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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: herewegomez on Sun, 26 June 2011, 01:29:28

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: herewegomez on Sun, 26 June 2011, 01:29:28

HI! Im new to the board, but have been lurking about for a week or so gathering info on what kind of keyboard i wanted. I didn't even know that modern mechanical keyboards existed until about a month ago when a friend of mine was telling me that they still made keyboards that "click". I have fond memories of playing Kings Quest on an old IBM board, and I immediately wanted one.  

I didnt want to spend a ton of money out of the gate, so I bought a Xarmor U9 with browns (non-backlit). I think backlighting looks dumb, no matter how nice the board is. I ordered this board about a week ago, its still in the mail. In the interim, all iv been doing is looking up stuff on mech boards and listening to people typing on them. What the hell is happening to me? I never gave two ****s about keyboards before, but now im looking up keycap construction differences. I even made the kindof stupid choice of ordering a Choc Mini with blues about 3 hours ago. I didnt even really have the money to spend on that, not to mention that I havnt even recived my first board and i already ordered my second just becouse i want a brown and blue keyboard.
I also, like everyone else, want a Leopold.
This is outrageous.
Anyways, I just wanted to say thanks for all the information on this forum (albeit a bit picky at times) and its well versed members. Im sure ill share my enthusiasm or disappointment when these boards arrive.

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: reaper on Sun, 26 June 2011, 01:36:09

Welcome to Geekhack!  Now get out while you're still ahead. lol =D  I hate to think of all the money I'd spent since I joined here. >.<

I'm sure you'll like those boards and you'll definitely be buying more just to try different switches, different designs, etc.  and wait until you get to Realforce..  that's where it starts to get expensive.

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: False_Dmitry_II on Sun, 26 June 2011, 01:40:48

Your next step is obvious then. Sell both. Buy a IBM Model M or Unicomp board. Leave this site forever.

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: herewegomez on Sun, 26 June 2011, 01:54:03

haha, god you're probably right. I am making myself stop for awhile. At least a few months or untill i have some very expendible cash

on another topic- In regards to the Choc Mini bleu (like cheese), is there anyone here who owns one and can tell me how they like it as a blue board? Almost all the videos iv seen are in brown or black flavor.

also, if I wanted to replace the esc key with a red one, would a normal cherry compatible key fit in the Choc? I figured it wouldent fit completly flush, but will it still work? http://cgi.ebay.com/PBT-R2-Red-Blank-Keycap-Mechanical-Keyboard-/250841253273?pt=PCA_Mice_Trackballs&hash=item3a674dc599 this is the key i was looking at BTW.

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: reaper on Sun, 26 June 2011, 01:59:00

The red Esc key should fit just fine.  Here's my Noppoo w/ MX blue and it's just like any other boards with blue switches just has different layout and smaller form factor.

(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y146/eddie84/OCN/Mech%20keyboard%20club/Noppoo/th_DSC05035.jpg) (http://[URL=http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y146/eddie84/OCN/Mech%20keyboard%20club/Noppoo/DSC05035.jpg)](http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y146/eddie84/OCN/Mech%20keyboard%20club/Noppoo/th_DSC05035.jpg) (http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y146/eddie84/OCN/Mech%20keyboard%20club/Noppoo/DSC05035.jpg)[/URL]

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: herewegomez on Sun, 26 June 2011, 02:11:32

awesome, thanks man!  Also, the guy thats selling that key is selling one that is labeled R1 and one labeled R2. Whats the difference?

God, I love the look of that board more everytime I see it

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: reaper on Sun, 26 June 2011, 02:40:58

I think those are row indicator (for example: R1 = row 1).  Here's the link (http://www.keycapsdirect.com/images/faq/FamilyProfilesLG.jpg) to different key profiles.

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: herewegomez on Sun, 26 June 2011, 02:56:09

Quote from: reaper~;368293

I think those are row indicator (for example: R1 = row 1).  Here's the link (http://www.keycapsdirect.com/images/faq/FamilyProfilesLG.jpg) to different key profiles.

If you dont mind me asking more questions, what family does the Choc keys belong to or closest to?

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: weipim on Sun, 26 June 2011, 04:18:48

hey, I think Choc Mini keys are POM and actually really good built( according to my satisfaction lolll)

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: Tony on Sun, 26 June 2011, 06:41:41

You have clear symptoms for addiction.

Welcome to geekhack - the international keyboard asylum.

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: The Solutor on Sun, 26 June 2011, 07:08:38

Quote

I didnt want to spend a ton of money out of the gate, so I bought a Xarmor U9 with browns (non-backlit).

Likely you made a great deal.

http://www.overclock.net/keyboards/1031531-my-first-mechanical-keyboard-xarmor-u9-4.html

Quote

I think backlighting looks dumb, no matter how nice the board is.

Backlighting is a functionality, you can need it or not.

