geekhack
geekhack Community => Keyboard Keycaps => Topic started by: Benguin on Tue, 23 June 2015, 08:50:32
-
So, I've never purchased any keycaps before, and I recently became interested in doing so. I have a DAS keyboard; one of the reasons I got it is because it had the blank keycaps and I'm a dvorak typer. I'm starting to want some nice, normal keycaps though, and I was a bit putout to realise that keycaps are like.. Shaped based on which row they're on, right? So if I'm placing keys in non-standard places, surely the ones that are on rows that they shouldn't normally be on will be mis-aligned with their neighbours?
My question then, is do they make keycaps that are still shaped like normal ones (keys in the DCS family for example,) except optimised for a dvorak layout? Another constraint is that I'm from the UK and so it has to have a UK variant. I'd also not pay for custom keys, or pay too much for these keys; I'm willing to pay around £30 (~45USD) for a whole set (with or without numpad keys).
It sounds like a set of flat keys or DSA family keys could work, but I'm interested to hear what suggestions you all have to offer.
Edit: I should add, I'm having a lot of trouble finding some UK-layout DSA keycaps that match what I want. I suppose ideally, they'd be doubleshot, red with white legends, in a UK layout with a DSA shape. Willing to accept any other key family as long as rows 1-4 all have identical key shapes. Prefer cylindrical, but spherical may be fine. Material unimportant to me.
-Benguin.
-
If you want dvorak caps you'll have to rely on DSA or row 3 SA. Some DCS sets include a Dvorak set but most don't. I gave up on getting a dvorak set a while ago and just use caps that feel good.
Edit: also $45 isn't going to get you a dvorak set. Low end will probably be $100.
-
If you want dvorak caps you'll have to rely on DSA or row 3 SA. Some DCS sets include a Dvorak set but most don't. I gave up on getting a dvorak set a while ago and just use caps that feel good.
Edit: also $45 isn't going to get you a dvorak set. Low end will probably be $100.
For that, you can get a Model M and move the keys around. :)
-
If you want dvorak caps you'll have to rely on DSA or row 3 SA. Some DCS sets include a Dvorak set but most don't. I gave up on getting a dvorak set a while ago and just use caps that feel good.
Edit: also $45 isn't going to get you a dvorak set. Low end will probably be $100.
For that, you can get a Model M and move the keys around. :)
Believe me, when I get a kish that *****'ll be dvorak.
-
If you want dvorak caps you'll have to rely on DSA or row 3 SA. Some DCS sets include a Dvorak set but most don't. I gave up on getting a dvorak set a while ago and just use caps that feel good.
Edit: also $45 isn't going to get you a dvorak set. Low end will probably be $100.
I did think it may be a tad unreasonably low.
I was hunting around while waiting for answers though, and there's another alternative in the form of wasdkeyboards.com (http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/index.php/products/keycap-set/105-key-iso-cherry-mx-keycap-set.html). When I first saw them before posting this, I didn't realise you could submit your own layouts and designs for them to print onto the caps.
I'm aware of one drawback though: these are only a little more durable than stock keys (afaik,) due to how they're printed and such. Not bad at all for a mere $50 (very close to my target cost).
-
If you want dvorak caps you'll have to rely on DSA or row 3 SA. Some DCS sets include a Dvorak set but most don't. I gave up on getting a dvorak set a while ago and just use caps that feel good.
Edit: also $45 isn't going to get you a dvorak set. Low end will probably be $100.
I did think it may be a tad unreasonably low.
I was hunting around while waiting for answers though, and there's another alternative in the form of wasdkeyboards.com (http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/index.php/products/keycap-set/105-key-iso-cherry-mx-keycap-set.html). When I first saw them before posting this, I didn't realise you could submit your own layouts and designs for them to print onto the caps.
I'm aware of one drawback though: these are only a little more durable than stock keys (afaik,) due to how they're printed and such. Not bad at all for a mere $50 (very close to my target cost).
As I said finding good caps in dvorak will be hard. I personally don't like thin abs so wasd and sp won't work for me but if you like how the caps feel then use them.
-
I also type Dvorak so I feel your pain. A few sets do include Dvorak. Modern Selectric did, but it just closed. And the current Jukebox buy has Dvorak and ISO, if you like those colors are profile:
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/jukebox-sa-keyset?mode=guest_open
Also WASD will print you custom keycaps but I don't know if they offer ISO. I assume they do.
I'm just hoping the round 2 of Penumbra offers Dvorak. Fingers are crossed.
-
I'm a Dvorak typist. I have a Dvorak-labeled set from WASD, but as was mentioned, the quality is not that great. Long ago, I rearranged a Model M, but as the homing bumps remained on F/J, that was borderline useless. I have arranged my DSA Dolch to Dvorak before, but as there are no U/H dishes available I had F/J in their places, which looked odd.
