New member from Charleston South Carolina

[EscapeVelocity]

I have entered keyboard obsession territory. So here I am.

I was using a Saitek Eclipse I (with Blue LED backlighting) for the last few years, rubber domes the paint wore off the keycaps on S, Left Shift, and a few others but it's been a trooper, surviving food bits & spills like a champ. Decided to replace it finally.

I then got a Thermaltake Tt Sports Poseidon ZX (tenkeyless) with Blue Kailh switches and Blue LEDs

Then I got...

Ducky Shine 3 TKL with Cherry MX Blues & Green LEDs 
Vortex KBT Race 2 with Cherry MX Blues & White LEDs

These were all black keyboards I bought last week.

And some various rubber domes with my favorite Beige White/ Grey Key color combo, I bought this week. Havent arrived yet.

Dell QuietKey RT7D5JTW (Thailand (NMB) Used & Mexico New in Box)
Acer 6311-TW (China New in Box w Big Ass Enter & Acer "hybrid" switch) http://deskthority.net/wiki/Acer_switch
NMB "Right Touch" RT6856TW (Thailand Used)
IBM KB-8923 (New in Box)

And a

Dell AT101W (Mexico 1999) Brand New in Box (Black Alps)

Then I got me a Apple Extended Keyboard II M3501 (Used in Box tagged with MO312 and serial number starting with A) Unknown country of manufacture.

I missed out on a used Noppoo 108 EC-Pro...which has my favorite keyboard keycap color combo and has the Topre clones with Cherry MX stems.  Id like to track one down in 45g version)

Ive got my eye on a few other gems from the past. Not breaking any new ground though.  Like a Focus FK-2001 for example. But especially a Monterey K108, plus a Northgate Anykey & IBM Model M (probably a later model).

Plus a few newer keyboards like the Keycool Hero 104 recently on Massdrop. And the Royal Kludge EC930 also on Massdrop. Plus some gaming keyboards like the Logitech G710+, Razer Tournament Chroma, Logitech G910 Orion Spark, Corsair K70 RGB, Gigabyte Ailvia Osmium, Roccat Ryos RGB(not yet released)

I really like the Tenkeyless (chopped off number pad) and the 75% layouts, especially for more comfortable mouse usage and desk space saving. My netbooks, 14" lappys use 75% layouts and Im very familar with them. 

I could use a 60% but prefer to have dedicated Arrow, Home, End, Page Up/Down & Function keys.  And since Im not concerned so much with light weight and travel size, Ill not be getting a 60% keyboard anytime soon. But could deal with one.  Same goes for the 40% layout but even moreso.

Ill probably end up giving away quite a few to family and friends, reselling a few. More about the learning process than actual need or want.

BTW, I can touch type, but I still prefer to have easily visible key labels (which is why Im not a fan of black keyboards except when backlit with LEDs well.)

Ive been using this site and a couple of others, Deskthority, MechanicalKeyboards.com while researching. Decided to join.

Well met, friends.

[EscapeVelocity]

Using the Race II to type this on!

Just bought a Fentek (China Used) Large Print keyboard in my fav Beige/Gray keycap config.

I have a bifocal prescription but wear non-bifocal contacts which give me sharp vision from about arms length to infinity. I wear reading glasses when necessary. Thus the priority on easy visibility of the key legends.

[jerue]

Hey, another South Carolina keyboard enthusiast! Welcome 

You're off to a hot start! Quite a lot of boards to get in one week...but with so many options its so easy to buy everything. I got to play with the Thermaltake at a Best Buy, not a bad board!

I started off slowly...Razer BWU with MX Blues, then another Blue Board, then clears...and now I rock Topre at work. It's amazing.

If you ever want a go at stock clears or 55g Topre, let me know! I live in Columbia, but visit Charleston from time to time 

[ghostjuggernaut]

Welcome to geekhack. I'm moving to Charleston in about 2 weeks. Maybe we will have a meet up one of these days.

[EscapeVelocity]

Hey, thanks!

Yeah, Im interested in the Topre (quiet keys) and the higher force Cherrys like Greens & Clears.  Id probably prefer 55g Topres to 35g, but 45g seems most common. 

[EscapeVelocity]

Welcome to geekhack. I'm moving to Charleston in about 2 weeks. Maybe we will have a meet up one of these days.

I just made my first thread down in "keyboards." 

[billnye]

Welcome to geekhack!

I live in NC but go down to Charleston about once a year

[EscapeVelocity]

Hello friend.   

[EscapeVelocity]

Im looking to buy a Noppoo 108 EC-Pro with 45g Topre clones in Beige with White & Grey caps. I missed the Massdrop this spring.

[vindaon]

Hi, welcome. Looks like you're amassing quite the collection.

[rowdy]

Welcome to Geekhack!

That is a lot of keyboards!  A very lot, especially if you end up getting hold of all of them!

But it is also a lot of experience with keyboards, and definitely a plus in this hobby.  So many people have no ready access to a range of keyboards, and have no idea which switch they prefer.

As far as legends go, which do you prefer - large legend non-backlit, or conventional legends that are backlit?

[EscapeVelocity]

Well, for black keyboards, I like backlit legends. 

For non-backlit I much prefer the Beige/White/Grey configuration...with black legends.

I dont much care for the brightly colored keycaps that you see on some custom configurations, though some of them arent so bad. I do prefer legends though to keyboards whcih have caps with no legends.  I find this useful for using Function Keys and other special keys. I can touch type, but occasionally glance down for using non-core keys.

I also dont care for weird fonts like on the CM Storm Rapid (i). And I prefer words like Backspace & Enter, Tab not just arrow pointer legends on those keys.

I would like to find a DSI Large Print standard ANSI keyboard w/ Mechanical Keys, that they made several years ago. I just bought a Fentek Large Print standard ANSI to check out...but it's certainly rubber dome.

I do like LED backlighting, especially RGB, and also prgrammable macros preferably fully self contained in the keyboard without the need for software.

[EscapeVelocity]

Id like to acquire a Keycool Hero 104 with RGB illumination...that was featured on Massdrop earlier this year. And also the Noppoo EC108 Pro with Topre clones w/Cherry MX stems in 45g weighting.  Also the Royal Kludge EC930.

Im gonna buy a new Unicomp Ultra Classic in Beige/White/Grey this week.

[rowdy]

That's a very specific list of likes and don't likes - you don't see that often these days.

I haven't tried any backlight-friendly keycaps other than black, but I do have a small selection of custom and artisan keycaps, some of which are brightly coloured.  They can sometimes add a nice highlight to a keyboard, such as on the Esc key, or RGB modifiers for example.

The old standard legends used to be Cherry legends, and those are available again.  Smaller legends, but quite thick lettering, so they are quite visible in most lighting conditions.  Just as long as there is a good contrast between the legends and the keycaps

[EscapeVelocity]

Well, I can make do with less, but you asked for some of my preferences. You know. LOL!

[Snowdog993]

Id like to acquire a Keycool Hero 104 with RGB illumination...that was featured on Massdrop earlier this year. And also the Noppoo EC108 Pro with Topre clones w/Cherry MX stems in 45g weighting.  Also the Royal Kludge EC930.

Im gonna buy a new Unicomp Ultra Classic in Beige/White/Grey this week.

I hope you make your Unicomp a 103!  I just have the Unicomp Classic 103.  Works for me!

[EscapeVelocity]

Ive learned so much already. Thanks for taking me under your wings here!

[rowdy]

Ive learned so much already. Thanks for taking me under your wings here!

Enthusiasm and a positive attitude are always very welcome here