geekhack
geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: DanKegel on Mon, 16 December 2013, 12:25:18
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New keyboards seem fine at first, but eventually, all of them seem to get harder
to use when striking slightly off-axis.
I want and expect off-axis striking to work well, especially with e.g. the
control or alt key on the very corner of the keyboard.
This isn't exactly reasonable, but I bet there's a keyboard out there that
would make me happy. Any suggestions?
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FWIW, I can suggest what to *not* get: Cherry ML switches. They don't feel great when struck off-center.
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Topre has off axis advantage..
although the advantage is small, unless you have girly long fingernails.
we're talking <25 degrees.. greater than that, there isn't much improvement
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Here are a couple datapoints.
I'm typing at the moment on a http://www.amazon.com/Emachines-KB-2971-PS-Multimedia-Keyboard/dp/B0045JQO0C
It's pleasant except for the left half-fat keys (tab, caps lock, control), which jam
if struck the way I usually hit it, somewhat off axis.
The wide shift key is somewhat better at being hit off-axis.
We swapped that in to replace a Logitech Y-SG13, which has off-axis problems even on the letter keys.
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The best I have used is an alphameric keyboard with sliders that I lubricated properly. Honeywell Hall effect (single magnet) tend to be nice as well.
I haven't used any, but there are lots of desktop calculators that are designed to take off axis hits well, I think they use an external spring to keep the forces balanced better or something.
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Aren't scissor-switches good for that?
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No issues with that with BS, at least for me.
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I have to disagree with tp4tissue, as I think Topre are fantastic for off-axis strikes. The switches and sliders are so well put together, that there is very little wobble in the switches, and therefore allow you to strike them off-center without problems.
That said, I should clarify I'm not being blindly biased, as I JUST purchased a Cherry MX Brown board yesterday. I purchased it, because I like to have a bit of everything, and I'm just writing about one of the good things about Topre boards, which are incredibly smooth and stable keys.
What Cherry switches have over Topre is the crispness (given that there is no rubber), and the seeming quickness (note the word "seeming") of the switches. But at the cost of them being wobbly. I see the pros and cons of both switches, and to have some of the benefits of Cherry MX switches, I just purchased an MX board to complement my Topre. :cool: