geekhack
geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: low-fi on Wed, 24 June 2009, 06:03:37
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I really like my Model M, but I'd also like to have a keyboard more suitable for gaming (I'm also interested in trying out the Cherry switches). After a bit of googling I've decided that the most suitable 'board for me would be either Steelkeys 7G or Das Keyboard III. I live in Finland so these ones would be the easiest to buy -- they also have the same price.
Which one would you recommend? Steelkeys has a full n-key capability and it seems like a pretty all around well-designed keyboard. However, the keyboard has the Cherry blacks, which are non-clicky and some people seem to dislike their overall feel. After using the Model M I've become fond of clicky keys.
Das III has blue Cherries, which seem to have a great feel, and after watching some videos I really like their sound. I've read about Das III's flaws (it's a fingerprint magnet and it has some n-key problems etc.) but I don't think they would really bother me. I really like the idea of blank keys, too.
Rubber-dome Logitechs etc. are not an option -- I've suffered through too many of those in the past.
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filco FKBN87ML/EB
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Das III has blue Cherries, which seem to have a great feel, and after watching some videos I really like their sound. I've read about Das III's flaws (it's a fingerprint magnet and it has some n-key problems etc.) but I don't think they would really bother me. I really like the idea of blank keys, too.
I think you managed to answer your own question there. Score one more for blue cherries!
Seriously though - perhaps you should consider getting one of the Cherry made keyboards they sell with Blue switches. I'm sure the cost of importing one direct from Germany to Finland wouldn't cost too much, and I don't believe they suffer from some of the common flaws found with the DAS
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filco FKBN87ML/EB
Surely if you are going the filco route and like audible feedback, FKBN87MC/EB is the only game in town
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Surely if you are going the filco route and like audible feedback, FKBN87MC/EB is the only game in town
one thing that ss did right was using black cherries. these imo are the best for gaming. and at 10k yen, a bargain.
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That Filco 'board looks VERY tempting, but I bet they don't have them in FIN/SWE layout, which is a must for me. I already mailed some UK shop about their Cherry G80-3000 keyboards but they haven't replied yet. Does the G80-3000 model have a decent rollover-capability? Model M (SpaceSaver USB) is quite limited when it comes to simultaneous key presses so I'd like to have a keyboard with better rollover.
Das III is still a quality keyboard, despite the (somewhat minor) eth eth eth eth eth -problem?
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What is the import tax in Finland like? Because the price difference between a Filco Tenkeyless and the DAS is not that much. (and that includes shipping for both)
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Completely agree. Personally I'm not all that bothered about a mechanical keyboard when gaming. I have an old generic membrane keyboard I prefer, but when it comes to everything else I use my HHKB. It just seemed to me from low-fi's original post that audible feedback was something he wanted - which I just find distracting when gaming.
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That Filco 'board looks VERY tempting, but I bet they don't have them in FIN/SWE layout, which is a must for me. I already mailed some UK shop about their Cherry G80-3000 keyboards but they haven't replied yet. Does the G80-3000 model have a decent rollover-capability? Model M (SpaceSaver USB) is quite limited when it comes to simultaneous key presses so I'd like to have a keyboard with better rollover.
Das III is still a quality keyboard, despite the (somewhat minor) eth eth eth eth eth -problem?
I'm pretty sure the only non-Japanese layout Filco manufacture is US standard. I thought that was the same for DAS...
And I think modern USB Cherry keyboards allow for up to 6 simultaneous key presses which I think is part of the HID specification and is common to pretty much all USB keyboards that follow this spec
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then just stick in two keyboards or plug in as needed. that's what i do with mine.
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What is the import tax in Finland like? Because the price difference between a Filco Tenkeyless and the DAS is not that much. (and that includes shipping for both)
When I ordered my Unicomp Spacesaver last year the shipping cost alone was around 50€, then I had to pay extra 20€ for customs. So ordering a $69 keyboard to Finland costs about 120€ -- Filco would be around 160€ which is just too damn much for a keyboard. :( I can get SS7 or Das III for about 100€.
