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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Chloe on Mon, 01 December 2008, 10:26:27

Title: Keycap pullers
Post by: Chloe on Mon, 01 December 2008, 10:26:27
Does anyone know where I can get a keycap puller like this in the UK?

(http://hooleon.com/miva/graphics/00000001/281-999-0034-large-a.jpg)

Hooleon (http://hooleon.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=AC-999-0039) have them but they want 14 USD for shipping to the UK which seems alot. This place (http://www.specialized.net/ecommerce/shop/layout.asp?product_id=235X100) just quoted me 46 USD!
Title: Keycap pullers
Post by: lam47 on Mon, 01 December 2008, 11:27:28
Bump as I want one too.
Title: Keycap pullers
Post by: Mercen_505 on Mon, 01 December 2008, 11:40:10
This looks like a job for... two paperclips, a small strip of cardboard, and electrical tape!
Title: Keycap pullers
Post by: lexicon on Mon, 01 December 2008, 12:43:44
You don't understand.  The point is to carry one with you and let it fall onto the table when you fumble for change while somewhere with friends.  They ask, "What the heck is that?" and you instantly have an opening to introduce them to the wonderful world of keyboard obsession.

But it doesn't work with the homemade kind.  That just makes you look like a weirdo.
Title: Keycap pullers
Post by: bhtooefr on Mon, 01 December 2008, 12:48:19
And introducing them to the wonderful world of keyboard obsession with a factory-made kind doesn't make you look like a weirdo? :p

I've linked this forum on computer forums and have gotten "wow, now THAT'S nerdy" as the response. :p
Title: Keycap pullers
Post by: Mercen_505 on Mon, 01 December 2008, 13:02:54
Quote
"What the heck is that?" and you instantly have an opening to introduce them to the wonderful world of keyboard obsession.

I already have enough poorly understood (or accepted!) interests; I'm surely not in a rush to introduce even more of them to the people in my life! Even among geeks the keyboard obsession seems relatively hard to swallow.
Title: Keycap pullers
Post by: wellington1869 on Mon, 01 December 2008, 13:18:03
Quote from: Mercen_505;13106
I already have enough poorly understood (or accepted!) interests; I'm surely not in a rush to introduce even more of them to the people in my life! Even among geeks the keyboard obsession seems relatively hard to swallow.


yea, I hide my boards under the mattress ;)
Title: Keycap pullers
Post by: wellington1869 on Mon, 01 December 2008, 13:18:58
Quote from: Chloe;13084
Does anyone know where I can get a keycap puller like this in the UK?

Hooleon (http://hooleon.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=AC-999-0039) have them but they want 14 USD for shipping to the UK which seems alot. This place (http://www.specialized.net/ecommerce/shop/layout.asp?product_id=235X100) just quoted me 46 USD!


I bought one of these from hooleon, it works well.  Have you tried ebay?
Title: Keycap pullers
Post by: Chloe on Mon, 01 December 2008, 13:22:43
No luck on Ebay. :(
Title: Keycap pullers
Post by: lexicon on Mon, 01 December 2008, 14:06:43
Every so often my wife comes into my home office and starts counting the keyboards in an accusatory tone of voice.  Then I point out that none of them cost me more than $50, which is much less than the five shortwave receivers (three Yaesu, a Drake and a Grundig, not counting four scanners) in the room cost a few years ago.
Title: Keycap pullers
Post by: wellington1869 on Mon, 01 December 2008, 14:17:16
Quote from: lexicon;13115
Every so often my wife comes into my home office and starts counting the keyboards in an accusatory tone of voice.  Then I point out that none of them cost me more than $50, which is much less than the five shortwave receivers (three Yaesu, a Drake and a Grundig, not counting four scanners) in the room cost a few years ago.


just start counting her pairs of shoes... :p
Title: Keycap pullers
Post by: Chloe on Mon, 01 December 2008, 14:52:03
One can never have enough pairs of shoes.
Title: Keycap pullers
Post by: bigpook on Mon, 01 December 2008, 15:02:53
Quote from: Chloe;13118
One can never have enough pairs of shoes.

Imelda? is that you? : )
Title: Keycap pullers
Post by: xsphat on Mon, 01 December 2008, 18:17:09
Oops! Check your inbox.
Title: Keycap pullers
Post by: wellington1869 on Mon, 01 December 2008, 18:26:01
Quote from: xsphat;13144
Oops! Check your inbox.


Are you selling your shoes? ;)
Title: Keycap pullers
Post by: xsphat on Mon, 01 December 2008, 20:35:33
Quote from: wellington1869;13148
Are you selling your shoes? ;)

Why, you buying, Wellington?

Hey Chloe, if you think it would be cheaper, I would order one for you and ship it to you. Honestly, I think you should pay the $14 shipping and get one of those in the pic you posted.

