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The Unlife Aquatic posted:This is a good start, but I'd like to come back and add to this. I'd like to do a bit on DIY kits (ergodox, whitefox, some resources on how to put a KB together on your own) and get a little more in depth on customization. There were some new custom keycap selling/massbuy sites I didn't get and I'll add them if you post them. Maybe expand the bit on decent membrane keyboards. For massbuy sites/AliExpress sellers who started their own sites the ones I know of are: https://en.zfrontier.com/ https://kbdfans.myshopify.com/ http://www.ymdkey.com/ I've ordered from all 3 and have had good experience with KBDfans. I have a group buy waiting on YMD and Zfrontier, so we'll see but those two have pretty good reputation on reddit. (YMD more on their AliExpress store, their website is still super new)
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Jun 30, 2017 17:47
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| # ¿ May 14, 2024 14:23 |
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Keyboard pics time. Here's the weeb board. The keycaps cost almost 4 times as much as the keyboard but I really enjoy typing on this cheap mech. Pretty drat good board for $36 CAD. I'd say it's the best bang for the buck at the moment (mostly metal construction, hotswappable switches and comes with Outemu Blues) Homeless man's K-Type?   Another good bang for your buck keyboard (wireless via bluetooth, RGB, $100 CAD). Anne Pro with Gateron Browns. Keycaps are DSA HC Granite.   EDIT: I'm an idiot and have my ' [ ] and - keys upside down. Fixed that up now. Constellation I fucked around with this message at 20:27 on Jul 3, 2017 |
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Jul 3, 2017 18:23
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NewFatMike posted:I have a little bit of a peculiar question: I have a handful of keyboards coming in with a variety of switches. I more or less have to review them and I'm not totally sure where to start. I don't really know if there's much more to talk about when reviewing keyboards. There's nothing much else to be said with regards to switches since they're a known quantity and all the different switch types have been done to death and sound sampled / type tested to death. I guess for things to look out for and talk about are case build quality, materials, flex, etc. Next would be reviewing the stabilizers, what type they are, if they're rattly or if they feel mushy. Next would be the quality of the PCB if it's a bad soldering job / bad layout. The only people I know who do this on mainstream review sites are GamersNexus for gaming keyboards: http://www.gamersnexus.net/hwreviews/2481-corsair-k65-rgb-rapidfire-keyboard-review-with-cherry-mx-speed http://www.gamersnexus.net/hwreviews/2968-patriot-viper-v770-mech-keyboard-review Next you can talk about is keycap quality and aesthetics, which relatively unknown manufacturers will definitely make bad decisions on. Also pay attention to non-standard layouts I guess. Another thing to focus on is the programmability of the keyboard, how customizable it is, if there's issues with NKRO, 6KRO, etc. Next would be LED quality, then also if there is a requirement to use lovely software to handle programmability or LED profiles. My suggestion would be to go to the review forum section on deskthority and kind of base your review on what people focus and sometimes sperg on there.
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Jul 4, 2017 04:53
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MrMoo posted:So if Kalih is worse than meh, that doesn't suggest WhiteFox is going to be stellar if they rate it as a good alternative to their own new switches: Word on the street is that new Kailh switches are pretty drat good now that they've stepped up their QC. Also, I'm typing on Outemu Blues right now and they feel just as good as Cherry Blues. (I think I actually prefer its click) My only gripe with them is that the stems are a little wobblier and it's noticeable on the non-stabilized mod keys. This cheap Zhuque keyboard with hotswappable keys is really a godsend because I can swap out switches and have a good apples to apples comparison. My friend has Gateron Greens coming for his own Zhuque board and I have Gateron Blues coming so I guess I'll report back with a trip report on how I feel about all these clicky switches.
