Got my first Mechanical and I have some questions

[loki993]

I picked up a used QFR with blues for a pretty decent deal. A few things first it feels great and I like the tactile and clicky feed back. However typing on it doesnt feel as natural and fluid as it did on my old keyboard or on my laptop. My old keyboard was a low profile and obviously the laptops...is well a laptop keyboard. So I think the height difference and the key travel may be throwing me off a bit. Is there anything I should do to make that better or is there just an adjustment period?

Also it feel like Im hammering this thing..they keys are very light, especially the spacebar I bottom that out every time I hit it. I think I may need heavier switches.

Other than that I really like it and this is really just a temporary keyboard as I have a keycool with clears on the way too. I picked this up because it was a deal and I wanted to try the blues and I can tinker with it.   

[CPTBadAss]

Is there anything I should do to make that better or is there just an adjustment period?

Also it feel like Im hammering this thing..they keys are very light, especially the spacebar I bottom that out every time I hit it. I think I may need heavier switches.

I feel like for any new keyboard, there's a bit of an adjustment period. However, if you still feel like you're hitting it too hard, you may like heavier switches.

FWIW, I *always* bottom out when I type. Even on MX Greens or Buckling Spring boards.

[absyrd]

There is an adjustment period. After said period, you may want to try some caps that are lower profile than the "OEM" ones that come with the QFR.

Also give yourself time to adjust to the blues. You'll get better at typing on them. Then again, I've been on blues for years now and there are still some particular keys that I hammer. Doesn't bother me to bottom out.

My QFR was my "entry level" or "temporary" board, too. Still using it since I joined despite going through many other keyboards.

[blackbox]

I went from mx browns to mx greys and for me there is adjustment period. Now I have no issues with typing on mx grey at all.

[loki993]

Added a pic.

Yeah I really like it. The size threw me a bit I guess I don't know what I was expecting...they look bigger in the pics. The keycool is an 84 so that should be positively tiny. Really nice and compact and really good weight and feel. Gaming on it isn't an issue either, aside from said adjustment period, though some people say blue can be tough. I dont really doubletap or hover though so I have has any issues with that. I removed the tilde key because I have a really bad habit of accidentally hitting it and opening up the console in game, cant be remapped either. Which 9 times out of 10 gets me killed.   

[FrostyToast]

If you want the best clicky switches around and you also want something heavier, then I think that BS would be great for you just as CPT recommended.
The QFR is also available in the MX greens that he mentioned as well which you may like.

I removed the tilde key because I have a really bad habit of accidentally hitting it and opening up the console in game, cant be remapped either. Which 9 times out of 10 gets me killed.   

There should be software tools that can remap the tilda for you to the 1 key.

[dorkvader]

There is an adjustment period. After said period, you may want to try some caps that are lower profile than the "OEM" ones that come with the QFR.

While I would recommend lower keys than the "oem profile" ones that came with it, keep in mind that the keyboards itself will still have a travel of 4mm.

Otherwise, I will echo what the others are saying: you will probably get used to it. In the adjustment period, I recommend slowing down a little and listening for the actuation click. then you can "float" and not bottom out. When I first was able to do that, it was a neat feeling and I could type faster. I do prefer heavier keyboards though, so it's possible that you will too.

[loki993]

If you want the best clicky switches around and you also want something heavier, then I think that BS would be great for you just as CPT recommended.
The QFR is also available in the MX greens that he mentioned as well which you may like.

I removed the tilde key because I have a really bad habit of accidentally hitting it and opening up the console in game, cant be remapped either. Which 9 times out of 10 gets me killed.   

There should be software tools that can remap the tilda for you to the 1 key.

Maybe a BS board would be ok, I just cant get over the look of them and they're giant. One of the reason for a new board was spacesaving. However If I run across a deal on one somewhere id pick it up to at least give it a try.

There is an adjustment period. After said period, you may want to try some caps that are lower profile than the "OEM" ones that come with the QFR.

While I would recommend lower keys than the "oem profile" ones that came with it, keep in mind that the keyboards itself will still have a travel of 4mm.

Otherwise, I will echo what the others are saying: you will probably get used to it. In the adjustment period, I recommend slowing down a little and listening for the actuation click. then you can "float" and not bottom out. When I first was able to do that, it was a neat feeling and I could type faster. I do prefer heavier keyboards though, so it's possible that you will too.

Yeah, I think I just really need to take some time and concentrate to realize that I dont have to hit the keys so hard anymore.

Should I be using a wrist rest? I don't normally but Im wondering if some of it is my alignment.

I did a little reading and people have swapped springs on the blues....so I may give  62s or 65s a try with them to stiffen them up a bit...not sure I want to go all they way to greens yet, arent they 80 grams?.

[microsoft windows]

I've found that after getting used to them, light key switches are a pleasure to use and can increase typing speed. I can do about 110-120WPM on a keyboard with brown Cherry switches, but only 90-100 on the Hewlett Packard rubber dome keyboards I use at work.

[loki993]

I've found that after getting used to them, light key switches are a pleasure to use and can increase typing speed. I can do about 110-120WPM on a keyboard with brown Cherry switches, but only 90-100 on the Hewlett Packard rubber dome keyboards I use at work.

Yeah at this point im a bit slower and Im making more errors too, especially when I dont look at the keyboard and/or try to go as fast as Im used to going. It has its flashes though where it gets better so I think just adjustment.

[rowdy]

Part of the keyboard journey is trying many different switches.  You are now trying blues.  It might turn out that you prefer stiffer switches.  I do - I started with blues and reds, and now prefer greens and blacks.  And buckling spring.

A wrist rest should only be used to rest your hands between bouts of typing.  If you're not sure where to put your hands inbetween typing, maybe a wrist rest is what you need.  You can try with a simple folded towel or a low profile box if you have one, just to see how you go typing with something in front of the keyboard.  Personally I don't do that much typing, and I've got other things on my desk at home and at work to keep my hands busy while I'm not typing.

[Oobly]

Part of the keyboard journey is trying many different switches.  You are now trying blues.  It might turn out that you prefer stiffer switches.  I do - I started with blues and reds, and now prefer greens and blacks.  And buckling spring.

A wrist rest should only be used to rest your hands between bouts of typing.  If you're not sure where to put your hands inbetween typing, maybe a wrist rest is what you need.  You can try with a simple folded towel or a low profile box if you have one, just to see how you go typing with something in front of the keyboard.  Personally I don't do that much typing, and I've got other things on my desk at home and at work to keep my hands busy while I'm not typing.

+1. Try a wrist rest. Mechanical boards are higher than most rubber domes and as a result the angle you're typing at changes, especially when gaming for long periods, since it's then hard to keep your wrists raised as you should when typing. Keep the keyboard relatively flat (don't raise the back legs) and raise your chair / lower your desk so your elbows are close to 90 degrees when using the board.

A good ergonomic setup helps to show the advantages of a mechanical board.

I think you'e going to like Clears. They're my favourite stock MX switch. The tactility is excellent and the springs are more progressive, so they get harder towards the bottom of the stroke. You can also use the bump as an aid to "hovering" the switches by using it as a reference point on the upstroke to see where the actuation point is for really fast direction changes in FPS games. Takes some practice, though.

[loki993]

I think will too. With the research I did it seems like the perfect switch for what I need.

I'll try to consciously elevate my wrists because usually I rest them on the desk while typing.

[ihatefirewalls]

Adding o-rings to the keycaps would reduce the travel distance and might make it feel more similar to your lowprofile/laptop keyboards.

It might also make the hammering/bottoming out less jarring.