geekhack
geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: adrian-g on Fri, 21 August 2009, 22:30:54
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Hey everyone,
I recently became interested in mechanical keyboards. I hate typing on my generic "mushy" keyboard!
I need something that will save space (I don't need the number pad), give tactile feedback (but not as much as a Model M), and doesn't break the bank.
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B-stock (http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=filco_keyboards,majestouch_87key&pid=fkbn87zeby)
Minor blemishes, but cheap cheap cheap!
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Lol get a Dell at101W!!! Probably one of the biggest standard keyboards around haha. But seriously
+1 to B-stock!!
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Mini, clicky, and cheap is a tough one.
buy a tvs gold and hack off the numpad?
I got my first brown cherry board (mx 11800) for about $20 shipped on ebay, though in retrospect it appears I was lucky.
And don't believe the rumor that Unicomp will ever ship a Mini. It's planted to torture Geekhack members that first names start with "W".
thats the truth
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I know these keep getting recommended to new Geekhackers but I don't see most members keeping them for very long before selling.
I consider them to be a very nice and cheap option to test the brown Cherry switches. If you fall in love with them, you can just resell the board for about the same price and get yourself a Filco :)
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Thanks for the replies!
I am leaning heavily towards the B-Stock because the layout looks like just what I need. The SIIG minitouch looks a little bit too cramped for my taste.
I looked into the TVS Gold but I still have to go with Elitekeyboards. I hear they are very reliable.
Edit: The B-stock does have a tactile feeling right? I don't care for the clack as much as the feeling I get that tells me I have definitely hit a key.
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If you don't mind the fact that it's B-grade, you can get the Filco Zero ($50) from elitekeyboards.com
You can also consider the Filco 87 key with Cherry Blue MX switches when they are back in stock but those will be a bit more expensive than the Zero.
Hope this helped! (;
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I definitely don't mind B-grade as long as it functions. Minor blemishes are bound to happen anyways ;)
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Info on the white ALPS copies here (http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=ALPS+switches), they are XM aka Diatec Zero. Clicky but not sure about the tactility
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whoops you're right - edited my original statement to avoid confusion
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So would the B-stock be a good choice as far as switch reliability, etc.?
Does a previous owner have anything they would like to suggest (maybe some weird quirks)?
I know we all have different opinions about which boards are the "best" but I'd like to get these things sorted out before I shell out for my first mechanical keyboard!
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It should be noted that any review of the old XM-switch Filco Zero was generally negative (in fact, at least two people modded theirs to have different types of Alps switch)
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If you buy the filco zero with the old xm switches then make sure to buy a NIB dell AT101.
You will be doing some soldering.
The black alps in the filco tenless form factor are pretty sweet though.
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As you get into the $80 buck range I'd start looking at a Used Model M Mini (http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-IBM-Model-M-Space-Saver-Keyboard-Clicky-1392934_W0QQitemZ290341624632QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPCA_Mice_Trackballs?hash=item4399b59b38&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14).
Its got 4 days left. I would wager it goes for around 100.
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How about this board (http://www.notestation.com/compactalpsswitchkeyboardsmk85.htm)?
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How about this board (http://www.notestation.com/compactalpsswitchkeyboardsmk85.htm)?
It has grey Strongman Alps-compatible switches, seemingly a little heavier and more tactile than complex blacks Alps. The biggest problem with that model seems to be finding one though.
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I looked into the TVS Gold but I still have to go with Elitekeyboards. I hear they are very reliable.
well i was kind of joking about the tvs gold. Its probably the cheapest way to "try out" the cherry blues, but its not the board that I would "keep".
Kind of like the mx11800 for the cherry browns. cheap way to try them but once you know which switch you like you'll want to sell it and buy a filco or something.
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It has grey Strongman Alps-compatible switches, seemingly a little heavier and more tactile than complex blacks Alps. The biggest problem with that model seems to be finding one though.
for the record i'd choose gray strongmans over cherry browns or even black alps. The difference is slight but its there and it adds up. Grays feel more substantial. I really liked my old dsi with grays.
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It has grey Strongman Alps-compatible switches, seemingly a little heavier and more tactile than complex blacks Alps. The biggest problem with that model seems to be finding one though.
you can call or email dsi directly and ask if they have any old stock or slightly used ones (b stock etc). I got at least one board from them that way.
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well i was kind of joking about the tvs gold. Its probably the cheapest way to "try out" the cherry blues, but its not the board that I would "keep".
Thank god you were joking.
The TVS Gold keys have so much flex, it is the only keyboard on the market
capable of performing most of the kama sutra positions.
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The TVS Gold keys have so much flex, it is the only keyboard on the market
capable of performing most of the kama sutra positions.
lol. not coincidentally its made in india.
I'm looking forward to getting mine. maybe i'll have sex with it (hell, i already had sex with the topre after all)
;-D
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lol. not coincidentally its made in india.
I'm looking forward to getting mine. maybe i'll have sex with it (hell, i already had sex with the topre after all)
;-D
Dude, that's stooping low. You screw one of the highest class keyboards on the market, then you want to hit a 2-bit hooker? For shame. At least grab a blue Cherry Filco.
...but if the keyboard can do the Kama Sutra... Just don't tell the Model Ms.
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You screw one of the highest class keyboards on the market
that topre was my own personal julia roberts
, then you want to hit a 2-bit hooker?
on the other hand, a 2-bit hooker that can do the kama sutra is atleast a 3-bit hooker, i'd say ;)
...but if the keyboard can do the Kama Sutra... Just don't tell the Model Ms.
;) thats the plan :-) Now doubt I'll be filled with regret and remorse later, but hey, thats for later ;)