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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Zykos on Wed, 02 March 2011, 00:51:06

Title: KBC Poker vs Noppoo Choc Mini
Post by: Zykos on Wed, 02 March 2011, 00:51:06
I am confused on which one i should buy. I like how both of them are space saving keyboards. Fairly certain i will not move the keyboard around a lot. Should be relatively small and easy to move as i will be going to college soon.

Noppoo Choc Mini: I do not like the cord of this keyboard. It is thick, has the big cyclinder thing, and it is not detachable. I also do not like the color of the font on the keyboard. The ugly brown color.

KBC Poker: Worried about the PCB mounted switches and how that would hold up. Guess i could get used to the layout. No adjustable feets as i use those all the time. Like the look of the engraved keycaps but worried on the quality of them compared to the choc mini. Would also like to see the white version.

Which one should i buy? As they are about the same price, i do not want to regret or wonder if i should have bought the other one.
Title: KBC Poker vs Noppoo Choc Mini
Post by: jnsjr on Wed, 02 March 2011, 00:57:36
Is it possible to buy both and sell whichever you like least?  While you will probably lose some money on it, it might be worth it to know which you prefer. I bet that either of those boards will move fast if placed in the classifieds (at least for the time being).
Title: KBC Poker vs Noppoo Choc Mini
Post by: Zykos on Wed, 02 March 2011, 01:01:26
Only have about $120 in my paypal. So i can only buy 1.
Title: KBC Poker vs Noppoo Choc Mini
Post by: n12 on Wed, 02 March 2011, 01:58:39
Well, the cord problem you mention seems to be a moot point since you are using the keyboard "Just for desk use" and the Noppoo is also a "different" keyboard so you'd really have to kind of get used to them both, but yeah the Noppoo is less radical of a change. They both seem to be fairly good at a good price, maybe the Noppoo is a bit more proven.
Title: KBC Poker vs Noppoo Choc Mini
Post by: Zykos on Wed, 02 March 2011, 02:16:33
Quote from: n12;303274
Well, the cord problem you mention seems to be a moot point since you are using the keyboard "Just for desk use" and the Noppoo is also a "different" keyboard so you'd really have to kind of get used to them both, but yeah the Noppoo is less radical of a change. They both seem to be fairly good at a good price, maybe the Noppoo is a bit more proven.


Sorry, its not just for desk use anymore as i just realized im going to college soon and this should be mobile.
Title: KBC Poker vs Noppoo Choc Mini
Post by: RiGS on Wed, 02 March 2011, 10:29:16
Poker doesn't have AltGr and Alt+F4 type combinations are going to be painful.
Also note that the first batch of Pokers don't have a mounting plate and the arrow keys are missing.
Title: KBC Poker vs Noppoo Choc Mini
Post by: noodles256 on Wed, 02 March 2011, 11:03:16
Quote from: Zykos;303281
Sorry, its not just for desk use anymore as i just realized im going to college soon and this should be mobile.


I almost ordered the poker, But the layout isn't really optimal for me.

If you only play FPS and study (of course), then the layout shouldn't cause you much problem and actually should be very optimal for you since it has a minimal design.

However, I am also in college like yourself. I play a lot of games like FPS, DotA, SC2 and the layout isn't really optimal. My main concerns with the keyboard are the ESC key and positioning of the Alt Keys.

This is only my opinion though
Title: KBC Poker vs Noppoo Choc Mini
Post by: elbowglue on Wed, 02 March 2011, 12:41:28
We should have someone here who is a genius at AHK make a script to duplicate the layers of the KBC poker so people can tell if it's good for them :)

Sort of like this emulator of the HHKB:
http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:6152
Title: KBC Poker vs Noppoo Choc Mini
Post by: ejsteven on Wed, 02 March 2011, 13:17:37
Something to consider: if you'll want to use the keyboard on a Mac OSX you can pretty much forget about the noppoo.
Title: KBC Poker vs Noppoo Choc Mini
Post by: Zykos on Wed, 02 March 2011, 18:08:03
Quote from: noodles256;303476
I almost ordered the poker, But the layout isn't really optimal for me.

If you only play FPS and study (of course), then the layout shouldn't cause you much problem and actually should be very optimal for you since it has a minimal design.

However, I am also in college like yourself. I play a lot of games like FPS, DotA, SC2 and the layout isn't really optimal. My main concerns with the keyboard are the ESC key and positioning of the Alt Keys.

This is only my opinion though


What do you mean the position of the Alt Keys? The left side Alt key is the same and i dont recall using the alt key on the right side in any game. I play FPS, HoN (similar to DotA), and SC2 also. But i do not see why the layout is not optional because you do not use the ` key and the escape key in a game. I mean like you use the ` for console command but that is outside of games and pressing fn wouldnt be too much of a hassle. Im curious, are there any games that uses the funtion keys like f1. Those on the other hand might be problematic.
Title: KBC Poker vs Noppoo Choc Mini
Post by: RiGS on Wed, 02 March 2011, 18:10:08
Warcraft 3 use F1-F3 for heroes.
Title: KBC Poker vs Noppoo Choc Mini
Post by: BababooeyHTJ on Wed, 02 March 2011, 18:31:27
Yeah, there is also quick save, quick load, fraps commands, etc. As a gamer I couldn't go without function keys. If I really needed a portable keyboard I could see where the Poker would be nice but that could never be my daily board.
Title: KBC Poker vs Noppoo Choc Mini
Post by: noodles256 on Wed, 02 March 2011, 18:32:52
Quote from: Zykos;303751
What do you mean the position of the Alt Keys? The left side Alt key is the same and i dont recall using the alt key on the right side in any game. I play FPS, HoN (similar to DotA), and SC2 also. But i do not see why the layout is not optional because you do not use the ` key and the escape key in a game. I mean like you use the ` for console command but that is outside of games and pressing fn wouldnt be too much of a hassle. Im curious, are there any games that uses the funtion keys like f1. Those on the other hand might be problematic.


I don't know about HoN, but DotA uses the function keys and the numpad keys. That why the Noppoo is perfect for me.
Title: KBC Poker vs Noppoo Choc Mini
Post by: Evil_Spork on Wed, 02 March 2011, 20:31:54
I've been using my Noppoo for work this week and it really has been nice.
I end up moving my keyboard around a lot at work, between my desk, my lap, or sometimes on top of my laptop when its closed in front of me, etc. The tiny tiny Choc Mini has served well for it!
Title: KBC Poker vs Noppoo Choc Mini
Post by: rustybarnacle on Thu, 03 March 2011, 20:05:38
Quote from: elbowglue;303522
We should have someone here who is a genius at AHK make a script to duplicate the layers of the KBC poker so people can tell if it's good for them :)

Behold.  I didnt' emulate the arrow lock or escape lock functions, but just about everything else is there I think.

Once you've installed autohotkey, just rename that .txt to .ahk and double click it.  I made the right alt key the fn key.