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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: panda-R on Sat, 14 August 2010, 00:09:07
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Hey yall,
I've been lurking for awhile and finally took the plunge on a mechanical keyboard. Got the Filco Tactile Click Otaku as my first board and I love it! Typing has never been so much fun.
As much as I love my new board.... i also think I hate it too. The audible feedback is wonderful during the day but when the sun has set, I find myself tired of the wonderful sounds coming from it. For me, the blues are definitely not an all around board that I was hoping it would be.
So where do I go from here. I love typing on this board but I need something for night time. Are the browns the way to go? I was thinking of going to something more drastic such as a linear red or black (i do some gaming too).
What do yall do when the sun goes down?
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got blacks home for gaming and a buckling spring for typing..
tho i would advise the browns though, i dont have much info on the reds though. but i might take the plunge and get it.
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Hey yall,
I've been lurking for awhile and finally took the plunge on a mechanical keyboard. Got the Filco Tactile Click Otaku as my first board and I love it! Typing has never been so much fun.
As much as I love my new board.... i also think I hate it too. The audible feedback is wonderful during the day but when the sun has set, I find myself tired of the wonderful sounds coming from it. For me, the blues are definitely not an all around board that I was hoping it would be.
So where do I go from here. I love typing on this board but I need something for night time. Are the browns the way to go? I was thinking of going to something more drastic such as a linear red or black (i do some gaming too).
What do yall do when the sun goes down?
With a two year old and a wife with sensitive ears I was compelled to switch from my buckling spring and Cherry Blue keyboards to my Topre Realforce 87U in the evenings.
The Realforce with the Topre capacitive key switches is an outstanding keyboard. The variable key weighting makes it an exceptionally comfortable board for extended typing. The typing experience is velvety smooth and it's also pretty damn quiet (except for the "thunk" of the space bar) while still providing excellent tactile feedback. The textured Topre key caps feel nice on the fingers and add to the overall high quality feel.
IMO, the Realforce keyboards have the best build quality of any keyboard in current production. Yes, they use DIP switches vs. flash memory to change key configurations and they don't look particularly distinctive (at least the ones that are easily had in the US). Topre hasn't innovated in many years because they don't have to. They manufacture high quality keyboards for a small global niche market and apparently have no incentive to make changes any more radical than say, yellow key caps on the Japanese models.
If you're looking for a very small footprint, I'm also a big fan of the Happy Hacking Professional 2 keyboard which uses uniform 45g Topre key switches. The HHKB layout, as you have probably heard, is one that takes some time to get used to. It makes a great travel keyboard.
I am not particularly impressed by Cherry MX Brown key switches. I like the clicky Cherry Blues in my Filcos and TVS Gold keyboards and although I prefer buckling springs overall, the Blues are fun to type on. I sold all my Cherry Brown keyboards becasue I find the Brown switches rather boring. I feel the Topre "cup rubber" i.e. rubber dome key switches provide better tactile feedback than Cherry Browns. There are a lot of people who love Cherry Browns, but I'm not one of 'em.
If you can afford the ticket, I recommend a Topre key switch board.
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I'd second maxlugar on the Topres, but I part ways on his assessment of browns. It'd be hard for me to say whether I like the Browns or Topres switches better. It's pretty close for me, but the Topres are far quieter which is important because I have the coder habit of staying up all night banging away on my keyboard.
If you want quiet, a Filco with Cherry Browns is not at all quiet, but if you simply don't like the pinging clicks of the Blues, you might find the snap-rattle-clack of the Browns to be a more pleasing sound. Cherry Browns on PCB mounted boards made by Cherry and others aren't quite as loud so if noise is a concern, you'll want to look at other than a Filco for Browns.
As for the HHKB2 with Topres, ItlnStln was reporting that the Topre switches in those feel very different from the switches in Realforce keyboards. The ones in the Realforce are a lot smoother than the ones in the HHKB2.
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With a two year old and a wife with sensitive ears I was compelled to switch from my buckling spring and Cherry Blue keyboards to my Topre Realforce 87U in the evenings.
The Realforce with the Topre capacitive key switches is an outstanding keyboard. The variable key weighting makes it an exceptionally comfortable board for extended typing. The typing experience is velvety smooth and it's also pretty damn quiet (except for the "thunk" of the space bar) while still providing excellent tactile feedback. The textured Topre key caps feel nice on the fingers and add to the overall high quality feel.
IMO, the Realforce keyboards have the best build quality of any keyboard in current production. Yes, they use DIP switches vs. flash memory to change key configurations and they don't look particularly distinctive (at least the ones that are easily had in the US). Topre hasn't innovated in many years because they don't have to. They manufacture high quality keyboards for a small global niche market and apparently have no incentive to make changes any more radical than say, yellow key caps on the Japanese models.
If you're looking for a very small footprint, I'm also a big fan of the Happy Hacking Professional 2 keyboard which uses uniform 45g Topre key switches. The HHKB layout, as you have probably heard, is one that takes some time to get used to. It makes a great travel keyboard.
I am not particularly impressed by Cherry MX Brown key switches. I like the clicky Cherry Blues in my Filcos and TVS Gold keyboards and although I prefer buckling springs overall, the Blues are fun to type on. I sold all my Cherry Brown keyboards becasue I find the Brown switches rather boring. I feel the Topre "cup rubber" i.e. rubber dome key switches provide better tactile feedback than Cherry Browns. There are a lot of people who love Cherry Browns, but I'm not one of 'em.
If you can afford the ticket, I recommend a Topre key switch board.
I think we are long lost brothers or something given our identical taste in keyboards =P
Topres are definitely the way to go if you need something quiet, if of course spending that sort of money on a keyboard is an option. The brown switches are quite weird, being very springy and not very tactile at all.
