A question about pokers

[Ferdowsi]

Exactly what is the build quality of a poker?  Can you give me a good comparison in terms of build?  Thanks.

[tp4tissue]

ANYTHING from Vortex is BAD quality...

Hit or miss...

We only bought it cuz there were no other choices..

But now we have the GH60 incoming, and there is seriously NO reason to put up with Vortex's crap if you have time to DIY..

[calavera]

Well, Poker 2 is around the corner and price tag is around $80~90 and you get a complete board. With the GH you're looking at $130 just for internals I think. But you do get way more functions out of a GH60.

[tp4tissue]

Well, Poker 2 is around the corner and price tag is around $80~90 and you get a complete board. With the GH you're looking at $130 just for internals I think. But you do get way more functions out of a GH60.

State side, NO WAY $80.. 130 minimum, MOST likely $150

[calavera]

Where does the $50 come from? Shipping through a taobao proxy can't be more than $25ish?

[mashby]

Exactly what is the build quality of a poker?  Can you give me a good comparison in terms of build?  Thanks.

It depends on your perspective, I suppose. I have a Poker, Pure and Race and I've been happy with all three keyboards. Are they perfect? No. Is there room for improvement? Yes.

The Bad
Quality Control
With Vortex, their quality control is hit-or-miss, so you can expect minor imperfections. If you're purchasing your board from MechanicalKeyboards.com, then you can always return it for a replacement, or refund, so it's not a huge issue.

No Plate
- Existing boards do not have plate mounted switches, so some people feel that there is too much flex to the board when you type. A plate will typically provide a much firmer feel. I'm typing this response on a Poker with MX-Blacks and it feels solid to me until I type on the number row. On that row there is some flex.

The Good
You Can Add A Plate
There have been many places where you can buy a plate for a Poker and thanks to the GH60 project, there is even a plate for a Pure coming soon. This will require desoldering the switches to install it.

You Can Buy A 3rd Party Case
There have been multiple aluminum, wood, LEGO and now even acrylic cases for the Poker and the Pure, so adding a custom case is a nice way to customize your keyboard.

New Pokers Are Coming
Vortex is set to release the Poker 2 shortly and rumor has it that it will include a plate, maybe backlighting and perhaps some measure of programability. Given that most folks are sold out of Pokers, if your heart is set on getting one, it's probably best to wait.

GH60
Given the short comings of the Poker, you may simply want to go full DIY and build a keyboard to be exactly the way you want it. That's what the GH60 is all about. This is a community project which will provide you with a completely customizable 60% keyboard. If you don't want to build it up yourself, there are others that can do it for you.

Hope that helps!

[Photekq]

Exactly what is the build quality of a poker?  Can you give me a good comparison in terms of build?  Thanks.

It depends on your perspective, I suppose. I have a Poker, Pure and Race and I've been happy with all three keyboards. Are they perfect? No. Is there room for improvement? Yes.

The Bad
Quality Control
With Vortex, their quality control is hit-or-miss, so you can expect minor imperfections. If you're purchasing your board from MechanicalKeyboards.com, then you can always return it for a replacement, or refund, so it's not a huge issue.

No Plate
- Existing boards do not have plate mounted switches, so some people feel that there is too much flex to the board when you type. A plate will typically provide a much firmer feel. I'm typing this response on a Poker with MX-Blacks and it feels solid to me until I type on the number row. On that row there is some flex.

The Good
You Can Add A Plate
There have been many places where you can buy a plate for a Poker and thanks to the GH60 project, there is even a plate for a Pure coming soon. This will require desoldering the switches to install it.

You Can Buy A 3rd Party Case
There have been multiple aluminum, wood, LEGO and now even acrylic cases for the Poker and the Pure, so adding a custom case is a nice way to customize your keyboard.

New Pokers Are Coming
Vortex is set to release the Poker 2 shortly and rumor has it that it will include a plate, maybe backlighting and perhaps some measure of programability. Given that most folks are sold out of Pokers, if your heart is set on getting one, it's probably best to wait.

GH60
Given the short comings of the Poker, you may simply want to go full DIY and build a keyboard to be exactly the way you want it. That's what the GH60 is all about. This is a community project which will provide you with a completely customizable 60% keyboard. If you don't want to build it up yourself, there are others that can do it for you.

Hope that helps!

10/10 post. Listen to this guy OP.

[ideus]

mashby's explanation got it all, just want to add a small bit of personal experience with the Poker that I use daily as my main board, it is one with red sw and vintage cherry DS caps, it does not have any quality issue, the flex thing is not much of a problem for me, if there is any at all, and I hope the upcoming Poker 2 becomes a reality. The GH60 is just to complicated for me, I just want a small and portable keyboard that I can use right out of the box, that has some space for mooding, and that is exactly what the Poker is all about. I do not like the other 7X%, 6X% keyboard available, either because of design or because of price, I do not have multiple keyboards, so by all means I do not qualify for a full GH fellow, I consider myself just a regular computer user with some extra-sensitiveness for a good typing interface, which is very well covered by a Poker.