Two cherry brown boards, big difference

[djones]

can anyone explain to me why my new g80-11800 (thanks wellington!) feels so much more comfortable than my filco? They both use brown cherries so they should feel the same! Is it the keycaps or something? It's not wobblyness in the keycaps though because they board feel about the same. The g80 keycaps are slightly rounder and feel much lighter to the touch for some reason, I can type for hours are very high speeds (at least for me)....

[xsphat]

How exactly are they different? I found my Filco hard to type on, so much so that even though it felt fantastic, I had to get rid of it because it wasn't at all accurate.

[djones]

The keys just feel lighter and smoother for some reason... I find it much easier to not bottom out and therefore type much faster.

[lowpoly]

Maybe broken in vs. not broken in?

[xsphat]

lowpoly, do you think the is a possibility that Cherry switches for different markets (US, Asian and Europe) might have slight variations since they are manufactured in different locations? I have been suspecting this for a while but have never been about to test it.

[lowpoly]

That's possible. Then add production enhancements. When you see how they optimize the pcb it's likeley they'll do that with the switches as well.

The only keyboard production plants I know of are Germany and Czech Republic. I have no idea where the switches are made.

Could be the same plant but different switches for different markets.

[xsphat]

the blacks being so popular in Japan is what started my belief in this. I still would like to try a Japanese Cherry black switch keyboard because they are so popular with people like us in Asian countries and the Cherry blacks sold here need a hard beat-down style break-in period of several months before they feel good at all (but after that period is over, they feel really good).

[iMav]

Keycaps can make a big difference.  Switch them between boards and then type on each for a while and let us know if the better "feel" follows the keycaps.

[Eclairz]

Also there are many variations of brown switches even though we can't see it there has been a bit of change in manufacturing between old browns and new browns. Different springs and plastic and also boards with a metal backplate vs none, all of them make a small difference

[djones]

Anyone know when g80-11800's were manufactured? Maybe the cherries did change...

But do cherries really go through a "break-in" period? Is it just the springs get softer as you use it?

Keycaps can make a big difference.  Switch them between boards and then type on each for a while and let us know if the better "feel" follows the keycaps.

I'll do that tonight/tomorrow... (I have the g80 at work and filco at home).

[Chloe]

Maybe broken in vs. not broken in?

I would attribute the difference in feel to this.

I have two Compaq MX 11800, both made in Germany, and there is a noticeable difference between the two. On the older Compaq the springs feel lighter and there is barely any tactile feeling. The newer one was barely used when I got it. The spacebar is also much stiffer. They both have grey MX for the spacebar.

Keycaps can make a big difference. Switch them between boards and then type on each for a while and let us know if the better "feel" follows the keycaps.

The Compaq have PBT keycaps. I think Filco have ABS keycaps. ABS keycaps feel softer to me than PBT. I'd be interested to hear how ABS keycaps feel and sound on the Compaq.

You can find the date the casing was manufactured:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=cn&u=http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/chihdar7/article%3Fmid%3D148

[djones]

I have the two boards in front of me right now-- I think the main difference is that g80 is more forgiving in terms of the angle at which the key is struck... the filco sometimes sticks if it isn't straight down, maybe because the filco keys are scooped-- more on this when I'm sober.

The Compaq have PBT keycaps. I think Filco have ABS keycaps. ABS keycaps feel softer to me than PBT. I'd be interested to hear how ABS keycaps feel and sound on the Compaq.

For those of us with liberal arts degrees.... what is the difference? I would've thought the actual material was, er, immaterial... just its shape. Is it just the texture?

[bhtooefr]

Well, different materials would have different amounts of give.

And, thickness matters, too.

[Chloe]

It's not really texture (I think molding has more to do with this), although this is also an important part of how a keyboard feels to me.

The PBT keycaps have a hardness to them despite being quite thin. It is also a more expensive plastic. ABS seems to be more common, and is also prone to shine from use.

Here are some datasheets to compare their properties:

http://www.polymerweb.com/_datash/pbt.html
http://www.polymerweb.com/_datash/abs1.html
http://www.polymerweb.com/_datash/pom.html

[djones]

I think IT'S the HEIGHT of the keycaps. Look at the picture and see how deep height of the filcos (blacks) compared to the mx11800's (beige). I think the height of the filco's + the inherirant wobbliness of the cherry browns makes it less comfortable to depress the keys when struck at a less than perfect angle. Also, the top of the keys seem a bit more flat and smoother on the mx11800's than filcos...

In conclusion, I'm a weirdo keyboard fetishist who'll never get married.

[wellington1869]

In conclusion, I'm a weirdo keyboard fetishist who'll never get married.

...except to another weirdo fetishist and you'll both live happily ever after