geekhack
geekhack Community => Reviews => Topic started by: TheInverseKey on Thu, 15 February 2018, 14:55:56
-
Hi
I have recently started diving into the vintage keyboard market and I was looking for something different. I came across NMB Keyboards with click black Hi-Tek switches for a decent price so I decided to pick it up. I use this keyboard for work everyday and here is my review after a month.
The following catergories are going to be covered:
1. Feel
2. Sound
3. Build Quality
4. Price Range
5. Issues
6. Keycaps
7. Conclusion
Feel
It seems with the tactile and clicky space invader keyboards that the feel can vary. The total key feel across the whole board can change quite a bit. Depening on how well used the switches are the rougher they are in this case. The numpad and the function keys didn't see a lot of use therefore they are the scratchest keys on the whole board. As for normal keys they are a bit scratchier than mx blues. The more that you use the keyboard the more it seems that the keys become more worked in and better feeling. One onf the best thing about the keyboard feel is that huge space bar! They can range on other NMB models from 7u to 10u spacebars. On the RT101+ ther is a 7u and the switch is a lot heavier to actuate. That being said I think that is one of the best things about this keyboard.
Sound
Since the mechanism for the clicker is not part of the contacts that registers a keypress so the sound is whole and complete. What I mean by this is that the clicker is not as high pitched as cherry mx blues but it still a plastic against plastic to generate the noise. Now if you type like a 200 pound gorilla like myself then the noise of the switches bottoming out is very nice especially the space bar. The nice hard thunk that it makes is great IMO. The whole noise acorss the keyboard is consistant and never get too lound for the work place.
Build Quality
The switches are plate mounted to a steel mounting plate and the rest of the keyboards case is made out of ABS. Now mine has yellowed over time because of the pervious owner. But the keyboard cleaned up nice and the case could always be brought back to life with chemicals. The mounting plate really keeps this keyboard together and there is a little bit of flex around the ends of the case where ther is no screws. The rubber feet on the bottom are very poor because this keyboard is not that heavy it moves around a bit. I don't know if the rubber was poor because of the age or if it has always been that way. The cable that mine came wih was a nice bright white coiled cable and it doesn't pickup dirt that fast. All around good construction.
Price Range
They normally sell around $50 USD plus shipping which can be a pain depending on where in the world you are but if you find a nice clean one then it can be worth it. Now that being said when purcahsing make sure that it is clean and that all of the keycaps come with the board. It is pretty hard to find replacements.
Issues
Some of the issues that I have run into collecting NMB keyboards is that the switches like to come apart when taking off of the keycaps. When taking the keycaps off prying from one side to the other like you are prying off a lid is the best way but can still lead to prying the switch apart. Dirt is a big issue with these keyswitches so make sure you blow out as much as you can and that will help with the key feel.
If the switch does come apart make sure that the contacts are not bent inside of the switch housing. If they are you can bent them back but the switch might never get back to the way that it felt before. I have been able to save switches on other NMB keyboards but it takes a long time and patience.
Keycaps
The keycaps is what makes these keyboards some of the best bang for the buck in the vintage market. They come with PBT die sub keycaps and they are nice sounding in their case no matter the NMB keyboard. They are pain to take off as discussed in the issues about the keyboard. The keycaps clean up very nice and they have a great profile. Keep in mid that not all of the caps from NMB keyboards are the same profile and like perviously discussed that they can be hard to find.
Conclusion
NMB Keyboards are great if you are looking for a keyboard that has pbt keycaps and are willing to take the time to clean the board. They can be scratchy so that is one of the main downsides of the switches. The sound and weighting of the switches are very good if you are someone that like to pound the switches with every keypress. Dirt is an issue but not big as other switches. All around a good keyboard witch clicky switches if you can find one that is clean and for a good price.
-
Nice review :thumb: