geekhack
geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: nguyenhimself on Mon, 27 November 2017, 02:24:40
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Now that the BKE Redux (BR) domes are shipping and getting mostly good to rave reviews, does anyone think it would make more sense now to buy Plum Niz's keyboards with Topre-clone switches and then swapped the BR domes in, rather than buying an HHKB or RealForce, which cost significantly more money?
And yes, I know that Plum Niz hasn't made any keyboard with the same HHKB layout, but their TKL Plum87 looks just fine, and they have the Plum75 & Plum84 which strikes a balance for those who prefer compact keyboards with arrow keys.
Plus, you know, BlueTooth and RGB and MX stems, all at a reasonable price.
And I speak as a Topre fan who just ordered a NorbaForce case for my beloved 87U. But I also like to rethink my assumptions every now and then. Thoughts?
(https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1cls3OFXXXXXFaFXXq6xXFXXXZ/Plum-Nano-75-Pro-RGB-35g-45g-Bluetooth-Wireless-USB-Double-Module-Realforce-Structure-Capacitive-Keyboard.jpg)
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I have been eying these for my plum tkl. I think that a modded plum board is going to be very close to a modded topre board, in terms of feel, with these in them. Obviously an uncracked topre is still going to be top dog, but if you're going to be opening up and modding your keyboard i don't see why you would not consider a plum board. Before the bkes the only domes you could get were those clear ones that had a very different weighting and tactility to topre, which many people did not like. If you grab this board and mod it I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts.
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I have the Nano75 and it is a nice little keyboard. Bear in mind that even if you replace the domes (and you'll have to chop up any third-party dome sheet you get because that top F-row is pretty nonstandard in terms of spacing between the blocks of keys), you'll find minor issues with build quality. For instance, not all the stems are consistent in terms of their depth, so keycaps don't all sit perfectly level with each other. You might consider a stem swap with something of higher quality, if you can find them.
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I mean if you like the layout and the Bluetooth also the option to put on custom keycaps i can't see why you shouldn't buy it and replace the domes with BKE. The sliders aren't smooth as Topre but with some lube i think it would be a great keyboard.