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I find the Cherry brown switches to feel like linear switches with crud in them.
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I wouldn't say that. They feel smooth, but are just very light switches and must be used gingerly in order to reap the full benifit of their use.
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PCB mounted cherry brown boards (such as Mx11800, ricercar spos) are quieter alternatives to your cherry blue board, they use the same spring as well so they feel quire similar. I would advise these, topres are also very quiet as well.
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PCB mounted cherry brown boards (such as Mx11800, ricercar spos) are quieter alternatives to your cherry blue board, they use the same spring as well so they feel quire similar. I would advise these, topres are also very quiet as well.
I found my Filco with brown Cherry to be quieter than my Compaq MX-11800. The first one is plate-mounted whereas the second is PCB-mounted. I can be much more quieter with the Filco. If you need quietness at night, the Topre or something with brown Cherry will fit your need.
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so its topre or brown cherries then...
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i feared the recommendation would be the topres! As for the browns, I think I would have to give them a try to before investing in some.
Anyone here regret having gone the way of the topre?
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i feared the recommendation would be the topres! As for the browns, I think I would have to give them a try to before investing in some.
Anyone here regret having gone the way of the topre?
There have been some who were disappointed with the Topre, not many though, especially compared to those who have liked theirs.
As for the brown Cherries, some people don't like them whereas some love them. Back to square one. Every switch has its share of lovers and haters. You'll need to use one and decide for yourself...unfortunately. As someone who has tried the Topre, the Brown Cherry and the Blue Cherry, here is my personal opinion. Keep in mind that I'm not you and your are not me. Therefore, what applies to me may not apply to you at all just as it can apply.
I love my blue Cherry keyboard. I love it so much that I actually bought a second one as a spare. And I love it so much that I will probably end up getting a Das. The Das is because I would like to check the feel of a plate-mounted blue Cherry keyboard. The blue Cherry is still my favourite keyboard. I cannot use it a lot at home because my office is too close to my daughter's room. My wife and I are changing things at home, and I will probably relocate my office or my daughter's room. I will then be able to use the blue Cherry again.
As for the brown Cherry. It's true that most people will unlikely feel the tactile bump when typing at a certain speed. That does not mean that the brown Cherry is a bad switch. I like it a lot because I feel it's the switch that causes the less fatigue/pain for me if I'm typing a lot. It's a very light switch, and very springy. I can type fast and quietly on my Filco. I can be a typing ninja. Get in quick, do what I need to do quick, and leave quick. By that I mean, I can use what I like to call a touch-and-go typing style. The more I use this switch, the more I am liking it.
Now when it comes to the Topre, one can be blown away or can be very disappointed. Some people have likened it to a pimped rubber dome keyboard. I love mine right away. The thock thock sound can be very soothing. Although it does have rubber dome in the switches, it does not feel mushy. However, the landing is more soft than on the Filco with brown Cherry. It requires more of its actuation force at the begining of the key travel. It's very quiet though. You can pound on the keys, and they will not make a lot of noise. If you pound on the Filco, the bottoming out will create quite some noise. But if you don't, it can be very quiet.
I won't tell you to buy one over the other. What I will tell you however, I was not disappointed with any of the two. You can love both or you can hate both.
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Thx for all the suggestions... would the TOPRE be good for someone that presses hard on the keys? I find myself bottoming out a lot on the filco cherry blues and it's LOUD!
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Thx for all the suggestions... would the TOPRE be good for someone that presses hard on the keys? I find myself bottoming out a lot on the filco cherry blues and it's LOUD!
It depends. If you are looking for a softer bottom out, then yes. That said, Topres, and other light switches, IMO, are best when you aren't crushing them. Otherwise get some ALPS or BS. When it comes to Cherry, construction of the keyboard plays a big role. My Cherry-made keyboards are a lot quieter than the Filcos I used to have.
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if you press hard on the keys AND want something quiet, have you considered a quality rubber dome? It worked for me.
I'm a heavy-fingered typer (buckling springs and fukka alps work well for me), but when i want to go silent only a good rubber dome gives me the same finger-satisfaction. The ms7000 (in my sig) works well and is a pleasure to type on. I'd also recommend the keytronics 3600.
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if you press hard on the keys AND want something quiet, have you considered a quality rubber dome? It worked for me.
I'm a heavy-fingered typer (buckling springs and fukka alps work well for me), but when i want to go silent only a good rubber dome gives me the same finger-satisfaction. The ms7000 (in my sig) works well and is a pleasure to type on. I'd also recommend the keytronics 3600.
I agree. If you're a key crusher, a regular rubber dome is just fine.
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Really needs a HHKB. Best layout ever, and anyone who disagrees is wrong.
*deploys parachute*
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I am a key banger for sure and the Keytronic 3601 does keep me very quiet.
Having said that, I still miss the "quality" feel of a mechanical board.
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a blue cherry with dental bands isnt bad. I've got one of those right now. It allows you to bang down harder (softer landing) and keeps the noise down a bit. Its definitely not as quiet as a good rubberdome though.
Then of course there is the dampened buckling spring mod (grease or foam or etc), and the alps with dampened sliders (one of my fav mods). Neither is whisper quiet but much quieter than without.
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I oughta get another Model M and try the dental floss mod.
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Brownz... Brownz...
Zombies like browns.
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Additional to the rubber under the keycaps, you can fill the space between
the switches with sound-absorbing material, presumed your cheery board is
PCB mounted.. (this is quiet enough)
(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=11368&d=1277459072)
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imma try some brownz as i figure i can learn to be gentle, maybe not, but i just wanna try me a ducky board.
dam that topre board for being on sale at the wrong time!