Author Topic: Next keyboard recommendation?  (Read 2444 times)

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Offline grapefruit

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  • Posts: 34
Next keyboard recommendation?
« on: Sun, 23 January 2022, 12:06:04 »
So I've tried a few mechanical keyboards:

-Coolmaster with Cherry Blues: really disliked these. Keys felt 'sticky'
-Realforce with 55g Topre: smooth, but felt too heavy. Felt typing fatigue
-Hexgears impulse with Box whites: have been using these for the past couple of years... really enjoy them. Excellent.

Given these experiences, if I wanted to move on from my Box whites, any recommendations on what I might really enjoy next?

Offline HungerMechanic

  • Posts: 1378
Re: Next keyboard recommendation?
« Reply #1 on: Sun, 23 January 2022, 12:44:49 »
The new Zeal clicky, maybe? Otherwise, you could take a step up to BOX Pink.

BOX Jade is a great switch, but much more tactile than BOX White. There are new, dampened BOX Jades out, but they should also be considerable more tactile than BOX White. Same for Zeal, though.

You could also go to Matias Clicky. Go watch recent Chyros video about those in a good board. A more affordable board is available, Matias Clicky should present an interesting alternative for you.

45 G Topre, either silent or not, should be fine for you. Realforce R3 board is coming out. You can replace the domes with 35 G BKE or something, if 45 G isn't to your liking.

There are other interesting clickies available, such as Kailh Sherbet, OUTEMU Phoenix from Gazzew, and odd tactiles such as TTC Bluish White [almost feels like double-actuation, down then up,] and Kangaroo.

Then there's OUTEMU / Gazzew U4 Boba, which is a popular silent heavy tactile. Should be less-tactile than 55 G Topre [and adjustable], while still being a fairly rich and quiet MX tactile. Very stable, becomes smooth over time, little-wobble.

The Huano fruit lineup offers some interesting things. The Huano Banana feels like an Ergo Clear on steroids - very poppy. Kinda of like a smaller Holy Panda, with a more subtle tactility that engages more throughout the keypress. Loud AF though, because it's long-pole [although not the worst]. Cheap and comes in cool collectible 'fruit can' containers.

Offline HungerMechanic

  • Posts: 1378
Re: Next keyboard recommendation?
« Reply #2 on: Sun, 23 January 2022, 12:58:24 »
Also, some Kailh BOX clickies that are in-between BOX White and BOX Jade are BOX Noble Yellow and BOX Pale Blue [with Noble Yellow being the lightest.]

Offline grapefruit

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Re: Next keyboard recommendation?
« Reply #3 on: Sun, 30 January 2022, 10:18:30 »
Thank you!

Offline bansheetango

  • Posts: 55
Re: Next keyboard recommendation?
« Reply #4 on: Mon, 31 January 2022, 02:28:39 »
-Realforce with 55g Topre: smooth, but felt too heavy. Felt typing fatigue
Niz X87 35g. Electrocapacitive thock but light and comfortable. If curious, make sure to try a 2021 version, they have improved the build quality noticeably compared to the older ones.

Offline granola bar enthusiast

  • Posts: 316
  • Location: USA
Re: Next keyboard recommendation?
« Reply #5 on: Tue, 26 April 2022, 20:50:07 »
There has been a lot of innovation in "DIY Kit's" or barebones boards recently, if you like a more flexible typing experience the FreeBird TKL is a great semi-budget option that is constantly in either pre-order phase or in-stock (full alu case, no weight, gummy o-ring/top mount compatible, hot-swap PCB, electrophoresis finish on all color's for case, hot-swap PCB with multi-layout compatibility, iso PCB's available if you want it, and all the different plate materials you could ever want as options)
« Last Edit: Tue, 26 April 2022, 20:51:40 by granola bar enthusiast »