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Jul 6, 2017 03:39
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 MaxKey SA Miami Night is taking group buys now at geekhack as well. http://imgur.com/a/SIJk5
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Jul 9, 2017 20:11
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LionArcher posted:Got an actual link? I'm curious though price wise I might be out https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=90408.0 Item GB Price(USD) Base Kit 80 Cyan Kit 10 Magenta Kit 10 Shipping Estimate shipping cost for with 1 base : $20 Estimate shipping cost for small kits : $5~$20
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Jul 9, 2017 20:49
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knox_harrington posted:I really like this. What is the keyboard? I think that's a ZZ96 so it's not quite readily available. I'd keep an eye out for any other 96-key layout keyboards.
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Jul 9, 2017 21:32
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Trip report on Kailh Bronze switches: loving amazing. The click bar just makes the clicks sound so crisp. Definitely my favourite clicky switch thus far.
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Jul 14, 2017 15:51
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Just get a K400.
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Jul 25, 2017 21:10
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After trying out quite a few clicky switches, here's my personal preference: Kailh Bronze > Kailh Gold > Outemu Blue > Gateron Blue > Gateron Green > Cherry Blue Switch hotswappable keyboards are awesome. Waiting on my buddy's Kailh Pale Blues to see if that'll be the new king.
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Jul 27, 2017 22:17
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Soul Glo posted:Anyway I guess I was just wondering if anybody'd had any bad experiences with these, or whatever. I've never really bought Corsair accessories, pretty much only ever used what came with a computer and Logitech stuff. Also sprung for one of their gently caress-off big mousepads since I was having to use some cabinet liner to keep my last keyboard from sliding around. I've had a horrible loving experience with their CUE software and drivers. If you have their drivers and CUE software installed, try the following: 1. Open Steam 2. Doesn't matter if CUE is running or not (installing CUE installs a specific set of drivers for the K70) 3. Unplug your Xbone controller (or any USB peripheral, since it's a USB polling issue) 4. Plug in your Xbone controller 5. Repeat steps 3-4 about 10 times 6. See if your Steam freezes or crashes. Also see if your caps lock and scroll lock indicator stops working. I was able to reproduce it consistently after like 3-4 unplug cycles. Reproducible on 2 PC's at home. My friend with a Corsair K65 was also able to reproduce. There's about 5 threads on the Corsair forums about it, but Corsair keeps insisting that it's a Steam issue and nothing to do with their software/drivers. Fair enough, but a) if I completely uninstall CUE and the K70 drivers and just use the generic Windows drivers, the issue completely goes away b) marketing your keyboard as a gaming keyboard, but being incompatible with Steam is pretty stupid. Anyway, give that a try and see if you have the same issues. If not, Corsair is pretty solid otherwise. EDIT: Oh, and if you do get the issue. The resolution is to unplug the K70 and plug it back in. Or set the switch at the back of the keyboard to BIOS mode, which sets it to a compatibility mode that lets Windows detect it as a generic keyboard. Constellation I fucked around with this message at 20:39 on Jul 29, 2017 |
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Jul 29, 2017 20:30
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NTRabbit posted:The WASD V2 just went up on massdrop, and to get it shipped to Aus with clears and no caps in ANSI TKL at the best price is $93 plus $33 for shipping, while buying it from WASD is $110 plus $50 for shipping, all in USD Cooler Master MasterKeys Pro S/M/L. The good thing with "gamer" keyboards is that they're most likely to go on random sales in your local country, so keep an eye out and shop around. They also have a non-backlit version with PBT keycaps, but I'd rather get the RGB backlighting and pick up keycaps later. (turns out to be more expensive, but the keycaps you'd get from WASD will be equally as poo poo as the stock OEM ones from Cooler Master anyway) EDIT: Oh, clears? Hmm, not so sure on that one. Constellation I fucked around with this message at 20:03 on Jul 31, 2017 |
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Jul 31, 2017 20:01
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Ducky Shine 6 - White Ducky Year of the Goat - White Ducky One TKL - White iKBC MF108/MF87/F108/F87
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Aug 4, 2017 23:27
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FAT32 SHAMER posted:i picked up the ducky one TKL rgb in white so thanks again! Noice, I thought I needed full-sized too. Then I got a TKL, then used a 60% briefly, and now my daily driver is a 75%. I whip out an additional numpad here and there whenever I work from home though.
