What is the best feeling and sounding keyboard you've ever typed on?

[happylacquer]

I'm hoping when I try out topre it reminds me of the heaven that was these keyboards:



Held onto it for many years and lost it in a move. Anyone know what model it is? i'd love to get another.

[E3E]

It's too subjective. I fall in love with every new passion project/build or hard to find keyboard that I've finally gotten a  hold of. I remember falling in love with my NCR Leeku 3000 build built with Alps SKCL Browns and using Cherry profile the ABS doubleshot Alps caps. It was a wonderful feeling.

Yeah,  too subjective for me.

[keytohopiness]

IBM Model M.  Model F has too much ping.

[dante]

Certain scissor switches/chiclets off IBM/Lenovo Thinkpads as well as Dell notebooks/Toshiba Satellites/etc.

[iLLucionist]

Best feeling: beam spring.

Best sound: blue Alps. Anyone who answers this question with anything other than blue Alps is just plain wrong.

Beamspring to me is like Unicorn Poo, heard of it but in my lifetime will never actually get to lay hands on one  .

Blue Alps is indeed nice, lucky to have picked up a new older stock keyboard which the seller never knew what he had at the time.  I only knew of it when by chance I lifted the key cap and low and behold, beautiful luscious blue stem.  Blue Alps will excite the most jaded fingers when it comes to typing.

Have no REAL fave keyboards because it's like picking your own best child, can't do it and never will.  Love them all unconditionally despite some being real selfish A-holes.

I ONLY LIKE MY TOPRE OFFSPRING. I'm such a bad father 

[iLLucionist]

This HHKB BT I have. It's lubed and silenced with RF purple sliders. It just feels and sounds so good now.

Bit offtopic, but curious: What lube did you use? I read a variety of advice regarding lube and still don't dare do this on my own.

[iLLucionist]

For me, Apple Macintosh original keyboard (and then the Topre-thock). The original mac keyboard gives such a sense of satisfaction or gratification when you type on it.

I'm looking for a replica of the sound (and the feel) of that board ever since. Some advice me to try (complicated? orange?) ALPS but I haven't so far.

[riotonthebay]

If I had to type on any of the following for the rest of my life, I wouldn't be mad.

Vintage black 68g tuned by kin25 (Dolphin Rev 2)
Nixdorf tuned by photekq (G81-3077 build)
Vintage brown (G80-5000)
Model F buckling spring (Kishsaver)
45g lubed Topre (HHKB)

[Otesanek]

This HHKB BT I have. It's lubed and silenced with RF purple sliders. It just feels and sounds so good now.

Bit offtopic, but curious: What lube did you use? I read a variety of advice regarding lube and still don't dare do this on my own.

I used the thick mixture from techkeys.com.

Just apply a thin layer to the slider rails on the plate.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

[mike52787]

Best sound: Alps SKCM cream in an omnikey 101 chassis and thick alps PBT caps.
2nd best: Capacitve BS on model F XT

[ander]

It's a tough call. There are so many kinds of boards to enjoy, each with its quirks and charms.

Overall, I'd have to say buckling springs have always been my fave. Nothing else compares. With that in mind, the best-feeling boards I've ever used are my 1986 Model M 1390131, and the IBM Model F-AT (1984–85) Dorkvader converted to ANSI for me. Buckling-spring-wise, it doesn't get much better than those.

[_BMW_M3_]

Okay, by far the best I've typed on:

http://imgur.com/HKihi4k

Dolphin v1 w/ Vintage Black 55g switches tuned by Kin.

[Melvang]

By far no question.  My Kishsaver.  Floss modded, buna N o-rings between the mounting tab and the frame for the plates both sides, and little pieces of silicone between the frame halves.  Absolute butter smooth typing.

[eun]

http://blog.naver.com/lyricsit/220908032007

koala/ 3000hav nib switches/ simplicity back-up plate

love this!!!

[madhias]

I have not tried everything yet, but regarding clicky boards my Beamspring, followed by a floss modded SSK.

And regarding not clicky keyboards I like the most my Realforce 87U, followed by my silenced HHKB.

A video I made a while ago, bad quality, but listen to the sound in the second part of it Too crazy, but I like the first part click sound.

[_BMW_M3_]

http://blog.naver.com/lyricsit/220908032007

koala/ 3000hav nib switches/ simplicity back-up plate

love this!!!

First of all, wow....


Second of all, the amount of amazing keyboards you have... What I would do for that OTD DGE...

[eun]

http://blog.naver.com/lyricsit/220908032007

koala/ 3000hav nib switches/ simplicity back-up plate

love this!!!

First of all, wow....


Second of all, the amount of amazing keyboards you have... What I would do for that OTD DGE...

hey you!
thanks for watching..

u mean u have dge right?
i think dge is just normal i mean dge good matching for all cherry switches..
just good..

so im not sure about the assemble...
but i have one more pcb and back-up plate..
so i  assemble one pcb thats turn white switch..i dont know good matching just using
sry for my eng ability

[_BMW_M3_]

http://blog.naver.com/lyricsit/220908032007

koala/ 3000hav nib switches/ simplicity back-up plate

love this!!!

First of all, wow....


Second of all, the amount of amazing keyboards you have... What I would do for that OTD DGE...

hey you!
thanks for watching..

u mean u have dge right?
i think dge is just normal i mean dge good matching for all cherry switches..
just good..

so im not sure about the assemble...
but i have one more pcb and back-up plate..
so i  assemble one pcb thats turn white switch..i dont know good matching just using
sry for my eng ability

I'm just jealous of your awesome keyboards

And don't be sorry! I'm jealous of your ability!

