Hi Air Tree, Any decision made yet?
For what it's worth, I'd recommend waiting until the Nexus (Acidfire's advanced updated version of the ErgoDox with angled thumb clusters) is available and get one of those with blank keys.
That's the most ergonomic option and since it's programmable you can also use a more ergonomic character layout.
If you don't want to go that extreme, then I'd recommend a Poker 2 with MX Browns for the following reasons:
1. Stock keycaps. They're PBT.
2. Aftermarket keycaps... there are tons of options for aftermarket caps which fit, and let's face it: You're on GH, you're going to switch keycaps at some point.
2. You can find out if the 60% layout works for you or not and whether or not you like the MX switches.
3. The Browns are a good starter switch, good for gaming and typing.
4. The switches can be modded in many ways including swapping stems and springs to turn them into different switches, so you can make the board feel how you want if you don't like the stock feel.
The problems with getting a HHKBP2 as a starter board are:
1. (Very) Limited keycap options. And getting even more limited since it looks like Topre will stop producing aftermarket sets.
2. (Very) High cost.
3. You still won't know what MX switches feel like (although you'll have the reverse problem with the Poker, not know what Topre feels like).
4. You can't change the feeling of the switches if you don't like them or want to try something else.
