It's good to see Geekhack is back up! I have been using ergonomic keyboards for years. I went through a Microsoft Natural Keyboard Elite and two Microsoft ergonomic 4000 keyboards. My current 4000 has a damaged wire and is need of replacement. I'm writing up my thesis now and I'm looking for something smaller and mechanical. Keyboards are pretty expensive in the UK and I have someone coming to visit me from China in August and they can bring me one. I can get a new keyboard in China for less than a used one in the UK. As an international student I would like to keep the price to £50 (500RMB) or less. I will be ordering off of taobao and have a number of options to choose from.
Ducky Shine 2 £50
LBOTS £33 LED
KEYCOOL £40 LED
Noppoo Lolita spyder 87 (£25 no LED) £35 with LED
The ducky shine is the most expensive at £50 with others starting at £25. Coming from a dome keyboard does it make much difference which I get? I want a removable cable so I can use a longer one when needed and replace it if it gets damaged.
I see they can come with kailh, Dare-U and Cherry switches with ABS caps. I'm hearing mixed things about these. kailh are copies of Cherry with the only difference being gold contacts... ect. I see that some of these boards sell for 100USD on ebay. I'm hoping that some of you here have tried these out as my chinese is not good enough to read Chinese forums. The above are major sellers. I would rather not spend unless it will make a big difference. I have not managed to find a good comparison between different switches and know almost nothing about caps. From reading it seems that I should try either reds or browns as I type and game. I recommendations and recommeded reading is appreciated as I would like to use this keyboard for the next few years.
