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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: grav3serker on Thu, 05 November 2015, 19:55:09

Title: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: grav3serker on Thu, 05 November 2015, 19:55:09
Thanks to getf for sending me this beauty! I'm really loving the 60% layout. I thought it would take some time to get used to it, but it was quite the seamless transition. Typing on it bumped up my WPM about 10 which is pretty awesome. I threw on the key caps from my Apple Standard M0116 and since that board had a weird layout, I was only able to get the alphas on it, but I like the look! I'll be getting some Matias PBT caps when they're available, so this is nice in the mean time!

imgur.com/a/cPHwX (http://imgur.com/a/cPHwX)
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: Bucake on Thu, 05 November 2015, 20:01:33
we're already full, though..
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: grav3serker on Thu, 05 November 2015, 20:25:25
we're already full, though..
I should've guessed. I'm really late to the party :(
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: Bucake on Thu, 05 November 2015, 20:32:20
we're already full, though..
I should've guessed. I'm really late to the party :(
:D


thanks for the photos, never gets old!
i suppose it must feel funny, mixed ABS and PBT keys
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: grav3serker on Thu, 05 November 2015, 21:15:57
we're already full, though..
I should've guessed. I'm really late to the party :(
:D


thanks for the photos, never gets old!
i suppose it must feel funny, mixed ABS and PBT keys
Anytime!! :thumb:

Not too bad surprisingly. If the alphas were mixed, it might be awkward, but since it's just on the modifiers it's not too noticeable!
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: zslane on Thu, 05 November 2015, 21:31:48
You know what I really like about that keyboard? It's ANSI standard layout and the fact that you can put your own keycaps on it. Some very popular 60% boards out there have neither of these invaluable qualities.
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: ctm on Thu, 05 November 2015, 22:05:02
Welcome to the club! Just FYI, Matias is producing thick PBT caps for ALPS switches  :)
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: grav3serker on Thu, 05 November 2015, 22:07:16
Welcome to the club! Just FYI, Matias is producing thick PBT caps for ALPS switches  :)
Thanks!! I'll definitely get them when they're available!! :)
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: Steezus on Thu, 05 November 2015, 22:10:53
I loved 60% so much at first that I bought two Pok3rs, I never seem to type on them any time and. I do love it for travel, perhaps I can use it for programming class.
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: grav3serker on Thu, 05 November 2015, 22:20:10
You know what I really like about that keyboard? It's ANSI standard layout and the fact that you can put your own keycaps on it. Some very popular 60% boards out there have neither of these invaluable qualities.
Yeah it's great! I'm glad I had another ALPS board laying around!
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: grav3serker on Thu, 05 November 2015, 22:22:21
I loved 60% so much at first that I bought two Pok3rs, I never seem to type on them any time and. I do love it for travel, perhaps I can use it for programming class.
I love typing on mine! For me is just a lot easier for some reason. I haven't had a chance to game with it yet, so I'll have to give my input on that in a few days.
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: Steezus on Thu, 05 November 2015, 22:27:36
I loved 60% so much at first that I bought two Pok3rs, I never seem to type on them any time and. I do love it for travel, perhaps I can use it for programming class.
I love typing on mine! For me is just a lot easier for some reason. I haven't had a chance to game with it yet, so I'll have to give my input on that in a few days.

I really love my RS96 layout when I'm sitting at the computer, I find having access to every key is nice for gaming because I like to use macros and change hotkeys and such. I do have two TKLs coming in soon that I need to build, I'm curious to see how well I will like them. I love the size of the 60%, fits perfectly in my backpack when I travel back home. A TKL almost seems suitable for travel as well, the added weight would be a paint though.
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: rowdy on Fri, 06 November 2015, 04:04:08
Welcome to the club :)

You will need to get yourself an HHKB though :p
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: grav3serker on Fri, 06 November 2015, 09:24:33
Welcome to the club :)

You will need to get yourself an HHKB though
Haha thanks! I'm liking it way more than my TKL so far. An HHKB will most likely be next
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: childofthehorn on Fri, 06 November 2015, 09:28:33
Once you go 60%, you don't go back.

Speaking having 4 of them....and only 2 full-size. Other full size ones don't count since they go to the vintage computers and they only made the SSK back then.
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: grav3serker on Fri, 06 November 2015, 09:32:34
Once you go 60%, you don't go back.