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Aug 7, 2017 01:12
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Exchange it. It's not like you're dealing with shipping it from another country eating shipping costs or anything. It's Amazon.
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Aug 10, 2017 20:23
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The Unlife Aquatic posted:Topre switches make the most relaxing sound. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arJnNM5RAMM
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Aug 13, 2017 04:58
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Nice, I've been really liking the 75% layout lately. So much so that I don't know if I'll be going back to a TKL by the time my K-Type arrives, lol.
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Aug 14, 2017 23:33
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Knowlue posted:Realistically, it shouldn't be that hard to ultra nerd out and make your own keyboard from the ground up right? I would be mostly worried about getting the frame and the mechanical parts. In terms of the pcb I could easily draw it up and hand-etch a prototype and get it manufactured at a later date. Does anyone have a clue how much it would cost to get the mech supplies? Is it even worth it to nerd out as an EE or should I just say gently caress it and buy a mechanical keyboard and save myself the trouble. I don't have one yet and I'm thinking of getting one in the near future. I think the biggest hurdle would be sourcing the materials for your case/frame and if you need to do any CNC work done. If you're handcrafting it, then it should be pretty cheap, just takes up a whole lot of time. You don't need a PCB since you can hand wire it and use a teensy board. As for switches, they're relatively cheap at about $0.30 a switch and you have a whole lot of choices out there based on your preferences. (Whereas with prebuilds, they mostly use Cherry switches, which are pretty meh outside of Clears and has fallen out of favour with most enthusiasts) The exception are Zealios switches which can run you at about $0.75 to a dollar per switch. It's a pretty good project to build one from scratch, but there's also a lot of available kits and parts out there that saves you a lot of time and trouble. It's not a full build from the ground up, (you're essentially just screwing things and soldering things together) but can still be a pretty fun project. EDIT: Also, the cost of the Zeal60 is kind of a bad example. The reason why it's that expensive is due to ZealPC charging that much due to the board being fully programmable, RGB and I believe locally sourced? Not too sure on that. A non-RGB but programmable 60% PCB from China like the Satan GH60 is about $30. Honestly, the major money sinkhole in this drat hobby is keycaps. Constellation I fucked around with this message at 19:53 on Aug 16, 2017 |
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Aug 16, 2017 19:47
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I really like how all the vendors have pushed Maxkey to fix their SA legends. Another upcoming Maxkey SA keycap is Maxkey Lime and I'm definitely getting that and probably going to build a keyboard with a wooden case for it. That particular one will have text instead of the fat arrows for the arrow keys also.
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Aug 20, 2017 04:55
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G-Prime posted:Every couple of weeks I get this urge to buy a new keyboard. I've been using a K70 with reds at home for like 2 years, and have to deal with one of the ultracheap Dell pack-ins at the office (or the mushy laptop keys when I'm not at my desk) and it's making me sad. I've got a K-Type coming, but that's at least 3 months out at this point, and I'm still trying to decide if I made a mistake on that one because I ordered it with Kailh Reds. The saving grace, in my mind, is that it's hotswappable, so I can buy a bunch of Cherry Blacks and throw them in instead, if I decide I want more force. I wouldn't worry about switches at all. They're like $0.30 a switch so it's not like you threw money away or something. As for Kailh, their new switches are definitely the best switches in the market right now. (Box, Speed and Pro series) Their previous switches were pretty lacklustre, but they've retooled them recently, so who knows, you might get the retooled originals. Granted, reds are pretty meh in general across all manufacturers, but you can always replace switches. As for a new keyboard, you can try a 75%. It's 60% with a function row and arrow keys. Almost has as many keys as a TKL. The only issue with this is, the better choices out there are mostly custom keyboards like the KBD75. Also, $$$. There's the Vortex Race 3, but the non-standard Esc and Del key can be a pain in the rear end if you ever want to replace the keycaps.
