Unpopular Keyboard Opinions

[E3E]

I think the x is more interesting than y argument is a weird one.  Taste is subjective and everyone has different things that they like.  I love my little Dolly caps that I make, but I don't think they have any more real artistic merit over others out there outside of copycaps. I always love to hear that people love what I make, but sometimes you need a more subtle accent and other times something more dramatic is perfect.  I really have a lot of respect for Clack, Punks, Bro, Binge, and Booper since they seem to really enjoy the craft and try hard to keep it art and make sure that they put the art first while striving for something high quality.  I know I've come a long way in what I've done, but I've still got a long way to go and I'll keep striving for that as long as I have fun doing so.

The one thing I think most could agree on is that the artisan explosion has gotten a bit absurd, especially since you see people not vested in the community trying to make a buck or first sale caps that are still rough going for $20+ shipping on up.  I love that Bro really has been striving to keep his stuff affordable and that's something I aspire to maintain as well.  And Clack definitely deserves to charge more since so many people are immediately flipping caps for profit.  Why shouldn't he get a portion of that?

I feel like Kreytone fits this description too 

I think the majority of artisan makers are good guys. Most of them have an expressed interest in the community and are just expressing ideas they'd like to see, I'd say. That's how I feel anyway. When I can pull myself away from keyboard projects that are stupidly expensive, I might invest in some casting and molding equipment too, haha.

[ander]

I think Model Ms are a joke and feel like crap, but love Model Fs.

Wow, that's an esoteric viewpoint, Nubb. There's certainly a difference, but I'd put them solidly in the same class at least. How many M's have you tried? They do vary, quite a bit... My '86 1390131 feels a whole lot tighter, lighter and faster than a '90s Lexmark or Unicomp. Maybe you just need to try one closer to the Model F era, in solid original shape or bolt-modded, before you dismiss the whole genre.

Ah, I'm supposed to post an unpopular opinion here. Okay... Considering that Industrial Model M's are gray because they were designed to hide dirt in shop environments, I think it's hilarious and somewhat pathetic that people pay 3 or 4 times as much for them as regular beige M's. It's like paying 3 or 4 times as much for dark carpeting because you won't have to clean it as often. (What? I've ranted about this before...?)

[nubbinator]

I've tried about a dozen Ms.  The cases never feel completely solid like an F and they completely lack the crispness that Model Fs have.

[Air tree]

I've tried about a dozen Ms.  The cases never feel completely solid like an F and they completely lack the crispness that Model Fs have.

I'm exited to try capacitive BS, but the only thing I'm worried about is the sound. Videos are making me think that the very loud pingy-ness might get annoying...

Is there any way to make BS, namely f's a bit quieter?


Edit: how well does the Floss mod dampen the ping?

[njbair]

I've tried about a dozen Ms.  The cases never feel completely solid like an F and they completely lack the crispness that Model Fs have.

I'm exited to try capacitive BS, but the only thing I'm worried about is the sound. Videos are making me think that the very loud pingy-ness might get annoying...

Is there any way to make BS, namely f's a bit quieter?


Edit: how well does the Floss mod dampen the ping?

I "floss modded" my SSK using rubber bands. There is no ping at all, and the keys have a nice, deep sound. Here's my writeup with audio recordings: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=71208.0

[livingspeedbump]

I think the x is more interesting than y argument is a weird one.  Taste is subjective and everyone has different things that they like.  I love my little Dolly caps that I make, but I don't think they have any more real artistic merit over others out there outside of copycaps. I always love to hear that people love what I make, but sometimes you need a more subtle accent and other times something more dramatic is perfect.  I really have a lot of respect for Clack, Punks, Bro, Binge, and Booper since they seem to really enjoy the craft and try hard to keep it art and make sure that they put the art first while striving for something high quality.  I know I've come a long way in what I've done, but I've still got a long way to go and I'll keep striving for that as long as I have fun doing so.

