geekhack
geekhack Community => New Members => Topic started by: Sanity on Fri, 06 February 2015, 01:13:58
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Hi all, just wanted to say hello, get a first post in under my belt, and pose a quick question. I don't currently own a mechanical keyboard, but I've been obsessively reading and researching for the past week in preparation for my first purchase. These forums have been a regular stop during my research thus far, so I figured I might as well make an account (and eventually try my hand at the artisan lotteries for a fancy esc key as well). ;D
After debating the prices and merits of different boards, I got my heart set on having a Leopold FC660C with dye sub pbt keys be my first purchase. This was before checking the availability and realizing that EK seems to no longer carry Leopold. Am I correct in believing that my best/cheapest option for getting this board at a decent price is finding a friend in in Korea to purchase and ship it? I know some get listed on Ebay, but tend to be slightly overpriced, don't they?
A preemptive thank you for the read and your help!
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Hello, and welcome to Geekhack! The fc660c is a nice choice in keyboard, just keep in mind it is topre, so not compatible with mx switches and has an irregular layout, so you can't easily find new keysets for it. I owned a fc660c and quite enjoyed it, although I would say that I enjoy my hhkb more now. In regards to pricing, I do believe that you are right, and Korea is the best place to find one. You can also keep your eye here and on /r/mechmarket for a second hand one if you are okay with that, I know I sold my old one for $180 USD, so there are some good deals to be had! Let me know if you have any more questions! :)
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Thanks for the welcome and the quick reply! Yeah, I had considered the customization difficulties of the fc660c. I go back and forth depending on the day, but, as of today, I was feeling that the small size + additional keys (arrows, etc.) offset that drawback. :))
Assuming it's fair game to discuss in this part of the forum, would you be up to talking about your experience of having owned both the FC660C and the hhkb, why it is that you came to prefer the latter, learning to adapt to the missing keys, and your experience with topre in general?
I'll keep my eyes on mechmarket and the classifieds as I struggle with making a decision in the mean time. Thanks again!
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Hey, qtan sells leopold keyboards on his site: http://www.vendio.com/stores/E-sports-Gaming-equipments/category/cateogry1-name/catId=4367799
He doesn't have the Fc660c currently, but if you contact him, maybe he can get his hands on one.
His subforum:https://geekhack.org/index.php?board=81.0
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Thanks azhdar, I'll most certainly check out his site and subforum. Byker has me second guessing myself now though, so I suppose I'll take at least another day to think it over and make sure it's exactly what I want. :))
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Haha, sorry about that :)
I initially got a great deal on an FC660C locally, so i went for it. I quite liked it while I had it, however I felt the keys were quite soft and the blank space on the right with the two keys that are kinda useless always annoyed me. Eventually I got to looking at hhkbs on elitekeyboards, and decided to buy one. What initially intrigued me was that a lot of people say the hhkb feels a lot more "fun". I was also intrigued by the unique layout and the smaller size.
Now that I have the hhkb, I can say that I like it more. I love the layout, I don't mind not having the arrow keys as I don't use them much anyway. The topre feel is nicer on this, and I LOVE the layout!!! Having ctrl where capslock used to be, and the backspace layout is great! I have no regrets switching, but in an ideal world I would have both.
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Welcome to Geekhack!
I suspect these are a bit more expensive, but if they are the only option available, widebasket has some:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Leopold-FC660C-Electrostatic-Capacitive-Switch-Keyboard-Dye-Sublimated-White-PBT-/281398041346?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4184a15b02
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Leopold-FC660C-Electrostatic-Capacitive-Topre-Switch-Keyboard-Blank-Keycap-PBT-/271747449788?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f456903bc
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Leopold-FC660C-Electrostatic-Capacitive-Topre-Switch-Keyboard-Free-ASDW-Keycap-/271554840342?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f39ee0716
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Thanks Rowdy, I actually had seen and considered those! The more I think about it, read about the various topre boards, and look at the pictures you guys have up in the "Post your Topre Keyboard" thread, the more I lean towards either a white HHKB pro 2 or a black Realforce 87U 55g. Especially at that price point for the fc660c. It's a good thing I'm the type to think things through a hundred times, or else I'd have just bought both by now.
Now I'm feeling unsure about how the 55g actuation would feel relative to the ~45g-ish, considering I've never had the pleasure of trying either.
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Thanks Rowdy, I actually had seen and considered those! The more I think about it, read about the various topre boards, and look at the pictures you guys have up in the "Post your Topre Keyboard" thread, the more I lean towards either a white HHKB pro 2 or a black Realforce 87U 55g. Especially at that price point for the fc660c. It's a good thing I'm the type to think things through a hundred times, or else I'd have just bought both by now.
Now I'm feeling unsure about how the 55g actuation would feel relative to the ~45g-ish, considering I've never had the pleasure of trying either.
GH motto - why not both?
There is a good chance that you'll end up with both keyboards eventually anyway.
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This is why people are running out of money. I realised today that I need to live fairly frugally for the next month or two, mostly because of the purchases I've been convinced of here.
I have no regrets (yet).
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This is why people are running out of money. I realised today that I need to live fairly frugally for the next month or two, mostly because of the purchases I've been convinced of here.
I have no regrets (yet).
Have to keep the economy going somehow :p