tomorrow, I was sort of on the fence between blue and brown switches, but I don't really need a (relatively) quiet keyboard, so I settled on blue. I'll post a trip report when I get it.
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Dec 31, 2009 00:05
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I'm interested in the Filco keyboards as my first mechanical switch keyboard. I've been typing on the basic Dell keyboard for about 4 years now and was wondering how each type of switch would compare to it, if they even can be. I'd imagine the Cherry Blacks would be most similar. Also, does anyone know of a place that has mechanical switch keyboards (not limited to Filco) on display? I tried the local Best Buy but had no luck there.
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Dec 31, 2009 00:54
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Loztblaz posted:A couple days ago I was stuck at my computer typing about 30 pages, and I got absolutely sick of my mushy G15. My Filco Majestouch 104 w/ Cherry Blues should be here tomorrow, I was sort of on the fence between blue and brown switches, but I don't really need a (relatively) quiet keyboard, so I settled on blue. I'll post a trip report when I get it. Difference between the blue and brown is the noise level? as in blue being louder? Can you get these keyboards at any type of retail store? or do you have to order them? Also anyone that has ordered from there, what is standard shipping like 3 days? sotorious fucked around with this message at 02:08 on Dec 31, 2009 |
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Dec 31, 2009 01:08
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Duck and Cover posted:I found a black cherry key switch keyboard with media controls however the inability to purchase it anywhere strikes me as a problem. http://www.giga-byte.com.my/Products/Keyboard/Products_Overview.aspx?ProductID=2789 This looks like a fricken great keyboard and almost exactly what I wanted like I posted all the way back on page 1. Mac layout would be even better but I don't reasonably expect that; now if everything works alright in OS X I'll be happy enough. I hope the GAMERRRRR thing doesn't put it into the high hundred buck range, if and when it finally does become available for sale.
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Dec 31, 2009 02:23
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sotorious posted:Difference between the blue and brown is the noise level? as in blue being louder? Blue is clicky, brown isn't (as much). I haven't seen any mechanical keyboards in stores, aside from beaten up IBM boards in goodwills. I'm not surprised either, there's no way it would be profitable to stock $100+ boards that look totally plain next to 5 dollar boards with media buttons.
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Dec 31, 2009 02:23
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FACKER posted:I'm interested in the Filco keyboards as my first mechanical switch keyboard. I've been typing on the basic Dell keyboard for about 4 years now and was wondering how each type of switch would compare to it, if they even can be. I'd imagine the Cherry Blacks would be most similar. I don't know of any place stateside that would have a mechanical keyboard on dispay. Cheapy rubber dome logitechs and microsofts pretty much dominate every brick and mortar store. I'm also not sure black is a good route for a first time mechanical. The linear force on them is tough on the fingers. sotorious posted:Difference between the blue and brown is the noise level? as in blue being louder? Pretty much, from what I understand the Browns are also a little "lighter" in that they require slightly less force to activate.
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Dec 31, 2009 02:42
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In case anyone cares I finally bought 2 of those Unicomp IBM model M's. It is drat near exactly the same as my 1983 Model M. Got the one with USB and the Windows keys in black. Costs 70 bux and totally worth it. 
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Dec 31, 2009 02:50
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I found this forum for reviews on mechanical keyboards http://www.overclock.net/computer-peripherals/491752-mechanical-keyboard-guide.html seems like the filco blue is best overall for typing and gaming. I think i might get it not bad for 134, considering i paid 74 for my saitek 2 about a year and a half ago. This this is starting to get dusty and keys are starting to stick along with some serious fading on a few keys. I would want 1 w/o the num pad, just because it looks nicer, but i think my num pad is a must. I should of never found out about these keyboards i want one now and i want one bad. I think it will be well worth the money, idk about the 200+ dollar ones. sotorious fucked around with this message at 04:00 on Dec 31, 2009 |
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Dec 31, 2009 03:51
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sotorious posted:Difference between the blue and brown is the noise level? as in blue being louder? I listened to some sound files comparing the two and blues were far too loud for me. I got the brown keys and I remember shipping taking a few days longer than somewhere like Amazon. I've had my filco for a couple months and it's the best keyboard I've ever used. edit: I posted this way earlier in the thread but if you want a good comparison of keyboards as well as other things like sound files head here http://geekhack.org/forumdisplay.php?f=31 they are a bit crazy over keyboards but better reviews than other places. Glumwheels fucked around with this message at 04:16 on Dec 31, 2009 |
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Dec 31, 2009 04:14
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Glumwheels posted:I posted this way earlier in the thread but if you want a good comparison of keyboards as well as other things like sound files head here http://geekhack.org/forumdisplay.php?f=31 they are a bit crazy over keyboards but better reviews than other places. quote:I switch, depending on my mood, the project, and the color of the stone in my ring. Some days I just want to reset. 