They do make Das III's in Euro layout: http://www.getdigital.de/products/Das_Keyboard_III/more/pics/idBild/606/lng/1
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I stand corrected!
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yikes. das it is then. but it has blues in it (its clicky novelty wore off real fast for me) and then there's the steelkeys which i hate...deeply.
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When I ordered my Unicomp Spacesaver last year the shipping cost alone was around 50€, then I had to pay extra 20€ for customs. So ordering a $69 keyboard to Finland costs about 120€ -- Filco would be around 160€ which is just too damn much for a keyboard. :( I can get SS7 or Das III for about 100€.
They do make Das III's in Euro layout: http://www.getdigital.de/products/Das_Keyboard_III/more/pics/idBild/606/lng/1
I'd still send an email, cost me about €30 to have it shipped to Ireland, and people in the Netherlands and UK got ones shipped over for the same. That said, because Finland is further away, maybe it's more...
That said, the Das Keyboard has all sorts of reliability issues, and the Steelseries is not meant to be pleasant to type on. So maybe it's worth more for the better quality.
Oh, does the "Gift" trick work with Finnish customs?
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Oh, does the "Gift" trick work with Finnish customs?
I think it usually works, but there have been some unfortunate cases where the package has been examined and the customer has had to pay a hefty sum. It seems to happen from time to time. And many dealers won't ship anything as "Gifts" because they're afraid of their international reputation or something.
A quality Cherry Blues keyboard (G80-3000?) could work for me, but I haven't been able to locate too many European dealers who would communicate in English...
Oh, and the keyboard wouldn't be exclusively for gaming -- it would also be for some typing, of course. Tenkeyless Filco would be perfect, but I really do need a Scandinavian layout.
Edit: Actually, is there a way to use a US keyboard as a Scandinavian one? I know the US layout has less keys than our European layouts, but it wouldn't matter as long as I could type ä and ö, and the 'special' keys such as @ * / <> would work like they do in the FI/SWE layout..
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And I think modern USB Cherry keyboards allow for up to 6 simultaneous key presses
No.
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Ah yes - forgot your donor board for the mini was a G80.
How many keys does it support simultaneously?
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There are no diodes so the rollover is limited by clever matrix routing. The G80 uses more than the usual 16+8 connections here but that's about it. I just went to the NKRO test page and even with some 3 key combinations pressed it would display 4 characters. Ctrl/Shift/Alt combinations should give better results. I never ran into something here so far. But then, I'm not that much of a gamer.
The 2 letter combinations I tested were OK.
Edit: I use a different controller now which may affect the results.
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I just kind of assumed that all USB boards using the HID framework were capable of 6 key rollover - but I guess that 6 keys is the maximum HID supports, but manufacturers are free to implement anything up to (or beyond using PS2) 6.
And I never understood why gamers have the need to hit half the keyboard at once - but maybe that just explains why I was always terrible at Counterstrike...
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There are no diodes so the rollover is limited by clever matrix routing. The G80 uses more than the usual 16+8 connections here but that's about it. I just went to the NKRO test page and even with some 3 key combinations pressed it would display 4 characters. Ctrl/Shift/Alt combinations should give better results. I never ran into something here so far. But then, I'm not that much of a gamer.
The 2 letter combinations I tested were OK.
Edit: I use a different controller now which may affect the results.
My G80 behaves about the same way. 2KRO. I have never had any problems typing on it. In fact, it is one of my favorite 'boards. I platoon it with my Filco regularly.
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There are no diodes so the rollover is limited by clever matrix routing. The G80 uses more than the usual 16+8 connections here but that's about it.
The G80-3000 uses an M-style matrix with added windows keys (18*8, windows keys reside in their own colums), so it won't be better than a Model M in that respect.
I'd recommend the Steelseries. It has NKRO, which the Das doesn't, and there's a BS board for typing; gaming with clicky switches doesn't make much sense IMO; browns should be acceptable, but you really don't want clicky switches for gaming.
