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Author Topic: Textured vs. Smooth keycaps.  (Read 7327 times)

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Offline Wibox

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 75
Textured vs. Smooth keycaps.
« on: Wed, 06 July 2011, 23:59:35 »
It looks like most older keyboards have smooth and shiny keycaps, while modern keycaps are usually textured to some degree (matte finish). I've never used a keyboard with completely smooth keycaps, so I'm curious to know how the difference in feel is.

Anyone here have experience with both?

Picture of my current favorite keycap picture, with smooth keys:.



And here is my KBC PBT keycaps, with texture:

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Offline theferenc

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Textured vs. Smooth keycaps.
« Reply #1 on: Thu, 07 July 2011, 00:03:00 »
There's definitely a difference between worn smooth, and designed smooth. I've used some designed smooth spherical key caps, and they are pretty nice, honestly. Have a totally different feel to them, both because of the texture and the shape. I don't think I would like the smoothness on cylindrical key caps though.

They were always much colder, if that makes any sense. I have no idea why, but they were. Nicely cool, is how I would describe them. But they get slick kinda fast after using them for a while if you develop any sweat or moisture on your hands.
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Offline mr_a500

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Textured vs. Smooth keycaps.
« Reply #2 on: Thu, 07 July 2011, 02:51:53 »
 :blank:
« Last Edit: Wed, 04 July 2018, 09:57:58 by mr_a500 »
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Offline Findecanor

  • Posts: 5040
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Textured vs. Smooth keycaps.
« Reply #3 on: Thu, 07 July 2011, 04:23:57 »
The material matters also. A key cap that is worn until it is shiny, but made of the right material still provides more friction against your finger than a new textured cap made of the wrong material.
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Offline Joey Quinn

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Re: Textured vs. Smooth keycaps.
« Reply #4 on: Fri, 06 February 2015, 19:33:44 »
Smooth
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People in the 1980s, in general, were clearly just better than we are now in every measurable way.

The dumber the reason the more it must be done

Offline jonathanyu

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Re: Textured vs. Smooth keycaps.
« Reply #5 on: Fri, 06 February 2015, 20:08:27 »
so many necro posts today...
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Offline jacobolus

  • Posts: 3661
  • Location: San Francisco, CA
Re: Textured vs. Smooth keycaps.
« Reply #6 on: Fri, 06 February 2015, 20:46:14 »
Quote from: mr_a500 on Thu, 07 July 2011, 02:51:53
My favourites for keycap feel are the TRS-80 Model III (fine granular, like hardened rubber) and the early TI-99/4a (frosty, but with a chalky feel I've never felt on another keyboard).
If you’re still around, which versions? Each of these had multiple different types of keyboards for it, with different switches and keycaps.

Also, yeah, 3.5 years is pretty long for a thread to sit before being dug back up. Pretty sure there have been more recent threads on this topic.
« Last Edit: Fri, 06 February 2015, 20:47:50 by jacobolus »
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Offline rowdy

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Re: Textured vs. Smooth keycaps.
« Reply #7 on: Fri, 06 February 2015, 22:11:48 »
How do people find these old threads?

And what prompts them to reply to the thread, knowing that in most cases the OP has long since departed GH?
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"Because keyboards are accessories to PC makers, they focus on minimizing the manufacturing costs. But that’s incorrect. It’s in HHKB’s slogan, but when America’s cowboys were in the middle of a trip and their horse died, they would leave the horse there. But even if they were in the middle of a desert, they would take their saddle with them. The horse was a consumable good, but the saddle was an interface that their bodies had gotten used to. In the same vein, PCs are consumable goods, while keyboards are important interfaces." - Eiiti Wada

NEC APC-H4100E | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED red | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED green | Link 900243-08 | CM QFR MX black | KeyCool 87 white MX reds | HHKB 2 Pro | Model M 02-Mar-1993 | Model M 29-Nov-1995 | CM Trigger (broken) | CM QFS MX green | Ducky DK9087 Shine 3 TKL Yellow Edition MX black | Lexmark SSK 21-Apr-1994 | IBM SSK 13-Oct-1987 | CODE TKL MX clear | Model M 122 01-Jun-1988

