New keyboard for typing

[brialona]

I have a qfr with cherry blues and I like it.  Are there any other switches that's good for 100% typing and no gaming?  I have only tried blues, reds, browns. And realforce but those are too expensive.  The max I am willing to spend is about 100.  How are the alps? Or green and black?

[tp4tissue]

I have a qfr with cherry blues and I like it.  Are there any other switches that's good for 100% typing and no gaming?  I have only tried blues, reds, browns, and realforce but those are too expensive.  The max I am willing to spend is about 100.  How are the alps? Or green and black?

ah... Get the quiet pro then..

Have you tried some O-rings? The soft ones are fun... the hard ones are pointless...

Make some ghetto rings tonight for fun..

[inteli722]

I would assume that Greens would be great for typing. Blacks are basically heavy reds, so if you liked those but thought they were too light, then Blacks are the way to go, but otherwise, if you like Blues, you'll likely like Greens, as they are basically heavy blues.

[tp4tissue]

I would assume that Greens would be great for typing. Blacks are basically heavy reds, so if you liked those but thought they were too light, then Blacks are the way to go, but otherwise, if you like Blues, you'll likely like Greens, as they are basically heavy blues.

VERY heavy..   I measured a few of my green switches 88g right before click.

[brialona]

I have a qfr with cherry blues and I like it.  Are there any other switches that's good for 100% typing and no gaming?  I have only tried blues, reds, browns, and realforce but those are too expensive.  The max I am willing to spend is about 100.  How are the alps? Or green and black?

ah... Get the quiet pro then..

Have you tried some O-rings? The soft ones are fun... the hard ones are pointless...

Make some ghetto rings tonight for fun..

I always read people talking about orings but I never quite understood what it does and where to get it.  What does it do if I add it to my blues? And what the heck are ergo clears?

On the other hand, What is the closest thing to a topre realforce but not as expensive?  I tried it when I was in Tokyo and I really enjoyed it

[inteli722]

I have a qfr with cherry blues and I like it.  Are there any other switches that's good for 100% typing and no gaming?  I have only tried blues, reds, browns, and realforce but those are too expensive.  The max I am willing to spend is about 100.  How are the alps? Or green and black?

ah... Get the quiet pro then..

Have you tried some O-rings? The soft ones are fun... the hard ones are pointless...

Make some ghetto rings tonight for fun..

I always read people talking about orings but I never quite understood what it does and where to get it.  What does it do if I add it to my blues? And what the heck are ergo clears?

On the other hand, What is the closest thing to a topre realforce but not as expensive?  I tried it when I was in Tokyo and I really enjoyed it

If you add O-rings to your blues, you get a shorter travel distance and a quieter key.

Ergo-Clears are Clear switches

with Blue/Brown/Red springs. They are less hard than regular Clears.

As far as I've heard, Topres feel one-of-a-kind, so i'm not sure if you can get a substitute. I'd say if you really liked Topres, go with Topres. Now it's just a matter of: variable, uniform 45g, or uniform 55g!

[Krogenar]

Maybe give buckling springs a try? You might be able to pick up a Model M on eBay for under $100.

[Hyde]

Yeah from what I've gathered, if you just want a keyboard for typing there are a few choices.

MX Blue
MX Green
Buckling Spring
ALPS
Topre

I'd recommend a Unicomp or Matias if I were you 

[sordna]

O-rings are here:

http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/index.php/products/keyboard-accessories-2.html

[IvanIvanovich]

Get a Cherry G80-something and stick whites in it. They are lovely.

[1839cc]

I love my clears. I use them for everything. They have a firm definite tactile point with an oddly soft cushion of rising spring rate underneath.

Not for everyone, but worth trying if you get the chance.

[Burz]

I would recommend a Quiet Pro based on everything I've read, but I just ordered one and haven't actually tried one yet. The reviews (professional, enthusiast and otherwise) have been resoundingly positive across the board and that is what I'm basing my decision on (that and the fact that I prefer tactile switches).

BTW, don't want to sound too strident, but O-rings are a half-@zed way to make a keyboard quieter. I would much rather hear a key hit both at the bottom and top of the keystroke than just at the top (which conveys no useful information as opposed to hearing the key reach the bottom); noise from only the top is just a distraction IMHO.

[rowdy]

If you are unsure about O-rings, order the WASD sampler kit.  It comes with a selection of O-rings, plus one of each colour keycap plus, optionally, one of each major MX switch (blue, black, brown, red).

[tauburn]

get greens. theyre not that heavy people just have baby fingers. they're like blues but harder to bottom out so you end up typing faster. not to mention the click and bump happen at the same time which is a huge improvement over blues

[Hyde]

I don't know why you guys recommend o-rings, the OP never mentioned anything regarding noise.

As for typing feel, I find o-ring reduce the travel distance and makes typing feel really weird.  Not a fan of it personally.  Unless the intent is for reducing key travel so you type "faster", in that case I'd say get a scissor switch and save yourself some money.

But from what I've gathered the OP just want different choices for typing other than MX Blue isn't it? 

[Burz]

get greens. theyre not that heavy people just have baby fingers. they're like blues but harder to bottom out so you end up typing faster. not to mention the click and bump happen at the same time which is a huge improvement over blues

Yeah but I'll bet that pressing Shift along with the rest of the keys is just a bit too much strain with those heavy switches.

[brialona]

I don't know why you guys recommend o-rings, the OP never mentioned anything regarding noise.

As for typing feel, I find o-ring reduce the travel distance and makes typing feel really weird.  Not a fan of it personally.  Unless the intent is for reducing key travel so you type "faster", in that case I'd say get a scissor switch and save yourself some money.

But from what I've gathered the OP just want different choices for typing other than MX Blue isn't it? 