Look is just a side effect and doesn't affects  greatly the board's design.

Deck is still ugly even when lit, U9BL looks good even when turned off.

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: Zhuni on Sun, 26 June 2011, 09:16:52

The addiction thing can be hard to fight. Luckily the resale value is superb and if the board is barely used then even better. I've bought and sold a couple of boards while searching and really havent lost a great deal. I just see it as tuition. Any other hobby I've had has been way more costly then this one. And once you work out what you are looking for after trying a couple of different switches it gets easier and cheaper.....I say cheaper....I just realised I love Topre switches :D


Anyway enjoy your new boards. Good starting point.

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: jpz on Sun, 26 June 2011, 09:28:27

Herewegomez i recommended staying away from Topre (http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=topre_keyboards,realforce) if you are worried about spending too much money.

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: keyboardlover on Sun, 26 June 2011, 09:33:14

Welcome to GeekHack. The best cure for your addiction is to buy everything in my sig.

Except Taeyeon.

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: IvanIvanovich on Sun, 26 June 2011, 09:37:58

Buying different boards is bad enough, then you get into customizing... which gets really bad. You start buying vintage boards for keycaps, or different stems and springs etc. $60 keycaps sets... $15 individual keys. Your $100 keyboard ends up costing you more like $200 in the end. I've now bought 3 keyboards for use, 1 to dismantle, and some keycap sets plus since I've joined. If I had never found this site, I would probably kept on using my stock g80-3000 (now retired) in blissful ignorance.

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: herewegomez on Sun, 26 June 2011, 09:43:57

Quote from: The Solutor;368351

Likely you made a great deal.

http://www.overclock.net/keyboards/1031531-my-first-mechanical-keyboard-xarmor-u9-4.html

 wow. Like I said im not huge on backlighting, but hell, that would be a sweet bonus.

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: herewegomez on Sun, 26 June 2011, 09:46:59

Quote from: Zhuni;368380

The addiction thing can be hard to fight. Luckily the resale value is superb and if the board is barely used then even better. I've bought and sold a couple of boards while searching and really havent lost a great deal. I just see it as tuition. Any other hobby I've had has been way more costly then this one. And once you work out what you are looking for after trying a couple of different switches it gets easier and cheaper.....I say cheaper....I just realised I love Topre switches :D


Anyway enjoy your new boards. Good starting point.

the nice thing is I already have a buddy thats willing to take one of the boards off my hands if I want to sell one. Im also like the test rat for a group of friends that are interested in getting mech boards.

the addictive part of it is weird. I was around computers alot when I was a kid in the late 80s, and as soon as I heard those mechanical keys it unlocked some old sensory memory in my brain. The sound of it is relaxing in some strange way. My fervor for it will probably subside a bit once i get those boards, but it seems like it could be a cool hobby.

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: reaper on Sun, 26 June 2011, 10:16:08

Quote from: herewegomez;368298

If you dont mind me asking more questions, what family does the Choc keys belong to or closest to?

Sorry for late reply.  Fell asleep last night. lol  And as long the keycaps are MX compatible, they will fit but there might be height differences. Noppoo follows Cherry keycap profile. Filco, Ducky, KBC, Das keycaps are taller that Cherry keycaps.

Here's the in-depth review (http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:15003) from one of our own Geekhackers.  Lots of pics and good info in there (be sure to click on discussion tab and read through it).

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: The Solutor on Sun, 26 June 2011, 10:25:21

Quote from: herewegomez;368391

wow. Like I said im not huge on backlighting, but hell, that would be a sweet bonus.

 
converted in dollars a 55$ sweet. (If true also  in your case, obviously)

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: Arcanius on Sun, 26 June 2011, 18:03:18

Reaper, you know how I said I like your Poker pics? I LOVE your Noppoo pic. What camera setup do you use? :D :D

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: reaper on Sun, 26 June 2011, 18:12:41

^ Heh, thanks.  It's just an old point-and-shoot Sony Cybershot I have lying around.  Want to get a nice SLR but it's just too damn big and expensive. =(  

I'd rather spend that money on a keyboard.  =P

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: herewegomez on Tue, 28 June 2011, 13:08:42

I just received the Xarmor, which is what im typing on right now!

the feel is fantastic, I already think i cant go back. I also jumped up about 5 words per minute
as for the quality of the keyboard... well, I can tell why its a little cheaper than others. I mean, compared to my ****ty rubber dome, its leagues beyond in quality, but now im curios as to what a filco or other high end brand feels like. The letters are a bit off, the stabilizers are a little wobbly and some of the keys are a bit uneven, but hell, like I said those are very small complaints compared to the jump in general quality to a walmart special.

Unfourtunaly, like I said, this makes me want to just buy more.

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: dazzlerush on Tue, 28 June 2011, 13:24:17

Quote from: herewegomez;369510

Unfourtunaly, like I said, this makes me want to just buy more.

