geekhack
geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: qwxc on Thu, 02 February 2012, 05:30:18
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Hi,
I have been lurkin around this forum for quite some time, i finally got my first mechanical keyboard this month! A KBC poker with browns.
I really like it but I am a bit dissapointed in the tactileness of the switches, so I want to try blue switches, anyone who would recomend for or against that?
Also i really like the poker layout, should i just get a poker with blues? Or does anyone have som more original suggestions?
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I know exactly how you feel. I had always heard browns felt like blues but quieter, but I found that I really couldn't feel the tactile click with the browns and it left me disappointed. If you want something that feels similar to browns but with a tangible (and audible) click, blues are probably exactly what you're looking for. Still, it would probably be best if you could sample one in a store or from a friend to be absolutely sure.
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Can you feel the click better or does it just make sound?
It would be awsome to be able to sample a keyboard, but very few stores here in Norway that sells mechanical keyboards.
Maybe i can find a store with a BlackWidow, they have blues right?
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Yep the BlackWidow has blues. There is a version with browns, called 'BlackWidow Stealth' tho, but afaik it is only available trough the official razer online shop.
Some local stores in germany have the blackwidow, so maybe they have in Norway, too :)
EDIT: To your decision problem: Imo the click alone just adds some tactile feel + the blues require a bit stronger actuation than browns. So maybe it would be the thing you're looking for.
I guess the ultimate experience for your needs could be the buckling spring.
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So the blues does not actually have a more noticable "bump", but the click sound adds some tactile feel?
Yup, I think I will be able to track down a BlackWidow(Fun Fact: They are about 200$ here in Norway).
Does buckling spring have "the ultimate" tactile feel? Because i really find i like the small tactile bump i have on the browns, just wish it was a bit "bigger".
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200$ o_0
At least you could try if it's what you're looking for and then think about getting another keyboard with blues.
Imo the click sound makes the most difference between brown and blues.
And yes, buckling is pretty heavy.
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I bought my first mechanical board for the first time in 18 years last month and after reading up on them I was pretty set on blues. I don't regret it.
I would stay away from Razer products altogether, I looked into buying a Blackwidow but their failure rate seems extraordinarily high. They seem more interested in marketing a name rather than a product.
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just because poker has no steel inside, its feeling about tactileness is different from Filco.
but undoubtedly, the size of poker is really lovely, isn't it?
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just because poker has no steel inside, its feeling about tactileness is different from Filco.
but undoubtedly, the size of poker is really lovely, isn't it?
OT: I just don't get why you love it to not have arrow-keys, F-row and stuff. I mean it looks really cool but I need those keys.
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ahhhaa!!! i am a Chinese, and i am not accustomed to use it just because poker does not fit typing in China.
a lot of people including me, love the size of hhkb pro2, however thanks to the expensive price, i choose poker.
since they have some common feature.
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I'm definately not going to buy a BlackWidow, it would just be for testing.
The size of the poker is awsome! I drag it with me everywhere :D. It has actually already been to Barcelona =)
I rarely use my F-row, and thus pressing FN+5 for F5, the few times i do works fine, also it has the togglable arrow buttons in the lower right corner.
Only thing i don't like about the layout is that the esc key has to be toggled with fn+q every time i turn on my computer, or you have to press fn+` to get esc.
Also I have "esc mode" always toggled, so because i use ~ a lot (linux) i have mapped it to the left ctrl, as i have caps lock mapped to ctrl, and don't need caps.
Anyway, seems like blues would be a good choice for me :), but now i also want to try a buckling spring keyboard, I love this forum :D
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it has more tactile feel, sound is awesome.
If you like small keyboards, maybe you will like Noppoo Choc Mini MX Blues? Is has different stabilizers than poker.
So the blues does not actually have a more noticable "bump", but the click sound adds some tactile feel?
Yup, I think I will be able to track down a BlackWidow(Fun Fact: They are about 200$ here in Norway).
Does buckling spring have "the ultimate" tactile feel? Because i really find i like the small tactile bump i have on the browns, just wish it was a bit "bigger".
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I definately prefer the layout of the poker to the choc mini.
Excuse my ignorance but what are stabilizers? And what difference does they make?
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I definately prefer the layout of the poker to the choc mini.
Excuse my ignorance but what are stabilizers? And what difference does they make?
poker has no steel inside, however choc mini does.
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Stabilisers are the bits that hold the larger keys level.
For example, if the spacebar didn't have stabilisers, it would just tilt unless you pressed it in the centre.
With stabilisers it still goes down level even if you press it at the edge.
Also, nobody has mentioned MX Clears here yet. OP might want to look into those?
They're similar to MX Browns, but use a heavier spring and have a much more noticeable tactile bump.
I don't know if the Poker comes with Clears, though. I doubt it does.
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Ahh, ok. Surely the poker spacebar has a stabilizer, but maybe none of the other large keys has them?
Clears sound interesting, don't think they are available on the poker tho, any similar keyboards with clears?
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just make sure at least to get a big ass enter key keyboard
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Oh, i HATE big ass enter keyboards, I use the standard US layout with the small enter on everything. Although the standard Norwegian layout is like other scandinavian and european keyboards with a big enter key. I do a lot of programming and need easy access to []{}, so US layout is way better for me than Norwegan/Scandinavian layout :D
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Blues are supposedly slightly more tactile, perhaps due to their higher actuation force. Clears also have higher tactility/force. Buckling springs are even greater than that, AFAIK. No miniature buckling springs keyboards, and smallest board with clears I know of off the top of my head is the Leopold tenkeyless. May be others.