The one thing I think most could agree on is that the artisan explosion has gotten a bit absurd, especially since you see people not vested in the community trying to make a buck or first sale caps that are still rough going for $20+ shipping on up.  I love that Bro really has been striving to keep his stuff affordable and that's something I aspire to maintain as well.  And Clack definitely deserves to charge more since so many people are immediately flipping caps for profit.  Why shouldn't he get a portion of that?

For me, being invested in the community is definitely something that is extremely important to me. I pretty much agree with how you put things in perspective though.

[dutC4]

 

[RenegadeParadox]

I really like the aluminum bezel on the Ducky mini.

[ideus]

I really like the aluminum bezel on the Ducky mini.

Isn't it just plastic with a cover?

[RenegadeParadox]

I really like the aluminum bezel on the Ducky mini.

Isn't it just plastic with a cover?

It's two aluminum plates sandwiching a plastic center.

[whmeltonjr]

I really like the aluminum bezel on the Ducky mini.

I actually do to, especially the Year of the Horse version. I still laugh at this though



I'm not sure how unpopular this opinion is, but I absolutely HATE DSA caps. I was so excited to get a set of Granites only to be incredibly disappointed in them. I typed slower and made more errors.

[SploogeFactory]

I really like the aluminum bezel on the Ducky mini.

I actually do to, especially the Year of the Horse version. I still laugh at this though

Show Image

I'm not sure how unpopular this opinion is, but I absolutely HATE DSA caps. I was so excited to get a set of Granites only to be incredibly disappointed in them. I typed slower and made more errors.

Lol, needs more bezel still, maybe Year of the Monkey!

[ideus]

I really like the aluminum bezel on the Ducky mini.

Isn't it just plastic with a cover?

It's two aluminum plates sandwiching a plastic center.

Hum, that is interesting, do you know if it can get as a spare part, somewhere?

[RenegadeParadox]

I really like the aluminum bezel on the Ducky mini.

Isn't it just plastic with a cover?

It's two aluminum plates sandwiching a plastic center.

Hum, that is interesting, do you know if it can get as a spare part, somewhere?

I'm not sure I understand your question. If you are asking if you can buy spare aluminum plates I don't believe so as this board's bezel is pretty well integrated into the whole design. I know there have been a few people who debezeled their Ducky Mini which required dremeling off the plastic center core but in doing so have to relocate the USB connector as the standard (Non YoTH) version doesn't have an indentation for the connector.

[ideus]

Please excuse the poor wording, what I meant is if the case is for sale stand alone with no keyboard, the answer should be no, but just wondering.

[bjb39]

I'm not sure how unpopular this opinion is, but I absolutely HATE DSA caps. I was so excited to get a set of Granites only to be incredibly disappointed in them. I typed slower and made more errors.

I love my DSA set, but it does bother me that F and J keys are scooped differently instead of having those little bumps for me to find them with my fingers.

[ideus]

I'm not sure how unpopular this opinion is, but I absolutely HATE DSA caps. I was so excited to get a set of Granites only to be incredibly disappointed in them. I typed slower and made more errors.

I love my DSA set, but it does bother me that F and J keys are scooped differently instead of having those little bumps for me to find them with my fingers.

I tried very hard to like my Granite and my Skull Sq. sets with no luck. I just got back to my old friend OG Cherry. I am not sure if it was only the profile, or the texture, or the small tops, or all at once, but I cannot use them for more than some weeks in a row. And those warped sides in the long caps of the Granite was just atrocious. It was a shame.

[RenegadeParadox]

Yes, as far as I am aware ducky does not sell parts. I only took a brief look but I'm fairly confident that they only sell the board completely built.

[Niomosy]

Ahh, Model Ms.  I've got a few but they pretty much are relegated to keyboards for the kids to play with.  BS aren't bad but I fully admit being a huge linear / quiet or silent keyboard fan.  It's probably why I'm more wanting to try Hall Effect keyboards than Beam Springs at this point, though I wouldn't mind being able to try out both.

[tararais]

I've tried about a dozen Ms.  The cases never feel completely solid like an F and they completely lack the crispness that Model Fs have.

