What is your favorite full sized keyboard?

[NewToKeyboards]

I am still looking for the one board to rule them all in my setup 

So, at first I thought why not take a read through some of the stickies and in the simple questions simple answers thread, I found a section on what board and the one that was recommended was the Cooler Master QuickFire XT. I took a look and it is almost exactly what I am looking for which made me wonder, what are your favorite full sized keyboards right now?

[Neo.X]

Full size is not very popular here,  .

What are you looking for most? Built quality? RGB led? Fancy look?

For me, Filco is my favorit one, simply for their quality. Ducky is also fine, but I don't like their new design very much. Corsair RGB is pretty neat too, with the alu top and fancy light.

[jerue]

LZ-RV

I'm a little sad I did not participate in that group buy (especially since sky blue was a color option), but I prefer a TKL keyboard + separate numpad like G80-3700 to position wherever I want, which for me is to the left of my keyboard

[chyros]

Full size is not very popular here,  .

Oi, speak for yourself .

My favourite is easily my Acer KB-101A, no contest.

[mike52787]

f122, f107, or omnikey 101

[klennkellon]

I'm more of a TKL guy but my dream 100% board would be a Focus FK-2001 with Blue Alps.

It's a gorgeous board with great keycaps and slightly different and very usable layout. It's also not too big or too small, just right!

[mike52787]

I'm more of a TKL guy but my dream 100% board would be a Focus FK-2001 with Blue Alps.

It's a gorgeous board with great keycaps and slightly different and very usable layout. It's also not too big or too small, just right!

get an omnikey 101 and swap blue alps in and never want a 2001 again

[klennkellon]

I'm more of a TKL guy but my dream 100% board would be a Focus FK-2001 with Blue Alps.

It's a gorgeous board with great keycaps and slightly different and very usable layout. It's also not too big or too small, just right!

get an omnikey 101 and swap blue alps in and never want a 2001 again

Omnikey is a better keyboard, the Focus looks prettier to me though.

[mike52787]

I'm more of a TKL guy but my dream 100% board would be a Focus FK-2001 with Blue Alps.

It's a gorgeous board with great keycaps and slightly different and very usable layout. It's also not too big or too small, just right!

get an omnikey 101 and swap blue alps in and never want a 2001 again

Omnikey is a better keyboard, the Focus looks prettier to me though.

Yeah, I would have to agree, the looks of the omnikey are pretty subjective. I personally love it though. Not as much as I like the looks of model Fs, but whatever. The focus looks prerry cool, but the build quality is mediocre and it lacks nkro. Personally I prefer functionality to looks.

[klennkellon]

I usually do too, but if I was going to use a full-size I wouldn't be using it for a lot of gaming so for me rollover wouldn't matter.

Yeah the build quality is pretty mediocre, but Chyros put it very well, Focus's are like Italian cars, they look great and feel great to drive but aren't built that well.

[emdude]

The IBM Model M, just a very solid, fantastic board all around.  I'd certainly place it above a Focus FK-2001 or Northgate Omnikey.

[mike52787]

The IBM Model M, just a very solid, fantastic board all around.  I'd certainly place it above a Focus FK-2001 or Northgate Omnikey.

Model Ms are solid boards, but nothing compared to an omnikey or a f122 imo

[emdude]

The IBM Model M, just a very solid, fantastic board all around.  I'd certainly place it above a Focus FK-2001 or Northgate Omnikey.

Model Ms are solid boards, but nothing compared to an omnikey or a f122 imo

Personal opinion, of course, but I still believe the Model M is the best overall when you take into consideration the build quality, not just the switches themselves.  PBT key caps, PVC case, a defining layout, IBM spared no expense (even if the Model M was a cost-cutting measure) with materials and design.  It's why Model Ms can look virtually pristine when many Alps boards are yellow bananas.  Even the F122, despite being a predecessor, has a (top)case made with brittle plastic and also a terminal layout.

[SpAmRaY]

Leopold FC900R w/ MX reds and side print pbt caps, I use it on a rubber mat at work, it has been my daily driver for almost a year now.

