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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: ichirichi on Wed, 11 August 2010, 06:48:15

Title: Funky Compact keyboards in UK
Post by: ichirichi on Wed, 11 August 2010, 06:48:15

Anyone know where I can buy a cheap, compact, non-low-profile keyboards similar size to Filco tenkeyless, Happy Hacker Lite 2 kind in the UK please?  I found the Cherry G84-4100 , but don't like the low profile keys.

Would love a geeky one purely for coding at work :D

Title: Funky Compact keyboards in UK
Post by: ichirichi on Wed, 11 August 2010, 07:11:12

Anyone know if this is low profile? Can't quite tell from the description or picture
http://www.ergonomics.co.uk/cherry_mini_keyboard_numeric_pad.html

The price is steep though :(

Title: Funky Compact keyboards in UK
Post by: washuai on Wed, 11 August 2010, 07:21:22

http://www.keyboardco.com/ They have a vendor forum on here, too.  They sell actual Filco, but they have other brands.  The cherry mini's unfortunately are low profile, hmmm.  Seriously, look carefully through their list of keyboards.  Maybe the short board- states full travel and is what switches?

Heh, just realized you were interested in a cherry mini (not the same travel and ML - mind), they're ten pounds cheaper, so yea, they are cheaper, yay.

Title: Funky Compact keyboards in UK
Post by: 42.tar.gz on Wed, 11 August 2010, 07:36:56

That keyboard is a Cherry ML4100/G84-4100 which uses Cherry ML (http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Cherry+switches+and+boards&highlight=cherry+ml#ML) switches which have 3mm travel (as opposed to the 4mm travel of the MX switches for example). So yes, it's rather low profile.
£70 is indeed very steep. You should be able to find one on ebay.com/.co.uk/.de for much less than that.

Title: Funky Compact keyboards in UK
Post by: ichirichi on Wed, 11 August 2010, 07:57:53

Is it a good keyboard? :D

Is it possible to change the keycaps for blanks do you know pls?

Title: Funky Compact keyboards in UK
Post by: 42.tar.gz on Wed, 11 August 2010, 08:31:00

I never used one of those keyboards, so I don't know. ;) There are however two reviews in the review section:
- http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:5849
- http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:4793
Other threads that might contain useful information:
- http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?t=9092
- http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?t=9241

Title: Funky Compact keyboards in UK
Post by: ichirichi on Wed, 11 August 2010, 08:31:58

aH.. Ta very much

Title: Funky Compact keyboards in UK
Post by: ichirichi on Wed, 11 August 2010, 15:34:55

Quote from: washuai;211313

http://www.keyboardco.com/ They have a vendor forum on here, too.  They sell actual Filco, but they have other brands.  The cherry mini's unfortunately are low profile, hmmm.  Seriously, look carefully through their list of keyboards.  Maybe the short board- states full travel and is what switches?

Heh, just realized you were interested in a cherry mini (not the same travel and ML - mind), they're ten pounds cheaper, so yea, they are cheaper, yay.

Thanks Washui
I found Tenkeyless ZERO for cheap on the site!
http://www.keyboardco.com/keyboard_details.asp?PRODUCT=621 (http://www.keyboardco.com/keyboard_details.asp?PRODUCT=621)

Do you know why there is such a big difference in price between ZERO and the other Tenkeyless' (Tactile, Click, and Linear) ?

Title: Funky Compact keyboards in UK
Post by: ichirichi on Thu, 12 August 2010, 05:38:31

Hey ripter. Are ALPS switches better in comparison to a normal keyboard ?

Title: Funky Compact keyboards in UK
Post by: wellington1869 on Thu, 12 August 2010, 08:46:47

Quote from: ichirichi;211782

Hey ripter. Are ALPS switches better in comparison to a normal keyboard ?

lol. yea ripster, are they? ;)

Title: Funky Compact keyboards in UK
Post by: ch_123 on Thu, 12 August 2010, 09:24:19

Quote from: ichirichi;211542

Thanks Washui
I found Tenkeyless ZERO for cheap on the site!
http://www.keyboardco.com/keyboard_details.asp?PRODUCT=621 (http://www.keyboardco.com/keyboard_details.asp?PRODUCT=621)

Do you know why there is such a big difference in price between ZERO and the other Tenkeyless' (Tactile, Click, and Linear) ?

They stock the ones that use XM (ALPS clone) switches, which are supposedly absolutely terrible for typing on...

The -Y ones are ostentatiously B-grade stock (blemishes etc), and are sold at cut-cost price. For comparison, Elitekeyboards used to sell the regulars for $80, and the -Y ones for $50.

Title: Funky Compact keyboards in UK
Post by: Lenny_Nero on Thu, 12 August 2010, 11:19:07

I dont think you can get a better deal for the price, The Zero from keyboardCo is ok, far from

Quote

They stock the ones that use XM (ALPS clone) switches, which are supposedly absolutely terrible for typing on...

Just like almost every AT101 I have typed on, so yes its not as good/nice to type on as some of my better ALPS switched boards,
but better than any rubber dome I have used and with Filco top build quality.

I posted  all about the 'blemished' bit in another thread Hmmm.... My Filco Zero does not have any transposition errors. (http://geekhack.org/showpost.php?p=209889&postcount=31)
They are not blemished, as in they are marked or damaged, they just did not have the best switch for the controller, which has been worked on.

...again, I dont think you can get a better board new from a shop for the same price.

Title: Funky Compact keyboards in UK
Post by: ichirichi on Fri, 13 August 2010, 03:37:34

Thanks for the advice :)