209 and 229 Truly Ergonomic Keyboard Comparison - (Cherry vs Kailh) MX Brown

[Sc0tTy]

Hey All,

I was not sure If I should be posting this to the ergo or the keyboard sub forum but since there wont be any talk about ergonomics I thought this was the best place.

Intro
I have two Kinesis Freestyle v3 VIP keyboards, one for work and one for home. One is over 4 years old and the other over 2 years.
For mouse input I use a Bamboo Pen & Touch (new version is called Intous P&T).

The reason I started to look to replace them is that the 4 year old device wasn't a joy to type on anymore (rubber dome, though better than most other manufacturers) and some keys where broken.
One of my complaints about keyboards is the numeric input on the right side, the Freestyle doesn't have this as much but its still quite wide compared to other TKL keyboards.
So I started to look around for replacements, this time though I wanted to try out mech keys and an even narrower footprint.

After lots of research I fell in love with the TEK but the negative reviews about key registration withheld me from buying it for two to three months until the new firmware was released.
I bought the TEK 209 about 4-5 months ago and the experience is amazing.

Well at least it was until some keys stopped working... At this moment three keys don't register most of the time including the H key which.
I bought the TEK at getDigital and they said it was no problem to replace the device, they gave me different options and I chose to order a new board before sending mine back (I want a second one for work anyway).
At that time the 209 went out of stock and a bit later the 229 was added to the inventory.

Last week the 229 finally arrived (due to some other issues) and I have been typing on it from the start.
Having both boards gives me the opportunity to review both side-by-side.

Differences
The main difference between the two is the usage of Kailh switches instead of Cherry and they changed the way the letters and symbols look on the key-caps.

Comparison, images


209 on the left, 229 on the right


Cherry MX Brown on the left, Kailh MX Brown on the right




Kailh MX Brown up close


209 on the left, 229 on the right
Notice how most of the switches have been installed up-side down, not sure why though.
I already had installed some o-rings on the 209 so I removed those key-caps.


229 with some of the keys (with o-rings)

You can find the album with all the images here

Comparison, videos

With key-caps, link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBbBho5VlXc
Note how I'm not typing on the home row on the 209 because I already have o-rings installed there.

Without key-caps, link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCbn25eJlw8

Opinion
The typing experience seems to be the same on both keyboards.
The Cherry's seem to make more noise and the Kailh's feel a little less scratchy but this might be because the 209 is broken-in and the 229 is not.
But if you would blindfold me and put on some music I wouldn't notice the difference between the Cherry and Kailh switches.

If you're unsure about the TEK in general, you should buy it through a reseller like getDigital or the Keyboard Company.
So far their service has been great and you won't have to deal with the ****ty service of TE.

Questions
Let me know if you guys have questions or if you want me to compare something specific, I will send the 209 back after this weekend.

[CPTBadAss]

Great review . I actually found I liked the Kailh Browns much more than the Cherry MX Browns.

I really enjoyed the video comparisons. I've always kind of felt that a Microsoft Ergonomic 4000 as a mechanical would be an ideal office keyboard for me. I think the Teck and a G80-5000 come closest to that but the Truly Ergo Board is much more affordable and easier to obtain.

Do you have any thoughts about the keycaps?

[Sc0tTy]

Thanks!

Yeah my first impression was that I liked the Kailh's more too but there is a big usage difference so I didn't want to say that in my initial post.
The key-caps feel the same on both keyboards and I like them more than the ones on my Freestyle.

Yeah a lot of people in my office use the MS Ergo 4000, the problem is the keydomes, they're absolutely horrifying after a while. I don't understand how their fingers aren't hurting like crazy.
The Sculpt keyboard seemed very interesting as well but the switch height seemed to low and its to wide on the right side.

[berserkfan]

Really find it hard to like these ugly ass keyboards.

That said, don't let my grouching get to you. I value your opinion precisely because of the diversity that it brings. Every time I read someone praising something I think is total crap (and producing such a detailed and careful review), it is an exercise in humility for me because it reminds me of how subjective this hobby is.

[vivalarevolución]

How do you feel about the tweeks to the layout?

[MGH]

Hmmm I may get one of these as a ergonomic keyboard instead of a ergodox

[Sc0tTy]

How do you feel about the tweeks to the layout?

I use Colemak and I remaped the keys on the 209 to the layout of the 229 as soon as it was released to get used to them already. So getting the new version was no issue for me.
As with all key position changes it took a few days to get used to it but it was no biggie

One of the problems I had with the Kinesis (and therefor with the Ergodox) is that the two separate halves where always moving around. This keyboard doesn't have that, still unsure if thats a plus or a negative feature

[vivalarevolución]

How do you feel about the tweeks to the layout?

I use Colemak and I remaped the keys on the 209 to the layout of the 229 as soon as it was released to get used to them already. So getting the new version was no issue for me.
As with all key position changes it took a few days to get used to it but it was no biggie

One of the problems I had with the Kinesis (and therefor with the Ergodox) is that the two separate halves where always moving around. This keyboard doesn't have that, still unsure if thats a plus or a negative feature

I know what you mean with the two separate halves moving around.  The Truly Ergonomic had a very sturdy feel during the short time that I used it, and that was not an issue.  The downside is that if you get tired or sore from typing in the same position, you cannot change the position of the keyboard.

[Sc0tTy]

I know what you mean with the two separate halves moving around.  The Truly Ergonomic had a very sturdy feel during the short time that I used it, and that was not an issue.  The downside is that if you get tired or sore from typing in the same position, you cannot change the position of the keyboard.

Yeah it would be nice if you could change the angle a bit.

Though I don't really miss it a version with tenting would be nice too. But i would prefer it if they updated their firmware so that you could bind any ascii key like { directly so that you don't have to use shift or combo's like CTRL+C to a specific key.
I really miss those copy/paste shortcuts from my Kinesis Freestyle

[vivalarevolución]

I know what you mean with the two separate halves moving around.  The Truly Ergonomic had a very sturdy feel during the short time that I used it, and that was not an issue.  The downside is that if you get tired or sore from typing in the same position, you cannot change the position of the keyboard.

Yeah it would be nice if you could change the angle a bit.

Though I don't really miss it a version with tenting would be nice too. But i would prefer it if they updated their firmware so that you could bind any ascii key like { directly so that you don't have to use shift or combo's like CTRL+C to a specific key.
I really miss those copy/paste shortcuts from my Kinesis Freestyle

You're asking a lot for Truly Ergonomic to do anything that makes sense.