Welcome to GH!

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: IvanIvanovich on Tue, 28 June 2011, 14:05:55

Don't worry. You will probably have 3 other mechanical keyboards by the time August rolls around if you keep coming onto this site. :)

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: MissileMike on Tue, 28 June 2011, 14:12:56

...at least 3 :)

I think you will like the Choc Mini more- they have a nice layout.

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: arc2 on Tue, 28 June 2011, 17:29:32

Quote from: herewegomez;369510

I just received the Xarmor, which is what im typing on right now!

the feel is fantastic, I already think i cant go back. I also jumped up about 5 words per minute
as for the quality of the keyboard... well, I can tell why its a little cheaper than others. I mean, compared to my ****ty rubber dome, its leagues beyond in quality, but now im curios as to what a filco or other high end brand feels like. The letters are a bit off, the stabilizers are a little wobbly and some of the keys are a bit uneven, but hell, like I said those are very small complaints compared to the jump in general quality to a walmart special.

Unfourtunaly, like I said, this makes me want to just buy more.

Classic symptoms, and it will get worse trust me.

Personally I blame Razer and their POS Lycosa for my problems, I'm up to 5 mechanical keyboards now and counting in just over six months, plus a shed load of keycaps arriving ;(

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: herewegomez on Wed, 29 June 2011, 11:21:58

just got the Choc Mini! Holy crap was that fast shipping. Three days from hong kong to Florida.

I really love this thing already. The Blues are very nice. I think i like the Browns and blues equally... I cant decide. The construction on this thing is alot better than the Xarmor. Very solid for a tiny board. I jsut got to get used to the layout. Its a bit strange

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: Ascaii on Wed, 29 June 2011, 11:31:31

next, get a model M for vintage goodness :)

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: wcass on Wed, 29 June 2011, 12:14:44

what part of florida are you in? it's good to know another member in the state.
 
for those not in the know, FL is big - Pensacola to Key West is an 832 mile (1330 km) drive according to google maps.

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: herewegomez on Wed, 29 June 2011, 12:47:13

Quote from: wcass;370027

what part of florida are you in? it's good to know another member in the state.
 
for those not in the know, FL is big - Pensacola to Key West is an 832 mile (1330 km) drive according to google maps.

 
Im in St. Petersburg. I just moved here about a year ago. Im originally from Boston.

also, back on the Choc Mini subject,
The Engrish on the box was absolutley hilarious and unintentionally creepy. Ill get around to taking picture of it later.

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: mmmty on Wed, 29 June 2011, 13:05:04

Quote from: herewegomez;370046

Im in St. Petersburg. I just moved here about a year ago. Im originally from Boston.

also, back on the Choc Mini subject,
The Engrish on the box was absolutley hilarious and unintentionally creepy. Ill get around to taking picture of it later.

Haha, I'm in Tampa. You're just across the bay  : )

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: AndrewZorn on Wed, 29 June 2011, 13:09:28

Quote from: reaper~;368285

The red Esc key should fit just fine.  Here's my Noppoo w/ MX blue and it's just like any other boards with blue switches just has different layout and smaller form factor.

Show Image

(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y146/eddie84/OCN/Mech%20keyboard%20club/Noppoo/th_DSC05035.jpg) (http://[URL=http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y146/eddie84/OCN/Mech%20keyboard%20club/Noppoo/DSC05035.jpg)

]

Show Image

(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y146/eddie84/OCN/Mech%20keyboard%20club/Noppoo/th_DSC05035.jpg) (http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y146/eddie84/OCN/Mech%20keyboard%20club/Noppoo/DSC05035.jpg)

[/URL]

I really need to start using my red Esc keys.
Then again, Esc would look out of place on a blank board.
Maybe I just need to switch it back to the Korean lettering, would go well with Starcraft 2 anyway.

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: Arcanius on Wed, 29 June 2011, 13:10:40

When you said St. Petersburg, I didn't understand anything. What? You moved from Boston to Russia? Florida? What?
WAIT. IT MUST BE A CITY IN FLORIDA.
Funny how St. Petersburg and Saint Petersburg (In Russia) are sister cities.

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: mmmty on Wed, 29 June 2011, 13:21:27

(http://www.ju.edu/ju-regional-map2.jpg)

Title: Been lurkin', now posting
Post by: herewegomez on Wed, 29 June 2011, 13:24:03

Quote from: Arcanius;370056

When you said St. Petersburg, I didn't understand anything. What? You moved from Boston to Russia? Florida? What?
WAIT. IT MUST BE A CITY IN FLORIDA.
Funny how St. Petersburg and Saint Petersburg (In Russia) are sister cities.

it was actually named after the one in Russia. From what I understand, the Tampa bay area was settled by alot of Russian immigrants back in the day.