interesting scissor switch boards & request for recommendations

[tobydeemer]

Ironically, what led me down the mechanical board path was being unhappy with regular (what I now know are) rubber dome boards, and preferring "laptop style" boards. From there, I had come across this thread:
http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?9808-quot-Best-quot-scissor-switch-flat-keyboard
through google searches.

Fast forward a year and some change, and here we are.

Ok, suffice it to say, I rotate boards, as I'm sure many of us do. I have a CM Storm QFR with dampened blues, a couple Model Ms, various other dome boards (don't really use these except for lab machines), and a couple of what I consider nice scissor boards.

I have an IBM UltraNav- trackpoint & touchpad, PS/2 == very nice; great feel, love the trackpad. I like this for when I want to recline more and hold the board on my lap. Works great as I don't have to move my arm to mouse at all.

I also have what Ripster has been known to call a "HHKB Killer":
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004JHKFVY/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00
I really like this board. The footprint is excellent, and the key feel is surprisingly decent. I wouldn't call it exceptional, but it's satisfying to type on, and is still much better than the average dome board. This one is also a favorite of coworkers, both for noise level and curiosity factor.

And last evening, I ordered this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FIHPT6/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00
It has a nearly identical layout, with a few notable differences. It has physical keys for page-up & down, home, end, scroll lock, F11, and F12. It is not missing the menu, or insert keys. For me, the lack of a Fn layer to get to the nav keys is a real plus, as I use those a lot in various text editing.  I actually dig the fact that is has no LEDs, no Fn layer keypad, and manages to include all the necessary "real" keys. I only hope that the key feel is as nice as my existing one. Any way you cut it, the price is worth it to check it out. I'll report back once I get it tomorrow, for those who are interested in scissor boards.

What other small scissor boards does anyone else really like? I'm a huge fan of small footprint boards, and I'd spring for a real HHKB if my wife wouldn't kill me. I'm really hesitant on the HHKB Lite2, since it gets rather ambivalent-at-best reviews around these parts. Especially since the above boards, to me, feel rather nice, I don't want to drop 100 bucks on a lite2 and have it feel no better than these. I'm also extremely particular about layout. ANSI or die, and the weird crap that OEMs pull on the bottom row or with the right shift key is just unacceptable. I almost exclusively use the right shift, so when they make split it with an arrow or something, it always throws me off.

If the miniguru ever makes a real appearance, I'll have to get one and be done with it.

That's all for now.

[tobydeemer]

Well, I got the new one in today. The feel is about the same as the grey / white one, but the board sounds somewhat more muted, I think due to the texture of the keys and the case. So it's nearly silent, especially compared to my Blues or the Model Ms. I'm very much digging the "corrected" layout as well.

Other than that, guess there aren't many other scissor switch fans left around, eh? :-)

[davkol]

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[TexasFlood]

Well, mainly due to the trackpoint, I like the Lenovo 55Y9003 ThinkPad USB Keyboard, but it costs more than the above, and the review here isn't all that good. But I like mine.

[smknjoe]

My Apple wireless has been a trooper for 5 years and still going strong.

Edit: I really like my HHKB Pro2, but it's not worth $300.00. Maybe, $200.00.

[tobydeemer]

Yeah, I have one of the older IBM UltraNav boards- the ThinkPad style with both trackpoint and trackpad. I like it a lot. How is the spacing on the BenQ you mention?

[TexasFlood]

Is the GTMax listed above similar to the this Brando branded one ($43.00)?
That's one I've been tempted to try but never have.

[tobydeemer]

It looks very similar, for sure. The ones I have are not wireless of course, and the function keys look to be slightly different. I imagine the feel would rather similar, just based on the basics.

[davkol]

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[MKB]

I would avoid the HHKB Lite2 as the keys are very stiff for a rubber dome.  I liked it even less than a normal rubber dome....  I was not too fond of the HKKB either...  But of course it is all personal taste...

[tobydeemer]

I would avoid the HHKB Lite2 as the keys are very stiff for a rubber dome.  I liked it even less than a normal rubber dome....  I was not too fond of the HKKB either...  But of course it is all personal taste...

Yeah, that seems to be a consensus on the Lite2. Oh well, there's always room in the collection for other things.


Incidentally, I came across this board a while ago. I never picked one up, but it seems like a pretty neat idea.
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/rapoo-e9080-ultra-slim-wireless-82-key-keyboard-with-touchpad-receiver-black-2xaaa-102667

There are positive reviews of it on the google, so it might be interesting to try at some point.

[dorkvader]

I like my cherry G84 as a good scissor-replacement keyboard. Though some scissor-switches are really nice, especially those with individual domes rather than a sheet (Fujitsu does this).