I have recently joined the Granite, SA Retro, Modern Selectric, and Jukebox group buys, and have ordered the Dvorak sets from all. Within a couple months, I'll be swimming in Dvorak sets!
RIP my wallet tho. :(
Of course, the thing to keep in mind is that ALL Dvorak typists are touch-typists, so labels aren't all that important.
-
Is DCS really that lumpy? My ergodox is an uncomfortable mix of SA, a few DCS pieces, and everything in the center is cherry. Using DCS with the labels correct isn't as much of a problem as the SA 1.5x keys acting as a 'wall' against my pinky fingers.
While at this point I'm pretty much a touch-typist, I was forced into that because the labels were always wrong. Buying one of the SP sets that include a dvorak kit (it's happening, folks! -- at least some of the time) and learning on a proper dvorak keyboard -- that would be an experience that it's too late for me to have. But I could still wish it on someone younger than I.
-
I'm a Dvorak typist. I have a Dvorak-labeled set from WASD, but as was mentioned, the quality is not that great. Long ago, I rearranged a Model M, but as the homing bumps remained on F/J, that was borderline useless. I have arranged my DSA Dolch to Dvorak before, but as there are no U/H dishes available I had F/J in their places, which looked odd.
I have recently joined the Granite, SA Retro, Modern Selectric, and Jukebox group buys, and have ordered the Dvorak sets from all. Within a couple months, I'll be swimming in Dvorak sets!
RIP my wallet tho. :(
Of course, the thing to keep in mind is that ALL Dvorak typists are touch-typists, so labels aren't all that important.
Unicomp offers single-unit keys for $0.80 apiece, though I'm not sure what shipping would be. It wouldn't hurt to see if they offer F and J without the bump (and U/H with them, if you want them that way). Or you could pick another color to guide rather than a bump:
[attach=1]
-
I'm a Dvorak typist. I have a Dvorak-labeled set from WASD, but as was mentioned, the quality is not that great. Long ago, I rearranged a Model M, but as the homing bumps remained on F/J, that was borderline useless. I have arranged my DSA Dolch to Dvorak before, but as there are no U/H dishes available I had F/J in their places, which looked odd.
I have recently joined the Granite, SA Retro, Modern Selectric, and Jukebox group buys, and have ordered the Dvorak sets from all. Within a couple months, I'll be swimming in Dvorak sets!
RIP my wallet tho. :(
Of course, the thing to keep in mind is that ALL Dvorak typists are touch-typists, so labels aren't all that important.
I haven't had anything from WASD before, could you give me a bit more information on how you find the quality? My only experiences with keyboards have been my current das keyboard, and the many crappy $10 rubber dome keyboards I used years ago.
-
I'm a Dvorak typist. I have a Dvorak-labeled set from WASD, but as was mentioned, the quality is not that great. Long ago, I rearranged a Model M, but as the homing bumps remained on F/J, that was borderline useless. I have arranged my DSA Dolch to Dvorak before, but as there are no U/H dishes available I had F/J in their places, which looked odd.
I have recently joined the Granite, SA Retro, Modern Selectric, and Jukebox group buys, and have ordered the Dvorak sets from all. Within a couple months, I'll be swimming in Dvorak sets!
RIP my wallet tho. :(
Of course, the thing to keep in mind is that ALL Dvorak typists are touch-typists, so labels aren't all that important.
I haven't had anything from WASD before, could you give me a bit more information on how you find the quality? My only experiences with keyboards have been my current das keyboard, and the many crappy $10 rubber dome keyboards I used years ago.
They're probably about on par with the Das caps, but the printing method gives them almost a tacky surface texture. When I first got my WASD board, I really didn't like the caps, but I put them on my Pok3r and used them for about a week, and they weren't as bad as I had remembered. So, bottom line, they're not awful, but the non-custom ABS doubleshots you can find elsewhere for half the price are better quality, so it stings a little.
-
So, from the sounds of things, it seems like the best thing would be the DSA caps (I really don't mind the home row bumps being in the wrong place; my typing style is erratic at best anyway). Unfortunately, I can't find any red ones with white lettering (red with black doesn't look nice to me, personally.)
I'll probably go with the WASD ones if I can't find them by the end of the week. I did look at the group buys you guy's suggested, but thoes don't really appeal to me.
Edit: so after a while of more searching, I decided to go with the WASD ones. Definitely going to keep an eye out for doubleshot DSA keycaps in white-on-red going forward though.
-
I emailed SP at one point to ask about getting some backlit dvorak keycaps made.
They can do double shot keycaps with transparent legends, though you get lines in the legends:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/407927678720611148/
I was getting a quote for only the letters/numbers (not the modifier keys), and it ended up being about $750 to have about 15 sets made.
Getting only a few sets made would be about half that.
I will probably actually end-up ordering some at some point.