And about the keyboard thing being tough for geeks to swallow, it is. They treat me like I'm contagious when I start Be-yotching about crap keyboards while they are juicing over some new Blackberry thing, not realizing that my keyboard is something I will use more than once, unlike their new fancy cell phone app.
Title: Keycap pullers
Post by: bhtooefr on Mon, 01 December 2008, 20:39:18
Well, to be fair, "some new BlackBerry thing" is something that they use every day, too - it's going to be their cell phone.

And, as a geek with a smartphone (actually, technically, two, but Sprint doesn't support QNC any more (the method of data connection for an IS-95 cdmaOne phone,) so it can't get online, and it can't even send texts thanks to Sprint locking that feature out (they required web access to send texts, but QNC doesn't work, so it can't send texts at all now)) I can say that I definitely use it every day. ;)

(How to know you're a nerd: You've got three Palm OS devices on you, two of them being cell phones, one being a clone of the other (when you do that stuff, you've gotta be careful to only have one at a time running)... and the third is your watch, and is four times as fast as the older of the cell phones.)
Title: Keycap pullers
Post by: zwmalone on Mon, 01 December 2008, 20:59:07
You gotta love the Palm OS... Makes me wish I didn't get rid of my Tungsten T.

Now I'm stuck with a crappy Windows Mobile 2002 device that I'd rather chew glass than use...
Title: Keycap pullers
Post by: xsphat on Mon, 01 December 2008, 21:52:08
Read my post again, bhtooefr, I said "App" not phone.

You have to know the Blackberry has a certain douche bag quality to it. No one I work with or go to college with has one. And, they are ugly.

I'm fine with Windows Mobile and Palm OS, and I'd like to find a device that I could stand using for writing notes and editing huge docs, but I can't find one.
Title: Keycap pullers
Post by: xsphat on Mon, 01 December 2008, 21:52:56
Not to offend anyone ....
Title: Keycap pullers
Post by: bhtooefr on Tue, 02 December 2008, 02:38:48
I'll just note that I posted before your edit. ;) So, it didn't say "app" when I posted. ;)

But, have you looked at the HTC Mogul? I don't mind the keyboard on that one at all - it takes a second to get used to, but once you're going, it's not bad. (My dad has a Mogul.)

My Centro... not so hot for lots of typing, but it gets the job done. :p
Title: Keycap pullers
Post by: Eclairz on Tue, 02 December 2008, 04:26:53
I need a new keypuller or two myself, so tell me if you do plan to buy I can share the delivery costs with you since i live in london you can just post it on.
Title: Keycap pullers
Post by: Chloe on Tue, 02 December 2008, 04:47:05
Quote from: xsphat;13170
Hey Chloe, if you think it would be cheaper, I would order one for you and ship it to you. Honestly, I think you should pay the $14 shipping and get one of those in the pic you posted.


Thanks for offering, xsphat. I checked the USPS site, I don't think it will be any cheaper to do.

Quote from: Eclairz;13202
I need a new keypuller or two myself, so tell me if you do plan to buy I can share the delivery costs with you since i live in london you can just post it on.


That would be great. :) The shipping is only a little more per extra puller, so it would work out cheaper for us if we did that.
Title: Keycap pullers
Post by: wellington1869 on Tue, 02 December 2008, 04:54:07
I dont get why shipping between UK and US is so high. I'm always surprised at how high it is. You'd think they'd have some kind of NAFTA-like free trade program by now that would subsidize trade and mail costs.
Title: Keycap pullers
Post by: Chloe on Tue, 02 December 2008, 05:12:19
I think I'm still used to the exchange rate when it was roughly 0.5 GBP = 1 USD. I expect airmail prices have gone up too, probably because of fuel prices.
Title: Keycap pullers
Post by: wellington1869 on Tue, 02 December 2008, 05:16:16
Quote from: Chloe;13211
I think I'm still used to the exchange rate when it was roughly 0.5 GBP = 1 USD. I expect airmail prices have gone up too, probably because of fuel prices.


good point, I forgot about the plummeting dollar :p
Title: Keycap pullers
Post by: Chloe on Tue, 16 December 2008, 22:17:23
These Hooleon wire pullers are great, it's nice to have something designed for the task. Two paper clips felt a bit too brute force for me.

The wire on the puller seems thin but it really works on ALPS and Cherry keycaps. I like that it retains the keycap after pulling, it's just a little fiddly to take it out.
Title: Keycap pullers
Post by: wellington1869 on Tue, 16 December 2008, 22:29:15
Quote from: Chloe;15088
it's just a little fiddly to take it out.


ya I noticed that too, thats why I additionally got the plastic ring one. Between the two types of pullers I should be all set ;)