If anyone wants to make a controller, I can get some few working fujitsu keyboards from work

[uzoc]

Ironically, what led me down the mechanical board path was being unhappy with regular (what I now know are) rubber dome boards, and preferring "laptop style" boards. From there, I had come across this thread:
http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?9808-quot-Best-quot-scissor-switch-flat-keyboard
through google searches.

Fast forward a year and some change, and here we are.

Ok, suffice it to say, I rotate boards, as I'm sure many of us do. I have a CM Storm QFR with dampened blues, a couple Model Ms, various other dome boards (don't really use these except for lab machines), and a couple of what I consider nice scissor boards.

I have an IBM UltraNav- trackpoint & touchpad, PS/2 == very nice; great feel, love the trackpad. I like this for when I want to recline more and hold the board on my lap. Works great as I don't have to move my arm to mouse at all.

I also have what Ripster has been known to call a "HHKB Killer":
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004JHKFVY/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00
I really like this board. The footprint is excellent, and the key feel is surprisingly decent. I wouldn't call it exceptional, but it's satisfying to type on, and is still much better than the average dome board. This one is also a favorite of coworkers, both for noise level and curiosity factor.

And last evening, I ordered this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FIHPT6/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00
It has a nearly identical layout, with a few notable differences. It has physical keys for page-up & down, home, end, scroll lock, F11, and F12. It is not missing the menu, or insert keys. For me, the lack of a Fn layer to get to the nav keys is a real plus, as I use those a lot in various text editing.  I actually dig the fact that is has no LEDs, no Fn layer keypad, and manages to include all the necessary "real" keys. I only hope that the key feel is as nice as my existing one. Any way you cut it, the price is worth it to check it out. I'll report back once I get it tomorrow, for those who are interested in scissor boards.

What other small scissor boards does anyone else really like? I'm a huge fan of small footprint boards, and I'd spring for a real HHKB if my wife wouldn't kill me. I'm really hesitant on the HHKB Lite2, since it gets rather ambivalent-at-best reviews around these parts. Especially since the above boards, to me, feel rather nice, I don't want to drop 100 bucks on a lite2 and have it feel no better than these. I'm also extremely particular about layout. ANSI or die, and the weird crap that OEMs pull on the bottom row or with the right shift key is just unacceptable. I almost exclusively use the right shift, so when they make split it with an arrow or something, it always throws me off.

If the miniguru ever makes a real appearance, I'll have to get one and be done with it.

That's all for now.

Out of the non-mechanicals my favorite has to be the Microsoft Arc (with one big caveat, the small arrows keys!).
And second the Cherry G84-4100 Slimline (some keys are not in the right places, though, so it takes some getting used to, and learning to to bottom out takes practice).
I will review the HHKB Lite 2 (once I receive it, this week probably).   

[lazerpointer]

I love scissor switch boards, have you tried the Kensington Slim type yet? Good board.

[uzoc]

I love scissor switch boards, have you tried the Kensington Slim type yet? Good board.

Has to be tenkeyless for me.
Last I tried is the Logitech K360... OK.

[lazerpointer]

True. If only they kept making new scissor switch designs - Kensington has some good stuff.

[tobydeemer]

Of the scissor switch boards I currently have, I'd have to say my favorite is still the grey & white mac clone. Good feel, great price, and the compromises on the layout really aren't that terrible.

I have looked at the MS Arc board, but the curve kinda bugs me. I have an older Acer laptop with a similar feature, and it feels weird to me.

Since I originally made this post however, I've become a rather shameless Alps fan. My daily drivers are either the SIIG MiniTouch or the SGI AT101. I rotate some of my other boards in once in a while, but those are my go-to choices.

That being said, I'm still using that mac-clone board right now... :-P

[uzoc]

- I've tried the Apple Wireless Keyboard and getting used to the keys lack of backspace and key feel, was not right. I tried for more than a month, but it had to go.


- The Microsoft Arc is my best keyb. right now. the arc worried me also, but it is very slight that I didn't notice. Going to a 100% flat keyboard does not feel right.
My two drawbacks on the Arc is the smallish arrows AND lack of taller feet in the back which I corrected with a couple of stick on balls? feet made for laptops (from EBay).\
Also added some yellow (large text) key stickers (from EBay) for higher visibility/contrast.

[nar]

In terms of scissor switches for those not already mentioned, the old Vaio Z Laptop ones were pretty good, have to go with short throw mechanicals though, Short Throw Topres and MLs are awesome.

[uzoc]

In terms of scissor switches for those not already mentioned, the old Vaio Z Laptop ones were pretty good, have to go with short throw mechanicals though, Short Throw Topres and MLs are awesome.

Don't know anything about these short throws, any examples?

[DamienG]

Is the GTMax listed above similar to the this Brando branded one ($43.00)?

Looks similar to the one that came with a Samsung Series 7 tablet I had which was nothing special.

[)amien