Hey there from Berlin, Germany / Deutschland!

[menuhin]

Hi guys,

I'm living in Berlin.
I know this community for a while and finally decided that I belong to one of you but perhaps not any of the extreme enthusiasts.

I am doing my study that require quite some R and other typesss of programming for statistical analyses, computer simulation, and interfaces of human experimentation. And I have to write a lot: I hate Word but I have to work on it, and love Emacs / LaTeX more and more. And the quality of a keyboard is at the soul of my input pleasure.
Well, I can't type > 100WPM, not yet.

I am more and more amazed how deep one can dig into this keyboard hobbit... 

Cheers,
MJ

[trenzafeeds]

Willkommen!
I am actually moving to Potsdam next year, so I will be right near you!
Have you acquired a mech yet, or are you still looking for your first?

[menuhin]

Danke!

My first mechanical switch keyboard was the IBM M13 black version, but the switches were too stiff and heavy for my fingers or my typing style and I sadly had to sell it. I recently acquire my 2nd mechanical switch keyboard: a keyboard with the very pleasing 84 key layout - Choc mini with Gateron black switches. 

Gateron black switches feel heavy but smooth and bearable, and when I try to type fast on it, I would feel tired but I still feel good to have it for every day use. However, for the IBM M13, if I tried to type fast on it, I would feel I am destroying my finger joints and painful. 

Willkommen!
I am actually moving to Potsdam next year, so I will be right near you!
Have you acquired a mech yet, or are you still looking for your first?

[trenzafeeds]

Danke!

My first mechanical switch keyboard was the IBM M13 black version, but the switches were too stiff and heavy for my fingers or my typing style and I sadly had to sell it. I recently acquire my 2nd mechanical switch keyboard: a keyboard with the very pleasing 84 key layout - Choc mini with Gateron black switches. 

Gateron black switches feel heavy but smooth and bearable, and when I try to type fast on it, I would feel tired but I still feel good to have it for every day use. However, for the IBM M13, if I tried to type fast on it, I would feel I am destroying my finger joints and painful. 

Personally blacks are my favourite MX switch, and gateron blacks are certianly the smoothest you can buy stock! my absolute favourites are vintage cherry blacks, but those can be hard to come by. If you really like the heavy linear feel, and are ever interested in building a custom, or desoldering the board you already have, I would suggest lubing those gateron blacks to make them super smooth (it's a real treat), as well as maybe swapping them to a slightly lighter spring if you feel that the weight is too much for your fingers. That said, keep typing for a while, and I'm sure you'll work out your finger muscles enough to get used to it! 

[menuhin]

I like Gateron black
Having that said, I'm now typing on those super light Noppoo "Topre clone" at 35g. It feels like Cherry MX red with cushioning for the bottoming out, and I can't really feel the tactile bump if I don't pay attention to it. Topre & Topre clones are more like half-mechanical to be more precise.


p.s. Oh, you're not originally from Germany by the way. So moving to Potsdam for work / academic job?

[xtrafrood]

That looks wonderful, welcome to GH

[menuhin]

Thank you! I hope I can hold onto my low key keyboards and my wallet while reading all those wonderful posts of you all keyboard enthusiasts. 

That looks wonderful, welcome to GH

[trenzafeeds]

Oh, you're not originally from Germany by the way. So moving to Potsdam for work / academic job?

Yes, for school!

[menuhin]

 
Let me make some bold guest:
Potsdam - either film school or graduate school. If that's graduate school, it can be related to weather / climate change topics.

Oh, you're not originally from Germany by the way. So moving to Potsdam for work / academic job?

Yes, for school!

[trenzafeeds]

Let me make some bold guest:
Potsdam - either film school or graduate school. If that's graduate school, it can be related to weather / climate change topics.

for my last year of secondary school, so to a Gesamtschule  )

[menuhin]

You're going to be here (Potsdam or Berlin) partying for real!  )

Let me make some bold guest:
Potsdam - either film school or graduate school. If that's graduate school, it can be related to weather / climate change topics.

for my last year of secondary school, so to a Gesamtschule  )

[rowdy]

Welcome to Geekhack!

A lot of people have been saying that Gaterons are smoother than the equivalent MX switches.  I wonder whether Gateron blacks would be smoother than vintage MX blacks?

This is a very deep rabbit hole - it's amazing how long we can use old rubber dome keyboards without realising how many alternative keyboard options and customisation there is available.  The problem is deciding when to stop buying things )

[trenzafeeds]

Wonder whether Gateron blacks would be smoother than vintage MX blacks?

Vintage MX are still king.
Someday we'll have vintage gateron blacks though...

[Findecanor]

Welcome to Geekhack! There are several other prominent keyboard enthusiasts in Berlin already and I think there have been a few meetups where people bring their more unusual keyboards so that others can try them.

[menuhin]

Great, I'd love to have some meetup to let us check out the keyboard collection of each other! 

Welcome to Geekhack! There are several other prominent keyboard enthusiasts in Berlin already and I think there have been a few meetups where people bring their more unusual keyboards so that others can try them.

[rowdy]

Wonder whether Gateron blacks would be smoother than vintage MX blacks?

Vintage MX are still king.
Someday we'll have vintage gateron blacks though...

By then the current model MX switches will be vintage too, and what we today call vintage blacks will probably be stone age blacks )