[Daspartic]

Best feeling: beam spring.

Best sound: blue Alps. Anyone who answers this question with anything other than blue Alps is just plain wrong.

In my limited experience, I'd have to agree with Chyros.  Beam springs feel the best to me, nothing else even compares so far and Blue alps sound the best to me by a long shot.

[Photekq]

Okay, by far the best I've typed on:

http://imgur.com/HKihi4k

Dolphin v1 w/ Vintage Black 55g switches tuned by Kin.

Seeing those keycaps on that keyboard makes me sad.

[MandrewDavis]

Feel is too subjective but I really enjoy the sound of Topre and Alps. Clicky Alps sound best with thinner doubleshot ABS, linear/tactile Alps sound best with thick PBT. I don't even own a Topre board.

[richfiles]

Alps Amber... Best sound and feel of anything I've ever had the joy to type on. No Cherry or MX clone even remotely comes close to it.

The tiny microphone on my phone doesn't do Alps Amber switches justice. Alps Amber were used in certain revisions of the Apple //c. I wish you all could feel these keys. The click is so distinct, and the tactile feel is incredible. I use Gateron Blues in my main keyboard build, buy they are to the Alps Ambers, like a phone speaker is to a fine full range speaker box. There is no comparison. The Alps simply feel... better... The click and the tactile build up of pressure, and it's release... It's something to be felt. An MX switch... the tactile bump and hte click are simply two aspects of the switch's functionality. On an Alps Amber switch, the tactile bump and the click are inseparably bound... Like you feel the sound, or hear the bump... It's weird, but I've never felt anything like it.

Ever.

[chyros]

Yeah, amber Alps are great. I brought a IIc to the keyboard meet up in London and a lot of people were very impressed by it .

[SneakyRobb]

In terms of feel the Model F XT is the best feeling keyboard for me. The barrels create a very satisfying click actuation. Delightful feeling switch.

I use the F122 as well, while a much more useable layout to me, is 95% as good as the XT in terms of switch feel.

I have a beamspring as well and I do like the feel of it, I still find the XT preferable. Model f is definately better sounding than beamspring.

I mostly type on matias click switches.

 I think that ALPS are the "sound" of a keyboard.

[clankgy1]

Stock Topre (HHKB/Realforce) with its stock keycaps for me.

HHKB > Realforce for me, but yeah.  So far, best feeling.

[chyros]

I think that ALPS are the "sound" of a keyboard.

Yeah, I think so too. Though I know some people don't like the Alps switch feel, I don't think I've ever heard anyone say they don't sound great xD .

[h1ggs]

Vintage blacks are really nice..

[iLLucionist]

Now I come to think of it, the best memories I have with any keyboard (except for the IBM Model M) is The Apple Extended Keyboard (M0115). That is by far the most fond memories I have both in terms of sound and feel.

I was using a 486 at the time with BS or even rubberdome, can't remember exactly (was around 1994-1995 I guess). But that switch felt SO GOOD. Even when I was like 7-8 years old.. the difference was profound.

I still feel - besides the HHKB and PERHAPS the 87U - that keyboard has the best feel EVER.

Apparently I gotta tryout a board with Alps.

[clankgy1]

Apparently I gotta tryout a board with Alps.

I was thinking the same thing.  My wallet is already hating me.

[macguy80]

Best board that I don't own: Model F AT

Best board that I DO own: Apple IIc with clicky amber Alps

Runner up: Macintosh Plus keyboard.

[E3E]

These all sound pretty good

[SneakyRobb]

I think that ALPS are the "sound" of a keyboard.

Yeah, I think so too. Though I know some people don't like the Alps switch feel, I don't think I've ever heard anyone say they don't sound great xD .

Very true.

 I am very comforted and charmed by the silly ping of my model f keys, and I wish I had gotten an Xtant kit.

That said, I have never put in earplugs because of the keyboard while typing with an Alps keyboard, I literally have done it with the model f though.

When you watch movies they always have that one cat screech sound effect that is in every movie. Or the sound effect of the door closing is the same in so many tv shows, in my head Alps are the stock sound of a keyboard. Like the form of keyboard noise in all it's perfection
If you said imagine someone typing, id immediately hear alps in my head.

[czarek]

For me that would be factory silenced variable weighted Realforce. It's not perfect and while I still have it, it's not my daily driver because of couple reasons. Case coating fades quickly, it's nearly impossible to get blank coloured keycaps and topre has problems with consistency in feel and sound.

Probably worth mentioning that my second favourite is my metallic blue Filco with MX Blues from 2012. It feels (and sounds) great with stock keycaps and with thin blank PBTs I got on ebay shortly after I got the keyboard itself. It's now beaten up as hell, was used by myself at work, my wife in her office, and our friend for gaming for couple months. Also our cat used it as her bed for a while Switches are worn a little and not as consistent as they were but it's still one of my favourite boards of all times.

My daily driver is currently few months old Filco with GMK black double shots for which I'm getting aluminium case (already ordered, but it takes a while to get here from China).
The switches do feel a bit different than the old board but I think it's mostly matter of breaking them in properly.

[E3E]

I think out of all the boards I have, the FK-555 is the closest to that stock keyboard sound, haha. I'd imagine AEKs with orange Alps would be great for the sound too. I miss my AEK!