Hi everyone! Time to check in and introduce myself to the GH community.
First, a quick overview: I've been using mechanical keyboards since the mid to late eighties. Starting with a PC clone and what was probably a knock-off of an IBM F (IBM 83-key PC/XT??), I went through two or three of these computers, upgrading through 386, 486, Pentium and onward and upwards, all the while using no-name IBM Model M keyboard clones. My memory of those years is a bit fuzzy so forgive me if I'm kinda vague here. Then, sometime after 2000 I picked up a Thinkpad 380k CSE, for the most part because I liked the keyboard. Semi-clicktey delight. This was my daily driver until I found an Epson Q203A at a Goodwill electronic section. It replaced the (third) Keytronic Lifetime Series. Keytronic was guaranteed for life though I usually beat the suckers down within a year's time. Eventually I replaced the Epson with an IBM Model M, 1391401, 5/16/91.
I sailed along on the Model M quite nicely for what was probably a decade until I began to branch out, reading forums and studying different keyboard layouts. (I once collected rare adventure computer games and haunted the thrift stores and online shops and different forums, buying and trading until I had a proper collection of about 200 rare, boxed games. Finally sold it all on eBay. This keyboard bug bites much like the boxed rare game bug bit. Hard.) The result and my current, kinda small starter collection:
IBM Model M ...401
Epson Q203A (missing a right hand arrow key)
Apple Keyboard A1048, two USB ports, (bottom spacebar row, Row 1, all keys on this row are domed...)
Filco Minila Air with MX blues and original keys (I see Taobao lists several Chinese vendors selling full sets of keycaps to fit the Minila. Wonder if they are decent caps.)
Magicforce 68 with MX browns. (Resting on a closet shelf.)
Filco Magestouch2 with MX browns, black stealth PBT Originative keycaps
HHKB Pro2 Black. I just won a DOOM raffle for a stunning Topre keycap so it will go on this board as soon as the keycap arrives in the mail. Either ESC or FN. Also have a Hasu USB controller coming in the mail. Time to start learning keyboard programming.
I am currently in the market for a Tenkey-less board. Right now the K-Type keyboard from the
https://input.club/ looks promising, though it's still not available for purchase. Would love to get a custom board with all those features, esp. hot swappable switches.
Keycaps bought or coming, some from GBs, others direct purchases from vendor shops:
TaiHao PBT DS Carbonite Blk keycaps
Honeywell set
SA 1965 set
Originative PBT Carbon Black
High Contrast Granite (this set is waiting for a TKL board??)
GMK Hydro set
SA Dasher & Dancer - Dasher set
Doom raffle keycap T18 (yellow/pink)
Mostly still reading. Starting to get serious about the technical side of things. Fascinated with artisan keycaps. Hot swap switches.
It's been a long journey from the mid-80s to now. Lots of boards lost by the wayside during the big vendor clone shakeup. It's a sort of golden age of mechanical keyboards now and it feels like a lot of collector's dream boards are just now coming out. Will I tumble down this rabbit hole? Time will tell, I guess.
Sorry for the small novel, but I'm well into my 60's and there's a lot to tell.