[OfTheWild]

^^ I like the leopolds but i'm not a fan of that spacebar issue.
I love my Ducky pro. Simple, easy, nothing flashy. Its a solid board that works awesome as a daily driver for 8-10 hours a day every day.

I have always wanted a Lightsaver. That is my ultimate work keyboard but theres no way i'm bringing a $500 board into work and leaving it.

[seville57]

Ducky Shine 3 (I hate the design on Shine 4/5) and Ducky One RGB YOTG/standard k-boards.

[chyros]

The IBM Model M, just a very solid, fantastic board all around.  I'd certainly place it above a Focus FK-2001 or Northgate Omnikey.

Model Ms are solid boards, but nothing compared to an omnikey or a f122 imo

Personal opinion, of course, but I still believe the Model M is the best overall when you take into consideration the build quality, not just the switches themselves.  PBT key caps, PVC case, a defining layout, IBM spared no expense (even if the Model M was a cost-cutting measure) with materials and design.  It's why Model Ms can look virtually pristine when many Alps boards are yellow bananas.  Even the F122, despite being a predecessor, has a (top)case made with brittle plastic and also a terminal layout.

The PVC case was genius, I think it's the most well-designed thing about the keyboard. As for PBT dyesub vs ABS doubleshot, that's a matter of opinion of course, but I actually feel like they both nailed it as some switches are better with some materials.

The omnikey case is almost certainly much tougher than a Model M one, though. It's ridiculously tough. And of course, it doesn't have those stupid rivets, and it has NKRO (as the PCB proudly boasts xD). I would definitely place the build quality of the omnikey on par with an F, not an M.

[xtrafrood]

So far I have to say Model M or F 122. I'm sure that will change but up until now those are my favorite

[NewToKeyboards]

Full size is not very popular here,  .

What are you looking for most? Built quality? RGB led? Fancy look?

For me, Filco is my favorit one, simply for their quality. Ducky is also fine, but I don't like their new design very much. Corsair RGB is pretty neat too, with the alu top and fancy light.

I am looking for the most is the best typing experience that I can get, and I know that is pretty vague but that is the main reason that I am getting this board  . I already have the Corsair K70 with cherry mx browns and I am not a huge fan of the brown switches. I find that they are too light for me to be able to type on them without mistakes, I am able to still hit around 100WPM but that is only luck when I am able to hit that speed other than that I am around 85 or so with the browns, and 100+ consistently with the blues. I have had the Corsair K70 in Cherry MX Blue switches as well as the Das Keyboard 4 Professional with the Cherry MX Blues and I found that I liked the feel of the Das with the Blues more than I liked the Corsair with the Blues, still not too sure what that is about, it may be the batch or the way that the switch is mountain I am not sure  But something that I did notice was that since the Das has the keys under the top plate, sunken in compared to floating on the K70 they were a lot better sounding, so that is something that I am interested in. The biggest gripe that I had with the Das was that since I type with my hands on the desk I kept getting a really sore spot on my wrist from the Das whereas the K70 without the wrist wrest would never cut into my palm the same way the Das did. I also really like the ability to use the wrist rest on the K70 for when I am more laid back and not looking at doing anything too serious typing wise. The main gripe that I had about the K70 was the fact that the switches were so damn loud compared to the Das, as well as I was not a huge fan of the way that the keycaps felt, but I am willing to get some PBT keycaps in order to make it feel better for typing. I would really like to have a board that is built like a tank, and I do appreciate the back-lighting but I am going to be getting PBT keycaps so the back-lighting is not a must. I want the board to have a similar sound profile to the way that the Das sounded. That is actually another reason that I returned the Das is because I was not ready to use the full blank keyboard yet, I ended up deleting a whole word document by accident because of the full blank board, that was without noticing that I did that as well as this was right before I hit CTRL + S to save! That was the real kicked to make me take back the Das Ultimate  I would also like a board that has a removable cable, but it seems like there are not a lot of full sized boards that I have seen that have the removable cable. I also like the look of the 60% keyboards but I don't know if I am ready to ditch the number pad just yet or even ditch the navigational keys, I am going to probably test out the KBC POK3R with the Cherry MX Clears in the next week or so, but I am not able to find it in the Cherry MX Blue switches which is disappointing. I saw the glorious mechanical keyboard, the one that is fully modular with the switches and I thought that was a good idea, because it would let me be able to do all of the typing that I need to be able to do on the Cherry MX Blues, but then I would be able to fix one of the main problems with gaming on the Blues and that is the weight of the left shift key when you are holding it down, I would be able to make that key into a red or into a brown so that I would be able to game on the same board that I really like to type on. My budget is pretty flexible, as long as I would be able to stay as far under CAD $300 as I can I would be happy  A couple of other boards that I have been really looking at in the last few days are the cooler master quick fire TK which my main problem with that board is the fact that I am not able to find it on Amazon with white back-lights, and the fact that the bottom row of keys is not a standard size, seeing as how I want to be able to change the key-caps in the future I am not a huge fan of that idea. I have also been looking at the Corsair Strafe, but I have not heard much about it's build quality and it is getting into that look of a bit too gamer-y. I like the WASD code keyboards but am not able to find them on Amazon (finding it on Amazon is important because of my indecisiveness and their awesome return policy  ). I still really do like the look of the K70 and the functionality but I am sure that there is going to be a better board out there for me.

