Requesting some advice. Tenkeyless, Flat keyCaps

[Calcifar]

Hey there,

So, I finally made the jump and bought a Majestouch 2, Tenkeyless, browns. I've had the thing for two days now and decided that I am going to have to return it.
I love the Tenkeyless design but my biggest gripe with this keyboard are the tiny keys.

The gaps between the keys are quite big and therefore the keys are quite narrow. This is worst when trying to game on this board, I can hardly fit all my fingers next to each other on a SEDF setup, especially the pinky next to my ring finger.

The gaps feel too big :


Before this Keyboard I ran with a simple Logitach Ultra Flat Board. The logitech offers large Key- surface and i am looking for something similiar.




I know the Razer Blackwidow seems to offer similar keys ?




That said, I would like to avoid Razer products if possible and buy a "proper" keyboard also I would really want the Tenkeyless setup as it seems perfect.


So basicly, I am looking for a Keyboard which is :

Tenkeyless
maximized Key cap surface
Blue or Brown switches
no sculpted keys

I live in the UK btw.


Can anyone help me out here and point to certain models/makers ?

Maybe my mind is just making all of this up and the keycap size of the majestouch is normal for mechanical keyboards ? I do not know since I used that logitech for more than 5 years.

[stingrae]

keys aren't narrow and spacing is pretty standard. I doubt the difference is much but the profile of the keys is different.

It would take you a bit of time to adjust after using logicrap...check the other narrow keys thread.

Also if you want the same size enter key, get the ansi version uhh...

[Calcifar]

the enter key is not an issue, i prefer the larger enter key.
What other key threads are there ? I am totally new here and know next to nothing about keyboards and their variations other than the different switches.

[stingrae]

this thead: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=35578.0

[raisinbun]

keys aren't narrow and spacing is pretty standard. I doubt the difference is much but the profile of the keys is different.

It would take you a bit of time to adjust after using logicrap...check the other narrow keys thread.

Also if you want the same size enter key, get the ansi version uhh...

I think OP is used to larger than standard key sizes. I haven't seen any mech boards with these though.

[Calcifar]

wouldnt it be possible to purchase flat keycaps for a mechanical keyboard ?

are there any ?

[tp4tissue]

keys aren't narrow and spacing is pretty standard. I doubt the difference is much but the profile of the keys is different.

It would take you a bit of time to adjust after using logicrap...check the other narrow keys thread.

Also if you want the same size enter key, get the ansi version uhh...

I think OP is used to larger than standard key sizes. I haven't seen any mech boards with these though.

Nope, won't happen, EVER,

Because cherry switches are designed for a certain degree of roll. If the switch is too big, it would cause the stem to grind against the housing.

[gvfarns]

Pretty sure that logitech doesn't have larger than average keys in terms of their base...it's just that they are low profile so they don't get as narrow by the time they get to the top.  All he needs is a set of lower profile keycaps (though it's possible that none of the available options will be low enough).

In Cherry MX-compatible keyboards there are basically two shapes of keycaps: OEM and Cherry.  OEM are the tall ones that basically every manufacturer uses.  Cherry makes their own keyboards and keycaps, though, and they use a lower-profile key, which the OP may find to be closer to what he wants.

[Calcifar]

Pretty sure that logitech doesn't have larger than average keys in terms of their base...it's just that they are low profile so they don't get as narrow by the time they get to the top.  All he needs is a set of lower profile keycaps (though it's possible that none of the available options will be low enough).

In Cherry MX-compatible keyboards there are basically two shapes of keycaps: OEM and Cherry.  OEM are the tall ones that basically every manufacturer uses.  Cherry makes their own keyboards and keycaps, though, and they use a lower-profile key, which the OP may find to be closer to what he wants.

Thank you dear Sir, i find this to be the most informative and helpful response so far.

So, following this, how would I proceed in order to have these flatter Keycaps on my keyboard ?
Does this mean i need to purchase a Cherry Keyboard or could i just replace them with the current one's on this majestouch ?

I also noticed that the Keys of this board are set in the board with a slight inward - curve, at zero degrees. Are there boards with straight diagonal Key- set- ins or is this due to the design of the Keycaps themselve ?

I suspect this is in order to enhance typing performance but I am not certain i like it much.


Also, thank you all for the replies so far, i appreciate them.

[alaricljs]

The only flat profile mech boards I am familiar with is the Decks or TG 82 BL.

[Calcifar]

The only flat profile mech boards I am familiar with is the Decks or TG 82 BL.

are these two any good ?

i did look them both up on youtube and they do look good to me. Which Decks exactly are you referring to, the Legend ?

[dorkvader]

The only flat profile mech boards I am familiar with is the Decks or TG 82 BL.

Tipro, too.

The tipro keycaps or cherry relegendable keycaps might be a good option. They are flat, and cover most of the area they need to. Just visually looking at them, they seem to be pretty close together.

[Calcifar]

The Deck 82 Looks PERFECT!

And it comes with black switches exclusively 


i'll Have a look at the tipro, thanks.

[Calcifar]

This http://www.datacal.com/p-240-tg3-bl82-5rbuvs-led-backlit-keyboard.aspx Also looks good but golly that price point isj ust out of my reach and i would probably have to import it aswell.

I swooped over the Tipro page but couldn't really find anything fitting, care to point me to what exactly you were referring to ?


Maybe i should consider replacing the switches on the Deck 82 but I'd imagine that is expensive and difficult as well.

[Calcifar]

Any more advice would be most welcome.

As it stands, i still couldnt find a real solution other than potentiallym odding a Deck 82, which seems inappropriate to my knowledge and Bduget.

[Hyde]

Probably this:

http://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=15
(Do note the switch only has 2 mm travel difference so might feel weird compare to regular mechanicals but you come from scissor switch so it might be ok)

Anything else that's MX switch based usually follow OEM keycaps (tall and narrow), unless you go for non-mechanical keyboards >___>

[gvfarns]

So, following this, how would I proceed in order to have these flatter Keycaps on my keyboard ? Does this mean i need to purchase a Cherry Keyboard or could i just replace them with the current one's on this majestouch ?

Cherry MX switches found in all keyboards should be compatible with any MX keytops (check the size of the special keys, though, like enter and shift), so you should be able to buy keytops only.  Unfortunately I'm not an expert on buying keytops--never done it myself.  Someone else in the forum should be more able to direct you to the right place for that. 

Of course, that won't change the shape of your keyboard overall...so you may be more satisfied buying a new one as some others in this thread have suggested.