Yes exactly, I was thinking either buckling springs or alps.  Which one do you guys prefer to type on? Where can you get g80 boards with green? I've been looking around and they seem hard to find

[tp4tissue]

I have a qfr with cherry blues and I like it.  Are there any other switches that's good for 100% typing and no gaming?  I have only tried blues, reds, browns, and realforce but those are too expensive.  The max I am willing to spend is about 100.  How are the alps? Or green and black?

ah... Get the quiet pro then..

Have you tried some O-rings? The soft ones are fun... the hard ones are pointless...

Make some ghetto rings tonight for fun..

I always read people talking about orings but I never quite understood what it does and where to get it.  What does it do if I add it to my blues? And what the heck are ergo clears?

On the other hand, What is the closest thing to a topre realforce but not as expensive?  I tried it when I was in Tokyo and I really enjoyed it

If you add O-rings to your blues, you get a shorter travel distance and a quieter key.

Ergo-Clears are Clear switches

Show Image

with Blue/Brown/Red springs. They are less hard than regular Clears.

As far as I've heard, Topres feel one-of-a-kind, so i'm not sure if you can get a substitute. I'd say if you really liked Topres, go with Topres. Now it's just a matter of: variable, uniform 45g, or uniform 55g!

Do NOT do Ergo clears unless you can find those 65 g springs... I would even say we need something like 70g

[tp4tissue]

I don't know why you guys recommend o-rings, the OP never mentioned anything regarding noise.

As for typing feel, I find o-ring reduce the travel distance and makes typing feel really weird.  Not a fan of it personally.  Unless the intent is for reducing key travel so you type "faster", in that case I'd say get a scissor switch and save yourself some money.

But from what I've gathered the OP just want different choices for typing other than MX Blue isn't it? 

Orings makes the landing very different. and reduced travel distance is a "technical" plus.. because it makes timing control easier when you're playing the typing games.

ALSO, i believe most people are doing O-rings "WRONG" and the 40a is still MUCH too hard.

I use the silicone rings I cut from silicone rubber dome keyboards. They're around 20-30a,  they return that walkin' on sunshine feel of bottoming out a rubber dome, which takes away the harshness of Cherry MX landing. 


    a. Shore 20A = Rubber Band
    b. Shore 40A = Pencil Eraser
    c. Shore 60A = Car Tire Tread
    d. Shore 70A* = Running Shoe Sole
    e. Shore 80A = Leather Belt
    f. Shore 100A = Shopping Cart Wheel

[sordna]

    a. Shore 20A = Rubber Band
    b. Shore 40A = Pencil Eraser
    c. Shore 60A = Car Tire Tread
    d. Shore 70A* = Running Shoe Sole
    e. Shore 80A = Leather Belt
    f. Shore 100A = Shopping Cart Wheel

Nice ranking! I have tried 20A durometer dampening (EK black soft-landing pads) and while wonderfully shock absorbing, I found that I couldn't tell the moment that the keystroke touches the pad, so I ended up pushing down the switches harder than needed. With 40A I can tell when I'm bottoming out, so it gives the tactile feedback that tells you to back off and type lighter. But yeah, anything over 40A is too hard for me.

[tauburn]

get greens. theyre not that heavy people just have baby fingers. they're like blues but harder to bottom out so you end up typing faster. not to mention the click and bump happen at the same time which is a huge improvement over blues

Yeah but I'll bet that pressing Shift along with the rest of the keys is just a bit too much strain with those heavy switches.

maybe if you're 90 years old and have arthritis... seriously the "heavy switches" aren't really that heavy

[Burz]

get greens. theyre not that heavy people just have baby fingers. they're like blues but harder to bottom out so you end up typing faster. not to mention the click and bump happen at the same time which is a huge improvement over blues

Yeah but I'll bet that pressing Shift along with the rest of the keys is just a bit too much strain with those heavy switches.

maybe if you're 90 years old and have arthritis... seriously the "heavy switches" aren't really that heavy

That was a riff on your apparent aversion to the Shift key...

[tehcliff]

I'm a huge fan of buckling spring so I would give a Model M (from eBay) a try if I were you.  If you want a new Model M clone, you can always get one from Unicomp.  I have both and while they're slightly different in some aspects, both are very satisfying for serious typists.

[lazerpointer]

I'm a huge fan of buckling spring so I would give a Model M (from eBay) a try if I were you.  If you want a new Model M clone, you can always get one from Unicomp.  I have both and while they're slightly different in some aspects, both are very satisfying for serious typists.

100% agreed! Everybody should own a buckling springs board. I type on my Unicomp Customizer 101 daily (well, my Topre board will arive tomorrow, LOL) and I probably can't go a week without at least busting out the Unicomp one or two times you can get Unicomp buckling spring "Model M clones" from pckeyboard.com

[uzoc]

You can try TWO o-rings for each key/switch.
If you test it with a blue switch you'll be able to hear the click right before it bottoms out.
In my other thread I post two the links from Amazon where you can get them cheaper.

[tp4tissue]

You can try TWO o-rings for each key/switch.
If you test it with a blue switch you'll be able to hear the click right before it bottoms out.
In my other thread I post two the links from Amazon where you can get them cheaper.

Those rings are too hard.

[brialona]

I was thinking about model m's for a long time.  Either that or the new quick fires with green switches.   Anyone know when the expected arrival is for the cm qf?

[hlehmann]

Model M.  Years of typing and feeling "comfortable" on lenovo/ibm laptop keyboards dissapated in about 2 hours, now I miss my M whenever i'm in keyboard transit.  I type all day long, and about 80wpm, cant recommend it enough.

My only other experience is white alps, which is clicky and lite - a little wobbly compared with my ibm.  But who wants to compare to an M.