All of the above taken into consideration, I am not sure what board I want yet 

Thanks for the help BTW!

NTK

[NewToKeyboards]

And a big thanks to all of the people that have already participated in this thread, I have found that the majority of the people on this forum tend to lean towards boards that are less than full size! 

[Tactile]

For me it would be a Realforce 104.

[chyros]

And a big thanks to all of the people that have already participated in this thread, I have found that the majority of the people on this forum tend to lean towards boards that are less than full size! 

Yeah, and they're all ****ing nuts . I'm typing on a 75% atm and even that is way too small for me, I feel like I'm missing a hand or a leg or something .

[NewToKeyboards]

Yeah, and they're all ****ing nuts . I'm typing on a 75% atm and even that is way too small for me, I feel like I'm missing a hand or a leg or something .

LOL! I feel like with the work that I do on the computer it would be an unnecessary hit to my productivity for no good reason other than the fact that the 60% keyboards look cool  I am glad to hear that I am not the only one up here that does not think that the 60% keyboard is the only way to go  ) As well as all of the people that are commenting in the un-popular keyboard opinion thread!

NTK

[yowaffle]

I'm not gonna say its my favorite because its the only one I really have experience with but I have no complaints about my Ducky Shine 4. I did switch out the keycaps tho!

[klennkellon]

The IBM Model M, just a very solid, fantastic board all around.  I'd certainly place it above a Focus FK-2001 or Northgate Omnikey.

Model Ms are solid boards, but nothing compared to an omnikey or a f122 imo

Personal opinion, of course, but I still believe the Model M is the best overall when you take into consideration the build quality, not just the switches themselves.  PBT key caps, PVC case, a defining layout, IBM spared no expense (even if the Model M was a cost-cutting measure) with materials and design.  It's why Model Ms can look virtually pristine when many Alps boards are yellow bananas.  Even the F122, despite being a predecessor, has a (top)case made with brittle plastic and also a terminal layout.

The PVC case was genius, I think it's the most well-designed thing about the keyboard. As for PBT dyesub vs ABS doubleshot, that's a matter of opinion of course, but I actually feel like they both nailed it as some switches are better with some materials.

The omnikey case is almost certainly much tougher than a Model M one, though. It's ridiculously tough. And of course, it doesn't have those stupid rivets, and it has NKRO (as the PCB proudly boasts xD). I would definitely place the build quality of the omnikey on par with an F, not an M.

IMO the M is prettier than the Omnikey as well, but the Omnikey is still arguably the better keyboard.

[OfTheWild]

Yeah, and they're all ****ing nuts . I'm typing on a 75% atm and even that is way too small for me, I feel like I'm missing a hand or a leg or something .

LOL! I feel like with the work that I do on the computer it would be an unnecessary hit to my productivity for no good reason other than the fact that the 60% keyboards look cool  I am glad to hear that I am not the only one up here that does not think that the 60% keyboard is the only way to go  ) As well as all of the people that are commenting in the un-popular keyboard opinion thread!