 
I'll agree with you on that one. A friend of mine let me try out his nearly unused F AT, and it was like a boulder (in terms of stability). On the other hand, Model Ms.. need work to be of acceptable quality. 
 

I'm not sure how unpopular this opinion is, but I absolutely HATE DSA caps. I was so excited to get a set of Granites only to be incredibly disappointed in them. I typed slower and made more errors.

 
Yeah, for sure. I like the solid block look of OEM, Cherry, DCS, but DSA are just tiny. They look like those ML keycaps, it's always strange when I see some people who actually like them.

[Siegx]

1. Flipped spacebars don't feel ergonomic at all, it also makes the entire keyboard ugly and silly looking.

2. 60% keyboards are aesthetically pleasing, there are no other benefits to having them, they are horrible to use. I need my dedicated function and arrow keys.

3. Full size keyboards are ugly.

4. Winkeyless > Gon.

5. Linear switches defeats the purpose of having a mechanical keyboard.

6. ABS keycaps should be phased out.

[hwood34]

5. Linear switches defeats the purpose of having a mechanical keyboard.

I've seen this posted before, yet I still fail to understand the logic behind it. Since all rubberdomes are tactile, a mechanical keyboard is the only way to get a linear switch for someone who doesn't want feedback

[njbair]

5. Linear switches defeats the purpose of having a mechanical keyboard.

I've seen this posted before, yet I still fail to understand the logic behind it. Since all rubberdomes are tactile, a mechanical keyboard is the only way to get a linear switch for someone who doesn't want feedback

That, and linears can feel very nice if they're not junk and/or they're properly broken in & lubed.

[E3E]

1. Flipped spacebars don't feel ergonomic at all, it also makes the entire keyboard ugly and silly looking.

2. 60% keyboards are aesthetically pleasing, there are no other benefits to having them, they are horrible to use. I need my dedicated function and arrow keys.

3. Full size keyboards are ugly.

4. Winkeyless > Gon.

5. Linear switches defeats the purpose of having a mechanical keyboard.

6. ABS keycaps should be phased out.

1. I agree in the sense that I do not have a problem with normal space bars and can't see the point in flipping them. They are less aesthetically pleasing, no doubt.

2. I agree as well. I love how they look aesthetically, but I do get pretty annoyed having to constantly go into function layers that make it impossible to type at the same time. Function for navigation and F-row eats into the alphas and number row for me. 60% are amongst the most aesthetically pleasing of the layouts though.

3. I believe vintage keyboards are very elegant despite being full-size. Modern keyboards are not so much and look kind of junky for the most part.

4. No comment. Matter of preference. With the huge order that WKL is going to have to fulfil thanks to ZipTyze's group buy, there might be just as many delays once the orders are sent.

5. Like Hwood said, rubber domes are tactile, not linear. Linear is exclusively mechanical and I find linear switches to be very pleasant. I like all switch flavors except clicky Cherry switches.

6. ABS feels great against certain switch types, like clicky, and thick ABS is pretty nice too. Nothing wrong with it aside from durability issues and vulnerability to chemical wear.

[azhdar]

1. Flipped spacebars don't feel ergonomic at all, it also makes the entire keyboard ugly and silly looking.

2. 60% keyboards are aesthetically pleasing, there are no other benefits to having them, they are horrible to use. I need my dedicated function and arrow keys.

3. Full size keyboards are ugly.

4. Winkeyless > Gon.

5. Linear switches defeats the purpose of having a mechanical keyboard.

6. ABS keycaps should be phased out.

2. Less hand movement is an improvment compared to having a dedicated key way too far on top or side of the board

4. I won't talk cases because I have none from those makers. But having a GON and a winkeyless PCB, GON pcb is just above every other PCB I tried in terms of how easy is it to configure and map.

5. You get feedback on a linear switch from the spring

6. So should be cheap and terrible PBT sets.

[trenzafeeds]

5. Linear switches defeats the purpose of having a mechanical keyboard.

I've seen this posted before, yet I still fail to understand the logic behind it. Since all rubberdomes are tactile, a mechanical keyboard is the only way to get a linear switch for someone who doesn't want feedback

I feel like I only hear this rhetoric from people that have either never actually tried linears before, or only tried like Gateron clears. Once you've tried a heavier linear, the difference is obvious. Even with lighter ones it should be though.