Speaking having 4 of them....and only 2 full-size. Other full size ones don't count since they go to the vintage computers and they only made the SSK back then.
Yeah I don't want to go back now ha. 60% is love, 60% is life.
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: zslane on Fri, 06 November 2015, 11:55:34
HHKBs have Topre switches, but they don't have an ANSI standard layout and you are severely limited in terms of what keycaps you can put on it. Topres are nice, but not that nice.
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: Bucake on Fri, 06 November 2015, 16:31:09
Topres are nice, but not that nice.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subjectivity
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: pr0ximity on Fri, 06 November 2015, 23:18:25
I never thought I'd like 60% more than TKL, but after using a 60% almost exclusively at work for the past couple of months, I'm starting to lean in that direction. It really surprised me how effortless the Fn layer is once you have some muscle memory for it.
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: ideus on Fri, 06 November 2015, 23:21:58
You know what I really like about that keyboard? It's ANSI standard layout and the fact that you can put your own keycaps on it. Some very popular 60% boards out there have neither of these invaluable qualities.


The more popular 60% keyboards are ANSI standard and Cherry based that allows the wider selection of key caps currently available. What are you talking about?
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: grav3serker on Fri, 06 November 2015, 23:48:53
I never thought I'd like 60% more than TKL, but after using a 60% almost exclusively at work for the past couple of months, I'm starting to lean in that direction. It really surprised me how effortless the Fn layer is once you have some muscle memory for it.
Yeah I love how compact it is and how everything is right under your fingers. It's the perfect layout!
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: KRKS on Sat, 07 November 2015, 02:46:40
Topres are nice, but not that nice.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subjectivity

I'm pretty sure "nice, but not that nice" isn't a statement anyone would use for a scientific fact.
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: zslane on Sat, 07 November 2015, 11:00:22
You know what I really like about that keyboard? It's ANSI standard layout and the fact that you can put your own keycaps on it. Some very popular 60% boards out there have neither of these invaluable qualities.


The more popular 60% keyboards are ANSI standard and Cherry based that allows the wider selection of key caps currently available. What are you talking about?

Well, the HHKB for one. But really, any Topre-based keyboard (like the Leopold). When it comes to 60%ers, you can't throw a proverbial stone without hitting a hundred adoring fans of the HHKB. And that fanbase continues to grow every day. I'm sure it is a great keyboard. It is nevertheless useless to me for the reasons stated.

People get the impression I don't like Topre switches, but that's not true! I like Topre switches quite a bit. I'm just frustrated by the fact that I can't install any of my SA keycap sets on them. And on boards like the Leopold and the RealForce I'm screwed because Signature Plastics doesn't make a 6.0u spacebar in SA profile. And since, for me, a keyboard is really just a vessel for beautiful SA keycaps, boards without a standard ANSI layout (a 6.25u spacebar in particular) and MX switches might as well not exist.
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: ideus on Sat, 07 November 2015, 13:18:33
You know what I really like about that keyboard? It's ANSI standard layout and the fact that you can put your own keycaps on it. Some very popular 60% boards out there have neither of these invaluable qualities.


The more popular 60% keyboards are ANSI standard and Cherry based that allows the wider selection of key caps currently available. What are you talking about?

Well, the HHKB for one. But really, any Topre-based keyboard (like the Leopold). When it comes to 60%ers, you can't throw a proverbial stone without hitting a hundred adoring fans of the HHKB. And that fanbase continues to grow every day. I'm sure it is a great keyboard. It is nevertheless useless to me for the reasons stated.

People get the impression I don't like Topre switches, but that's not true! I like Topre switches quite a bit. I'm just frustrated by the fact that I can't install any of my SA keycap sets on them. And on boards like the Leopold and the RealForce I'm screwed because Signature Plastics doesn't make a 6.0u spacebar in SA profile. And since, for me, a keyboard is really just a vessel for beautiful SA keycaps, boards without a standard ANSI layout (a 6.25u spacebar in particular) and MX switches might as well not exist.


There is no data on the relative size of users of mechanical keyboards, but based on the empirical observation of the demand pulled by recent buys ran at rMK, GH, DT, SP and MD, it may be fair to say that Cherry based boards are still the type with a wider audience, while the others like Topre, ALPS and BS should have far less. Again, it is not that easy to support a definitive conclusion.
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: julayyy on Sun, 08 November 2015, 01:44:15
Depending on what game you play, 60% keyboard are great for gaming since it bring the mouse closer to your body.

I play league of legend with mine and the 60% keyboard is perfect for it
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: 1swt2gs on Sun, 08 November 2015, 02:11:27
Once you go 60%, you don't go back.