NTK

They all have their place I think. I have my 60% and TKL's around that I use at home where desk space is nice or portability is important. But the majority of my day i'm typing out IP addresses and phone numbers way too often to not have a numpad. Although i've gotten used to quickly accessing function layer arrows and delete keys I'm still a fan of the TKL for most home applications.

[NewToKeyboards]

Yeah, and they're all ****ing nuts . I'm typing on a 75% atm and even that is way too small for me, I feel like I'm missing a hand or a leg or something .

LOL! I feel like with the work that I do on the computer it would be an unnecessary hit to my productivity for no good reason other than the fact that the 60% keyboards look cool  I am glad to hear that I am not the only one up here that does not think that the 60% keyboard is the only way to go  ) As well as all of the people that are commenting in the un-popular keyboard opinion thread!

NTK

They all have their place I think. I have my 60% and TKL's around that I use at home where desk space is nice or portability is important. But the majority of my day i'm typing out IP addresses and phone numbers way too often to not have a numpad. Although i've gotten used to quickly accessing function layer arrows and delete keys I'm still a fan of the TKL for most home applications.

Understandable, I do a fair amount of AutoCad work and when I am doing Cad I would miss the number pad far too much for it to be even close to worth while for me to have the extra desk space as well as the more ergonomic placement of the mouse, I may get a 60% down the road for when I don't have to do anything with a lot of data entry but for now I will stick to something with the number pad. I like the idea of the cooler master TK, but I think that I am going to have to start a thread clearly stating what I need in a keyboard as well as what I have used, my preferences and things along those lines. This thread has helped too as I have had a chance to see a lot of keyboards that I have never seen before. But I do think that a dedicated thread about choosing the right board would be better than seeing what other people like, I hope that people keep posting here because I think that it is fun to be able to see all of the boards that the people up here like!

Thanks for your input, it is greatly appreciated!

NTK

[chyros]

I'll actually be doing one of my QKT videos about keyboard sizes and layouts, hopefully that will be helpful to people new to keyboards like you .

[SpAmRaY]

^^ I like the leopolds but i'm not a fan of that spacebar issue.

What spacebar issue?



Looks normal to me.

[fohat.digs]

I just keep coming back to this one:

[NewToKeyboards]

I'll actually be doing one of my QKT videos about keyboard sizes and layouts, hopefully that will be helpful to people new to keyboards like you .

I will be looking out for that one, thanks for the heads up!

[NewToKeyboards]

I just keep coming back to this one:

I don't think that I would be able to dive into buckling springs without having the chance to feel them again, I used to use a buckling spring keyboard when I was given a hand-me-down computer a long time ago, but that was well before I appreciated keyboards or took any note of what was going on under my fingers  )

[fohat.digs]

but that was well before I appreciated keyboards or took any note of what was going on under my fingers

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=48786.msg1048948#msg1048948

That whole top row of candidates for dedicated functions are easy with the Teensy.

And N-key rollover is automatic.

[NewToKeyboards]

but that was well before I appreciated keyboards or took any note of what was going on under my fingers

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=48786.msg1048948#msg1048948

That whole top row of candidates for dedicated functions are easy with the Teensy.

And N-key rollover is automatic.

That is pretty awesome, great job on the write up as well! Just not sure if I would be able to rock the buckling springs lol, even with the dental floss mod. I have had people complain about the MX Blues already I am not sure how they would be able to cope with the BS 

[fohat.digs]

I have had people complain about the MX Blues already I am not sure how they would be able to cope with the BS

Blue Cherries are the most annoying switches in the universe. I don't know how loud a decibel meter would say that they are, scientifically, but the high-pitched and plastic tinniness is insufferable.

The dental floss mod brings the Model F overtones down into reason, but has little effect on a Model M since it is mostly plastic anyway.

[1391406]

I'll cast a vote for the 122-key Model F and Realforce 104U.

Between the Model M and 122-key Model F, I still prefer the F due to the key feel and extra function keys, especially if it's been converted to ANSI.

[alh84001]

f122, f107, or omnikey 101

I have to second this.

But, I must include an early model M here as well. For all it's faults it is still a classic, and anyone would be hard-pressed to not like it.

