Unpopular Keyboard Opinions

[esoomenona]

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[HPE1000]

F is no better than M. It might be functionally, in that you get NKRO over 2KRO, but the feeling isn't any better, and neither is the sound. Also, the layouts and boards are ugly, and will never compete with an SSK.

Now that is an unpopular opinion 

I do agree though, ssk looks so much nicer than any F out there.

[nubbinator]

F is no better than M. It might be functionally, in that you get NKRO over 2KRO, but the feeling isn't any better, and neither is the sound. Also, the layouts and boards are ugly, and will never compete with an SSK.

While I don't disagree with your second point, my F AT has a night and day difference in feeling than the Model Ms I've owned and used.  The Model M feels like a toy while the F feels solid.

[FrostyToast]

I was bored and waiting for my coffee to take hold, so I decided to tally the unpopular opinions, summarizing them into categories. There is no nuance to this chart and some opinions were either clearly not unpopular (60% is awesome is not an unpopular opinion) or were too lengthy and specific to be worth trying to simplify. Through my extremely unscientific analysis, I present to you the most popular "unpopular opinions" of the thread as of the time of posting!

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Love is the true unpopular opinion.  :'(

Hoffy bb you have my love

[HPE1000]

F is no better than M. It might be functionally, in that you get NKRO over 2KRO, but the feeling isn't any better, and neither is the sound. Also, the layouts and boards are ugly, and will never compete with an SSK.

While I don't disagree with your second point, my F AT has a night and day difference in feeling than the Model Ms I've owned and used.  The Model M feels like a toy while the F feels solid.

Yes, I think everything about the model f outside of the layout is better than the mode m. It's just so crisp in comparison to the m. But I guess it's all opinion.

[NeedAFix]

Here may be an unpopular keyboard opinion:  Keyboards are great melee weapons.

[Blackehart]

Here may be an unpopular keyboard opinion:  Keyboards are great melee weapons.

Nope. Not unpopular.

That's why I invested in customs with metal cases....might have to go upside the heads of a couple of zombies when the zombie apocalypse hits...

 

Or just to have handy in case you need to go upside someone's head...


 

[esoomenona]

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[HoffmanMyster]

Let's change the title to "Refute others' unpopular opinions by stating popular opinion".

Honestly, the fact that people actually argued with you about it means that yours is the only truly unpopular opinion.

Most of the others are opinions that a lot of people hold, but they're not vocal in the community.  Not liking F over M is legitimately unpopular.  So you should feel good.  But you should also feel bad because you're wrong.  xD

[HPE1000]

Let's change the title to "Refute others' unpopular opinions by stating popular opinion".

Honestly, the fact that people actually argued with you about it means that yours is the only truly unpopular opinion.

Most of the others are opinions that a lot of people hold, but they're not vocal in the community.  Not liking F over M is legitimately unpopular.  So you should feel good.  But you should also feel bad because you're wrong.  xD

This

[Dub]

1. Linear switches are horrible.
2. Artisan keycaps look horrible (I do appreciate the artistry involved though).
3. Rainbow/multicolored/transparent keycaps look trashy.
4. I hate any keyboard that does not have arrow keys (I love the look of them).
5. Gaming keyboards.... ew

[HPE1000]

Everyone hates linear switches

[hwood34]

1. Linear switches are horrible.
3. Rainbow/multicolored/transparent keycaps look trashy.
5. Gaming keyboards.... ew

popular opinions

[FrostyToast]

Soo according to the responses in this thread, my opinion should truly be unpopular:
I think linear switches are fantastic!

fite me

[nubbinator]

Everyone hates linear switches

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Ghost Blacks/Reds = Best Goddamn Cherry switches aside from Ergo Clears.  Second only in awesomeness to Green Alps, but even then it's a close one.

[Flyersfan1]

Everyone hates linear switches

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I love them! You and I are #teamlinear
To everyone else,

[FrostyToast]

Everyone hates linear switches

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I love them! You and I are #teamlinear
To everyone else,

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Can I join the linear team? (he says typing on 100g clears with a linear keyboard collecting dust and waiting to be desoldered)

[Computer-Lab in Basement]

If it doesn't click, it's ****.

[HPE1000]

Everyone hates linear switches

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Ghost Blacks/Reds = Best Goddamn Cherry switches aside from Ergo Clears.  Second only in awesomeness to Green Alps, but even then it's a close one.

Is ghost black a black switch with clear springs? I have clear springs sitting around so I could do that.

I might try that if I ever get a 360 corsa, but that won't happen  :'(

[Flyersfan1]

Everyone hates linear switches

Show Image

Ghost Blacks/Reds = Best Goddamn Cherry switches aside from Ergo Clears.  Second only in awesomeness to Green Alps, but even then it's a close one.

