Keyboard Suggestions Plz.

[okooko]

Hi guys,

I'm new to this forum so be kind =).
There was another thread like this but I didn't want to hijack it as my preferences were slightly different.

I'm after 2 keyboards, one for home and one for work.
I'm in Australia, so you must know that availability on certain KBs (HHKBs) are limited without being murdered for shipping.

Work KB requirements: Mechanical, full length, black, not backlit...aka bland work KB
Uncertainties: Blues or Browns (have seen Youtube vids, but undecided), Browns maybe to avoid noise complaints?
Options: Filco Majestouch2

Home KB requirements: Mechanical or Topre, black, backlit is bonus, light gaming, does not need dedicated macro keys - no gaming gimmick functions
Uncertainties: 104key or 87key...really tossing up between this atm. I see most of GH members in "post your keycaps" thread having 87key boards and rarely the 104 versions. I mean 104 will be nice at home if I needed the numpad for Excel but I rarely use Excel at home. Just wondering if I would regret not having the numpad.
Options: RF104U/RF87U or HHKB Pro2
Extra: For owners of HHKB Pro2, is it just the 'exclusiveness' I am paying for here over the, say, RF87U? It looks amazing, not saying the RF87U isn't, but can anyone share their views on the comparison of the two (HHKB P2/RF87/104U?)

Thats all for now,

Thanks for the help =P

[Harlequin]

Hi. I'm also from Australia. Sydney tho. maybe u know but i get my kbs from pccasegear.com. Aussie website and pretty good.

I would say Realforce for work. Realforce is not great for gaming anyway and it sounds lighter than mechanical kbs.

Work kb: Filco Majestouch 2 or Leopold FC500R or Das or topre
If you are not gonna change keycaps then Leopold is probably better. Cheaper and better value.
If you are gonna change keycaps then Filco Majestouch 2 is better. Leopold's space bar is different to other kbs so doesn't not fit.

I would go for Brown for work.

Home kb: Ducky Dragon or Filco or Leopold. All good. Just don't get Realforce for gaming.
RTS: blue or brown
FPS: black or red
MMO: blue, brown or red

[okooko]

Yeah I'm leaning towards Browns now.

You did mention an alternative I didn't think of (Topre work, Filco home) which is actually a good idea now that I think of it.
Although the only issue there is I can't be sure if Browns will suit. I have friends using Blues while at home (for gaming/forums/web) and say its a bit loud.

Any other input regarding benefits of 87 or 104. I.e. why you would get the 87 over the 104?
Im leaning towards the 104 Topre incase I need the numpad at some stage, plus they are the same price here in AUS from PCCG.

Thanks guys.

[Harlequin]

Yeah I'm leaning towards Browns now.

You did mention an alternative I didn't think of (Topre work, Filco home) which is actually a good idea now that I think of it.
Although the only issue there is I can't be sure if Browns will suit. I have friends using Blues while at home (for gaming/forums/web) and say its a bit loud.

Any other input regarding benefits of 87 or 104. I.e. why you would get the 87 over the 104?
Im leaning towards the 104 Topre incase I need the numpad at some stage, plus they are the same price here in AUS from PCCG.

Thanks guys.

Blue is loud. Clicky sound. not good for work.
Brown is generally all good for anything. in other word, kinda boring.

Ppl get 87(in other words, tenkeyless or TKL) because there is more space for mouse, right hand.
your hands get less tired if you have less space between kb and mice but it's always depends on ppl imo.
and u hardly use numberpad for gaming.
some ppl get 87 because it's more portable and looks cooler lol.

[okooko]

Going by the amount of dust on my current numpad, I've put the 87U back in to contention.
Upside: I like the form factor, nice and compact
Downside: Not practical at work, Keycaps sets will have leftover keys

I guess I was too tied up with the 'normal' 104key KBs and a bit foreign to 87s and subliminally tried to justify the use of the numpad when it probably wasn't going to be used very often.

So far: Filco MJ2 w/ Browns + Topre 87U

more suggestions welcome.

[Tony]

I have several browns and blue (Filco and Compaq browns, Choc mini blue) and I think Filco brown would be good for work since it is quiet and very good to type on.

For home, you can try blue for your enjoyment of the click sound.

Post made with a Filco brown at my workplace.

[nala]

Work kb: Filco Majestouch 2 or Leopold FC500R or Das or topre
If you are not gonna change keycaps then Leopold is probably better. Cheaper and better value.
If you are gonna change keycaps then Filco Majestouch 2 is better. Leopold's space bar is different to other kbs so doesn't not fit.

What's the problem with FILCO MJ-2 keycaps? I think they're great. I love the font type. They get a bit glossy over time, but meh, not a big deal unless you have keyboard OCD.

[dorkvader]

Work kb: Filco Majestouch 2 or Leopold FC500R or Das or topre
If you are not gonna change keycaps then Leopold is probably better. Cheaper and better value.
If you are gonna change keycaps then Filco Majestouch 2 is better. Leopold's space bar is different to other kbs so doesn't not fit.

What's the problem with FILCO MJ-2 keycaps? I think they're great. I love the font type. They get a bit glossy over time, but meh, not a big deal unless you have keyboard OCD.

It's all about the feel. It's almost more important to me than switch type. I like keycaps that won't lose their texture so quick, so that's one of the many reasons I like PBT.

The font is immaterial: You have to look through your hands to see it anyway, and you'll always be feeling the keycaps when you type.

The filco keycaps aren't bad for pad print, coated ABS, but I'd still opt for some decent PBT.

[daerid]

Realforce is not great for gaming anyway and it sounds lighter than mechanical kbs.

Yeah, I'm gonna have to dispute this. My 55g 87u is the best gaming keyboard I've ever used, better than every cherry switch board I've tried (and that's all the switches including clears).