-huha
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What does M-style matrix mean? Same keys on same rows/columns as the M?
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Filco would be around 160€ which is just too damn much for a keyboard.
Hey there fellow Finn. My Filco Tenkeyless cost me 150EUR total. It's too much I was ready to pay.. should've probably gotten a SS 7G, considering I am penniless now. But the tenkeyless-feature is great, now I have a more ergonomic position for my mouse hand.
What is the import tax in Finland like? Because the price difference between a Filco Tenkeyless and the DAS is not that much. (and that includes shipping for both)
For me they calculated +22% = 26,55 EUR
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what's wrong with clicky switches for gaming? i don't buy the 'noise distraction' argument - it's no more distracting than typing normally. if anything, it should be less distracting since you're supposedly immersed in the game and probably have headphones on. unless somebody's already put the idea in your head that clicky switches for gaming are distracting and you end up constantly thinking about it to the point where you're paying more attention to the keys clicking than playing the game....
i do find model m's to be a bit tiring for extended playing. i much prefer blue cherries over buckling springs, for their earlier actuation and lower actuation force.
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Just a personal preference for me. The xm switches in my Filco are very loud and even playing whilst wearing headphones doesn't 'feel' right for some reason.
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personal preference is fine, as noise distraction is subjective; my post was directed more towards people who recommend against clicky keyboards for gaming. are there any objective reasons why clicky keyboards are worse for gaming than non-clicky ones? if not, then advising someone to stay away from clicky keyboards for gaming is no better than advising someone to stay away from clicky keyboards for typing.
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personal preference is fine, as noise distraction is subjective; my post was directed more towards people who recommend against clicky keyboards for gaming. are there any objective reasons why clicky keyboards are worse for gaming than non-clicky ones? if not, then advising someone to stay away from clicky keyboards for gaming is no better than advising someone to stay away from clicky keyboards for typing.
blue/brown cherry: it's too light so pressing the wrong key is that much more likely. especially in rts where i rest 1 or 2 fingers on locator keys. blacks are much more forgiving and as it turns out longer lasting. although the steekeys have blacks, the backspace key is too small/difficult to reach single handed.
bs: too effin loud and the function keys are harder/take longer to reach.
can't speak for alps since i've never tried them.
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if you're at your house or with tolerant friends. then clickies are fine, but at lan parties? there's bound to be someone who's gonna get real annoyed with the constant 300+ clackety clacks per MINUTE of bs and alps.
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Clicky keyboards offer a more (BS) or less (Cherry) "dead zone" between de-activation and ability to press the key again which makes them less suitable for repeat button mashing IMO.
I'm not an avid gamer, and playing with BS boards is fine, but I don't quite see the point in buying a clicky board for gaming (it depends on the game, though--so we should have to ask what games you're playing); you won't type on it, but rather press and hold keys or repeatedly actuate keys as fast as possible.
Blacks are good for that, because they'll "bounce back." Blues, however, tend to "stick," which is not of much concern for typing, but which can be really irritating when rapidly pressing the key.
So, for example, in RTS that more resemble typing than anything else, tactile or clicky switches should be nice because you'll be able to feel when you've actuated them. You do lose some speed, however, so if it's just 10 minutes of rapid button mashing, you could as well go for linear ones.
For FPS, it doesn't matter if a single keystroke was registered correctly, as you'll most likely hold down the button or repeatedly press it anyway. Blacks are fine there, too.
Blues are the better "allround" boards, but seeing he does have a Unicomp board already, I just don't see the point in getting anything that's nice to type and okay to game with. The Steelseries isn't cheap, but it does have NKRO, which the Das doesn't. Also, I think blacks (or reds even moreso) are more suitable for gaming than blues.
