Unpopular Keyboard Opinions

[Findecanor]

RetroBlight is bonkers...

[demik]

cherry sucks

[Oobly]

Cherry ML > Topre Or is that just controversial instead of unpopular... let's see from the number of responses.

[HoffmanMyster]

Cherry ML > Topre Or is that just controversial instead of unpopular... let's see from the number of responses.

 

wat

[hwood34]

Cherry ML > Topre Or is that just controversial instead of unpopular... let's see from the number of responses.

People seem to hate ML, the biggest problem being you pretty much have to hit right in the center of the cap to actuate. So yeah, unpopular

[fohat.digs]

A contradiction is not an argument.

[Oobly]

Ooh... I realised I left out an important word. Sorry.

Lubed Cherry ML > Topre...

[ideus]

I think what is throwing me off is the topic of the thread itself.  Are these personal opinions that are unpopular?  Are these things we see other users saying on threads on this and other forums?  And what makes it unpopular or popular?  I guess my logic went out the window here.

Fohat, you are right on point.  I'm just confused about this thread in general and how to respond.

You are not expected to respond, just turn your back to the confusion, and be happy.

[demik]

Cherry ML > Topre Or is that just controversial instead of unpopular... let's see from the number of responses.

dems is fighting words

[Lurch]

typing with long fingernails is the best

[howthegodschill]

typing with long fingernails is the best

I agree 100% with you on this. Although, I have this odd anxiety when my fingernails are too long.

[Touch_It]

fingernails can't stick out past the finger.  CANNOT!!!!

[Dihedral]

Apparently this is unpopular on r/mk.  I wouldn't touch a Corsair keyboard with a ten foot pole.

friend was looking to buy a new mech. Knew I was into keyboards. Asked for advice. Gave plenty of advice on a wide variety of brands and switch he could try. Still bought a k70 w/ browns. Why do I even try

Friend asked for advice about getting a mechanical keyboard. I gave him lots of fair and balanced advice about switch types and keyboards. Gets Blackwidow with Razer Greens. Ah well, at least I'll get to try Razer switches.

[azhdar]

typing with long fingernails is the best

[Justintoxicated]

1) I like Cherry Browns for a do it all option.

2) I liked scissor switched laptops and hate chiclet laptops (but they don't make scissor switches anymore so they must be unpopular)

[davkol]

2) I liked scissor switched laptops and hate chiclet laptops (but they don't make scissor switches anymore so they must be unpopular)

Who doesn't make scissor switches anymore and what does it have to do with popularity?

[demik]

Apparently this is unpopular on r/mk.  I wouldn't touch a Corsair keyboard with a ten foot pole.

friend was looking to buy a new mech. Knew I was into keyboards. Asked for advice. Gave plenty of advice on a wide variety of brands and switch he could try. Still bought a k70 w/ browns. Why do I even try

Friend asked for advice about getting a mechanical keyboard. I gave him lots of fair and balanced advice about switch types and keyboards. Gets Blackwidow with Razer Greens. Ah well, at least I'll get to try Razer switches.

a friend asked me for advice also.


lol jk i dont have friends

[hwood34]

Apparently this is unpopular on r/mk.  I wouldn't touch a Corsair keyboard with a ten foot pole.

friend was looking to buy a new mech. Knew I was into keyboards. Asked for advice. Gave plenty of advice on a wide variety of brands and switch he could try. Still bought a k70 w/ browns. Why do I even try

Friend asked for advice about getting a mechanical keyboard. I gave him lots of fair and balanced advice about switch types and keyboards. Gets Blackwidow with Razer Greens. Ah well, at least I'll get to try Razer switches.

a friend asked me for advice also.


lol jk i dont have friends

awww is ok

[Justintoxicated]

2) I liked scissor switched laptops and hate chiclet laptops (but they don't make scissor switches anymore so they must be unpopular)

Who doesn't make scissor switches anymore and what does it have to do with popularity?

They are no longer popular on laptops, obviously, because they no longer exist on any laptop I can find.

[jacobolus]

They are no longer popular on laptops, obviously, because they no longer exist on any laptop I can find.

Wait what? Most laptops now use scissor switches. The most obvious trendsetting example is all the Apple laptops of the past 15+ years, but most PC laptops now have also used them for some time.

