geekhack

geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Fabien on Mon, 01 February 2010, 10:16:34

Title: Leaping in : My first mechanical !
Post by: Fabien on Mon, 01 February 2010, 10:16:34
Well this is it.

After several weeks of searching the entire web, and browsing this amazing forum for infos and advice, I've deciced to take action, and just bought my first mechanical keyboard: a Cherry G80-3000 LPCFR.

Apparently, this is the only mechanical keyboard still in production with a French layout. And it's sold by just one retailer in France :) It cost me 80 EUR, which is a fair price I guess.

As far as I know, the model I'll be getting will have MX black switches. I hope I'll be satisfied with this.

I'll let you know as soon as it gets here !! :)

Thanks again to you guys for your precious advices !
Title: Leaping in : My first mechanical !
Post by: keyb_gr on Mon, 01 February 2010, 13:27:55
Enjoy! While not in my personal top 3 or 4, blacks definitely are in the "usable" camp.
Title: Leaping in : My first mechanical !
Post by: ch_123 on Mon, 01 February 2010, 13:53:30
Blacks? I hope you have strong fingers!
Title: Leaping in : My first mechanical !
Post by: patrickgeekhack on Mon, 01 February 2010, 14:00:01
Enjoy!
I've never tried black Cherries, but I think anything is better than rubber dome unless it's a Topre :-)
Title: Leaping in : My first mechanical !
Post by: itlnstln on Mon, 01 February 2010, 14:05:43
Quote from: ch_123;155357
Blacks? I hope you have strong fingers!

I typed on blacks for about 5 seconds before giving up.  They are not a typing switch.
Title: Leaping in : My first mechanical !
Post by: Fabien on Tue, 02 February 2010, 17:43:20
Are blacks THAT terrible ?? :(
Title: Leaping in : My first mechanical !
Post by: keyb_gr on Tue, 02 February 2010, 18:02:46
Not really, but they are a little on the heavy side of things (and linear, of course). They would be OK for someone used to a Model M, but someone coming from blues or browns would not be delighted.

At the moment, not having typed much on my model M for quite a while and being used to blues and Futabas, I'd say blacks are pretty heavy. (I generally prefer heavily worn ones which eventually lighten up.)

They are extremely durable though.
Title: Leaping in : My first mechanical !
Post by: Shuki on Tue, 02 February 2010, 20:25:19
I used black for a while and I liked them for typing against an ordinary rubber dome board. The only time I felt the 60g force needed to actuate the keys was a problem was when I was gaming. My little finger pressing crtl used to hurt after a few hours.

I prefer browns over blacks for typing now but that's the thing about mechanical keyboards, after you have one it rarely stays at one.
Title: Leaping in : My first mechanical !
Post by: InSanCen on Wed, 03 February 2010, 04:05:50
I quite liked cherry blacks.

It's a very subjective thing, key preference. You need to bear in mind the person's previous use/experience. In my case, 15+ years on Buckling Springs means I don't think that blacks are particularly hard to push. But, my typing technique (which is awful, but fast), means I bottom out on any keyboard I have ever found. The exception being the AT Model F's spacebar. now *that* is tough to push.
Title: Leaping in : My first mechanical !
Post by: kishy on Wed, 03 February 2010, 08:08:49
Quote from: keyb_gr;155747
Not really, but they are a little on the heavy side of things (and linear, of course). They would be OK for someone used to a Model M, but someone coming from blues or browns would not be delighted.


Completely disagree. Cherry blacks are the most frustrating switch imaginable to me BECAUSE I'm used to buckling springs.

Without a tactile point the switch is garbage. During the brief period where I had black Cherry switches in the house I found them less pleasant to type on than even the worst rubber domes (except of course the Iuminating keyboard, that one holds a special place in my memory as being exceptionally bad).
Title: Leaping in : My first mechanical !
Post by: Fabien on Wed, 03 February 2010, 09:22:28
Oh god oh god oh god !!

I've just received it, and it feels WONDERFUL ! Haven't plugged it in yet, but out of the box it feels like nothing I've ever typed on before.

One funny thing : I've tried explaining my coworker how great such a keyboard it is, giving them details about switches types and the difference between membrane and mechanical keyboards, and no one understood how I could spend almost 100 bucks on a keyboard.

...and I work at a computer retail shop !! :D
Title: Leaping in : My first mechanical !
Post by: itlnstln on Wed, 03 February 2010, 09:52:04
Quote from: Fabien;155912
Oh god oh god oh god !!
 
I've just received it, and it feels WONDERFUL ! Haven't plugged it in yet, but out of the box it feels like nothing I've ever typed on before.
 
One funny thing : I've tried explaining my coworker how great such a keyboard it is, giving them details about switches types and the difference between membrane and mechanical keyboards, and no one understood how I could spend almost 100 bucks on a keyboard.
 
...and I work at a computer retail shop !! :D

I'm glad you like it. One thing you will learn very quickly, too is that you can't really "evangelize" quality keyboards. It seems to be something you're interested in or not. I don't really talk about keyboards unless someone approaches me about it. I will, then, slowly extoll the virtues of quality keyboards without scaring them away by being too geeky.
Title: Leaping in : My first mechanical !
Post by: ch_123 on Wed, 03 February 2010, 10:14:00
The French one is part number 1391402. There are also Canadian French ones as well with different part numbers.
Title: Leaping in : My first mechanical !
Post by: Fabien on Thu, 04 February 2010, 03:28:40
Quote from: itlnstln;155917
I'm glad you like it. One thing you will learn very quickly, too is that you can't really "evangelize" quality keyboards. It seems to be something you're interested in or not. I don't really talk about keyboards unless someone approaches me about it. I will, then, slowly extoll the virtues of quality keyboards without scaring them away by being too geeky.


Exactly my thoughts when I tried explaining the choice for this keyboard... I guess I'll let people ask me about it when they'll try it :)

Anyways it's now sitting proudly on my desk, and now I'm asking myself if I should try a tactile and/or clicky keyboard to see the difference :D

But since there's no such keyboard with AZERTY layout, I'm stuck with this one for a long time ;)
Title: Leaping in : My first mechanical !
Post by: ch_123 on Thu, 04 February 2010, 03:54:31
Get a UK one and swap the keycaps.