Good Cherry brown keyboard to replace my filco ? Anything come with PBT caps ?

[LifeIsGooD2]

My requirements are just that its a high quality cherry brown tenkeyless keyboard and I need a dip switch or a way to switch control and caps lock. PBT caps would be a bonus and another bonus would be if it had the layout of the noppo choc with the F1-F12 right above the numbers for easier access but both of those arent super necessary . Any suggestions? Any suggestions on PBT cap sets in case the keyboard doesnt come with them ?

[Hypersphere]

My requirements are just that its a high quality cherry brown tenkeyless keyboard and I need a dip switch or a way to switch control and caps lock. PBT caps would be a bonus and another bonus would be if it had the layout of the noppo choc with the F1-F12 right above the numbers for easier access but both of those arent super necessary . Any suggestions? Any suggestions on PBT cap sets in case the keyboard doesnt come with them ?

I can recommend the WASD V2 87 Barebones with mx browns. WASD offers a "barebones" (no keycaps) option on its keyboards. I got this because I was going to replace the stock caps with dye-sub PBT anyway, and with a no-caps board, you don't have to pay for the thin ABS stock caps. The board is fine and has a number of DIP switch settings. The Costar-style stabilizers work great and don't rattle. In addition, WASD customer service is excellent.

[berserkfan]

My requirements are just that its a high quality cherry brown tenkeyless keyboard and I need a dip switch or a way to switch control and caps lock. PBT caps would be a bonus and another bonus would be if it had the layout of the noppo choc with the F1-F12 right above the numbers for easier access but both of those arent super necessary . Any suggestions? Any suggestions on PBT cap sets in case the keyboard doesnt come with them ?

I can recommend the WASD V2 87 Barebones with mx browns. WASD offers a "barebones" (no keycaps) option on its keyboards. I got this because I was going to replace the stock caps with dye-sub PBT anyway, and with a no-caps board, you don't have to pay for the thin ABS stock caps. The board is fine and has a number of DIP switch settings. The Costar-style stabilizers work great and don't rattle. In addition, WASD customer service is excellent.

I also think WASD barebones is your best bet. No keyboard maker has great keycaps, so you may as well buy without the keycaps, and then buy aftermarket keycaps.

Noppoo/ Keycool were pretty good value for money and you didn't mention requiring a keyboard to be new. If you can pick one up you should't be disappointed. But if you get them new now, they don't actually come with Cherry switches anymore.

[Awful]

+another for WASD, I owned one of the barebones and returned it and bought a code. Funny story they restocked the code the day after I got the barebones in the mail. Awesome guy, great stuff, great service.

[LifeIsGooD2]

is installing keycaps+orings on a barebones easy ?

[Hypersphere]

is installing keycaps+orings on a barebones easy ?

Yes. Just pop the keycaps onto the stems. If you want O-rings, slip these onto the cylindrical mount inside each keycap. The only slightly tricky bit is installing the large keys that have the Costar-style wire stabilizers. WASD supplies the stabilizer inserts for the keycaps, and the stabilizers are already mounted on the keyboard. WASD and other sites have videos showing how to install keycaps with wire stabilizers. It does't take long to get the knack for doing this, and once you learn, it becomes second nature to swap keycaps with stabilizers. It is much easier to install keycaps on boards with Cherry stabilizers, but to me it is worth dealing with Costar-style stabilizers. To me, the Costar-style stabilizers provide a crisp and even key response, whereas I find that keys with Cherry stabilizers feel mushy. I lubricated the stabilizers on my WASD board (WASD supplies a small tube of lube with the keyboard) and they do not rattle at all.