-huha
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blue/brown cherry: it's too light so pressing the wrong key is that much more likely. especially in rts where i rest 1 or 2 fingers on locator keys.
blacks are much more forgiving and as it turns out longer lasting. although the steekeys have blacks, the backspace key is too small/difficult to reach single handed.
bs: too effin loud and the function keys are harder/take longer to reach.
i see what you're saying, but these are gripes with specific implementations of clicky/non-clicky switches or keyboard layouts, rather than any inherent disadvantages of clicky switches versus non-clicky switches for gaming. also, the 'too light' issue is still subjective, as i personally don't have any accidental keypress problems with blue cherries.
maybe deck is on the right track with offering cherry whites as an option for their keyboard, as they are essentially cherry browns with stiffer springs.
can't speak for alps since i've never tried them.
in terms of actuation force, they fall somewhere between brown/blue cherries and buckling springs. noise and feel vary due to the many variants of alps switches.
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Clicky keyboards offer a more (BS) or less (Cherry) "dead zone" between de-activation and ability to press the key again which makes them less suitable for repeat button mashing IMO.
I'm not an avid gamer, and playing with BS boards is fine, but I don't quite see the point in buying a clicky board for gaming (it depends on the game, though--so we should have to ask what games you're playing); you won't type on it, but rather press and hold keys or repeatedly actuate keys as fast as possible.
Blacks are good for that, because they'll "bounce back." Blues, however, tend to "stick," which is not of much concern for typing, but which can be really irritating when rapidly pressing the key.
this was the kind of answer i was looking for. intuitively, i understand what you're saying regarding the 'dead zone', but has anyone actually ever measured this? if i were to take a blue cherry keyboard and a black cherry keyboard and measure how many times i could press and release an individual key within a given amount of time, would there actually be a significant difference in the results? and if there is a significant difference, will other people also observe similar results? (i would try this, but i don't have a black cherry keyboard.)
Blues are the better "allround" boards, but seeing he does have a Unicomp board already, I just don't see the point in getting anything that's nice to type and okay to game with. The Steelseries isn't cheap, but it does have NKRO, which the Das doesn't. Also, I think blacks (or reds even moreso) are more suitable for gaming than blues.
actually, i don't think he mentioned any specific gaming issues with his unicomp (e.g. too noisy, too fatiguing, blocks on certain key combos, etc.), only that he wanted one more 'suitable' for gaming, and that he wanted to try a keyboard with cherry switches.
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Hey there fellow Finn. My Filco Tenkeyless cost me 150EUR total.
Hi!
Is there a way to make the Filco work somewhat like the Finnish keyboard -- ä, ö, < >, |, * etc. in their correct places?
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actually, i don't think he mentioned any specific gaming issues with his unicomp (e.g. too noisy, too fatiguing, blocks on certain key combos, etc.), only that he wanted one more 'suitable' for gaming, and that he wanted to try a keyboard with cherry switches.
Well, I consider Model M to be just a little bit too "clunky" for gaming -- a bit too tall keycaps, a bit too much noise and so on. A little lighter keys would be nice, and yes, as a keyboard enthusiast I'd be interested in typing on Cherry keys.
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Hi!
Is there a way to make the Filco work somewhat like the Finnish keyboard -- ä, ö, < >, |, * etc. in their correct places?
Sure there is.. if you have Finnish keyboard layout set in your operating system (Windows?) it will work just like a keyboard with SWE/FIN layout. Only difference is the letters printed on the keyboard. I actually bought a Filco with blank keys, meaning there are no letters printed on them.
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Edit: LOL ^^^
Hi!
Is there a way to make the Filco work somewhat like the Finnish keyboard -- ä, ö, < >, |, * etc. in their correct places?
You can use finnish layout with an ANSI board. But the printing on the keys will be wrong. That problem doesn't exist with blank keys.
Or have a look at the US international layout (http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?t=6325).
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Hi!
Is there a way to make the Filco work somewhat like the Finnish keyboard -- ä, ö, < >, |, * etc. in their correct places?
There is going to be one problem, because the US layout is 104 keys versus the Finnish's 105, you're going to miss one key - the one to the left of Z which, according to wiki is < > | There are ways around it, but I'd also consider taking a look at US International
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There is going to be one problem, because the US layout is 104 keys versus the Finnish's 105, you're going to miss one key - the one to the left of Z which, according to wiki is < > | There are ways around it, but I'd also consider taking a look at US International
If I understood correctly, in US International ä's and ö's etc are reachable by pressing alt + somekey. Writing in Finnish this way would be next to impossible, because most of our words have these letters.