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Aug 27, 2017 21:25
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SA Oblivion is coming tomorrow. Oh boyyyy. https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-oblotzky-sa-oblivion-custom-keycap-set That and GMK Laser is gonna bleed me dry.
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Aug 30, 2017 06:04
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The Unlife Aquatic posted:Wow, how are they charging that much for ABS keycaps? ABS gets a really bad rep because the gaming brand OEMs do make some really lovely thin and brittle ABS keycaps. There's lots of high quality ABS keycaps out there. Specifically the ones Signature Plastics and GMK make. Those 2 make up the higher-end of the keycap market and they're mostly ABS and they're thick as gently caress. People also like their SA keycaps a little shiny so there's that. Also keep in mind that it's all how the material is used, construction helmets also use ABS. Maxkey Ashen Round 2 is especially nice because they fixed their molds to have proper kerning now (no more SHIF T and BACK SPACE plus lots of other fixes). I already have it ordered since I missed out on Round 1. (got stuck with Portland instead  )I'll probably still get the white alphas from Oblivion though.
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Aug 30, 2017 16:48
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ErikTheRed posted:I bought this keyset https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07311XJJX for my QuickFire Rapid and it mostly works fine. I have run into one issue which is that the stems on the spacebar stabilizer don't fit snugly so if I hit the spacebar off-center it sometimes gets stuck. Cut a small piece of scotch tape, enough to cover the + on the stabilizers. Should make for a pretty tight fit after you put the tape on top to wrap the stabilizer.
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Sep 4, 2017 20:35
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surebet posted:i was looking at other stuff in that store, apart from the usual crazy slow ali delivery time, any other impressions wrt the seller? quality of comms and that kind of stuff They're excellent, probably the best vendors I've dealt with for keyboard stuff. Communication is good and they've always responded to me when e-mailing the owner directly. I suggest to shop at their shopify store too as they sometimes have better prices on there. https://kbdfans.myshopify.com/ If you buy the big market items over $100 then they'll actually send it to you via Fedex/DHL for free and you'll get it within a week or so.
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Sep 6, 2017 14:48
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Do it, aluminium cases are awesome. Hell, I'm tempted to get one for a MasterKeys Pro S that I don't even have like a loving moron.
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Sep 6, 2017 21:12
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Yeah, RMA it or work with the retailer instead of the manufacturer this time. No way you should deal with that kind of BS.
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Sep 11, 2017 00:18
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Take your pick based on what you think they'll like from here: https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/46x3gs/guide_the_bottomfeeder_guide_to_mkb_shopping_ie/
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Sep 11, 2017 22:20
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Massdrop is great for anything that's Massdrop exclusive. Everything else, I just get from China. Really interested to get my hands on the True's and Clear's in the future though.
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Sep 14, 2017 20:21
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unpronounceable posted:so I don't need to buy any more keyboard stuff. lol
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Sep 15, 2017 02:18
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Input Club just posted a response to Massdrop's post: https://input.club/official-halo-switch-statement/ In short, Massdrop looks pretty lovely here, but Input Club also seem to be filled with morons. I regret getting into a group buy from both companies.
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Sep 15, 2017 23:48
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The Maxkey Miami Nights came in. The end of the era of SHIF T and BACK SPACE.
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Sep 21, 2017 02:22
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surebet posted:wasd caps aren't great but they'll last a year or so of heavy use. i mean you don't *need* to get something else right out the gate although it's obviously preferred if you're ok with the extra expenditure. I wish, unfortunately the Anne Pro has non-standard screw holes so it won't fit most aftermarket 60% cases out there. This one is a custom with a DZ60 PCB + wood case from KBDfans with Kailh Pro Purple switches.
