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geekhack Community => New Members => Topic started by: arnuschky on Tue, 16 April 2013, 02:04:18
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Hey,
I'm quite happy that I discovered this forum! I have been typing on a G80 with MX-blacks the better part of my life (well, the part that had PCs, at least). Our first PC at home had a G80, and my first own PC also had it (G80s with MX-blacks are really common in Germany). So I have been using mechanical keyboards since a long time without knowing what the difference was.
I liked my keyboard so much (and I had a friend that always marveled at "how easy it is to type on that thing!") that I salvaged a couple of look-alike keyboard when I came across them in the trash a few years ago. But for reasons unknown to me back then, the keyboards just weren't the same thing. Stuck keys, wobbly spacebar that couldn't be actuated cleanly at the sides, and generally harder to type on - that wasn't what I remembered from "my keyboard". My friend, to whom I gave one of the keyboards, reported the same, and actually chucked his a short while later.
Over time I just accepted that my old keyboard was special, and that even new keyboards weren't up to my standards. At work, I always used Cherrys that looked like my old one in the hopes that I could find a keyboard that worked as before, but no avail. Long story short, recently I needed a new keyboard at work (coffee+elbow+keyboard=bad). Everything available at work was Microsoft or Logitech and had "Internet Explorer" buttons and **** like that, so I started to investigate.
I came across the Deskthority wiki, and from there it wasn't far to here. In the end I discovered that there's a huge difference between Cherry keyboards, and that all the models I used since my first keyboard where G81s with ML switches! I always assumed they are the same as they look the same as the G80s - a bit naive, but well.
Last time I visited my parents, I dug through the stash of things that accumulate and came up with 3 G80s, all with MX-blacks, one even still in the original box. And now I sit at work and typing is a pleasure again - easy to see at the ridiculous length of this post. :)
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Welcome to GeekHack.
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Welcome to GH.. hope you enjoy here :)
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I used Model M's a while back at my office, without realizing that cruddy, mushy keyboards were on the horizon. I bugged my boss about having so many ridiculously old computers, declaring that we were running a computer museum. Our monitors were clunky old CRTs, maybe 16" in diameter. I would look into my monitor and yell, "Down Periscope!" until he finally got new computers, keyboards and monitors.
Who knows how many Model M's got tossed that day; makes me sad to think about it.
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The G81s use MY, not ML. Just FYI.
What model G80? I would assume 3000, but just curious.
Welcome to geekhack!
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The G81s use MY, not ML. Just FYI.
Ah, of course, you are right.
What model G80? I would assume 3000, but just curious.
Yes, 3000, all lasered unfortunately. ;)
Thanks to everyone for the welcome!
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I was wrong after all - my very own keyboard that I have been using since 1995 (6?) has double-shot keycaps! :D Lucky me. It's a G80-3000-HAD.
Would love to trade it for an English one, though, as I am not using a German layout anymore.
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Do you have a picture of it?
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I've never used a mechanical board without realizing, but I've seen it happen to others. UPS store had Cherry MX Blues at the self-serve kiosk and the clerk there didn't realize the treasure he had. Looked at me funny when I tried to explain why it was exciting. Then I spotted a cashier at Fry's with a silver label Model M at his POS. Heard the clacking, noticed the label, and asked him to check the label underneath. Most of the others had MLs or Microsoft Naturals. He didn't share the enthusiasm either. Oh, well.
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Well, the post is maybe slightly mis-titled. I definitely realized that it was a good keyboard, even though I didn't know the reason for it. The first should come naturally to everyone that types a lot, the second comes only with knowledge and time invested in research. Very grateful for Geekhack enlightening me. :)
I'll try to take some pictures tomorrow. You want the whole keyboard or the caps?
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[attach=1][attach=2][attach=3][attach=4][attach=5][attach=6][attachimg=6][attachimg=7][attachimg=5][attachimg=4][attachimg=3][attachimg=2][attachimg=1]
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Hu? No idea why the photos appear twice..
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*sniff* it's... beautiful.