Very happy Newbie

[schmolch]

I want to say thank you to this board, without you i would not have gotten my first real keyboard today (a Das 3).

I used notebook-style keyboards for the last couple of years (because i liked the thinkpad-keyboards) and was originally just looking for a wireless version of the cherry stream (i got it and it sucked).
I remembered those weirdos on the internet (where else?) who like old clicky-keyboards (that would be you) and ordered a Das 3 (didnt wanna bother with old dirty keyboards from ebay).

I am so f'ing happy, my fingers fly over the keys and every keypress is a pleasure.
I did not know typing can be a enjoyable experience and now it is.

Hahaha it is awesome.

Thank you!

[lam47]

What a nice post!
The blues are very nice switches and one I intend to re visit at some point.
Be warned it does not usually stop at one keyboard.
You will start looking at other members collections with envious eyes untill one day you are sitting at your desk Typing away on A Happy Hacker, a cherry brown board sitting just above 3 IBMs in a box to your left, AN SGI OVER ON THE BEDSIDE TABLE, A CLICKY ALPS BOARD UNDER THE DESK AND THE DOG IS ON THE BED AGAIN! AND YOU ARE BROKE BUT HAPPY AND AND...

[bigpook]

What a nice post!
The blues are very nice switches and one I intend to re visit at some point.
Be warned it does not usually stop at one keyboard.
You will start looking at other members collections with envious eyes untill one day you are sitting at your desk Typing away on A Happy Hacker, a cherry brown board sitting just above 3 IBMs in a box to your left, AN SGI OVER ON THE BEDSIDE TABLE, A CLICKY ALPS BOARD UNDER THE DESK AND THE DOG IS ON THE BED AGAIN! AND YOU ARE BROKE BUT HAPPY AND AND...

true, so true.

[schmolch]

You will start looking at other members collections with envious eyes untill one day you are sitting at your desk Typing away on A Happy Hacker, a cherry brown board sitting just above 3 IBMs in a box to your left,...[/B]

I dont think so!

I was wondering though how other keyboards feel.
The DAS III first shocked me because i was expecting it to require a lot more force to press the keys down.
Also, i often use earplugs (i hate noise) but then i barely hear the keyboard anymore.
Would a model M be louder and require more force?
I understand they are available on ebay.
Hmmm...


Oh No it is already starting!!!

[lexicon]

If you can hear the keyboard the music isn't loud enough.

[bigpook]

Man, you got to get yourself a Model M. Its a classic and compared to the DasIII is louder and the keys are way more tactile. They are relatively cheap so there is not much to lose.

[itlnstln]

Get a kb with clicky Alps (preferably and old Northgate 'board).  Even your neighbors down the street will complain about the noise.

[bhtooefr]

The Model M is louder, requires more force, and has more tactility (that is, once the "snap" occurs, there's more of a drop in force.)

Then again, that "requires more force" bit is the whole reason why I bought a Cherry MX blue board in the first place.

[wellington1869]

I was wondering though how other keyboards feel.

ah, that question is the beginning of the end.

Would a model M be louder and require more force?

yes, in all the right ways

Though if you wanted a slightly more liveable M, I'd say get a unicomp because they're a touch lighter (both keypress and weight) and have a more modern layout/usb/etc.

[xsphat]

Alps whites are louder than buckling springs by a landslide.

[lam47]

And fake white ALPS are louder still!

[lowpoly]

Since recently I have an Ortek MCK-142Pro with original white clicky Alps. Didn't do a direct comparison yet but I think they are quieter than buckling springs. Even quieter than blue Cherrys which I just tried.

I haven't opened a switch yet.

[itlnstln]

I think a lot of the sound produced by Alps switches (and their imitators) is contributed to by the overall construction of the keyboard.  For my Alps-based keyboards here is how mine rank from loudest to quietest:

Northgate Evolution (the case of this 'board is almost all steel)
Dell AT101W (This 'board is mostly plastic)
ABS M1 (Again, mostly plastic, thus, more inert)

I would say the Model M is quieter than all 3.