Ị̸͚̯̲́ͤ̃͑̇̑ͯ̊̂͟ͅs̞͚̩͉̝̪̲͗͊ͪ̽̚̚ ̭̦͖͕̑́͌ͬͩ͟t̷̻͔̙̑͟h̹̠̼͋ͤ͋i̤̜̣̦̱̫͈͔̞ͭ͑ͥ̌̔s̬͔͎̍̈ͥͫ̐̾ͣ̔̇͘ͅ ̩̘̼͆̐̕e̞̰͓̲̺̎͐̏ͬ̓̅̾͠͝ͅv̶̰͕̱̞̥̍ͣ̄̕e͕͙͖̬̜͓͎̤̊ͭ͐͝ṇ̰͎̱̤̟̭ͫ͌̌͢͠ͅ ̳̥̦ͮ̐ͤ̎̊ͣ͡͡n̤̜̙̺̪̒͜e̶̻̦̿ͮ̂̀c̝̘̝͖̠̖͐ͨͪ̈̐͌ͩ̀e̷̥͇̋ͦs̢̡̤ͤͤͯ͜s͈̠̉̑͘a̱͕̗͖̳̥̺ͬͦͧ͆̌̑͡r̶̟̖̈͘ỷ̮̦̩͙͔ͫ̾ͬ̔ͬͮ̌?̵̘͇͔͙ͥͪ͞ͅ

Offline Joey Quinn

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Re: Textured vs. Smooth keycaps.
« Reply #8 on: Sat, 07 February 2015, 02:17:28 »
Quote from: rowdy on Fri, 06 February 2015, 22:11:48
How do people find these old threads?

And what prompts them to reply to the thread, knowing that in most cases the OP has long since departed GH?

I was prompted to do this by SpAmRaY, it's all his fault.
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People in the 1980s, in general, were clearly just better than we are now in every measurable way.

The dumber the reason the more it must be done

Offline rowdy

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  • Missed another sale.
Re: Textured vs. Smooth keycaps.
« Reply #9 on: Sat, 07 February 2015, 02:43:13 »
Quote from: Joey Quinn on Sat, 07 February 2015, 02:17:28
Quote from: rowdy on Fri, 06 February 2015, 22:11:48
How do people find these old threads?

And what prompts them to reply to the thread, knowing that in most cases the OP has long since departed GH?

I was prompted to do this by SpAmRaY, it's all his fault.

:))
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"Because keyboards are accessories to PC makers, they focus on minimizing the manufacturing costs. But that’s incorrect. It’s in HHKB’s slogan, but when America’s cowboys were in the middle of a trip and their horse died, they would leave the horse there. But even if they were in the middle of a desert, they would take their saddle with them. The horse was a consumable good, but the saddle was an interface that their bodies had gotten used to. In the same vein, PCs are consumable goods, while keyboards are important interfaces." - Eiiti Wada

NEC APC-H4100E | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED red | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED green | Link 900243-08 | CM QFR MX black | KeyCool 87 white MX reds | HHKB 2 Pro | Model M 02-Mar-1993 | Model M 29-Nov-1995 | CM Trigger (broken) | CM QFS MX green | Ducky DK9087 Shine 3 TKL Yellow Edition MX black | Lexmark SSK 21-Apr-1994 | IBM SSK 13-Oct-1987 | CODE TKL MX clear | Model M 122 01-Jun-1988

Ị̸͚̯̲́ͤ̃͑̇̑ͯ̊̂͟ͅs̞͚̩͉̝̪̲͗͊ͪ̽̚̚ ̭̦͖͕̑́͌ͬͩ͟t̷̻͔̙̑͟h̹̠̼͋ͤ͋i̤̜̣̦̱̫͈͔̞ͭ͑ͥ̌̔s̬͔͎̍̈ͥͫ̐̾ͣ̔̇͘ͅ ̩̘̼͆̐̕e̞̰͓̲̺̎͐̏ͬ̓̅̾͠͝ͅv̶̰͕̱̞̥̍ͣ̄̕e͕͙͖̬̜͓͎̤̊ͭ͐͝ṇ̰͎̱̤̟̭ͫ͌̌͢͠ͅ ̳̥̦ͮ̐ͤ̎̊ͣ͡͡n̤̜̙̺̪̒͜e̶̻̦̿ͮ̂̀c̝̘̝͖̠̖͐ͨͪ̈̐͌ͩ̀e̷̥͇̋ͦs̢̡̤ͤͤͯ͜s͈̠̉̑͘a̱͕̗͖̳̥̺ͬͦͧ͆̌̑͡r̶̟̖̈͘ỷ̮̦̩͙͔ͫ̾ͬ̔ͬͮ̌?̵̘͇͔͙ͥͪ͞ͅ
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