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Sep 21, 2017 03:45
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surebet posted:hmm, since i'd go with clears i'd source elsewhere, $35 for a pcb with the ic soldering done is well within the realm of reason, especially since i can't do fine pitch to save my life I wouldn't source the PCB anywhere else, tbh, especially locally in the US since they jack up the price. It's best to get the PCB from China and it's only $30. If you spend over $100 they send it over via express shipping for free. MX Clears are a little harder but I guess those you can source locally for like $40 for a 50-pack on flashquark.com. Though if you didn't want totally complete programmability or underglow, then I'd just get a Pok3r with clears. And lol, yeah, I got in on the SA Miami group buy as well from the original group buy runner. (who Maxkey told didn't reach minimum order quantity but made a couple hundred for another vendor anyway) The plan was to mix and match since I didn't quite like how muted Miami Night looked from pictures, but in person, it's actually really nice so I might just sell the day Miami's. Constellation I fucked around with this message at 20:24 on Sep 21, 2017 |
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Sep 21, 2017 17:34
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Weeb keebs represent lol  
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Sep 30, 2017 00:03
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Karsh posted:What's that second keyboard? Hey, it's a KBD75 from KBDfans https://kbdfans.myshopify.com/ Do it. Having a full aluminium board feels great.
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Sep 30, 2017 03:37
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clamiam45 posted:I'm pretty new to mechanical keyboards, but I found the SA Dasher set and it looks really good. Do these things usually only get sold on massdrop? Is there a secondary market I can pick up a set on? There's a secondary market on reddit, r/mechmarket. Be warned though, you'll probably end up paying almost double the price for some of these SA sets. As for if this is going to come back on Massdrop, it's highly unlikely, and if it will, it'll most likely be a year or two from now (and shipping almost that long after that) Best case here is getting this used or if someone initiates a group buy with a China clone of these keycaps through MaxKey.
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Oct 4, 2017 15:56
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pgroce posted:I was all ready to say SP was Chinese (which is what I thought), then I checked their website and saw they were "A leading, family-owned U.S. manufacturer of custom keycaps." Does that mean they're manufacturing in the States, though, or just that the company's owned by an American family? As far as I know, most of their business is based in the US. From what I remember, the custom keycaps for the keyboard enthusiast community is a drop in the bucket compared to their usual business. This is also probably why group buys from the mechkb community are far down the priority in their production queue. You shouldn't really base their company on the pimpmykeyboard.com website. That's mostly something they put up specifically the consumer portal / front-end for the mech KB community and not for their actual business.
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Oct 4, 2017 18:08
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If it makes you feel any better, I bought the MaxKey SA Miami Night and MaxKey SA Miami Day just so I can use the mods of one and the alphas of the other.
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Oct 5, 2017 18:14
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Jeffrey of YOSPOS posted:Okay I get the keyboard thing and like both my unicomp and my cherry-brown keyboard but what's the deal with these keycaps? How do keycaps vary? What makes a good one that you'd spend a bunch of money for? Is it just weight/color? Literally all of it is personal preference. Be it the colourway, the profile:  What makes a "good" one is basically the quality of keycaps from respective vendors and how they look, how the legends are made (dye-subbed, double shot, etc). There's also the type of plastic, which is mostly ABS or PBT. People poo poo on ABS keycaps since most people are exposed to the lovely, brittle and thin ones that come stock with most mechanical keyboards. Quality ABS keycaps are great. Signature Plastics' SA keycaps mostly come in ABS, but they're solid and thick as gently caress. The same applies for the ones from GMK. Cheaper brands from the likes of Tai Hao are also much thicker than the ones you'd find stock from OEMs. People like PBT because it has a rougher and more matte texture, it's also mostly only found in higher quality keycap sets. Beyond that, what's good is entirely up to you. The prices are up there since these keycaps aren't as mass-produced. There's also price gouging going on in the second-hand market for keycaps that are in high-demand. What makes them high in demand? Mostly because people like how they look and they're not readily available to be purchased unless another person/vendor runs a group buy to get them made.
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Oct 5, 2017 21:46
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| # ¿ May 14, 2024 14:23 |
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Yeah, I'd go with the warranty route first. The MK disco is a good replacement as well, it's more or less the same thing but without the CM software, so everything is programmed through the keyboard itself.
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Oct 11, 2017 05:04
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