I liked scissor switched laptops and hate chiclet laptops

I think you must have some idiosyncratic definition of “scissor switches” because all the “chiclet” boards I’ve ever seen use scissor switches.

http://deskthority.net/wiki/Scissor_switch

[RoflCopter4]

They are no longer popular on laptops, obviously, because they no longer exist on any laptop I can find.

Wait what? Most laptops now use scissor switches. The most obvious trendsetting example is all the Apple laptops of the past 15+ years, but most PC laptops now have also used them for some time.

I liked scissor switched laptops and hate chiclet laptops

I think you must have some idiosyncratic definition of “scissor switches” because all the “chiclet” boards I’ve ever seen use scissor switches.

http://deskthority.net/wiki/Scissor_switch

All of them?

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/ZXSpectrum48k.jpg

[nubbinator]

I liked scissor switched laptops and hate chiclet laptops

I think you must have some idiosyncratic definition of “scissor switches” because all the “chiclet” boards I’ve ever seen use scissor switches.

http://deskthority.net/wiki/Scissor_switch

99% of chiclet keyboards are still ****.  I'd rather type on a ****ty RD keyboard than an Apple aluminum keyboard.

[danwomansan]

key noise is an unnecessary form of tactile response that too many people look for in keyboards

the wire out from keyboards is often put on the wrong side and should be on the left, so it is less likely to interfere with the mouse for users who use the mouse with the right hand

I like the feel of keys on chiclet keyboards (minus actually pressing them in)

I kind of like when the enter or right shift keys on my crappy spare keyboard get stuck when I'm typing slowly

I prefer prying off caps with a sort of lever over pulling them out properly and wish it was more common for caps to be made to come off this way

[jacobolus]

key noise is an unnecessary form of tactile response that too many people look for in keyboards

tactile (adj): of or connected with the sense of touch

Noise is not tactile. I think the opinion you were looking to express is something like: “Keyswitches should be completely silent.”

I prefer prying off caps with a sort of lever over pulling them out properly and wish it was more common for caps to be made to come off this way

What does it mean to pull them out properly? I pretty much always remove keycaps with a pair of butter knives. Works way better than any fancy keypuller.

[Touch_It]

key noise is an unnecessary form of tactile response that too many people look for in keyboards

tactile (adj): of or connected with the sense of touch

Noise is not tactile. I think the opinion you were looking to express is something like: “Keyswitches should be completely silent.”

I prefer prying off caps with a sort of lever over pulling them out properly and wish it was more common for caps to be made to come off this way

What does it mean to pull them out properly? I pretty much always remove keycaps with a pair of butter knives. Works way better than any fancy keypuller.

Likely what properly means is with a keycap puller.  Pulling straight up with some side to side wiggle if necessary.

[danwomansan]

tactile (adj): of or connected with the sense of touch

Noise is not tactile. I think the opinion you were looking to express is something like: “Keyswitches should be completely silent.”

oh thanks, not great at english

[dodzylla]

I ****** hate ABS vs PBT , both of them are good....

[Dihedral]

I ****** hate ABS vs PBT , both of them are good....

Would you not concede that there is a definite difference between the feel though?

[yiajiipamu]

Granite sets look bad IMO.
Rubber domes can actually be pretty nice, and I feel that people will immediately hate a keyboard for it being a rubber dome without giving it a chance which I find to be ridiculous.

[Dihedral]

Rubber domes can actually be pretty nice, and I feel that people will immediately hate a keyboard for it being a rubber dome without giving it a chance which I find to be ridiculous.

Totally agree. I think as a community we should promote the view of appreciating the benefits of having a better quality keyboard instead of the 'mechanical or gtfo' view. I know someone who has a fairly mundane dell rubber dome keyboard. It is actually very nice to type on. What is important is not having an expensive keyboard, but appreciating that not all keyboards are the same and that it is important to not just put up with a board that you do not enjoy using. I often see (particularly on /r/MK) posts to the effect of 'is this mechanical?', to which the reply is invariably 'no' and the reply of the OP to that post is 'damn it. I guess I'll have to keep on looking' or something else to that effect. They are not giving a thought to the merits of that keyboard, only worrying about weather it fits one criteria. It is totally not as black and white as 'rubber = worthless, mechanical = holy'. I'm sure many people find out about these communities and are scared off by the prices of seemingly 'entry level' boards.