Speaking having 4 of them....and only 2 full-size. Other full size ones don't count since they go to the vintage computers and they only made the SSK back then.

Ever since I got my first 60% I have been hooked! Recently picked up another 60% and ALL my other mechs never get used anymore.

Depending on what game you play, 60% keyboard are great for gaming since it bring the mouse closer to your body.

I play league of legend with mine and the 60% keyboard is perfect for it

I play DOTA2 and find that a 60% is slightly inconvenient because no f1-f2 (i use 1-6 for my inventory)
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: sitch on Sun, 08 November 2015, 02:20:29
I used to like 60% and even built a korean spirit 60% keyboard for it but eventually lacking of F keys and arrow number made me sell all the parts.. Right now using a topre 87, filco 87 and building a ergodox  ;)
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: ideus on Sun, 08 November 2015, 06:45:48
I used to like 60% and even built a korean spirit 60% keyboard for it but eventually lacking of F keys and arrow number made me sell all the parts.. Right now using a topre 87, filco 87 and building a ergodox  ;)


Well, not all can be perfect.


 :p :)) :))
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: zslane on Sun, 08 November 2015, 11:34:23
60%ers certainly have their place: sitting atop my iPad's Targus case kbd, for instance. That's the one context where they don't look like kiddie keyboards to me. And since I don't do the sort of typing that demands more than a 60% provides when I'm using my iPad, a mechanical like a Pok3r is a good fit.
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: shibataken on Tue, 10 November 2015, 13:24:28
I love my 60%!  Does feel derpy when I need arrow keys in games...especially as QTE's...almost always fail those lol
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: zslane on Tue, 10 November 2015, 13:31:11
The second biggest benefit of the Pok3r on an iPad, IMO, is the cursor key navigation. An iPad has none on its own; there is no mouse to resort to and there aren't any cursor keys on the standard "glass" keyboard. Moving the text cursor by touching the screen is simply not practical. I find kbd cursor navigation indispensible for typing forum posts on my iPad. Having to learn to use FN+IJKL is the willing compromise I make for the small size of the Pok3r (anything bigger than a 60% takes up too much space in front of the iPad).
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: grav3serker on Tue, 10 November 2015, 16:22:02
I love my 60%!  Does feel derpy when I need arrow keys in games...especially as QTE's...almost always fail those lol
Yeah they're great! I love how compact they are!
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: grav3serker on Tue, 10 November 2015, 16:29:06
The second biggest benefit of the Pok3r on an iPad, IMO, is the cursor key navigation. An iPad has none on its own; there is no mouse to resort to and there aren't any cursor keys on the standard "glass" keyboard. Moving the text cursor by touching the screen is simply not practical. I find kbd cursor navigation indispensible for typing forum posts on my iPad. Having to learn to use FN+IJKL is the willing compromise I make for the small size of the Pok3r (anything bigger than a 60% takes up too much space in front of the iPad).
How does the cursor key navigation work?
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: Homenubbie on Tue, 10 November 2015, 16:36:27
Pok3r represent!
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: yowaffle on Tue, 10 November 2015, 16:39:22
My first 60% was a v60 Matias too! That was a little over a month ago. Now I'm part of the 180% club with a Poker II and a KC60 haha
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: grav3serker on Tue, 10 November 2015, 16:46:04
My first 60% was a v60 Matias too! That was a little over a month ago. Now I'm part of the 180% club with a Poker II and a KC60 haha
Haha I want so many more now. I really love these Matias switches though! Going back to my QFR with Browns feels not so great haha. I need more Alps in my life!
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: zslane on Tue, 10 November 2015, 16:58:13
The second biggest benefit of the Pok3r on an iPad, IMO, is the cursor key navigation. An iPad has none on its own; there is no mouse to resort to and there aren't any cursor keys on the standard "glass" keyboard. Moving the text cursor by touching the screen is simply not practical. I find kbd cursor navigation indispensible for typing forum posts on my iPad. Having to learn to use FN+IJKL is the willing compromise I make for the small size of the Pok3r (anything bigger than a 60% takes up too much space in front of the iPad).
How does the cursor key navigation work?

When typing in any text box on the iPad, there is the standard text input cursor. FN+I,J,K,L serve as cursor navigation. I've set the DIP switches on my Pok3r so that the Caps Lock key is actually (another) FN key. That way I can hold it down with my left pinky and move the cursor around with I,J,K, and L via my right hand.