If '< > |' is the only key I'd be missing, maybe I could use a utility such as SharpKeys to remap my caps lock or WinKey as the '< > |' key?
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Yeah, that's a pretty good idea. The only other thing of note is that the button to the left of enter on the home row on a Finnish keyboard (' *) would now become the key above enter. Other than that, they'd function identically.
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I just got a reply from Aerco regarding the G80-3000 'board (http://www.cherrykeyboardsrus.co.uk/G803000+Series-Details.htm) -- shipping costs to Finland would be £49 and if I'd like to have a keyboard with EU-layout, I'd have to buy at least 10 of them. So the only option for me would be to order a UK-keyboard. But if I've understood correctly, the UK layout is basically the same as the Finnish layout, only the keycaps would be somewhat different, right?
The insane shipping cost wouldn't be a huge problem for me IF the G80-3000 is a quality 'board. I can have the Das III and G80 at the same price -- which one would you recommend?
It just sucks to be a keyboard enthusiast in Finland; shipping something here seems to cost an arm and a leg...
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I just got a reply from Aerco regarding the G80-3000 'board (http://www.cherrykeyboardsrus.co.uk/G803000+Series-Details.htm) -- shipping costs to Finland would be £49 and if I'd like to have a keyboard with EU-layout, I'd have to buy at least 10 of them. So the only option for me would be to order a UK-keyboard. But if I've understood correctly, the UK layout is basically the same as the Finnish layout, only the keycaps would be somewhat different, right?
The insane shipping cost wouldn't be a huge problem for me IF the G80-3000 is a quality 'board. I can have the Das III and G80 at the same price -- which one would you recommend?
It just sucks to be a keyboard enthusiast in Finland; shipping something here seems to cost an arm and a leg...
G80 hands down.
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Yeah, UK and Finnish (and most European languages) use the ISO-style layout with 105 keys and the inverted L-shaped enter. And between those two, I'd pick the G80 easily, as they don't have the weird ghosting issues associated with the Das, and don't have the flimsy-ness of the Das (I've seen more than one where bits have broken off in the box during shipping). If you have to buy 10, you could probably sell some off here, I'm sure there's a good few European geekhackers that would want one.
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Oh, don't get me wrong, I really don't have about 500 euros to spend on keyboards (at least for now). :D I forgot to mention that they can ship UK keyboards one at a time, but for more exotic EU layouts you must order at least 10 keyboards. Maybe they have only UK boards "off-the-shelf".
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I just got a reply from Aerco regarding the G80-3000 'board (http://www.cherrykeyboardsrus.co.uk/G803000+Series-Details.htm) -- shipping costs to Finland would be £49 and if I'd like to have a keyboard with EU-layout, I'd have to buy at least 10 of them. So the only option for me would be to order a UK-keyboard. But if I've understood correctly, the UK layout is basically the same as the Finnish layout, only the keycaps would be somewhat different, right?
The insane shipping cost wouldn't be a huge problem for me IF the G80-3000 is a quality 'board. I can have the Das III and G80 at the same price -- which one would you recommend?
It just sucks to be a keyboard enthusiast in Finland; shipping something here seems to cost an arm and a leg...
So what G80 version would you want? The EU version as in G80-3000LSCEU is actually the ANSI/US version with horizontal enter.
What version you'd have to buy 10 of? For ex. G80-3000LPCFI gives zero hits on google, I can imagine that this would be a special order item.
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So what G80 version would you want?
Well, the G80-3000LSCGB-2 model listed on the CherrykeyboardsRus website (http://www.cherrykeyboardsrus.co.uk/G803000+Series-Details-Colour_Black-Size_PS2USB.htm) seems to have the same number of keys as the Finnish layout and the upside down L-enter, which I prefer. I don't really care about which letters are printed on the keycaps, because I never have to watch the keyboard while typing.