TLDR: good rubber needs more love.

[Lunatique]

Rubber domes can actually be pretty nice, and I feel that people will immediately hate a keyboard for it being a rubber dome without giving it a chance which I find to be ridiculous.

Totally agree. I think as a community we should promote the view of appreciating the benefits of having a better quality keyboard instead of the 'mechanical or gtfo' view. I know someone who has a fairly mundane dell rubber dome keyboard. It is actually very nice to type on. What is important is not having an expensive keyboard, but appreciating that not all keyboards are the same and that it is important to not just put up with a board that you do not enjoy using. I often see (particularly on /r/MK) posts to the effect of 'is this mechanical?', to which the reply is invariably 'no' and the reply of the OP to that post is 'damn it. I guess I'll have to keep on looking' or something else to that effect. They are not giving a thought to the merits of that keyboard, only worrying about weather it fits one criteria. It is totally not as black and white as 'rubber = worthless, mechanical = holy'. I'm sure many people find out about these communities and are scared off by the prices of seemingly 'entry level' boards.

TLDR: good rubber needs more love.

QFA. There are some rubber-dome keyboards I've typed on and made me stop and think, "Hey, this is quite nice!" If they came in form-factors that I preferred (such as TKL or 75%), I'd totally get one, but mainstream keyboards are largely full-size, which just doesn't fit my ergonomic requirement.

Just the other day, I was trying the Razer Tartarus at a store, and I actually really liked the tactile feel of its rubber-dome keys. Felt like a stiffer and slightly less refined version of Topre to me, and that's not a bad thing at all.

[fohat.digs]

First-generation Dell Quietkeys are very nice, so are IBM 8923s.

Compaq made some excellent keyboards in the late-1990s-early-2000s.

[Snowdog993]

The one thing that drove me crazy was the trackpoint knob.  I always used the mouse and found that thing to be very annoying to me when I typed on a laptop.  Even using it was really annoying.  I remember using it and the pointer would just fly across the desktop for no reason at all.  It drove me nuts! I never got used to it.  Arrrrgh!

[howthegodschill]

The one thing that drove me crazy was the trackpoint knob.  I always used the mouse and found that thing to be very annoying to me when I typed on a laptop.  Even using it was really annoying.  I remember using it and the pointer would just fly across the desktop for no reason at all.  It drove me nuts! I never got used to it.  Arrrrgh!

I recall using my sister's laptop on middle school field trips in order to play Half-Life, and only having the nub to use. Quite an infuriating experience as a youngster.

[nubbinator]

The one thing that drove me crazy was the trackpoint knob.  I always used the mouse and found that thing to be very annoying to me when I typed on a laptop.  Even using it was really annoying.  I remember using it and the pointer would just fly across the desktop for no reason at all.  It drove me nuts! I never got used to it.  Arrrrgh!

I recall using my sister's laptop on middle school field trips in order to play Half-Life, and only having the nub to use. Quite an infuriating experience as a youngster.

Great practice for when you're an adult though.

[Dihedral]

Going to breathe some life back into this thread...


buying used keycaps? No thanks....

[MessyCaps]

Going to breathe some life back into this thread...


buying used keycaps? No thanks....

I would agree thats not a popular opinion.

[Dihedral]

Going to breathe some life back into this thread...


buying used keycaps? No thanks....

I would agree thats not a popular opinion.

Yeah... I see a lot of used keycaps / keysets selling. I can understand it for novelty caps (clacks et. al.) but for keysets I just don't get the appeal in spending so much on keycaps that have already been worn, used, and smothered in someone else's finger grease. There are always tons of keysets on sale, after all. Then again, I also hold the opinion that most PMK sets are also less attractive than a nice set of Vortex PBTs at a third of the price.

[dante]

QFA. There are some rubber-dome keyboards I've typed on and made me stop and think, "Hey, this is quite nice!" If they came in form-factors that I preferred (such as TKL or 75%), I'd totally get one, but mainstream keyboards are largely full-size, which just doesn't fit my ergonomic requirement.

Just the other day, I was trying the Razer Tartarus at a store, and I actually really liked the tactile feel of its rubber-dome keys. Felt like a stiffer and slightly less refined version of Topre to me, and that's not a bad thing at all.

