geekhack
geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: 3doog on Fri, 12 July 2013, 11:28:40
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So I am looking to get a compact keyboard. Arrow keys are quite important for me. I primarily use a Mac. Currently I am looking at 3 keyboards: FC660M, Filco Minila and Poker 2. Poker 2 looks the best to me but I am a bit worry about how usable the fn and arrow key will be. Any recommendation or comments on the 3 keyboard?
I will be traveling to Japan at the end of this month and think I might pick up a keyboard there since it might be cheaper than buying it in my country(Thailand). Does anybody know where I could get these keyboard? I know that Yodobashi camera has Filcos because the last time I went, I found them there, but don't remember seeing the other two. If it's hard to find I might just buy from qtan.
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Do you want to be able to easily replace the key caps? If so, the Poker is the best option of the ones you mentioned. There are also keyboards like the Keycool 84 and KBT Race that keep an arrow cluster while being a smaller footprint and, at least I'm pretty sure on this, more standard key cap sizing.
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My vote is for the 660M. I love my 660C and the layout is far superior to the other compact boards imo. The only things I use my function row for is Del, Arrows, and ~. The 660M has two of those three available as dedicated keys already, while maintaining a 60% footprint.
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I have both the Poker X and the FC660M. The keycaps for the FC660M take some getting used to if your not used to using small keycaps that are almost flat. Otherwise it is a solid board. The Poker II and X are great for customization, and i personally like the format better than the fc660m, because the keys aren't as small. The arrow keys are a plus with the FC660M but honestly, pressing Fn+Spacebar isn't too much of a hassle. The Poker II even uses the WASD keys instead of right shift, alt, and control. Personally I like the lightness of the Poker X because I am planning to bring it around campus. You really have to get used to the small form factor though. The keys feel kinda squished at first but you get used to it.
The most ideal thing though would be to get a GH-60 because it is just always better to build your own thang.
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Poker II enjoy your feeling.
I'd say no on Minila, but FC660M and PokerII are solid boards, depends on your preference in layout
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If you are primarily a Mac user, you might want to look at a Mac-centric compact board like the Matias Mini Tactile Pro, which has both arrow keys and F-keys. If you use arrow keys a great deal and want them on the primary layer, then the Poker II is out. The Minila is interesting, but it has a number of non-standard features that might make it frustrating to use; you might want to look at the Tex Beetle instead. The Leopold FC660M has dedicated arrow keys and, with the exception of the bottom row, a standard layout. However, if you use F-keys in conjunction with others (as in programs like Photoshop), you might want to go with a TKL board, so that you would have everything standard except the Num Pad. Some TKLs even have an embedded NumPad, such as the IBM Model M SSK and the Realforce 87u. If you have to choose among the 3 boards you listed, I would recommend the FC660M.
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So I just went ahead and ordered a FC660M with red from qtan.
Thanks for the advise!
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So I just went ahead and ordered a FC660M with red from qtan.
Thanks for the advise!
Enjoy like I did. Just be patient to get any customization done to the board.
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As a photoshop user and previous Poker owner, I would say that rjrich has it spot on.
Function layer is also important for my other hobby: mmorpgs!