Is ghost black a black switch with clear springs? I have clear springs sitting around so I could do that.

I might try that if I ever get a 360 corsa, but that won't happen  :'(

Yep! Black/Red stem with clear spring. I've wanted to try that for a while too, but I've become very accustomed and comfortable with 62g blacks.

[Latin00032]

Sometimes I actually like to switch from using mx and topre to regular rubber domes.

I think I like the change in feeling.

But, for the most part, I like mx.

[FoxWolf1]

+1 for linear team. MX Black is the "true" Cherry MX, after all; everything else is basically a jury rigged modification.

So I suspect this one might be fairly unpopular: The ability to change/replace keycaps is unimportant. Non-standard keycap sizes are a good thing, because variety is the spice of life.

Also, big-ass enter is awesome. I need to get another keyboard with that sometime...

[demik]

this thread sucks.

and the beatles are horrible.


80% of the **** said here is not even close to being an unpopular opinion.

here's one.

if you can't touch type, why the **** are you spending 60+ on a keyboard.


most of these are just preferences. including the **** i've said myself.

[Schwarz]

I'll agree with that, I always cringe when I see a mechanical/topre review and the person can't even touch type. Jesus Christ, I don't care if it's how you learned. Unlearn your bad habits and do it right.

[Veridis]

+1 on people who can't touch type..  =x

[snipars]

WASD keyboards are dreadful

[rowdy]

WASD keyboards are dreadful

Most people find them pretty good.

Any reason you feel they are dreadful?

[Grim Fandango]

this thread sucks.

and the beatles are horrible.


80% of the **** said here is not even close to being an unpopular opinion.

here's one.

if you can't touch type, why the **** are you spending 60+ on a keyboard.


most of these are just preferences. including the **** i've said myself.

Most are just "disagree with the general attitude towards this of the forum"-opinions. They are not really that shocking.

Non touch-typist simply wasting their money on expensive keyboards is something that I think is indeed an unpopular opinion. I know there are quite a few of those people on geekhack. I would be lying if I said that I have not thought this every time someone mentions they do not touch type. I also think that the main benefit in terms of feel of a keyboard is mostly lost on those who do not touch type.

[divito]

Non touch-typist simply wasting their money on expensive keyboards is something that I think is indeed an unpopular opinion. I know there are quite a few of those people on geekhack. I would be lying if I said that I have not thought this every time someone mentions they do not touch type. I also think that the main benefit in terms of feel of a keyboard is mostly lost on those who do not touch type.

This. Same thing kind of applies to legended caps as well. There are some where simply the aesthetic value works, but most other times, it's fairly pointless.

[jackalope]

Cant stand led's on keyboards, with the exception of num lock.

[intelli78]

my favorite numpad is my microwave.

MEMBRANE NO DOME MASTER RACE

[whentheclouds]

i can type without looking at the board, but i have a very unorthodox finger placement scheme. am i still qualified as a touch typist?

[jacobolus]

my favorite numpad is my microwave.

My favorite is the pad for entering the code to open my garage door. No one will ever guess the code, as it involves pressing the enter key three times (it doesn’t register unless you press the **** out of it, and even when you know that, it’s impossible to press hard enough on the first try; fortunately the number keys seem to work at least 80% of the time).

[jacobolus]

i can type without looking at the board, but i have a very unorthodox finger placement scheme. am i still qualified as a touch typist?

Yes. Being a “touch typist” isn’t worth much though, it’s just a label.

What kind of typing speed can you get with your unorthodox scheme? How unorthodox are we talking here? Most (but not all) of the unorthodox schemes I’ve seen are unorthodox because they’re bad.

[yasuo]

2switch more stable than stabs

[whentheclouds]

What kind of typing speed can you get with your unorthodox scheme? How unorthodox are we talking here? Most (but not all) of the unorthodox schemes I’ve seen are unorthodox because they’re bad.

i mostly just don't have a pattern and deviate my finger placement based on words. for example, "OPA" would be right index finger - right middle finger, but "KOP" would be right index - right middle - right ring. i also move my hands around a lot instead of leaving them in a central position like good touch typists do.

my highest WPM at 10FF is around 90, but i'm probably a 70-75 in practice. a bit faster than average but pales in comparison to any decent typist

[jacobolus]

i mostly just don't have a pattern and deviate my finger placement based on words. for example, "OPA" would be right index finger - right middle finger, but "KOP" would be right index - right middle - right ring. i also move my hands around a lot instead of leaving them in a central position like good touch typists do.

I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with that, but I expect it takes more practice and thought to type fast in such a scheme, because the muscle memory is a bit tougher if you can’t mostly associate particular letters with particular fingers. I suspect the difference would get particularly noticeable with a better-than-QWERTY letter arrangement designed with a standard-ish touch typing technique in mind. On the flipside, some of the fastest typists in the world have similar ad-hoc techniques.

