TKL keyboard Reccomendations? :)

[Veridis]

Hello everyone,

I'm new here but I've been using a Das Keyboard with cherry mx blues since late 2008. Last week I bought a Ducky Zero TKL to replace the crappy membrane keyboard I have been using at work for months. This time I chose brown switches for the lower noise. So far I really the extra comfort of a TKL and am thinking of getting a TKL for home use too.

I have a budget of 100-200USD for the keyboard.
Right now I'm thinking of the CM Storm Rapid-i with blues, but I'm not sure because there are SO MANY great keyboards available nowadays! Really looking forward to getting custom keys with this new TKL keyboard too.

Thank you for reading.

[saint_james]

If you can live without LED backlighting, want Cherry MX switches, and are looking to get lots of quality for the dollar... I recommend you consider the WASD V2 barebones TKL for $95.  You can use the money you save to buy the keycaps you want.

For a little more (~$130), you can get the KUL ES-87... only drawbacks are ABS keycaps and limited switch availability (clear, red, brown, and black).  No blue switch option yet, but I have heard KUL plans to add them to the line eventually.  Build quality appears to be comparable to Filco (some say even better).

[Britney Spears]

I love my Ducky DK 9008 G2 Pro TKL (Cherry MX Brown), because it provides the snappiest typing experience of all my boards. In addition it has no backlighting except for the WASD cluster which is a plus in my eyes as backlighting seems gimmicky to me. But a WASD TKL is also an apt option.

[Fragil1ty]

Hello everyone,

I'm new here but I've been using a Das Keyboard with cherry mx blues since late 2008. Last week I bought a Ducky Zero TKL to replace the crappy membrane keyboard I have been using for months. This time I chose brown switches for the lower noise. So far I really the extra comfort of a TKL and am thinking of getting a TKL for home use too.

I have a budget of 100-200USD for the keyboard.
Right now I'm thinking of the CM Storm Rapid-i with blues, but I'm not sure because there are SO MANY great keyboards available nowadays! Really looking forward to getting custom keys with this new TKL keyboard too.

Thank you for reading.

KUL ES-87.

/thread.

[Novus]

Leopold 750R,
The best bang for buck that money can buy you.
Join royalty today.

[kansas city shuffle]

Realforce 87U

[demik]

Realforce 87U

yup, there is one for sale in the classifieds right now

[C5Allroad]

Hello everyone,

I'm new here but I've been using a Das Keyboard with cherry mx blues since late 2008. Last week I bought a Ducky Zero TKL to replace the crappy membrane keyboard I have been using for months. This time I chose brown switches for the lower noise. So far I really the extra comfort of a TKL and am thinking of getting a TKL for home use too.

I have a budget of 100-200USD for the keyboard.
Right now I'm thinking of the CM Storm Rapid-i with blues, but I'm not sure because there are SO MANY great keyboards available nowadays! Really looking forward to getting custom keys with this new TKL keyboard too.

Thank you for reading.

KUL ES-87.

/thread.

Dammit beat me to it...

[Puddsy]

Hello everyone,

I'm new here but I've been using a Das Keyboard with cherry mx blues since late 2008. Last week I bought a Ducky Zero TKL to replace the crappy membrane keyboard I have been using for months. This time I chose brown switches for the lower noise. So far I really the extra comfort of a TKL and am thinking of getting a TKL for home use too.

I have a budget of 100-200USD for the keyboard.
Right now I'm thinking of the CM Storm Rapid-i with blues, but I'm not sure because there are SO MANY great keyboards available nowadays! Really looking forward to getting custom keys with this new TKL keyboard too.

Thank you for reading.

KUL ES-87.

/thread.

++++++++

[Novus]

The amount of circlejerking these days.

Comon expose this bloke to a variety of boards.

[Veridis]

Wow, thanks for the replies guys. The KUL ES 87 looks awesome, but it doesn't seem to have media keys or window lock!

Tried my friend's CM Storm Ultimate with MX blues, the switches feel harder to activate than those on my Das Keyboard. On the Das, I can type effortlessly, but on CM Ultimate, I need to really press those keys. Really strange..

[AverageHybrid]

Wow, thanks for the replies guys. The KUL ES 87 looks awesome, but it doesn't seem to have media keys or window lock!

Tried my friend's CM Storm Ultimate with MX blues, the switches feel harder to activate than those on my Das Keyboard. On the Das, I can type effortlessly, but on CM Ultimate, I need to really press those keys. Really strange..

What switches do they have? Sounds like they have green switches in them.

[Veridis]

I pulled off one of the keycaps to check and am sure they were also blue.

[SonOfSonOfSpock]

Are you looking for a straight TKL or are you open to anything less than full size?  The Matias mini boards are nice, especially with the quiet switches.

[Oobly]

Interesting... Could be Ghetto Greens (Blues with Green / Black springs), but not all that likely unless your friend has modded the board himself or bought it from someone into modding.

The KUL ES-87 does have media keys: http://keyeduplabs.com/es-87.html

What is window lock?

[feizor]

Interesting... Could be Ghetto Greens (Blues with Green / Black springs), but not all that likely unless your friend has modded the board himself or bought it from someone into modding.

The KUL ES-87 does have media keys: http://keyeduplabs.com/es-87.html

What is window lock?

I think he meant the function which disables the windows key (for when you are in the middle of a game etc).

[atlas3686]

Realforce 87U

yup, there is one for sale in the classifieds right now

Definitely this! Can get them under $200 2nd hand and they worth every penny.

Edit: You can use autohotkey to stop the win key or really do anything else you want.

[Veridis]

Are you looking for a straight TKL or are you open to anything less than full size?  The Matias mini boards are nice, especially with the quiet switches.

