As the title suggests, I've been a Microsoft Natural keyboard user since I was ~12 years old learning to touch type (so ~25 years). From a gen1, to the 4000 model now. I love them, but it's time for me to look further afield to a mechanical future. I've tried out a Kinesis Advantage, after craving one for years, but I didn't get on with it. I've ordered some switches to test to see which I like best, although it's hard to find recommendations that would be similar to the MS Natural 4000's feel rubber dome (definite tactile feel, but not clicky).
My colleague has had a Das Keyboard for a year or two, and I like the feel (although not too fond of the sound of the blue switches), and he just got a Matias Tactile Pro as well as a cheapy 60% tenkeyless for use with his Raspberry Pi, and that started getting me fired up again to look for the right mechanical keyboard for me.
In short, I've just backed the X-Bows Kickstarter, primarily because of the layout, and looking forward to that hopefully coming to fruition, but alongside that, I've been eyeing up an ErgoDox (and other similar ones) with a view to building my own. Partly as the pre-built ones seem quite expensive, but also because I'm handy with a soldering iron and can code, so would enjoy the project.
Sourcing the parts is my nightmare though. I've found Falbatech, and priced up their board, case and electronics, found some Gateron browns (might change my mind when I get the tester kit), but is there any site to actually buy an ergodox set of keys, or mix-and-match individual keycaps? I'm all for group buys and Kickstarter projects, but it would be nice to have a normal 'shop' option too, and I'm find that near impossible without paying £50-£100 per set of wild-coloured keycaps.
Ideally I'd want to have printed alphanumeric keys, all of the modifiers blank, and I'd probably want to get a set of printed and a set of blanks for symbols, so I can change my mind a bit about which ones I want printed, as I might want to move one character from a symbol key to another key, and leave the other where it is.
Is my best option really to buy a cheap mechanical keyboard from Amazon just to harvest for keycaps, or is there a better way?