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Dec 31, 2009 04:54
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I am going to make my decision by the end of tonight. I have much love for my Saitek II. I hear nothing but good about these mechanical keyboards, and im a fan of keyboards, just like im a fan for pens
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Dec 31, 2009 04:57
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Another difference between blues and browns is that browns require slightly less force (supposedly).
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Dec 31, 2009 05:44
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sotorious posted:Wow those Happy Hacking Professionals are nice, drat almost makes me want one, but i would feel crazy dropping 200 bucks on a keyboard... Yeah, the price is hard to stomach, but I don't regret it. I just wish a similar keyboard existing at a more sensible price so I could pick up a few more.
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Dec 31, 2009 05:48
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Typh posted:I felt like a loving rear end in a top hat when I bought my HHKB Pro 2, but from the first time I used it, I started carrying it in my bag everywhere I went. The keys feel so good that normal keyboards feel like absolute poo poo now. The blank keys were an added bonus- I finally don't look down when I type (and my speed has vastly increased). I also like the lack of extra bullshit keys. Haha this is why i want to try one out. I think im going to go with the filco though because i want the num pad. Bah this is killing me!!!!!!! someone let me borrow there's so i can test it out!
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Dec 31, 2009 05:50
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Typh posted:I felt like a loving rear end in a top hat when I bought my HHKB Pro 2, but from the first time I used it, I started carrying it in my bag everywhere I went. The keys feel so good that normal keyboards feel like absolute poo poo now. The blank keys were an added bonus- I finally don't look down when I type (and my speed has vastly increased). I also like the lack of extra bullshit keys. It's funny, a few months ago I was going through the elitekeyboard site looking at the HHKP stuff to replace my Lite 2s, and I was thinking 'what kind of rear end in a top hat uses a keyboard cover and carries it with him?' It's me, I'm that rear end in a top hat now. =( I haven't bought one yet, but I like the Topres so drat much now I'm seriously considering it, or figuring out how much I'll get killed by the wife if I buy a second one for work. I haven't been this ridiculously happy with a computer part since the old Radeon 9700Pro/AMD 2500 Barton days.
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Dec 31, 2009 06:28
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I think im going to wait it out, do a tad more research into them, and wait for them to get the 87? keys in stock. So i can have a choice, I also think i want the one that is all black with no letters showing, which they don't have in stock either. so i wont have to worry about keys fading after a while or anything.
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Dec 31, 2009 07:40
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Just got my Majestouch, and I'm really happy with the build quality and size of this board. It weighs over two pounds, so it really stays put on your desk. If you pick it up, there is no creaking or hints of cheap construction. The noise of the blue switches isn't as loud as I thought it might have been, but if you're typing around other people they may get annoyed with it. I may need to get used to the switches (I've only been typing on this board for about 10 minutes), but they seem extremely light. I'll reserve judgment on this for now, because this is a totally different feel compared to my membrane keyboards. I have already noticed less typing errors on this board though, and once I'm used to the board size and layout, I'm sure it'll be even better. I'm really glad I picked this up, typing feels so much nicer now.
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Dec 31, 2009 19:49
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Loztblaz posted:Just got my Majestouch, and I'm really happy with the build quality and size of this board. It weighs over two pounds, so it really stays put on your desk. If you pick it up, there is no creaking or hints of cheap construction. The noise of the blue switches isn't as loud as I thought it might have been, but if you're typing around other people they may get annoyed with it. Report back with your mini full review you may be my decision breaker.
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Dec 31, 2009 20:16
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Honestly, as much as I really love Topre keyboards, it's really hard to justify the extra hundred bucks or so over a good Cherry keyboard without being able to use one first. I think it's worth the cost, but at the end of the day you're still going to be dropping ~$250 on a HH or Realforce. 60/87 key of either type is a no brainer though, as tenkeys are for communists.