[mike52787]

f122, f107, or omnikey 101

I have to second this.

But, I must include an early model M here as well. For all it's faults it is still a classic, and anyone would be hard-pressed to not like it.

I loved my 1390131 until I got my f xt working. I still like the feel of it alot but theres nothing quite like a model f. If you want an early M, the 0131 is a great choice. by no means is it a "bad" board, I just like the alternatives a bit better.

[chyros]

Does F122 count? Technically that's greater-than-fullsize Oo . Although that deserves a topic all of its own I guess, you know, for battleships, battlecruisers etc.

[mike52787]

Does F122 count? Technically that's greater-than-fullsize Oo . Although that deserves a topic all of its own I guess, you know, for battleships, battlecruisers etc.

my battleship is coming in the mail today! so hyped to finally get one.

[chyros]

Does F122 count? Technically that's greater-than-fullsize Oo . Although that deserves a topic all of its own I guess, you know, for battleships, battlecruisers etc.

my battleship is coming in the mail today! so hyped to finally get one.

Aw man, you're in for a treat . Easily one of my favourite keyboards.

[alh84001]

What would a IBM 5556-005 be then? Helicarrier? Borg cube? Death star? )

[mike52787]

What would a IBM 5556-005 be then? Helicarrier? Borg cube? Death star? )

the most anti ergo ortholinear ive ever seen, thats for sure

[chyros]

What would a IBM 5556-005 be then? Helicarrier? Borg cube? Death star? )

That looks like it's small than a battleship, so it's probably a battlecruiser, even though it has a battleship layout.

The biggest actual keyboard I've ever seen is that brown Cherry behemoth, that dwarfed even the battleship.

[mike52787]

What would a IBM 5556-005 be then? Helicarrier? Borg cube? Death star? )

That looks like it's small than a battleship, so it's probably a battlecruiser, even though it has a battleship layout.

The biggest actual keyboard I've ever seen is that brown Cherry behemoth, that dwarfed even the battleship.

haha not sure what youre looking at, probably the stock multistation board. make sure you put the -005 in there, then youll see this monstrosity.
https://deskthority.net/wiki/File:5556-5.jpg

[alh84001]

Those beamspringy keycaps and that ortholinear array Looks like input of a control terminal for a nuclear reactor.

And then, there's also this
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=7679.msg131641#msg131641

[chyros]

What would a IBM 5556-005 be then? Helicarrier? Borg cube? Death star? )

That looks like it's small than a battleship, so it's probably a battlecruiser, even though it has a battleship layout.

The biggest actual keyboard I've ever seen is that brown Cherry behemoth, that dwarfed even the battleship.

haha not sure what youre looking at, probably the stock multistation board. make sure you put the -005 in there, then youll see this monstrosity.
https://deskthority.net/wiki/File:5556-5.jpg

OO oh jeez, yeah, that's fairly big.

Still not sure it will beat the Cherry behemoth though xD .

[xtrafrood]

What would a IBM 5556-005 be then? Helicarrier? Borg cube? Death star? )

That looks like it's small than a battleship, so it's probably a battlecruiser, even though it has a battleship layout.

The biggest actual keyboard I've ever seen is that brown Cherry behemoth, that dwarfed even the battleship.

haha not sure what youre looking at, probably the stock multistation board. make sure you put the -005 in there, then youll see this monstrosity.
https://deskthority.net/wiki/File:5556-5.jpg

OO oh jeez, yeah, that's fairly big.

Still not sure it will beat the Cherry behemoth though xD .

Show Image

God damn! That keyboard has everything! It even has built-in cooling fins

[chyros]

It was nominated for Best Find 2015 on Deskthority, it's so gargantuan it makes the M122 look like a HHKB xD .

[czarek]

For me that would be Realforce 104 Silent. I bought it for my wife and decided to test drive it for a while. So far it seems that she's not gonna get this keyboard
I really don't miss miss my HHKB since I got it (it's so plasticky compared to RF), I don't enjoy RF87-55G any more (tactility of this one is nice, but it's just so heavy it feels like I'm fighting with it everytime I type on it), and Model M's quality seems just flaky compared to it.