[bigpook]

Its still safe to say that BS and alps are just plain loud. Those in ear-shot won't discern the difference either way. : )

[Chloe]

The buckling springs in my A01 sound alot quieter than clicky ALPS. I don't feel worried about typing on it late at night.

[skriefal]

And fake white ALPS are louder still!

I've noticed the same.  The clones from Strongman seem to be quite loud, whereas the older true Alps switches in a Northgate 102 are much quieter.  But this may be due to wear or age instead of any specific difference in the build quality or such.

[itlnstln]

I've noticed the same.  The clones from Strongman seem to be quite loud, whereas the older true Alps switches in a Northgate 102 are much quieter.  But this may be due to wear or age instead of any specific difference in the build quality or such.

I have found that the fake non-clicky Alps I have in my M1s are more tactile than the real Alps in my Dells.  I don't know if the M1s have Strong Mans or not, but I think the 3rd party mfrs. have a more pronounced bend in the leaf than Alps did.

[schmolch]

I took your advise and got myself a Model M, 2 of them actually :-)

I initially bought a used one for 35€ but it arrived badly damaged. Lots of keys off and with a large crack. The seller offered me to return my money or purchase a brand new one for a additional 30€ which i accepted.
The old one i could keep and i already cleaned it and glued it back together. It works fine now.

Today i got the brand new one. It is from 99 with a permanently attached cable but thats ok because the spiral cable from the old one took away alot of room on my Desk (how do you clean a dirty old spiral cable btw.? i could not get the dirt off as easily as on the M itself).
Besides being clean and pretty the new one also feels a little bit better. The keys feel more mechanical and precise whereas the old one felt a little bit more squishy. The new one also appears to be louder which i like :-) These are only minor differences though, i would say they are 95% identical.

The differences between the M and the DAS 3 are bigger of course.
The DAS clicks much sooner with alot of travel left while the M clicks very late with no travel left.
What i like about the M is how the resistance of the springs grows up over a relatively large distance before it finally clicks.
The M also requires much more force as you all already know.
I still really like the DAS though and will definitely keep it. The clicks feel and sound great, you just land a little bit hard.

Well, thats it for now, i feel completely satisfied with my (keyboard) life now (dont give me any ideas ok?) :-)

[lowpoly]

how do you clean a dirty old spiral cable btw.?

In the dishwasher.

[Haruko]

That's great to hear Schmolch, I will also be moving to a Buckling Spring/ALPS keyboard soon as well , I hate this Dome Switch one I'm using right now.

[wellington1869]

What i like about the M is how the resistance of the springs grows up over a relatively large distance before it finally clicks.

Me too, this is what so unique about the BS force curve. It rises progressively and then suddenly "gives way" and there's no mistaking that the switch has registered (and the click happens at the same time because the giving-way is what causes the click).  Its a great "synchronization" of a tactile and audio experience. Alps have springs too for instance, but the feel doesnt match up with the sound in that perfect way; you get the click from a click leaf and the resistance remains in the spring (unlike the bs) so you dont get that "double confirmation" on all your senses, fingers and ears at the same time.  (Dont get me wrong, I like my real-simplified alps a lot too, but they're quite different)

Its this combination and synchronization of finger-feel and sound in the BS that makes it so unique as a switch. (I kinda like it as you can tell )

My only issue with bs was that I wanted it lighter (in feel and sound, lol) but I wanted those dynamics to remain. (Hence I went with unicomp (a bit lighter springs) and then greased it, lol).  But I have to say my tp2 (with 'real-simplified' alps) is on par with it as a fun typing experience.  I'm just glad someone out there is still making these complicated switches.

[bhtooefr]

Oh, and the Cherries... the giving way and the noise are connected, but it's not quite a progressive rise, and the keystroke transmission... I think it's related to the giving way, but it isn't at the same point.

(Still like how they feel, though.)