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Dec 31, 2009 20:23
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I've had my Majestouch with brown switches for about six months now and I still love it. Keystroke quality hasn't degraded at all and I keep getting more accurate. I really look forward to typing with it every day, which is a new concept after over a decade of $15-30 keyboards and not really liking the Model M clones that much. It's also a pleasure to look at--the design has so little wasted space and the minimalism of it is rather nice. Now that I think about it, the only caveats are 1) that the blue Num/Caps/Scroll LEDs are so bright (just one can cast a huge circle on the ceiling of my office--six feet up from the board) that I've found it necessary to cover them and 2) I probably make fewer typos than ever, but when I make them they tend to be big because the high sensitivity of the keys lends itself to hitting more than one at a time. A spare USB thumb drive does the LED-covering honors for me and as for the typos, I just consider them a reason to get more accurate. emdash fucked around with this message at 20:42 on Dec 31, 2009 |
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Dec 31, 2009 20:39
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sotorious posted:Can you get these keyboards at any type of retail store? or do you have to order them? Looks like Microcenter started carrying the Das Keyboard Professional too (Cherry MX blue). EnergizerFellow fucked around with this message at 00:43 on Jan 2, 2010 |
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Jan 2, 2010 00:30
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sotorious posted:Report back with your mini full review you may be my decision breaker. Well if it helps, I absolutely love this keyboard. I've typed a lot more on it and my typing speed and accuracy has gone up noticeably. Typing is actually sort of enjoyable now, instead of being something in the way of communication. As for this keyboard specifically, I really recommend it. I felt silly spending an extra hundred dollars on a keyboard with no fancy features, but now I'd rather have a smaller monitor than a cheaper keyboard. Hell, I'd rather have this Filco board than that 1600 dollar OLED keyboard. Loztblaz fucked around with this message at 06:30 on Jan 2, 2010 |
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Jan 2, 2010 04:01
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Loztblaz posted:Well if it helps, I absolutely love this keyboard. I've typed a lot more on it and my typing speed and accuracy has gone up noticeably. Typing is actually sort of enjoyable now, instead of being something in the way of communication. Good to hear. Mine gets here tomorrow, along with a G500 mouse ($39 at BestBuy blows any thoughts of other gaming mice out of the water). This will be updating my 10 year old mouse and keyboard!
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Jan 2, 2010 08:17
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EnergizerFellow posted:There's the SIIG JK-US0112-S1, which Frys and Microcenter seem to carry. It's an ALPS 'silent' mechanical keyboard. Hmm I heard those Das keyboard dont have that n-roll feature, or it isnt as good, i was planning on going to microcenter tomorrow. I really have my heart set on the filco. i will see. Loztblaz posted:Well if it helps, I absolutely love this keyboard. I've typed a lot more on it and my typing speed and accuracy has gone up noticeably. Typing is actually sort of enjoyable now, instead of being something in the way of communication. This is really helping me make my decision. Going to see if they have that Das in stock at my local microcenter. see if i can open the box test it. If i like it ill buy that 1 on the spot, if not ill come home and order my filco. The one you have is what cherry?
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Jan 2, 2010 09:38
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sotorious posted:Hmm I heard those Das keyboard dont have that n-roll feature, or it isnt as good, i was planning on going to microcenter tomorrow. I really have my heart set on the filco. i will see. Cherry Blue, which is the same as Das Keyboard, as far as I know. The Das boards have had some very serious problems in the past with ghosting (for reference, bargain basement 10 dollar boards don't ghost.), but that's fixed now. I've also seen some reviews that said they weren't as durable as other boards, but that's all anecdotal.
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Jan 2, 2010 10:06
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Welp, got my Filco keyboard. It doesn't have a braided cable like the Steelseries but it has TWO windows keys, which the steelseries does not, and the spacebar is dual mounted not single-center mounted like the steelseries. The Steelseries spacebar could get rockered loose and cause me to miss spaces in my typing. The keystrokes are smooth like butter with a muted sound and no click detente. In closing: this Filco owns and I can see it easily lasting for a long time.
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Jan 2, 2010 10:09
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A Duck! posted:60/87 key of either type is a no brainer though, as tenkeys are for communists. I will be honest with you, the idea of getting a keyboard without a numpad scares the poo poo out of me.