Just TKL, don’t really want anything smaller

Interesting... Could be Ghetto Greens (Blues with Green / Black springs), but not all that likely unless your friend has modded the board himself or bought it from someone into modding.

The KUL ES-87 does have media keys: http://keyeduplabs.com/es-87.html

What is window lock?

They were just plain mx blues, no mods. Maybe it's because my Das Keyboard is 6 years old, the springs grew soft? But I don't feel that it has changed at all even after all these years.

It may be the difference in keycaps, which I find hard to believe.


Sorry about missing the S on "windows",  I was typing on my phone!

Paid more attention to the Ducky zero I am using with brown switches at work. I only bought brown keys because it was quieter, but am starting to enjoy the effortlessness of the keys.

[Veridis]

On the topic of topre keys, on my way home I went to a store and tried a CM Novatouch. It is a totally different animal compared to mx switches.

Now I'm more confused than before @_@

[notsonerd]

On the topic of topre keys, on my way home I went to a store and tried a CM Novatouch. It is a totally different animal compared to mx switches.

Now I'm more confused than before @_@

I wish I could just be "on my way home" and try some Topre...

What felt different to you? How was it similar to rubber domes, if at all?

[Veridis]

I wish I could just be "on my way home" and try some Topre...

What felt different to you? How was it similar to rubber domes, if at all?

I had to get off the train midway home and walk 10 mins to the store, but it was worth it to find out what topre felt like.

Cheap membrane keyboards like the one I had at work felt like they just crashed down after enough down force.  The keys on the Novatouch were obviously also rubber domes, but felt dampened and nice to type on. Very quiet too.

I don't think it is better than cherry switches, just different.

[Hypersphere]

I have tried many keyboards with various form factors, layouts, and switch types. Switches have included Cherry mx blue, brown, clear, vintage black, and green; Alps of various kinds; Matias tactile/click; NMB Hi-Tek space invader black and white; IBM membrane buckling springs; and IBM capacitive buckling springs. After all this, my favorite boards and switches are as follows:

IBM Model F XT (capacitive buckling spring)

IBM Model M SSK (membrane buckling spring)

HHKB Pro 2 (45g Topre)

Realforce 87ub 55g (55g Topre)

I rotate through this list in my home and work offices. These boards provide excellent aural and tactile feedback, and they have beautiful dye-sub PBT keycaps. The HHKB is special for its 60% form factor and intuitive/efficient layout. The RF ties with the SSK for the best TKL I have ever used.

Other switches, such as some Alps and space invaders occupy a distant second-place category for me, and Cherry mx switches are a very distant third place.

Naturally, a keyboard switch is a personal preference.

[Fragil1ty]

Wow, thanks for the replies guys. The KUL ES 87 looks awesome, but it doesn't seem to have media keys or window lock!

Tried my friend's CM Storm Ultimate with MX blues, the switches feel harder to activate than those on my Das Keyboard. On the Das, I can type effortlessly, but on CM Ultimate, I need to really press those keys. Really strange..

It has media keys, not sure about the windows lock though.

[Veridis]

Just checked the prices of the KUL ES 87, the official KUL distributer is a ripoff.
160usd for brown switch and 183usd for clear switch. They really jacked up the prices of the clear switch! Amazon doesn't allow shipping of the keyboard to where I live (Singapore) .

In comparison, the CM Storm rapid-i is 110 to 125usd.

The price difference could probably get me some nice backlit keycaps in the future. Hmm..

[munch]

the CM QFR (non I) are very nice, but I haven't tried the I version yet. initial reports seem positive though. so I think it might be a good choice, since that is a nice price.

[Oobly]

The Rapid-i is not a bad board, but for just a little more you could get a Ducky Shine 3 TKL. Both great options.

Browns are nice if you are satisfied with the level of tactility.

[Veridis]

Today I went "keyboard shopping"  again.  Tried the Novatouch and compared it with blue switches on CM keyboards.

The blue switches definitely feel harder to press and not as satisfying as those on my 2008 Das Keyboard. The person who worked at the store told me that my Das Keyboard has modified blue switches. Searching the Internet, I haven't found a single instance of this being mentioned. I think I will start a thread to ask.

So far it's either the blue switches on my Das, CM rapid-i brown,  or the Novatouch topre.

[Veridis]

Today I went to the store again and played with a few keyboards. I realized that I do not like new blue switches anymore. The blue switches in my Das Keyboard have worn in so well that they were like red switches with a click.

After messing around with a membrane keyboard, brown cherry mx and the Novatouch topre for a good 15mins, I still couldn't decide if I liked brown cherry mx or the 45g Topre better. Since I already had a Ducky Zero with brown switches at work, I decided to buy the Novatouch to try out topre. If I ended up disliking it after a few months, I would just sell it! So far so good

[Oobly]

Glad you've made a decision. One interesting feature of the Novatouch is that you can use any MX keycaps and alter the feeling a little that way (keycap texture, height, contour, etc AND switch feel due to keycap mass and material) which you can't with the other Topre boards.

[Veridis]

Glad you've made a decision. One interesting feature of the Novatouch is that you can use any MX keycaps and alter the feeling a little that way (keycap texture, height, contour, etc AND switch feel due to keycap mass and material) which you can't with the other Topre boards.

Yes, that is one of the reasons that I bought it! I've always wanted to try PBT keycaps. The MX compatability means I can share keycaps with different boards

[keyton]

Which store had Novatouch to test?

[Veridis]

Which store had Novatouch to test?

One of the bigger stores in Sim Lim Square, Level 4 has it. I didn't notice any store name, but you should be able to find it just by walking around