[whentheclouds]

i did try Colemak but quit after a few hours, couldn't get anything done with it

the muscle memory is a bit tougher if you can’t mostly associate particular letters with particular fingers

yep, it's most noticeable when typing an unfamiliar word, i would make all sorts of mistakes. sometimes i have to mentally spell out a word and type it off that, which isn't much different from just looking at the keyboard legends

[JaccoW]

Hmmmm, I see a lot of repeat opinions here so let me just add a few more:

1. Anything lighter than MX Clears or MX Blacks is for weak fingered pussies.
2. MX Blue feels and sounds horrible. MX Green, while better, still feels and sounds cheap.
3. 60% boards are unergonomic as soon as you have to do anything that is not on the standard layout.
4. PBT is overrated. I prefer the feel of GMK ABS, especially when slick
5. I have yet to find a beige set that I really liked.
6. There are no good looking backlit compatible keycaps
7. SP translucent doubleshots look horrible
8. Keysets that lack nubs on the F and J keys are stupid
9. Dolch is boring. Classy but boring
10. Beige keysets with grey modifiers looks awful. It's not retro. It's dirty.
11. Backlit only looks good with the right keycaps or when done right. Like I did.

[nubbinator]

8. Keysets that lack nubs on the F and J keys are stupid

That seems pretty popular.

SCOOPS 4 LYFE!

[snipars]

WASD keyboards are dreadful

Most people find them pretty good.

Any reason you feel they are dreadful?

 
the crappy keycaps ruin the switches

[demik]

WASD keyboards are dreadful

Most people find them pretty good.

Any reason you feel they are dreadful?

 
the crappy keycaps ruin the switches

it sucks that you cant change them. OH WAIT YOU CAN.

thus not making their boards bad.

[faceyourfaces]

WASD keyboards are dreadful

Most people find them pretty good.

Any reason you feel they are dreadful?

 
the crappy keycaps ruin the switches

it sucks that you cant change them. OH WAIT YOU CAN.

thus not making their boards bad.

The main appeal of the V2 is the ability to customize the artwork on the keycaps, so a buyer likely wouldn't even want to have to change them.

[esoomenona]

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[Grim Fandango]

WASD keyboards are dreadful

Most people find them pretty good.

Any reason you feel they are dreadful?

 
the crappy keycaps ruin the switches

it sucks that you cant change them. OH WAIT YOU CAN.

thus not making their boards bad.

The main appeal of the V2 is the ability to customize the artwork on the keycaps, so a buyer likely wouldn't even want to have to change them.

On the other hand they are one of the few (the only?) sellers that let you buy their keyboards without keycaps. Since they offer the keyboard "barebones" I think you can not really say their entire product sucks. But are they not simply ABS, OEM profile keycaps? Is there any specific reason why they are terrible? Because I did not know this.

[connorelsea]

The appeal of the WASD V2 TKL is that it is being sold barebones and it has a sleek, logo-less, and well-built body. I love the body of the TKL. I am using caps that I bought elsewhere. I wanted a rugged body with straight lines.

So not only does it offer customization if you order their key caps, but you can also buy it as a blank slate to put whatever you want on it! It's been pretty great so far.

[jacobolus]

WASD keyboards are dreadful [...] the crappy keycaps ruin the switches

On the other hand they are one of the few (the only?) sellers that let you buy their keyboards without keycaps. Since they offer the keyboard "barebones" I think you can not really say their entire product sucks. But are they not simply ABS, OEM profile keycaps? Is there any specific reason why they are terrible? Because I did not know this.

They’re just normal not-too-thick pad-printed ABS OEM-profile keycaps. Presumably snipars really doesn’t like that.

[azhdar]

WASD are the only one offering clear/green in ISO version , if you don't want to take out the iron , they're great .

their low quality keycaps please the one that want stupid looking boards , normal people will buy them barebone .

[saint_james]

Here's an unpopular opinion for y'all:  I love my WASD v2 keyboard.  The stock UV-treated ABS keycaps are not really bad at all.  I slightly prefer the thick PBT Leopold caps but the stock caps are not obviously inferior.  I believe most of the hate felt towards WASD keycaps is rooted in the previous version before the current UV treated caps.

[demik]

The main appeal is the cheap cost for such customization, which comes at the sacrifice in cap quality. Not nearly as many people (outside of this site, aka the real world, which everyone seems to ignore) would be interested in paying for something else.

No one else offers what WASD offers, and you should appreciate them for that.

bingo.

the people that care about cap feel (us) already know not to expect the greatest of quality from wasd's keycaps. that's why they offer a barebones model.