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Jan 2, 2010 11:06
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Twiin posted:I will be honest with you, the idea of getting a keyboard without a numpad scares the poo poo out of me. I'm with you on this. With the noble exception of my Spectrum 48k (with the rubber keys). I've never used a keyboard without a number pad, and the idea of doing so now fills me with some kind of primeval terror.
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Jan 2, 2010 12:49
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Twiin posted:I will be honest with you, the idea of getting a keyboard without a numpad scares the poo poo out of me. yea i dont think i can use one with out a num pad, i use it way to much, especially when i have the calculator out
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Jan 2, 2010 13:07
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sotorious posted:Hmm I heard those Das keyboard dont have that n-roll feature, or it isnt as good, i was planning on going to microcenter tomorrow. I really have my heart set on the filco. i will see. Twiin posted:I will be honest with you, the idea of getting a keyboard without a numpad scares the poo poo out of me. modeski posted:I'm with you on this. With the noble exception of my Spectrum 48k (with the rubber keys). I've never used a keyboard without a number pad, and the idea of doing so now fills me with some kind of primeval terror.
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Jan 2, 2010 22:26
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Loztblaz posted:The Das boards have had some very serious problems in the past with ghosting (for reference, bargain basement 10 dollar boards don't ghost.), but that's fixed now. I've also seen some reviews that said they weren't as durable as other boards, but that's all anecdotal. As I said before, the Das is a good keyboard, but it does not hold up well. I've had two (the original and a pro) and there is no way they hold up like a Filco. My advice is to try out that Das locally to get a feel for Cherry keyswitches, then order a Filco. They'll cost about the same, but the Filco is going to be able to take being hit by an artillery shell. It's worth waiting on a Filco to ship, in my mind. The easiest way to explain it is the Das keyboard is made by a marketing company, who were one of the first to really mass market pimp mechanical keyswitches/blank key caps again. Which isn't to say it's a poo poo keyboard, just you're paying for the cool factor and less for any solid construction. Filco/Realforce/etc are dedicated keyboard manufacturers, who make a lot of industrial input devices (think heavy duty point of sale/CNC controls, etc), and who happen to make some consumer boards too. Twiin posted:I will be honest with you, the idea of getting a keyboard without a numpad scares the poo poo out of me. Communists, all of you. I'm just so used to a VI style editor, and a billion hotkeys from Solidworks et al, that I can't think of the last time I used a tenkey. Or even the 2x3 home/end/page rows. I would however like the HHKP2 to have arrow keys like the Lite 2 has, but it's really not a big deal once you get used to it. I know my wrists are a lot happier after some marathon coding on the tiny HH than they ever were on a full sized keyboard. A Duck! fucked around with this message at 22:43 on Jan 2, 2010 |
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Jan 2, 2010 22:36
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| # ? May 18, 2024 00:32 |
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A Duck! posted:Communists, all of you. I'm just so used to a VI style editor, and a billion hotkeys from Solidworks et al, that I can't think of the last time I used a tenkey. Or even the 2x3 home/end/page rows. If it bothers you that much, the Realforce 87U Tenkeyless does have a 10-key overlay feature when you hit the numlock key (same on Kinesis Advantage, Lenovo ThinkPad USB Keyboard, virtually all laptops). I will say I extensively use the 3x2 navigation keys and the various vertical arrangements out there bother me to no end. Only variation I've ever found acceptable was the ThinkPad-style horizontal cluster in the upper-right you see an professional laptops (Lenovo ThinkPad, Dell Latitude, et al.). A Duck! posted:The easiest way to explain it is the Das keyboard is made by a marketing company, who were one of the first to really mass market pimp mechanical keyswitches/blank key caps again. Which isn't to say it's a poo poo keyboard, just you're paying for the cool factor and less for any solid construction. I will give them credit where credit is due, however, for showing that high-end mechanical keyboards are a financially viable business (again). Side thanks for the guys over at [H] and like forums for buying them too. If you want gritty technical details on the Costar-build boards (Abs M1/Filco Zero/Das III), check out this thread: http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:7122 EnergizerFellow fucked around with this message at 23:16 on Jan 2, 2010 |
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Jan 2, 2010 22:47
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