[tararais]

1. Flipped spacebars don't feel ergonomic at all, it also makes the entire keyboard ugly and silly looking.

2. 60% keyboards are aesthetically pleasing, there are no other benefits to having them, they are horrible to use. I need my dedicated function and arrow keys.

3. Full size keyboards are ugly.

4. Winkeyless > Gon.

5. Linear switches defeats the purpose of having a mechanical keyboard.

6. ABS keycaps should be phased out.

 
 
1. Yes, agreed. Hideous. 
 
2. Simply untrue from an ergonomics standpoint, having the hands closer together is better for the arms and wrists. Plus, it's very easy to carry around compared to a TKL/fullsize, especially due to being thinner. 
 
3. Not a fan personally, but it's the only way to display a full keyset. Can be good, but mostly agreed. 
 
5. The spring's weight increases, and it's the lightest. There's no hysteresis, so it's best for people who need to double-tap frequently or have a very quick feedback. 
 
6. ABS is just fine, I prefer it to PBT, especially thick PBT, as it muffles the noise from clicky/tactile switches, which, as you mentioned, are the only types you use. 
 
Time for one of mine, I am only really turned off by vintage keyboards because of their size/bezel. We make fun of the Ducky Mini, but virtually every vintage keyboard has a huge bezel. Look at the Model M, its bezel on the sides is at least 5x wider, and the top bezel three times. 
   
EDIT: Herp, didn't know what you meant by WKL.

[WolfTickets]

4. Winkeyless > Gon.

 
 
4. I use GON and have used WKL. GON's programmability is incredible and even a pleb like me can do tons of things with it. Also don't know anyone who doesn't use the Windows key that uses Windows. 
 

I'm confused as to whether you are talking about this company http://winkeyless.kr/ or this type of keyboard.

[swimmingbird]

4. Winkeyless > Gon.

 
 
4. I use GON and have used WKL. GON's programmability is incredible and even a pleb like me can do tons of things with it. Also don't know anyone who doesn't use the Windows key that uses Windows. 
 

I'm confused as to whether you are talking about this company http://winkeyless.kr/ or this type of keyboard.

Show Image

He means the manufacturer

[ripwallet]

1. The HHKB layout - i am not a fan
2. My novatouch is my favorite board to type on....with stock abs caps....im a savage

[E3E]

After using wire key pullers and just trying plastic ring key pullers, I like plastic more. They say that it can scratch keys, but wire pullers can gouge out the underside. Metal on plastic is asking for a bad time.

[nubbinator]

After using wire key pullers and just trying plastic ring key pullers, I like plastic more. They say that it can scratch keys, but wire pullers can gouge out the underside. Metal on plastic is asking for a bad time.

Maybe you're using it wrong?  I haven't had any issues with metal ones.  The only time I prefer the ring puller is on NMB Hi-Tek boards.

[swimmingbird]

After using wire key pullers and just trying plastic ring key pullers, I like plastic more. They say that it can scratch keys, but wire pullers can gouge out the underside. Metal on plastic is asking for a bad time.

Maybe you're using it wrong?  I haven't had any issues with metal ones.  The only time I prefer the ring puller is on NMB Hi-Tek boards.

I've noticed when pulling GMK caps off a board with relatively new clears that they do dig a tiny bit into the underside of the cap

[E3E]

After using wire key pullers and just trying plastic ring key pullers, I like plastic more. They say that it can scratch keys, but wire pullers can gouge out the underside. Metal on plastic is asking for a bad time.

Maybe you're using it wrong?  I haven't had any issues with metal ones.  The only time I prefer the ring puller is on NMB Hi-Tek boards.

I've noticed when pulling GMK caps off a board with relatively new clears that they do dig a tiny bit into the underside of the cap

Yep. I should have clarified: It's on the tight fitting caps like MX clears or ancient Alps boards that never had their caps removed. Anything with a bit of resistance can do it. I definitely trust plastic pullers over metal for jobs like that. Also as Chyros mentioned in some thread somewhere, ring keypullers are great for long keys.

