I'm wanting to get a keyboard to use with my laptop when I travel, and I think I want Cherry browns or something similar. It seems like my options are:
- Happy hacking Topre capacitive, $265, 1 lb. Probably great but expensive.
- Filco tenkeyless, $120, 2 lbs (great except too heavy)
- i-Rocks KR-6230, $83. I couldn't find a weight but probably heavy as I saw a picture showing the keys mounted in a metal plate.
My questions are:
- Anyone know the weight of the KR-6230, or have one they'd be willing to weigh for me?
- Anyone have ideas on whether it's easy to lighten the Filco? My hope would be that it has deliberately added weight I could take out.
- Any other ideas on boards I should consider?
- Why so little discussion of laptop or portable keyboards here?
For background, I'm presently using AT-101W's at home and at work, and find them a little stiff, but I really like their smooth force profile and actuation prior to bottoming out. I've sometimes hauled them along traveling, but they are huge and heavy, so more recently I've been using a goldtouch portable keyboard when I travel. It is lower force than most laptops, but has buckling action and my RSI eventually kicks in when I use it a lot. Two keys on it just quit working and I want to consider getting something better rather than fixing it. I like mac and old dell laptop keyboards--both low force, smooth force profile. I tried out the mac USB keyboard which is compact and supposed to be the same keys as their laptops, but it's slightly stiffer and has a distinct buckling action that I don't like.
Thanks for your help!
AFAIAC, the PFU Fujitsu HHKB Pro 2 is the
only practical travel keyboard I've yet to come across. Your two alternatives and the keyboards others have referenced in subsequent posts are not really practical for use as travel keyboards.
My HHKB gets beat up pretty good almost every weekend. I'm constantly yanking it out of my carry-on laptop bag to use on the plane and also frequently use it in my dimly lit office where it occasionally gets knocked off the desk. You just won't find another keyboard with the HHKB's unique form factor and incredible build quality that is 100% reliable (well, it hasn't failed me yet). Topre key switches are technically not mechanical key switches which means they are immune to many of the conditions that cause mechanical switches to fail. The Topre key switches are quiet, yet tactile, and provide the essential 4 mm key travel. The layout is a royal pain in the ass, especially at first. Key caps with labels you can actually read were a big hit with me.
$265 may seem like a lot of coin to lay out for a travel keyboard and I guess it would be if I were using the HHKB to write novels or poetry on my leisure time. But in the big scheme of things, if you plan to use the HHBK for work related activities, especially important activities that relate to your own business, $265 is a rounding error. Besides, you can write-off legitimate business expenses ;)
If you decide to go with the HHKB, I suggest getting a travel case that provides adequate protection for the HHKB in transit. The custom made padded case with the turquoise accents is probably OK. I personally use a padded sleeve I discovered from Waterfield Designs of San Francisco. There is also a custom fit hard case made by Bird Electron in Japan that I would like to get my hands on some day.
