Keen on the G80-3000 MX, but too loud for work.

[vivithemaeg]

Hi All,

I've been using a G80-3000 MX with blues for about 6 months now and I must say I am pleased with it. However, I attempted to use it at work and my boss became upset due to the click clack of the blues. So I was thinking about something quieter which was around £100 or less (I'm currently using a grimy Dell SK-8110 which I'd love to throw in a clay pidgeon thrower and shoot - it truely is horrible). I work as a software developer and it won't be used for gaming. Just wondering if anyone had any recomendations? Thanks.

[IvanIvanovich]

If you are overall pleased with it, perhaps you might just swap out the stems? It is very easy to do and there may be someone willing to trade blue stem for brown, clear, or black stem.

[mbc]

Want some black stems? To mod it into reds?

[urbanus]

If you are overall pleased with it, perhaps you might just swap out the stems?

If he's pleased with it, isn't that an argument against swapping out the stems (i.e. keep it for home use and just get another keyboard)?

@vivithemaeg: G80-3000s are around, although you see the best available variety in Germany and the EU.  Try The Keyboard Company perhaps.  Something like this might suit you:  G80-3494LYCUS-2.

[IvanIvanovich]

Hmn, well true... but if it's just a matter of the click noise, trading stems is essentially free with only cost of postage. Then again if you do want another board might get a used G80 from German ebay. There are often some on there for around €20, especially with black switch.

[urbanus]

Hmn, well true... but if it's just a matter of the click noise, trading stems is essentially free with only cost of postage.

You can trade key stems for free?  Not sure I understand.  What's involved with that?

(I would have thought you'd have to cannibalise another keyboard to get the stems.  I also thought it would be a fairly time-consuming, high-expertise mod.  I'm interested to know what you're thinking.)

[IvanIvanovich]

Say I have a Cherry G80 with brown, I don't like them and prefer blues, you have blues... even trade. PCB mount swapping is a cinch, you just pop open switch pull out stem replace. It is very little effort and only takes me about 30minutes to swap out an entire board.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Hi All,

I've been using a G80-3000 MX with blues for about 6 months now and I must say I am pleased with it. However, I attempted to use it at work and my boss became upset due to the click clack of the blues. So I was thinking about something quieter which was around £100 or less …

Tough question honestly. The problem is that the sound and feel of the blues go together, so if you remove the sound, you remove some of the tactile feel that goes with it, which comes from the click mechanism. (Same is true of ALPS keyboards.) There's no such thing as a keyboard that feels like blues, but doesn't click. [1]

The first important question is: do you need ISO (European) layout (i.e. small left shift, vertical enter)?


[1] I suppose as a worst case scenario, Cherry could put a damper inside the switch to absorb the impact from the sliding collar, giving you the exact same tactile feel without the noise. The real problem is that the effective obsolescence of mechanical switches has put an end to variety and experimentation, because the rise in open plan workspaces could have led the various switch manufacturers to tackle stronger tactile feel (I must try Cherry MX clear one day though). Mechanical keyboards followed typewriters, when offices were expected to be noisy!

[Maarten]

Give you boss a present!!

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Box of a hundred will only set you back a tenner or so.....