so i returned my K-type with Halo-True switches for a full refund.
it was a hard decision as i really wanted to like this keyboard and have bin following the k-type project for over 2jrs.
i payed in total $267 for this board that’s with $10 shipping and the reset was customs fees.
My switch choice was Halo-True.
So why did i return the keyboard after longing for it and waiting for two years or even longer..
it was my birthday gift last july..
1) Stabilizers.
They are a hot mess and quite frankly suck. But that was easily replaced and MD wanted to cut me a deal to pay for them myself.
Still having paid that much for a keyboard the last thing i would expect is having to source sum lube and stabs.
2) coil wine.
Yes while the led’s were one i heard a faint coil wine irritating and having experienced this on my monitor when i dimm the
screen i knew that time would not be kind to this problem. In other words it could only get worse not better with the
passage of time.
3) people reaching out to me with problems on the MD forum horror stories about the board doing strange things.
Like key presses that suddenly magically appeared.
i had other problems like having to reset the light going from a Miami/rainbow effect to a solid color was no problem.
but switching to a second solid color and then wanting to go back to a rainbow lighting effect would not always work.
I needed to hit fn+1 to reset the lighting and then i was ok.. first of i thought unplugging was needed.
4) simple programming was no problem, but trying to get more features / in depth took more time then with my HASU TMK controller.
TMK examples;
This example gives me a second key for often used keys. keeping my hands in the middle of the keyboard very handy.
spacebar is level4 ; (ACTION_LAYER_TAP_KEY)
giving me ; f=backspace,j=enter,h=backslash en pipe,g=forwardSlash and ?
This example is also one of my favourites more so than i would have thought it would be. Giving me one hit shift.
so press it and temporarily be in uppercase or a character that was accessible true the shift.
This reduced finger gymnastics by a lot.
R-shift; on level 0; ACTION LAYER MODS ; Layer1 R-shift; Action Apply ;; Change to Layer1 with Right-Shift
Accomplishing the same programming took more time that i did not have alas. That’s more my fault than the keyboard
i would have liked being able to flash TMK on it or perhaps QMK if that’s the same..
I’m used to HASU’s web tool so that would have saved me a ton of time in the long run just learning one way to do it..
Most important the lighting programming had bling but no functionality as of yet.
I wanted to see CapsLock change color preferably other keys as well.
Not having to lift my hand to see if the CapsLock light is on because the corner key is also turned on would have bin awesome,
and show me that this board is not only for kids wanting bling,bling but also real productivity people like myself (don’t do gaming at al)..
And lastly i noticed i preferred my FC660C/M layout a bit bigger accommodating a standard key cap set would have bin all i needed.
So TKL was a waist of deskspace.
The aesthetics of the board were ok just ok not mind blowing good i prefer a high profile case looks cleaner and better to me.
Like the Kira, but the angle on that board worries me because bending your wrists for 8+ hours a day like that is not ergonomic..
but would have to try it to really say.
Also both the WhiteFox and the K-type suffer from pinging so a high profile small case would possibly aid in that problem.
i would want to see more space left in the case so i can stick some dampening material inside it..
(the stuff car audiofiles use to kill road noise black 1mm thin/thick cheats you can stik on the inside..
you need at least 80% coverage for it to work..
But what do i like about the K-type??
The switches are really really good.. i would even go so far as to say i like them more then my Topre and mx-clear board..!
And that’s the highest praise i can give them
The new Hako true and Hako clear switch got me even more curios.
But i having read people complaining about Kailh switches not being consistent in several departments worries me a bit.
i know Kailh promised they would look in to this but i’m just done reading a review from someone that bought them last sept.
So final verdict..
it’s a good first try and it’s 80% there for me..
i love that IC is going it alone now.. and the NightFox looks great ..No cheap cable on that unlike what MD did with the K-type.
Make it a high profile case. give it a Vanilla layout so spacebar 3keys on each side + arrow cluster.
And give it one color Led’s for those late night typing sessions and i’m in..
Perhaps this is all to much to ask and i need to join a custom GB hahah ...
But i do like what Haata is doing with the switches.. Just ad a bit of refinement and the options i want / need..
Good Luck with the store IC...
btw i asked a EU vendor to keep me informed if and when IC hardware becomes available to us overhere ..
i’m happy that we have a nice store like Mykeyboard.eu that’s doing GB buys and is active in the community ..