As long as the keyboard has the same amount of keys as the FI layout, it should work exactly like a Finnish 'board (when the OS is configured to use the FI/SWE layout).. at least my Italian Model M does. So I think the UK board would be my choice.
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Here (http://direkt.jacob-computer.de/Eingabeger%E4te_Tastaturen_Cherry_Classic_Line_G80-3000_-_Tastatur_-_PS_2%2C_USB_-_105_Tasten_-_Schwarz_-_Deutsch_%28G80-3000LSCDE-2%29_artnr_270549.html?ref=103) is a german version, shipping (http://direkt.jacob-computer.de/versandkosten.html) would be €39,99 if weight is under 2kg. Some shop said, weight would be 1.2kg but who knows what packing may add to this.
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If you have questions regarding german distributors, i can help translating if needed. Just feel free to contact me. ;)
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If you have questions regarding german distributors, i can help translating if needed. Just feel free to contact me. ;)
Thank you for your kind offer, but madness struck me last night and I already ordered one from the Cherry keyboards R us. :)
A painful week of waiting and then I'll be typing on blue Cherries. Are the pictures fooling me or is the G80-3000 a much larger board than the Model M?
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From what I've seen, they're a similar enough size.
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Thank you for your kind offer, but madness struck me last night and I already ordered one from the Cherry keyboards R us. :)
A painful week of waiting and then I'll be typing on blue Cherries. Are the pictures fooling me or is the G80-3000 a much larger board than the Model M?
They are pretty much the exact same size:
(http://i40.tinypic.com/2epit5g.jpg)
Excuse the bad picture quality.
Btw: I did not read this topic until now :| One of the German Cherry distributors actually offers completely blank G80-3000s with the Euro Layout for an affordable price. Oh well, I'm sure you will enjoy the G80-3000, its a great board.
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While the actual desk real estate taken up is not that much different, the G80 is far less massive than the M. It's not as high by far and only weighs about half as much.
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Thanks for the comparison pic.
I guess the G80 looks so big because the LED-area is surrounded by huge amounts of flat plastic. Usually that part of the keyboard is slightly curved and the keyless top portition is visually separated from the rest of the 'board.
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My G80-3000 arrived today, five days before the estimated time of arrival. Very impressive.
What struck me first was how light this keyboard is. Compared to Unicomp Spacesaver the thing feels like a feather. Luckily the G80 isn't quite as large as Model M, so I got enough free space for my mouse.
So far I REALLY like the Cherry Blues! They seem to be much easier to press than buckling springs, it's also a lot easier not to bottom out the keys. The 'board ain't loud at all, compared to Model M. I seem to type a lot faster than before; I've made more typos, but that's just because I haven't fully adjusted to the layout. Somehow writing on this thing is like writing on a typewriter, at least that's the impression I'm having right now. The overall feel of this keyboard can be described as "funny sandy chirpiness". :) The enter, backspace and shift keys seem more stiff than the rest; I think they use different switches.
What's best, the keyboard allows enough keys to be pressed at the same time to justify it as a gaming keyboard. Very nice.
So far G80-3000 seems better than the legendary Model M. It's just weird it's so light!
BTW, just a funny thing I noticed: the surface under the keyboard affects the overall feel A LOT. At first I had the keyboard on my lap and it felt a bit plasticky; but when I put it on my desk it now feels as if it had a thick wood plate under it.
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What struck me first was how light this keyboard is. Compared to Unicomp Spacesaver the thing feels like a feather.
Yep. In fact G80s are a good bit lighter than G81s, which have a metal base plate under the membrane layers (while the G80 just has the much lighter PCB).
BTW, just a funny thing I noticed: the surface under the keyboard affects the overall feel A LOT. At first I had the keyboard on my lap and it felt a bit plasticky; but when I put it on my desk it now feels as if it had a thick wood plate under it.
