Filco my Ducky.

[lucaslink]

Ayo!

Short time lurker. Heard of these forums for years but avoided them due to nerding out over another thing.
Been a big fan of the apple stainless chicklet kb's for some time but started missing the days of Model M's and C64's.
Lurked local comp stores, would go in every saturday and clack around on the demo kb's but couldn't swallow the price.
A deal popped up and a k70 w/ red's was had. Turns out I hate reds and was not a fan of the floating caps. Returned it a week later.
Need the tactile feel of the browns and a sturdy top. Into the rabbit hole I came. Searching for the perfect board. I'm a designer and font/icon nerd so of course, custom keycaps. (Went to every custom keycap site, every kb reseller, oh goodness me. Went from "Why would anyone want ____ keycaps" to "Oh I gotta get those.")
My top pick is the Filco Ninja Majestouch 2. Futura front printed key caps.. Yes please. Of course out of stock on my continent and a bit steep to import it. ($160 vs $250!)
Second is the Ducky Legend, (also out of stock everywhere. booo.)

So, I sit and type on this POS chicklet gaming kb lusting and obsessing and convincing myself that maybe it is worth $250 to me.
Help!

HI!

[Snowdog993]

Just get a Model M!

[meow a cat]

NCIX has Filcos in stock in Canada. They even have Ninja models in stock.

http://www.ncix.com/detail/filco-majestouch-2-ninja-cherry-3d-70730.htm

http://www.ncix.com/detail/filco-majestouch-2-ninja-cherry-3d-70728.htm

There are fullsize Ninjas in stock too.

They also carry Ducky boards.

If you've never shopped there, they're a really good site. Excellent customer service, and they do online price matching. I buy most of my PC hardware from them. They ship from Vancouver, and Toronto as well I believe.

A Model M or Unicomp would be a solid choice too.. Unicomps cost too much to ship to Canada though.

If it was me buying, I would probably go with a standard Filco MJ2 to save $20, and just buy a better keyset from somewhere else. The stock Filco caps are pretty meh. Really the only weak point of a Filco, besides maybe the non-removable cable. Everything else about them is stellar, great first choice.

I would probably also pick a Filco over a Ducky because of these controllers:

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=46700.0

I use a Frosty Flake in my QFR, and they're awesome. Full programmability of your board, and easy installation.

Welcome to GeekHack! 

[lucaslink]

Whoa. Thanks for thorough and informative reply and warm welcome @meow a cat!

I've got a notification set when NCIX gets the ninja full size w/ browns back in stock. Its been on back order for a couple weeks. Patience is a virtue they say. Ugh.

[meow a cat]

Whoa. Thanks for thorough and informative reply and warm welcome @meow a cat!

I've got a notification set when NCIX gets the ninja full size w/ browns back in stock. Its been on back order for a couple weeks. Patience is a virtue they say. Ugh.

You will learn patience pretty quickly, I think. Join a group buy or two.. try to hunt down that exotic keyboard part.. wait for shipping from far-off lands.. try to win Clacks and Bros.. I think after you do some of that stuff, you will be a much more patient person; I know I am, anyway. It's all a part of the fun of this hobby though! 

Feels like victory when you finally acquire that hard to find item after a month or two of searching.  )

I definitely recommend one of Bpiphany's custom controllers, they're great. Programmability is a really powerful thing to have on a keyboard! Custom FN layers, key reassignments, macros, mouse keys, etc.
They don't require any soldering either, you just open the case, pull out the old controller and drop in the new one. He makes one for the full-size Filco MJ2, I believe it's the Kitten Paw?

I know full-size vs. TKL is a personal thing, but have you considered a TKL board? The ergonomics are much more comfortable, IMO.

[lucaslink]

You will learn patience pretty quickly, I think. Join a group buy or two.. try to hunt down that exotic keyboard part.. wait for shipping from far-off lands.. try to win Clacks and Bros.. I think after you do some of that stuff, you will be a much more patient person; I know I am, anyway. It's all a part of the fun of this hobby though! 

Feels like victory when you finally acquire that hard to find item after a month or two of searching.  )

I definitely recommend one of Bpiphany's custom controllers, they're great. Programmability is a really powerful thing to have on a keyboard! Custom FN layers, key reassignments, macros, mouse keys, etc.
They don't require any soldering either, you just open the case, pull out the old controller and drop in the new one. He makes one for the full-size Filco MJ2, I believe it's the Kitten Paw?

I know full-size vs. TKL is a personal thing, but have you considered a TKL board? The ergonomics are much more comfortable, IMO.

I think I'll start off with a 104, and venture into TKL's later. I use my numberpad a lot.

I'm super intrigued about the custom controller. How does the software work? (I'm comfortable with soldering & light programming.) Is it mapped in code and then flashed to the controller? I couldn't find any info about that specifically reading through the link you gave.

