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Peripherals Mechanical Keyboards

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by Raptor77, 27 Dec 2011.

  1. The_Crapman

    The_Crapman World's worst stuntman. Lover of bit-tech

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    It's weird, after going between my ancient cm storm with browns that are so old and beaten they're basically reds, and using the durgod with silent blacks at work, the gateron browns in the new Keychron feel a little alien. Maybe because the caps on the cm are super lightweight cheapo ones, got pbt on the durgod and abs on the Keychron.
     
  2. BeauchN

    BeauchN Multimodder

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    A good set of keycaps does make a real difference. I’ve found that good ABS and PBT are pretty much even in the quality stakes, despite what some people will say.
     
  3. The_Crapman

    The_Crapman World's worst stuntman. Lover of bit-tech

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    Well I'm getting a set of abs from WASD for the Durgod to pimp it out like a BBC micro. The legends on the K4 are a bit on the thin side for my liking so they'll likely get the boot when I find some backlit ones I like.
     
  4. wyx087

    wyx087 Homeworld 3 is happening!!

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    Great to hear.

    I won a bid on evilBay for a "used once" kitted out K4, for £74. Waiting on delivery. Photos look brand new.
    Is that similar to CM Quickfire TK I currently have?
     
  5. The_Crapman

    The_Crapman World's worst stuntman. Lover of bit-tech

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    Yeh it's a quickfire XT, the full-size one of that same range/gen as the tk, rapid and rapid-i. I also have a rapid-i that's been dropped a few too many times and is in a bad way.
     
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  6. David

    David μoʍ ɼouმ qᴉq λon ƨbԍuq ϝʁλᴉuმ ϝo ʁԍɑq ϝμᴉƨ

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    My Rapid-i is sitting in a box and hasn't seen daylight since i switched to the MX Keys.

    I gotta say, I'm not missing my mech boards at all.
     
  7. The_Crapman

    The_Crapman World's worst stuntman. Lover of bit-tech

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    If you can find a nice keyboard that you like the experience of, doesn't have to be mech at all. I was perfectly happy with my sidewinder x4 when I was full crip and playing games on the sofa, until it "had an accident".

    I'd just wanted a new keyboard for ages and now I have money again it's something to scratch an itch :hehe:
     
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  8. The_Crapman

    The_Crapman World's worst stuntman. Lover of bit-tech

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    Well the K4 is going back and the switch order has been cancelled. Tried using it for a bit this afternoon for work (which really is it's primary function) and just couldn't get on with the 1U bottom row. I use my thumb for 0 on the numpad and it naturally hits the left hand side of the key, which on the Keychron is arrow right. Not ideal for spreadsheets and accounting software.

    I think I'll just get another durgod for home, or something similar. If I can find a quality numpad, one option might be to go seperate numpad and a tkl main board, so can reduce the footprint when it's not needed.

    Shame. Was nice otherwise, but after an hour of frustration this afternoon I've decided it's just not for me. Too old and stuck in my ways :miffed: :hehe:
     
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  9. BeauchN

    BeauchN Multimodder

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    If it doesn’t work for you it doesn’t work for you. It’s annoying but best found out quickly.

    If you’d consider the separate numpad I’d say have a look around at those first. If you don’t see anything you like then focus on a full size. If you do, you might want to then look for a TKL/65%/60% etc. to fit alongside it. KBD fans have an alu option here that would fit well alongside one of their boards or something different. MechBoards have something more simple here. And I’m sure there are plenty of others.
     
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  10. wyx087

    wyx087 Homeworld 3 is happening!!

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    After 2 full weeks of waiting for 1st class signed-for delivery and subsequent ebay refund yesterday. RM came today with a you-owe-us £3.50 slip, sender didn't pay enough postage :rollingeyes: Trying to contact the seller to pay him back after refunded, but anyway, finally got the keyboard.

    Keychron K4, absolutely zero sign of usage, looks and feels brand new. It is spec'd with brown hotswappable switches, aluminium frame and RGB.

