Peripherals Mechanical Keyboards

Did it take long to get used to the change from ISO to ANSI?

Also if anyone has any recommendations for barebones, I'm all ears.

 

I was in my early-to-mid 20s, so no.

I struggle with ISO now though. Gave away my last ISO keyboard because I just couldn't (Portuguese layout).

 

vc é português?

Looking at the options for caps, it make force the change.

Well into this rabbit hole now.

 

Yeah sou tuga.
The rabbit hole just gets deeper and deeper. Careful you don't run into a balrog.

 

Morei no Brasil por dez anos, então sei português, mas não o português de Portugal o tempo todo.

Yeah, I keep forgetting that little thing about the pound sign.

The more I am looking the higher the budget goes. Is that a bad sign?

Currently eyeing up this: Monsgeek M1 V5 but again south facing LEDS

 

Got it, ta - have edited!

Ducky are generally well regarded, as far as I know.

Though personally I would recommend avoiding a “barebones kit”, the main reason being:

It is a very easy rabbit hole to fall into and it goes deep… very deep…

Find a complete keyboard you like the look of which has the features you want/need, the sort of switches you’re after (which sounds like “red” or linear switches), and doesn’t have exotic or non-Cherry key cap stems. Even if it comes without the switches or keycaps installed and you have to assemble it yourself (like my other half’s GMMK keyboard did).

The only other requirement you will want to be concerned with is hot-swap switch sockets. You do not want to de-solder and re-solder 160 or more individual pin connections just to try new switches.

This kind of stuff is highly, highly personal, and you won’t know what you like in terms of key caps, switches, stabilisers, switch materials, key cap materials, switch lube, gasket mount vs plate mount, etc, until you try it. You could spend hours, days, researching ahead of time without ever being able to make a decision on something.

 

I think I have found a barebones I like (hot swappable switches, everything else is pre made) only finding south facing shine through caps is impossible. Seems to be a bit of a theme on the threads I read between casual users wanting to dip their toes in the scene and elitists telling them what they should want and that includes not having RGB so they are silly for looking for shine through caps.

Not sure why there are so many south facing LED KBs and no shine though caps for this positioning though other than how things have been standardised for some switches. Big market gap it seems.

 

Consider getting side-printed keycaps.

 

I looked at those but not sure. Think I may get the GMMK 3.

 

I've had gmmk 1 and currently have a 2, and loved both of them. Build quality of both is brilliant, they feel hefty, and are nice to type on. Obviously switch choice will have a big effect there too. Only thing that let the 1 down was the stabs, the 2 was a vast improvement, and by all accounts the 3 is even better.

Can't recall which off the top of my head, but some models of the 3s are gasket mount, which will make it quieter.

Edit: if you're after quiet tactile switches I can highly recommend Boba U4s. (Not the black version that'll block RGB)

 

I can only comment on the reds but they are quiet, especially when paired with some anti vibration donuts. I ended up doing this for my other half as she hates noisy keyboards. You lose a tiny bit of the tactile feel with the donuts but they really do make it nearly silent.

 

Not sure how they compare in terms of actuation force, but I’ve been using Gateron “Milky Yellow” switches (rainforest link) for a while and they seem pretty good.

You probably know this, but “silent” switches don’t make for a “silent” keyboard. You’re still going to have key noise from the switches bottoming out, you just won’t have the sharp “clack” to go with it. Unless you use some kind of dampeners/o-rings, but then you have to be careful that the switch actuation point isn’t too low.

 

Assert your dominance and revert to an old electric typewriter. -Of course, then the neighbors will complain.

 

There are ‘silent’ tactile switches, but they’re not exactly silent. I’ve got a board with Zeal Zilent switches in and it is pretty quiet, but they’re certainly aren’t cheap - £8 for 10 switches!

there seem to be plenty of options about though, Gateron, Keychron, Bobby, etc seem to do various varieties of silent tactile. I suspect they are all much the same.

 

Do you know if it's the 'click' of the switch (if blue/blue esque) or the bottoming out 'thunk' that is the issue? Orings were certainly a 'standard' way of quitening boards when I was first looking at them, not something I actually tried although I do think I have a bag of them somewhere I meant to try at some point...

Browns or similar plus orings could be a tactile but quiet (not silent) option I would think.

 

If that's the case then why not browns (or the knock offs)? I hate the linear feel for typing myself, and they're basically silent besides the bottoming out sound.

Have you tried a linear switch?