Hi, from New York!

[ToonsAndCereal]

Hello, forum members! I am a new member and I am writing to introduce myself. I learned about mechanical keyboards about two months ago at r/mk and since then I have become the owner of a cherry mx blue CM-Storm TKL and a pair of tai hao sunset keycaps. I'm currently interested in getting a smaller, more portable board for myself, and since I am now very curious about trying out those zealio switches I've seen so many people raving about, it looks like the step for me is to build my own board. But that's a project for a little bit down the road.

Anyway, nice to meet you all! Mechanical Keyboard enthusiasts so far have been a really nice and welcoming community and it's great to be here.

Signed,

Toons

[rowdy]

Welcome to Geekhack!

If you want a more portable keyboard, sooner or later someone is going to point you towards an HHKB.

If that is still too big, you could always get a 40% keyboard, like a JD40 ...

[ToonsAndCereal]

I was thinking of building an atomic keyboard (if I decide to go that route) because you can buy the full kit and not have to worry about hunting down parts in different places.

I'm really into the idea of a 65% or a 60%. The only catch is that I like have dedicated arrow keys. The other thing is that I have a mac. (I did install karabiner and am still figuring out how to best use it with my CM storm.) If this is a keyboard I end up carrying between home and work it will have to be mac compatible somewhat since I use a PC for work and a mac at home.

Anyway, I just bought a switch tester (which I SHOULD have done before buying my first mech, but I was too stingy and now I'm super into keyboard and regret it) to get a better idea of what kind of switch may be best for me, so I'd say I'm taking babysteps toward my own custom build.

Any advice on switches, keyboard configuration, and how to indulge this hobby as inexpensively and wisely as possible is always appreciated.

[rowdy]

I was upgraded from a generic Dell to an iMac at work, and I use a Mac at home.  Much joy

A switch tester will only give you a vague idea of what a switch feels like.  I've got three or four different switch testers, and you can press one switch, but that hardly compares to actually typing on a full keyboard.

By the way switch testers make excellent mini display boards for spare artisan keycaps.

[ToonsAndCereal]

Yea, I've heard switch testers are hit and miss, and dont really accurately give you a good idea of what a switch will feel like on a board. My goal in getting one is to get a better idea of what my hands can handle. I'm going to write a longer post on R/MK about this, but before I bought my first board, I had my eye on the same board I ended up buying but in mx green. I loved the idea of a heavy, clicky switch. However, after watching many videos and reading many reviews, and after taking into account that I am a touch typist with small hands and relatively light fingers, I was too scared to risk it, and hesitant to spend even MORE money on an item I didnt even need that much and I didnt know if I was going to like (the green board was about $30 more expensive than the blue). I didn't get a switch tester because I figured it was an extra expense on top of what was already a pretty expensive purchase. In short, i played it pretty safe.

Now that I know I like mechanicals, I want to get an idea of how heavy the other switches are. Like, can I actuate a 60gram + switch with just my pinky at an angle? Stuff like that. I've read the clears in particular have a completely different feeling on a board than they do on a switch tester, so I'm not judging the feel of the switch so much as the weight. This is an experiment in what my fingers can handle. I also want to do the post because I read a ton of reviews and posts online and most of them were from enthusiasts who loved switches like black/green/clear for their weight but were self-described "heavy typists" or from gamers who wanted a light switch for gaming purposes. I type a lot and wanted a board that was fun to type on but that wouldn't fatigue me. Also, unlike many enthusiasts, I bottom-out on each keystroke and have no intention of learning not to.

[rowdy]

I bottom out all the time too

MX clears are about the only switch I don't bottom out all the time, just about 98% of the time.  Buckling springs?  Mash them all the way to the bottom.  Blacks and greens?  4mm downward stroke.

I have one keyboard with MX reds - it is way too light.  I use it for gaming and don't seem to press keys accidentally just by resting my hands on the keys, but I can't type on it as I usually use an imaginative typing method for programming, which consists of more symbols and weird character combinations, and I tend to keep pressing multiple keys all the time.  With stiffer switches my fingers actuate the switch I want, and just slide off the ones I don't want.

If you do mainly type, have you considered a variable weight keyboard?  RealForce has a variable weight Topre keyboard that is (allegedly) great for typing, but horrible for everything else.

[ToonsAndCereal]

I think if I decided to get a variable weight keyboard, I would want to build one. Like, find a kind of switch I like (tactile, linear, or clicky) and then pick a a higher force switch for the spacebar, escape key, backspace, and the function keys (if I decide to keep dedicated function keys). some lighter switches for shift, control, and alt, since I usually hit those with my pinkies, and a nice medium switch for the keys I press most often. I saw a build on r/mk recently that was with gateron linears that had blacks, reds, and clears. It was a really inventive build.

[rowdy]

I think if I decided to get a variable weight keyboard, I would want to build one. Like, find a kind of switch I like (tactile, linear, or clicky) and then pick a a higher force switch for the spacebar, escape key, backspace, and the function keys (if I decide to keep dedicated function keys). some lighter switches for shift, control, and alt, since I usually hit those with my pinkies, and a nice medium switch for the keys I press most often. I saw a build on r/mk recently that was with gateron linears that had blacks, reds, and clears. It was a really inventive build.

That would be doable!

Or something with different weight Zelios across the board.  Or custom springs in the same switches e.g. buy a bunch of MX blacks (if you prefer linear switches) and small batches of custom springs and make your own variable weight switches.