I own one of these.  And for a rubberdome it's quite nice.  Short throw, relatively quiet - perfect for the Office and only $20!  It is also spec for 20M presses.

After a year of ownership I compared the most commonly used keys to the unused function keys and they are still equally tactile.

Compared that to "oh noes - my month old $125+ mechanical has chattering switches..." 

[Nai_Calus]

Yeah the used keycap thing is like... Nope. Especially if it's ABS.

[jacobolus]

I just don't get the appeal in spending so much on keycaps that have already been worn, used, and smothered in someone else's finger grease.

A half hour in detergent removes pretty much all finger grease.

[Touch_It]

I can see pbt sets selling (ibm. Unicomp). Outside of that the price  or condition would need to be right.

[Xonar]

After receiving my "Bigfoot" Terminal XT Model F, I think I have a very unpopular opinion to share.

I kinda like the XT layout.

Never thought I'd ever be saying that. It might even become my secondary daily driver along with the 4704.

[Firebolt1914]

After receiving my "Bigfoot" Terminal XT Model F, I think I have a very unpopular opinion to share.

I kinda like the XT layout.

Never thought I'd ever be saying that. It might even become my secondary daily driver along with the 4704.

Hmm. Now I want to try it, even though it looks pretty bad.

[hwood34]

After receiving my "Bigfoot" Terminal XT Model F, I think I have a very unpopular opinion to share.

I kinda like the XT layout.

Never thought I'd ever be saying that. It might even become my secondary daily driver along with the 4704.

Hmm. Now I want to try it, even though it looks pretty bad.

Trust me, there's a reason it's an unpopular opinion

[Touch_It]

After receiving my "Bigfoot" Terminal XT Model F, I think I have a very unpopular opinion to share.

I kinda like the XT layout.

Never thought I'd ever be saying that. It might even become my secondary daily driver along with the 4704.

Stop tempting me.  I keep wanting one more and more, despite having just finished my 4704.

[jacobolus]

Stop tempting me.  I keep wanting one more and more, despite having just finished my 4704.

If you have a 4704 board, there’s very little reason to want an XT (unless it’s to harvest parts for some custom layout or an XTant or something).

[Xonar]

After receiving my "Bigfoot" Terminal XT Model F, I think I have a very unpopular opinion to share.

I kinda like the XT layout.

Never thought I'd ever be saying that. It might even become my secondary daily driver along with the 4704.

Hmm. Now I want to try it, even though it looks pretty bad.

Trust me, there's a reason it's an unpopular opinion

I can't argue with that. It's certainly not for everyone. Still not entirely sure how in the world it turned out that I don't mind the XT layout. lol

After receiving my "Bigfoot" Terminal XT Model F, I think I have a very unpopular opinion to share.

I kinda like the XT layout.

Never thought I'd ever be saying that. It might even become my secondary daily driver along with the 4704.

Stop tempting me.  I keep wanting one more and more, despite having just finished my 4704.

The seller I bought my Bigfoot from has more available, but I doubt they'll last long. At the price he's selling them at, and given that they're NIB and will only need an xwhatsit to be in perfect running order, I'd say you should go for it. 

The XT is a different experience from the 4704. Enough to make me want both on my desk, however I do not yet have a desk large enough to accommodate both. lol The thing that really makes me like it is the wrist rest. It makes it a bit more comfortable to type on than the 4704, which doesn't even have raisers. It also has some of the nicest caps IBM has ever put on a keyboard. People like to source XT alphanumerics to put on other BS boards for a good reason. Regardless, I love both of them.

[hwood34]

will only need an xwhatsit to be in perfect running order

Aren't those incompatible with his converter? I just remember thinking I would do the same and he said that it wouldn't work

[blazarcher]

1. I hate full sized keyboards! (Even though I have a Filco 100% xD)

2. I love Cherry MX Browns () especially for gaming!

3. I hate Model M's, actually I hate all old keyboards!

4. I hate LED's on keyboards unless they are white or very subtle.

5. I hate corsairs, razors, thermaltake, and any other company that overdoes branding.

6. I hate dolch keycaps (Nahhhh, I'm kidding, I love them!)

7. I LOVE purple FMJ Poker cases!

Forgot to mention:

8. I hate Topres! (feel like rubber domes to me)