[meow a cat]

You will learn patience pretty quickly, I think. Join a group buy or two.. try to hunt down that exotic keyboard part.. wait for shipping from far-off lands.. try to win Clacks and Bros.. I think after you do some of that stuff, you will be a much more patient person; I know I am, anyway. It's all a part of the fun of this hobby though! 

Feels like victory when you finally acquire that hard to find item after a month or two of searching.  )

I definitely recommend one of Bpiphany's custom controllers, they're great. Programmability is a really powerful thing to have on a keyboard! Custom FN layers, key reassignments, macros, mouse keys, etc.
They don't require any soldering either, you just open the case, pull out the old controller and drop in the new one. He makes one for the full-size Filco MJ2, I believe it's the Kitten Paw?

I know full-size vs. TKL is a personal thing, but have you considered a TKL board? The ergonomics are much more comfortable, IMO.

I think I'll start off with a 104, and venture into TKL's later. I use my numberpad a lot.

I'm super intrigued about the custom controller. How does the software work? (I'm comfortable with soldering & light programming.) Is it mapped in code and then flashed to the controller? I couldn't find any info about that specifically reading through the link you gave.

I use this for my Frosty Flake, Phantom, and JD40, it also works with other boards as well:

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=51252.0

Super easy to use, and pretty powerful. The only kinda tricky bit about programming the board is the first time you program it, you need to run a somewhat strong magnet (a normal fridge magnet didn't work for me) over the controller to trigger a reed switch to put it into bootloader mode. You can then use Atmel Flip to load your hex onto the controller. You should only need to use the magnet once, as you can program a key combination to put the controller into bootloader mode afterwards.

TMK probably also works (I can't confirm because I haven't looked into it for this controller, but TMK seems to work for most boards).

TMK: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=41989.0

If you're comfortable with coding, TMK could be perfect for you. I still haven't gotten around to learning how to use it (soon ), but I know it's quite advanced. A lot of cool features in TMK.

So far, I only have experience with Easy AVR and Soarers.

I also use the numberpad now and then. I have a Filco separate numpad I use, but most of the time I use an embedded numpad that I have programmed on an FN layer on all of my boards. If you use it quite a bit though, I can see how it would be more convenient to have a dedicated numpad.

[lucaslink]

Easy AVR looks pretty great.

also:

most of the time I use an embedded numpad that I have programmed on an FN layer on all of my boards.

has me rethinking my approach a little. I didn't even consider that as a possibility. Woo!

Thanks!

[rowdy]

Welcome to Geekhack!

Another option would be to keep an eye on classifieds as there are a lot of Canadians around here, and they do sell things from time to time.

[lucaslink]

Welcome to Geekhack!

Another option would be to keep an eye on classifieds as there are a lot of Canadians around here, and they do sell things from time to time.

Thanks Rowdy!

I ended up ordering a filco tkl w/ browns based on meow a cat's suggestion. I'm loving. Got my eye out for a DSA cap set now. I first learned to type on SA's on old electronic typewriters. its coming full circle!

[rowdy]

Welcome to Geekhack!

Another option would be to keep an eye on classifieds as there are a lot of Canadians around here, and they do sell things from time to time.

Thanks Rowdy!

I ended up ordering a filco tkl w/ browns based on meow a cat's suggestion. I'm loving. Got my eye out for a DSA cap set now. I first learned to type on SA's on old electronic typewriters. its coming full circle!

You're looking for DSA, and learned to type on SA?  Two different profiles

I have both, but definitely prefer SA (typing on SA at the moment).  DSA's ok, but didn't really grab me as much as I thought it would.

[lucaslink]

i know they're two different profiles but i've been typing on the stock mac keyboards since they first came out and have become accustomed to light weight, low profile chiclets. the SA just seemed too tall for my liking at this point. now.. now im totally regretting not checking out on the retro set(s) i had in my shopping cart last night. thanks a lot, rowdy! ;p

[rowdy]

i know they're two different profiles but i've been typing on the stock mac keyboards since they first came out and have become accustomed to light weight, low profile chiclets. the SA just seemed too tall for my liking at this point. now.. now im totally regretting not checking out on the retro set(s) i had in my shopping cart last night. thanks a lot, rowdy! ;p

I wasn't sure if I'd like SA, but I tried it and actually prefer it to DSA!

Maybe it's the colours of the sets that gives me a predilection, but the Nuclear Data Green set (uniform row 3 SA, I think it's row 3, anyway) is really nice, and Hack'd by Geeks is contoured.  Between the two I'd say I probably prefer the uniform SA - contoured is just a bit too much difference in profile across the board.