    I'm still getting used to the layout. Need some different textured arrow keys to make them easier to find. F5 to F8 could also do with some different texture. I found myself hunting for F4 and F5. The 1U numpad 0 is okay for me, I leave my TK keyboard in arrow mode most of the time anyway. I mainly want the numpad enter key for my mouse hand.

    But loving the muted feel, it is much quieter. I don't think it has been lubed, but sounds like after lube applied videos. The keys have much less clatter noise when brush my finger across. There is also no cheap spring noise. Completely stock (no O ring or foam under the PCB) but bottom out actually produces less noise than my CM Quickfire TK with O ring and PBT keycaps plus stuffed underside.

    I *THINK* I only need to get a space bar to move the Corsair PBT keycaps over, as I don't plan to change numpad or the 1U modifiers so that the PBT arrow keys feel different to surrounding keys.
    I much prefer the textured feel of the PBT keycaps over these smooth surface ones. But after test-fitting a few, it seems PBT keycaps seems to be louder?
     
    Last edited: 1 Apr 2022
  11. IanW

    IanW Grumpy Old Git

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    We all saw this on Friday, right?

     
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  12. Shirty

    Shirty W*nker! Super Moderator

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    Pre-ordered. At £59.99 it'll be the cheapest keyboard I've ever bought.
     
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  13. The_Crapman

    The_Crapman World's worst stuntman. Lover of bit-tech

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    That was one thing I did really like a out the K4. It was so quite for non silent keys. I didn't really like the texture on the keys either, and the legends were too thin for my liking.
     
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  14. wyx087

    wyx087 Homeworld 3 is happening!!

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    Yes, the keys are definitely not for me, feels nice but seems to capture more finger prints than normal. But it's quite hard finding a full set of compatible keys.

    I'm thinking I want: PBT double-shot(?) shine through UK ISO layout with top row End/PgDn and 1U 0 for numpad. Same OEM profile(?).

    Any recommendations on keycap companies/retailers? Generally do no-name ones work okay?
    Do people only change a section of keyboard? Would it look and feel okay if using different keycaps for main section and num pad?

    Without knowing much, I found some but I don't think they are shine-through?
    https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001914646192.html
    https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002487160237.htm
     
  15. The_Crapman

    The_Crapman World's worst stuntman. Lover of bit-tech

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  16. wyx087

    wyx087 Homeworld 3 is happening!!

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    Thanks. Not sure I want that much RGB. I'll have a think......
    There's GMMK pudding set that looks to be compatible and cheaper: https://www.pcgamingrace.com/products/glorious-aura-keycaps-v2-black

    With keycaps, does brand matter? Is there much difference between established brands, like TaiHao, and cheaper no name ones from Aliexpress?


    edit: After very closely checking Aliexpress, the linked etsy one and the GMMK keycaps, the @ and the " are still incorrect. They only really provide the ISO enter keys. Grrrrr
     
    Last edited: 5 Apr 2022
  17. BeauchN

    BeauchN Multimodder

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    That’s a frustration I’ve found with all sorts of sets; ISO comparability doesn’t necessarily equate to UK layout (or any of the other variations of ISO).

    I’ve found several nice sets in group buys, and then found there is no UK ISO comparability… looking on the bright side, that’s probably healthier for my bank balance though
     
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  18. VictorianBloke

    VictorianBloke Man in a box

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    I never managed to find any pudding caps with full UK layout, and went for a tai hao shine through set in the end (deep forest blue) that has every key you can imagine in it and am now glad I did. Think I'd have got tired of the pudding style quite quickly.
     
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  19. wyx087

    wyx087 Homeworld 3 is happening!!

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    TaiHao do these UK ISO keys, but I can't work out which set the 8 gray and black belongs to: https://shop.tai-hao.com/products/pbt-iso-8-key

    After a search of a few keywords and go through of their PBT backlit section, the deep forest blue is their only set that include matching UK ISO keys.
     
  20. VictorianBloke

    VictorianBloke Man in a box

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