geekhack
geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: HapticBovinator on Sat, 17 March 2012, 17:06:42
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Hello fellow clackers,
I picked up my new board yesterday, I just thought I'd note a few observations about it. Note that the only other mechanical I've owned was a CoolerMaster CMStorm Quickfire Rapid, which had the same switches, so take what I say with a grain of salt.
So how does the Cherry G80-3000 compare to the CoolerMaster?
The CM board had an appearance that really grated on me. I didn't mind it at first, but after a while I really didn't like it. It was a tenkeyless, which I thought would enhance its portability, but it was really heavy, as heavy as my netbook with the 10-hour battery, and there was no way I would be toting that anywhere anytime soon. Also, on my Mac I noticed that although the board was otherwise compatible, I had to unplug and reinsert the CM after every reboot. Kind of irritating. Also note that while other keyboards worked while in my computers bios / firmware, this one wouldn't; it might have been more of a deal had I been using this with a Mac mini or it refused to work in a PC bios or something. (I am not a fan of *having* to have 2 keyboards for the same computer.) The CM felt really strong, although that is a subjective feeling. Also, the case was coated in a similar substance to my Logitech MX518 mouse, leaving it feeling kind of "grippy"; of course, after about 3 months of FPS gaming, the Logitech looked like an Irish girl peeling from head to toe after her first really bad burn. However, the major dealbreaker was the multimedia keys. There was a Fn key on the right side of the spacebar, but the keys it modified were also on the right side of the keyboard; F5-F12. That meant the left hand had to move from the left side of the keyboard to the right to access that functionality, which meant it was completely useless.
How does the G80-3000 compare? It is a full-size keyboard, and has enough room above the function row to house a magnetic stripe card or other amenities, which are still absent on this model. Still, it is probably a result of its modular design. It is extremely lightweight--probably 3 G80-3000's wouldn't weigh the same as one CM Quickfire Rapid. It has the same switches, which feel more or less the same as the other board. The switches are Cherry MX blue. There is apparently no metal plate on which the switches are mounted; rather they are mounted on a pcb for easier servicing. If I hold opposite corners of the board in my two hands and twist, I can feel the top and bottom pieces of the case moving in opposite directions like tectonic plates on opposite sides of a fault line. Still, I can't explain why, but it doesn't feel like a bad design; it simply feels like something made to move a little rather than being completely rigid. (Bridges move, skyscrapers move, why not keyboard cases?)
I like the retro look of the keys. The F and J don't have nubs, but are a little more curved so your fingers can still find them. Whatever hacking was necessary to design the controller, the sophistry that causes the CM to have to be reinserted is absent; just turn on the pc and go. This thing is so light I am actually thinking of taking it with me when I commute.
The fold-out legs have rubber feet on them, and the keyboard really resists sliding around on my Ikea Fredrik desk (successor to the Jerker). The USB cable has thick, elastic rubber insulation and feels great, although it is not removable like on the CM.
What is the Cherry missing that the CM has? Gold-plated USB plugs, which increase your typing rate by 40 wpm, as well as your libido lol. Seriously, I am missing nothing with this board. I am no pro, but I even put it through a few rounds of Warsow, and noticed no problems with key ghosting or whatever, even though I press maximum 3-4 keys at a time. The aesthetics are great for me, but someone looking for perfection should look elsewhere. For example, one can see in the ABS case of the board that the plastic wasn't thoroughly mixed as it entered the mould; looking at reflected light from certain directions, parts of the surface are obviously brighter than others.
I haven't taken the sticker off the bottom of the Cherry, but otherwise it looks like it has been designed for tool-less opening. The CM board, on the other hand, has umpteen screws to unscrew (and potentially strip, depending on the quality of the alloy chosen for the screws).
Who should look at this board? For a Mac, it works great. There is an Alt, Control, and OS (Option for Mac) key on each side of the space bar (as well as a Menu key on the right side). There are no fancy-pants multimedia keys, or extra functions for OS X, but I don't miss them. For a developer looking for a great board to work across various OSes, this board is great. There is no funky hackery going on for NKRO functions and the like, which is probably why it *just* *works*. It comes with an USB to PS\2 adaptor, if that's your thing. If you want a board that is serviceable, works on various platforms, and uses standard parts, I think this would be a safe bet.
Who did I buy from? Well, I could have gone to any of a number of sources online to get this board in Canada. Unfortunately, Cherry has some issues with its model numbers in my opinion. I.e., they consider it normal to have variations of a product, all with a different regional interface, all sharing the same model number. I had to actually get in touch with a rep from Cherry to confirm that the keyboard I would order with a given model number would be a black keyboard with an US, ANSI layout in my region. What if I bought a used one from another country? An unofficial reseller? I should be able to tell what I am getting based on the model number and the datasheet, not having to ask the rep. The rep told me the only layout they sell in my region (North America) is the ANSI layout, and that he was sorry I "had trouble understanding the datasheet." I told him on a recent visit to a computer store, 20 out of 22 computers I looked at had ISO-style layouts and not ANSI (yes, I am in Canada). If you look at the Cherry G80-3000 datasheet, they show an ISO layout keyboard right below the Order Number for the keyboard (i.e., the number one uses to order such a keyboard). How the rep could figure I should simply assume it would come with an ANSI layout is beyond me. Anyways, moooooving along...
I ordered the board from Ashlin Electronics because I like to talk to human beings when I buy stuff sometimes. John seemed like a cool guy, but had no idea about the keyboard details. It turns out Ashlin is a reseller of products from Ingram Micro, which is about 2 minutes walk from my wife's work, Samsung Electronics Canada. Anyways, I was able to work it all out in the end, and got the board I wanted. Looks good, cook good, vagine work well, and strong on plough.
Now if only I could find a source to get them in Toronto where they weren't almost 2x the cost of the QuickFire ($67.99)!
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I'd like to try a cherry board. An 1865 or 1800 in a white case with mx switches would be great. But every time I find one they are over $100. Even used.
I'm in Calgary, so I understand your pain.
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Nice wall o' text.. I read it.. at least you got mx blues, can't fault you for that.