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Happy Hacking Keyboard (Lite) is dome switch, so is it less reliable?
Astra Diesel:
If it is a membrane switch keyboard, how does HHKB Lite manage to retain an amazing 10 million lifecycles (according to ergonomicsresource) ?
I want to buy this keyboard, but I want your expert opinions first.
I'm considering the Avant Prime or the Stellar, but does the company really sell ALPS Switches in them? Your other discussion thread reports that they may use strongmans or cherries, what's the real word on the street.
Regards.
:confused:
iMav:
You can find xsphat's review of the HHKB Lite 2 here in the wiki.
Odd that you are considering both the HHKB Lite 2 and an Avant board. These seem to be pretty much polar opposites. What exactly is it that you want/need/like in a keyboard?
puntium:
--- Quote from: Astra Diesel;2328 ---If it is a membrane switch keyboard, how does HHKB Lite manage to retain an amazing 10 million lifecycles (according to ergonomicsresource) ?
--- End quote ---
Not all membrane switches are the same. There's el cheapo 10$ boards, the are these HHKB, and then there are even some that are rated for 30 million like the keytronic boards.
For example: http://www.keytronicems.com/home/products/specs/designer-p2.htm
I think some MS Natural's use the keytronic switches at some point, so they last pretty long too. I no some fellow developers that have been using hte old MS Natural Pro for a long time now (5+ years) and they're still working.
Whiskey in the Jar-o:
Cherry membranes, especially the Cymotion range, have a very long life spec. Also some Acer Accufeel, Benq keyboards, the ones with 6511 in their model number, are very cheap, but are rated for 20 million keystrokes. They can be found under a whole bunch of brand names. HP, Mitsubishi, etc.. Just google keyboard 6511.
I have this one. It's 9 years old, metal plate bottom and fairly slim for a full-travel membrane. Still rattling away, but may have been quieter when new. It was my home keyboard for about 6 years. At the time my work keyboard was Keytronic ergo-something-or-other. The Keytronic felt superior.
Anyway, my favourite membrane keyboard right now is the Cherry Cymotion line. It feels great to type on, though it's pretty loud. Then the Keytronic (the old-skool quality ergo-something), though to be honest I haven't used one in ages, so I don't quite remember how it felt. Then the MS Natural Keyboard Elite. I got a new one from ebay a couple of months ago, but it was manufactured in 2000 at the latest. The thing with MS boards is that the same model may have been made by different OEMs at different times (sometimes the same time). This can lead to wildly different reviews. Mine's made in Mexico, which leads me to believe the OEM was Keytronic.
Astra Diesel:
imav, I have recently looked into the "clicky" keyboards phenomenon and after reading various bits and pieces of threads, sites, wiki entries, etc, I just settled on the HHKB (for its size) and Avant for.... well.. I don't know. What do you prefer? I just want to get the avant because I don't want to buy a used IBM M Model keyboard. Secondly, I'm not sure what is better, ALPS based keyboards or Cherry switches? If it is solely based on personal preference, what do you recommend.
I'm using an HP rubber dome "multimedia" keyboard (feature I find useless), from my old 2000 HP Pavilion (comp is long gone), but keyboard stayed after my Logitech cordless desktop keyboard began to get a mind of its own. I'm glad I found geekhack.org. You need to point me in the right direction.
Regards.
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