[Bucake]

Starting this hobby was a mistake.

[bjb39]

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but I hate LED backlighting.

[ideus]

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but I hate LED backlighting.

+1 you are not alone, I consider back-lighting something that goes against the simplicity that is the nature of a keyboard, it serves no purpose but aesthetics.

[ghostjuggernaut]

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but I hate LED backlighting.

I think many people will agree with you on this opinion.

[Vozella]

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but I hate LED backlighting.

I'm not even sure whether I like LED backlighting because I've never tried a backlit keyboard before. I'm not sure if I should include it in my custom keyboard build.

[chipotle]

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but I hate LED backlighting.

After having two CODE keyboards -- clears at work, and greens at home -- I've decided I don't like backlit mechanical keyboards; the CODE at home has been replaced by a KUL with clears. (Although that may be replaced by either a Matias or a Realforce shortly.) I'm okay with the backlighting on my Macbook's internal keyboard, though.

[Dernubenfrieken]

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but I hate LED backlighting.

After having two CODE keyboards -- clears at work, and greens at home -- I've decided I don't like backlit mechanical keyboards; the CODE at home has been replaced by a KUL with clears. (Although that may be replaced by either a Matias or a Realforce shortly.) I'm okay with the backlighting on my Macbook's internal keyboard, though.

I think thats because for macbooks or other membranes/scissors, they make them reasonably unintrusive, while mech manufacturers have to go for flashy bright backlighting for eyes and just easier design.

[gabba-gool]

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but I hate LED backlighting.

I think many people will agree with you on this opinion.

I want to put LEDs on my POK3R as a project but I typically don't like backlit boards.

[E3E]

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but I hate LED backlighting.

I can go either way. Call me immature, but I love the backlighting on my Duck customs. However, my Infinity has no backlighting and neither do my old vintages, and I love those to death.

I am aspiring to make a backlit Alps custom though, just because I think it would be cool. I'd have it done already if I had the circuitry know-how and programming knowledge to create an LED matrix myself, but I have to resort to already available PCBs for the job.

[hwood34]

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but I hate LED backlighting.

about a million times yeah

not to sound like an ******* lol, just letting you know that like half of GH doesn't really like them either

[moshimalloe]

I like the sound of rubber dome keyboards

[gabba-gool]

I like the sound of rubber dome keyboards

There's a Lenovo keyboard (rubber dome) I use at work that sounds suspiciously like a Novatouch. But I also can't hear out of one of my ears so my judgement is suspect. TMI?

[jerue]

I like the sound of rubber dome keyboards

Older rubber dome boards have a nice sound to them. Dell Quietkeys (NOT quiet), Keytronics, some IBM rubber domes, all come to mind. And scissor switches on the Surface Book and Macbooks have a nice crisp sound as well.

[E3E]

I like the sound of rubber dome keyboards

Older rubber dome boards have a nice sound to them. Dell Quietkeys (NOT quiet), Keytronics, some IBM rubber domes, all come to mind. And scissor switches on the Surface Book and Macbooks have a nice crisp sound as well.

I've always liked the thock of scissor switch rubber domes and still have a fondness for typing on laptop keyboards. :3 Is the Dell Quietkeys truly NOT quiet? That's pretty funny, though I guess, for the time, it was probably quieter than most.

[moshimalloe]

I like the sound of rubber dome keyboards

Older rubber dome boards have a nice sound to them. Dell Quietkeys (NOT quiet), Keytronics, some IBM rubber domes, all come to mind. And scissor switches on the Surface Book and Macbooks have a nice crisp sound as well.

I like listening to the Keychatter video on YouTube of the HHKB Lite 1 and Original HHKB. they sound quite crispy. One day, I shall grab my hands on one of those.

[ideus]

I like the sound of rubber dome keyboards

This opinion is very popular, millions of rubber dome users share it; therefore, it does not belong in this thread.

 ) ) )