I have Dolch DSA on one Pok3r and Granite on another. I wish there was a 1.75u FN key for Dolch, but there isn't so I have a 1.75u CONTROL keycap in place of CAPS LOCK so that I don't subciously hesitate to use it as FN. For Granite, I will soon have a 1.75u starburst icon keycap to match the 1.25u starburst icon keycap that sits in the base FN position.
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: grav3serker on Tue, 10 November 2015, 20:32:45
I love my 60%!  Does feel derpy when I need arrow keys in games...especially as QTE's...almost always fail those lol

What keyboard do you have? On the V60 you can press fn+enter and it turns shift, win, menu, and ctrl into arrow keys  :thumb:
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: zslane on Tue, 10 November 2015, 20:41:53
By way of comparison, when I was investigating the Pok3r as a potential mate for my iPad, I was very specifically looking for a 60% in which cursor navigation was NOT modal in nature. I didn't want to have to put the keyboard into "navigation mode" (i.e., set to a different layer), and then have to put it back into "normal" mode when done. Using arrow keys is an immediate and highly transient action, and not really subject to modality. With the Pok3r, simply chording FN with I,J,K, and L gives me on-the-fly cursor control, which is how it should be, IMO. Surely all the 60% boards out there let you control the cursor without switching to a special layer...
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: Shawn5pencer on Tue, 10 November 2015, 20:43:40
60% keyboards look very interesting, pok3r keyboards seem to be the best choice for me in terms of 60%. Anyone got any better suggestions?
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: grav3serker on Tue, 10 November 2015, 20:57:02
By way of comparison, when I was investigating the Pok3r as a potential mate for my iPad, I was very specifically looking for a 60% in which cursor navigation was NOT modal in nature. I didn't want to have to put the keyboard into "navigation mode" (i.e., set to a different layer), and then have to put it back into "normal" mode when done. Using arrow keys is an immediate and highly transient action, and not really subject to modality. With the Pok3r, simply chording FN with I,J,K, and L gives me on-the-fly cursor control, which is how it should be, IMO. Surely all the 60% boards out there let you control the cursor without switching to a special layer...

Yeah on my V60 I flipped the dip switch that turns CAPS into FN as well. I can use FN+WASD and FN+PL;' which is nice. You can also set it like I stated above to turn SHIFT, WIN, MENU, and CTRL as arrows if you need them in games for QTEs and what not. I love this board. There's a ton of customization with the dip switches.
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: zslane on Tue, 10 November 2015, 21:00:31
Interesting. I hadn't considered game context. But then again, all the character navigation I ever did in video games used WASD, never arrow keys. I naturally assumed this was the case for most gamers; after all, there must be a reason why W,A,S, and D are so commonly offered in a special color just for gamers.
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: ideus on Tue, 10 November 2015, 21:03:29
60% keyboards look very interesting, pok3r keyboards seem to be the best choice for me in terms of 60%. Anyone got any better suggestions?


GON Nerd60 that it is a totally different league, it will need some DIY work from you but it worth it.
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: gabamnml on Tue, 10 November 2015, 21:15:52
Welcome aboard! for me is the best layout. Especially for programming with vim  :thumb:
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: Shawn5pencer on Tue, 10 November 2015, 21:22:55
60% keyboards look very interesting, pok3r keyboards seem to be the best choice for me in terms of 60%. Anyone got any better suggestions?


GON Nerd60 that it is a totally different league, it will need some DIY work from you but it worth it.
Looks nice. Plus it seems that it's a lot more customizable than the pok3r.

Keyboard assembly would be a downside, but I guess you need to put in work to get the really good keyboards.
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: grav3serker on Tue, 10 November 2015, 21:25:39
60% keyboards look very interesting, pok3r keyboards seem to be the best choice for me in terms of 60%. Anyone got any better suggestions?


GON Nerd60 that it is a totally different league, it will need some DIY work from you but it worth it.
Looks nice. Plus it seems that it's a lot more customizable than the pok3r.

Keyboard assembly would be a downside, but I guess you need to put in work to get the really good keyboards.

Downside for some = upside for others

I really want to build one of these bad boys. I'm all about modifications and customization  :thumb:
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: grav3serker on Tue, 10 November 2015, 21:28:50
Interesting. I hadn't considered game context. But then again, all the character navigation I ever did in video games used WASD, never arrow keys. I naturally assumed this was the case for most gamers; after all, there must be a reason why W,A,S, and D are so commonly offered in a special color just for gamers.

