I have been in search of the ideal board in the 60% to 75% range. I have tried the following:
Keycool 84 White PBT Version. Seems cheap, but I like the typing feel as well as the feel of the PBT keycaps. Would like it much better if they had deleted the F-key row and put this in the Fn layer.
Leopold FC660M. Solid build quality. Nearly standard layout plus the addition of arrow keys. However, I don't like the asymmetry of the arrow keys and Insert/Delete. Leopold also needs to start using a spacebar with standard distances between mounting posts to facilitate keycap customization.
Matias Mini Tactile Pro 4. Excellent typing feel. Great layout, although would like it better if they removed top row of F-keys and put these into the Fn layer. Although I use a Mac, this board is overly Mac-centric; might prefer the PC version, but I have not tried it. Don't like the Fisher-Price styling; this could be improved by deleting the top bezel, straightening the contours, and changing the finish from glossy to matte.
Poker II. Smallest of the bunch, yet a standard layout, which is a plus for touch-typing and replacing keys. Miss the arrow keys, but I could get accustomed to using the Fn layer for this. Build quality could be improved.
Tex Beetle. Excellent build quality and beautiful appearance. 60% form factor that includes arrow keys, but to do this, the right shift has been reduced to 1x, and the z-row has non-standard staggering, which combine to reduce typing speed and accuracy.
My favorite has apparently not been made yet. I would like a Poker with the build quality of the Tex Beetle or perhaps a tweaked Leopold FC660M. It seems unlikely that the other suggestions listed above will be implemented anytime soon.
In the meantime, I am going back to my IBM Model M SSK.