[lucaslink]

got a dolch dsa set yesterday. been typing on it for a few hours now. without a wrist rest its nice, but with a wrist rest i can see how SA would be a lot nicer. these are a couple mm shorter than the oem caps i had prior and its definitely noticeable. luckily i was able to get a spot on the true retros so i'll give those a go when ever they arrive. of course by then i'll have become entirely accustomed to the DSA. this hobby is too fun. i'm sure the guys at the computer store think im a weirdo coming in every weekend to type on all the different mechs they have trying out all the different switches.

those nuclear datas look very nice to type on. whats your favourite keyboard?

[rowdy]

Remember to rest your wrists on the wrist rest only between typing - they are not intended for resting whilst actually typing!

It's surprising that more people don't visit the store to try out the keyboards, especially if they have a few different switches and keyboards available.  That is the one thing that a lot of people wish for when trying to select their first mechanical keyboard.

[meow a cat]

Remember to rest your wrists on the wrist rest only between typing - they are not intended for resting whilst actually typing!

It's surprising that more people don't visit the store to try out the keyboards, especially if they have a few different switches and keyboards available.  That is the one thing that a lot of people wish for when trying to select their first mechanical keyboard.

I usually rest my palms on the rest, and leave my wrists as straight as possible. Not ideal, but I haven't noticed any discomfort.

My main discomfort is from my mouse, I want to try a trackball.. but I don't think a trackball will be very good for gaming. Maybe the Steam controller will help alleviate my mouse issues a bit.

Where I live, I don't actually know of any stores with mechs in stock, aside from boards like the Logitech Romer Gs and Razers with Kailhs. I saw one Corsair, but there was no test model. Slim pickings!

[lucaslink]

Remember to rest your wrists on the wrist rest only between typing - they are not intended for resting whilst actually typing!

It's surprising that more people don't visit the store to try out the keyboards, especially if they have a few different switches and keyboards available.  That is the one thing that a lot of people wish for when trying to select their first mechanical keyboard.

I usually rest my palms on the rest, and leave my wrists as straight as possible. Not ideal, but I haven't noticed any discomfort.

My main discomfort is from my mouse, I want to try a trackball.. but I don't think a trackball will be very good for gaming. Maybe the Steam controller will help alleviate my mouse issues a bit.

Where I live, I don't actually know of any stores with mechs in stock, aside from boards like the Logitech Romer Gs and Razers with Kailhs. I saw one Corsair, but there was no test model. Slim pickings!

Yeah I should've said "palm rest" and not wrist rest. i have fairly terrible posture but am pretty good about where I put my hands while typing.
i'm using a super old logitech gaming mouse. its massive. i use apple's 'magic mouse' during the day, which is tiny in comparison. I've never found a mouse I was ecstatic about and could never get onto trackballs. Some of my design buddies swear by trackballs, feels weird to me.

Steam controller looks really cool. I ended up with an Xbox One controller as I found they were listed on walmart.ca for $39. Went in and they were on the shelf for $59+ and they matched their own web price. Decent controller besides having to use it wired.

[meow a cat]

Remember to rest your wrists on the wrist rest only between typing - they are not intended for resting whilst actually typing!

It's surprising that more people don't visit the store to try out the keyboards, especially if they have a few different switches and keyboards available.  That is the one thing that a lot of people wish for when trying to select their first mechanical keyboard.

I usually rest my palms on the rest, and leave my wrists as straight as possible. Not ideal, but I haven't noticed any discomfort.

My main discomfort is from my mouse, I want to try a trackball.. but I don't think a trackball will be very good for gaming. Maybe the Steam controller will help alleviate my mouse issues a bit.

Where I live, I don't actually know of any stores with mechs in stock, aside from boards like the Logitech Romer Gs and Razers with Kailhs. I saw one Corsair, but there was no test model. Slim pickings!

Yeah I should've said "palm rest" and not wrist rest. i have fairly terrible posture but am pretty good about where I put my hands while typing.
i'm using a super old logitech gaming mouse. its massive. i use apple's 'magic mouse' during the day, which is tiny in comparison. I've never found a mouse I was ecstatic about and could never get onto trackballs. Some of my design buddies swear by trackballs, feels weird to me.

Steam controller looks really cool. I ended up with an Xbox One controller as I found they were listed on walmart.ca for $39. Went in and they were on the shelf for $59+ and they matched their own web price. Decent controller besides having to use it wired.

I use a Razer Naga, and I probably couldn't live without the extra buttons for FPS and other things It fits my hand great too, but games like Diablo cause discomfort after a long session.

I thought about getting an Xbox One controller, but I already have a rarely used 360 controller. Steam controller sounds different enough to be worth a purchase!

[rowdy]

Thinking about it, it would probably be a bit awkward to rest your wrists on a wrist rest, I think I'd probably end up resting my palms on them too!