geekhack

geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: storm on Sun, 14 November 2010, 21:21:49

Title: Alternating between Unicomp / Flico blue at Home / Work?
Post by: storm on Sun, 14 November 2010, 21:21:49

Hello,

I just found out about this fascinating world of keyboards and can't get to get my feet wet.

I split time 50/50 between home / office. At home, noise is not an issue as I have a large office and i'm alone in there. But in the office I am in a small room with a colleague.

I am wondering, for the sake of long term ease of use, is it better to stick to the same keyboard at home and work (maybe a flico blue at home and flico blue/brown at work), or is it not a big deal if i use a Unicomp at home and the blue/brown at work.  Will the adjustment between the two be significant?

I've spent a fair amount of time researching today, originally starting with the DAS. The only thing holding me back from using the Flico Blue at both home and work is the higher pitched noise. It seems from the online videos put up by people, that the Unicomp has a deeper sound. But the sound level would not be acceptable at work.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Title: Alternating between Unicomp / Flico blue at Home / Work?
Post by: panda-R on Sun, 14 November 2010, 21:46:48

theres only one way to find out.... TRY IT!

for me personally unless your working in a dead silent office, the blue's aren't going to bother anyone.

Title: Alternating between Unicomp / Flico blue at Home / Work?
Post by: Daniel Beaver on Sun, 14 November 2010, 22:19:46

There seems to be a myth building up that clicky mechanical keyboards are unbearably loud. That's not really the case. The only way to find out  is to give it a try.

Title: Alternating between Unicomp / Flico blue at Home / Work?
Post by: wanabe on Sun, 14 November 2010, 23:35:41

IMHO it's not hard to switch between keyboards of different switch types.  theyre just different and you'll probably find that you like one type more than the other OR you may enjoy variety.  I personally like to switch things up.

personally i find cherry blues a little loud for work environments.  my cubicle used to be adjacent to a guy w/ blues and even though we're both heavy handed programmers, i found it distracting.

but really, you have to just give it a try.  things will vary for each

Title: Alternating between Unicomp / Flico blue at Home / Work?
Post by: iMav on Mon, 15 November 2010, 00:39:43

IMHO, different layouts between work and home would be more of a concern then two different, QUALITY, switch types.  

Personally, I like to carry a HHKB with me...that way I always have a quality keyboard at my disposal (and I absolutely LOVE the key layout).

Title: Alternating between Unicomp / Flico blue at Home / Work?
Post by: patrickgeekhack on Mon, 15 November 2010, 05:57:45

Like others have said, you have to give a try. I've used a Dell AT-101W, an ABS M1, a G80-3000, and a Das. I find the plate-mounted switches not that loud in an office environment. That said, if you are in a small room with another person, things can be different. Try it.

Title: Alternating between Unicomp / Flico blue at Home / Work?
Post by: MissileMike on Mon, 15 November 2010, 09:44:07

I switch all the time, between browns and buckling spring, and it doesn't bother me in the least.

Title: Alternating between Unicomp / Flico blue at Home / Work?
Post by: yuriylsh on Mon, 15 November 2010, 10:00:07

Quote from: storm;246864

I am wondering, for the sake of long term ease of use, is it better to stick to the same keyboard at home and work (maybe a flico blue at home and flico blue/brown at work), or is it not a big deal if i use a Unicomp at home and the blue/brown at work.  Will the adjustment between the two be significant?

I do exactly what you described (look at my signature) and have no problems switching between the keyboards.

Title: Alternating between Unicomp / Flico blue at Home / Work?
Post by: storm on Mon, 15 November 2010, 11:37:32

thanks for the replys everyone, a lot of valuable information.

looks like i'll get a unicomp for home and a brown for work and start from there. the initial shock of the keyboard prices fades fast when taking into account how much time is spent using these devices.

now onto the devices section of the site :)

Title: Alternating between Unicomp / Flico blue at Home / Work?
Post by: Grimey on Mon, 15 November 2010, 13:45:32

I work with the opposite of what you are proposing.  I use my Unicomp at work, and my filco cherry/blue at home.  I have my own office at work, so the noise is not an issue.  A coworker of mine shares a small office with two people and bangs away on his Unicomp all day with no complaints.  

I went with a tenkeyless blue at home because I share the computer space with the misses and space is often at a premium.  Transitioning between the keyboards isn't much of an issue for me.  I love them both.

So, as everyone else mentioned, try it and see how it works.  My wife actually likes the sound of my mechanical keyboards (says it is soothing), so you may be pleasantly suprised.

Title: Alternating between Unicomp / Flico blue at Home / Work?
Post by: shrap on Mon, 15 November 2010, 19:37:53

I switch between both layouts and switches at home. It's no problem if you've been using both for a while, the human brain is quite adaptable.

Just don't switch between a mechanical and a rubber dome, you will just get angry.