True. The case construction may be cheap, but they sure got force transfer to the desk right. (These boards are pretty resistant to sliding around, too, as long as the rubber feet are in decent shape.) With a G80-1000 it's more like typing "in the air" if you know what I mean, the sound is more hollow.
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Just noticed a strange thing. My left shoulder hurts when I type on the G80. Maybe I'm not used to typing 'softly' and it strains my muscles. Never ever had this problem before. :(
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I doubt blue switches are going to cause you ergonomic problems... I think it's more likely that there's something wrong with the way you're sitting or the way you have the keyboard set up? I'm not an expert on this, but I think there's some threads around here on RSI and the like.
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Oh, I have destroyed a lot of keyboard drawers. I've also destroyed many 'computer chairs'. The current desk I'm using is extremely well built -- it's like a normal desk but it has a "deepening" (I'm sorry but I can't find a proper English word for this) for a keyboard. Luckily the "pit" has enough room for both G80 and a mouse. It is clearly designed in a time when keyboards were the main input device and no one had heard of mouses; I bought my desk used from a store that sells used 'office equipment'.
I would consider my current 'computer area' to be at least fairly ergonomic.
I will post pictures when I get the chance to use a digital camera.
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Oh, don't get me wrong, I haven't destroyed the keyboard drawers and chairs out of NERD RAGE. :D I think I just sit in a manner that ends up breaking the chair -- keyboard drawers usually break just because those things aren't made to withstand 24/7 typing.
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if you're at your house or with tolerant friends. then clickies are fine, but at lan parties? there's bound to be someone who's gonna get real annoyed with the constant 300+ clackety clacks per MINUTE of bs and alps.
Doesn't everyone use headphones at LAN parties? They did at the few I went to. I'm not sure how insulating everyone's headphones are, but I doubt the clacking of a a BS/alps keyboard would be very audible through my headphones while I'm playing a loud FPS game.
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I went to local LAN parties in college and one of the regulars, Mike, brought his Model M with him every time. Nobody really minded. We all thought it was kind of funny that he would use such an old clunker and not something l337 like our super-duper gaming keyboards. At least, that's how it was before some kid tried to steal Mike's Red Bull. Mike got pissed off, grabbed his Model M, and whacked the kid over the head with it. Needless to say, nobody ever messed with Mike's drinks again and we all gained respect for the mighty Model M.
Good times, good times.
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I must be totally insane.
One guy was selling a Filco NKRO on the Finland's Ebay equivalent and it just happened that I won the bid.
I'll be living in absolute poverty for the rest of this month, but what the hell, at least I'll be having some quality keyboard time.
It's interesting to see how the Brown Cherries differ from the Blues.
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Sounds like a case for Keyboholics Anonymous... :D
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It will not be your last keyboard.
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Just received my Filco. After using buckling springs for a few years the Brown Cherries just feel absolutely weird. They're quite nice to type on but they somehow feel very loose. On the G80-3000 I was typing very fast from the start. On this keyboard it feels like I have to think very carefully what I'm typing. The texture on the keys is quite weird -- it feels like they have no texture at all. They don't seem to 'attach' to your skin like the rough Model M keys do. The seem a bit smaller than your standard keyboard keys, too.
The guy who decided on US enter being shift-sized was obviously a total moron. ;) I think it'll take a lot of time for me to get used to this.
On the positive side, the n-key rollover feature works absolutely great and the keyboard is really compact-sized. I've never had so much room for my mouse, which is rather nice.
This keyboard seems like I might love it in the future. It doesn't really feel BAD, it is just very weird. Even rubber domes and buckling springs don't have this big a difference between them. I just need to get used to it. I think I'll give it a week and see if there's a difference.
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Apples vs. oranges. You really need time to get in touch with a new board. You might want to add your impressions to the appropriate review.
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Wow! I just tried playing Doom for a few minutes, and I knew instantly that the Filco rocks as a gaming keyboard if nothing else! Not only because of the N-key rollover, but also because of the overall keyfeel.
It's just a bad-ass.
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Oh, and yes, I think I'll be writing a review after I get used to this thing.