Yeah same. Shibataken was the one asking about using the arrow keys for gaming; I have never needed to use them myself.
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: Shawn5pencer on Tue, 10 November 2015, 21:29:03
60% keyboards look very interesting, pok3r keyboards seem to be the best choice for me in terms of 60%. Anyone got any better suggestions?


GON Nerd60 that it is a totally different league, it will need some DIY work from you but it worth it.
Looks nice. Plus it seems that it's a lot more customizable than the pok3r.

Keyboard assembly would be a downside, but I guess you need to put in work to get the really good keyboards.

Downside for some = upside for others

I really want to build one of these bad boys. I'm all about modifications and customization  :thumb:

I guess that'd be a downside for me, although that's probably because I've never really done anything involving keyboard assembly.
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: ideus on Tue, 10 November 2015, 21:31:26
60% keyboards look very interesting, pok3r keyboards seem to be the best choice for me in terms of 60%. Anyone got any better suggestions?


GON Nerd60 that it is a totally different league, it will need some DIY work from you but it worth it.
Looks nice. Plus it seems that it's a lot more customizable than the pok3r.

Keyboard assembly would be a downside, but I guess you need to put in work to get the really good keyboards.

Downside for some = upside for others

I really want to build one of these bad boys. I'm all about modifications and customization  :thumb:

I guess that'd be a downside for me, although that's probably because I've never really done anything involving keyboard assembly.


A teaser: This is a Nerd60, one more is in the mail already, may post when I got my Bluegaloo.

Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: grav3serker on Tue, 10 November 2015, 21:31:39
Welcome aboard! for me is the best layout. Especially for programming with vim  :thumb:

Thanks!  :thumb:

Can you tell me a little about this vim you speak of? I've seen a lot of people asking for Vim caps lately, and I know it's (I think) a program for editing code.(?)
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: Shawn5pencer on Tue, 10 November 2015, 21:32:55
60% keyboards look very interesting, pok3r keyboards seem to be the best choice for me in terms of 60%. Anyone got any better suggestions?


GON Nerd60 that it is a totally different league, it will need some DIY work from you but it worth it.
Looks nice. Plus it seems that it's a lot more customizable than the pok3r.

Keyboard assembly would be a downside, but I guess you need to put in work to get the really good keyboards.

Downside for some = upside for others

I really want to build one of these bad boys. I'm all about modifications and customization  :thumb:

I guess that'd be a downside for me, although that's probably because I've never really done anything involving keyboard assembly.


A teaser: This is a Nerd60, one more is in the mail already, may post when I got my Bluegaloo.

Damn, what keycap set is that?
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: ideus on Tue, 10 November 2015, 21:37:09
60% keyboards look very interesting, pok3r keyboards seem to be the best choice for me in terms of 60%. Anyone got any better suggestions?


GON Nerd60 that it is a totally different league, it will need some DIY work from you but it worth it.
Looks nice. Plus it seems that it's a lot more customizable than the pok3r.

Keyboard assembly would be a downside, but I guess you need to put in work to get the really good keyboards.

Downside for some = upside for others

I really want to build one of these bad boys. I'm all about modifications and customization  :thumb:

I guess that'd be a downside for me, although that's probably because I've never really done anything involving keyboard assembly.


A teaser: This is a Nerd60, one more is in the mail already, may post when I got my Bluegaloo.

Damn, what keycap set is that?


It is an OG Cherry double shot black on beige winkeyless set. It feels awesome with ergo-clears with gold springs for the alphas and blacks in the modifiers.
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: grav3serker on Tue, 10 November 2015, 21:40:32
60% keyboards look very interesting, pok3r keyboards seem to be the best choice for me in terms of 60%. Anyone got any better suggestions?


GON Nerd60 that it is a totally different league, it will need some DIY work from you but it worth it.
Looks nice. Plus it seems that it's a lot more customizable than the pok3r.

Keyboard assembly would be a downside, but I guess you need to put in work to get the really good keyboards.

Downside for some = upside for others

I really want to build one of these bad boys. I'm all about modifications and customization  :thumb:

I guess that'd be a downside for me, although that's probably because I've never really done anything involving keyboard assembly.


A teaser: This is a Nerd60, one more is in the mail already, may post when I got my Bluegaloo.

This is sexy! I want to build a Nerd60, but I don't like MX style switches anymore. I have seen the light that is Matias Quiet Clicks (and other Alps style switches), and I can't bring myself to use anything else now haha.
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: demik on Tue, 10 November 2015, 21:56:00
now join the club within the club, hhkb club.
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: grav3serker on Tue, 10 November 2015, 22:05:34
now join the club within the club, hhkb club.
That will be next!! The layout is the only thing making me slightly weary about it.
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: ideus on Tue, 10 November 2015, 22:09:14
I began my mechanical keyboard journey using ALPS; by then, the key caps availability and options to get parts to built an ALPS custom was limited to harvesting parts from old boards that never match in between, now the options are bit wider, but still, you would have far less options than with Cherry. Also, there is no key caps that match Cherry double shots for ALPS.
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: grav3serker on Tue, 10 November 2015, 22:16:26
I began my mechanical keyboard journey using ALPS; by then, the key caps availability and options to get parts to built an ALPS custom was limited to harvesting parts from old boards that never match in between, now the options are bit wider, but still, you would have far less options than with Cherry. Also, there is no key caps that match Cherry double shots for ALPS.
Yeah that's definitely a major bummer, but I just love everything about ALPS switches. Have you used Topre switches? If so, how do they feel compared to ALPS? I know they're completely different, but as far as travel goes, I love how short the travel is on the Matias switches.
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: ideus on Tue, 10 November 2015, 22:40:59
I began my mechanical keyboard journey using ALPS; by then, the key caps availability and options to get parts to built an ALPS custom was limited to harvesting parts from old boards that never match in between, now the options are bit wider, but still, you would have far less options than with Cherry. Also, there is no key caps that match Cherry double shots for ALPS.
Yeah that's definitely a major bummer, but I just love everything about ALPS switches. Have you used Topre switches? If so, how do they feel compared to ALPS? I know they're completely different, but as far as travel goes, I love how short the travel is on the Matias switches.


A friend lent me a HHKB 2 Pro for a couple of months, it feels nice; but, at least for me, it was closer to a rubber dome than to a mechanical one, the sound is great, though. The layout was pretty much unusable over the short period I tried it, the awkward combination of pinky Fn and diamond arrows was the worst part, maybe trying it over an extended time may get it better, some are fans of it, but I just cannot understand why.
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: grav3serker on Tue, 10 November 2015, 23:11:22
I began my mechanical keyboard journey using ALPS; by then, the key caps availability and options to get parts to built an ALPS custom was limited to harvesting parts from old boards that never match in between, now the options are bit wider, but still, you would have far less options than with Cherry. Also, there is no key caps that match Cherry double shots for ALPS.
Yeah that's definitely a major bummer, but I just love everything about ALPS switches. Have you used Topre switches? If so, how do they feel compared to ALPS? I know they're completely different, but as far as travel goes, I love how short the travel is on the Matias switches.


A friend lent me a HHKB 2 Pro for a couple of months, it feels nice; but, at least for me, it was closer to a rubber dome than to a mechanical one, the sound is great, though. The layout was pretty much unusable over the short period I tried it, the awkward combination of pinky Fn and diamond arrows was the worst part, maybe trying it over an extended time may get it better, some are fans of it, but I just cannot understand why.
Yeah that's my only qualm with that board. The thing I loved about going from an 80% to a 60% was how seamless it was. The HHKB seems like I would have to learn an entire new layout to use it to it's full potential.
Title: Re: I finally joined the 60% club!
Post by: swimmingbird on Wed, 11 November 2015, 00:24:59
I began my mechanical keyboard journey using ALPS; by then, the key caps availability and options to get parts to built an ALPS custom was limited to harvesting parts from old boards that never match in between, now the options are bit wider, but still, you would have far less options than with Cherry. Also, there is no key caps that match Cherry double shots for ALPS.
Yeah that's definitely a major bummer, but I just love everything about ALPS switches. Have you used Topre switches? If so, how do they feel compared to ALPS? I know they're completely different, but as far as travel goes, I love how short the travel is on the Matias switches.

I'm not the biggest fan of the arrow keys or nav cluster and I don't really dig the fn position - really tempted to get Hasu's alternate controller for my hhkbs and map arrows to IJKL like the rest of my 60% boards

A friend lent me a HHKB 2 Pro for a couple of months, it feels nice; but, at least for me, it was closer to a rubber dome than to a mechanical one, the sound is great, though. The layout was pretty much unusable over the short period I tried it, the awkward combination of pinky Fn and diamond arrows was the worst part, maybe trying it over an extended time may get it better, some are fans of it, but I just cannot understand why.