Filco keycaps and oily fingers (not from eating :P )

[muchadoaboutnothing]

Hello geekhack!

Still lurking a lot here... :peace:

So, after my first post/thread asking for a KB recommendation given finger pain from my membrane, I bought an ABS M1 when Newegg had it on sale for $20.

I'm happy to report that I'm happy with the M1- although going from ergonomic split -> straight keyboard is throwing me for a loop on accuracy at 80+ WPM, I'm happy to report that I adjusted to the tactile feedback quickly and I'm not having any pain right now when typing for long periods, when I could get it in 30 minutes of fast typing if it was continuous (e.x. TypeRacer :pout: )

Anyhow.... I have a tendency to ramble...

I've been looking at the Filcos. As a possible way to reduce finger strain, and alienate anyone who may want to use my computer :pound: I was thinking about trying DVORAK (which would reduce travel...I'm not in pain now, but having it as a college student probably means it's going to be a problem later in life). To make it easier to switch back and forth (to let someone else use the PC, or if I decide to give up on DVORAK, etc.) I was thinking about getting an Otaku. This might also be a good idea for another reason...

I have naturally oily hands. Moreso than many people. Not as much as my family members (like my grandfather...)

Keyboard wear tends to show quickly. People I know have bought identical laptops at the same time and my keys show more wear than theirs.

Now, I know what you're probably  thinking- blank keys? Wear? Well, on some of my peripherals, I get shiny/dull/unpainted spots because the finish wears off. That's kind of a turn off on a product that's over $100, even if you don't look at the keyboard while typing (I don't - I use the home row nubs. Or is there a technical term for those bumps?)

So do Filco keys hold up over time?

[Rajagra]

I have no experience with Filcos, but I suggest:

• Before commiting to Dvorak, take a look at Colemak.
  
• If you want to be kind to Qwerty users, just use a Qwerty keyboard.
• If you want to learn to touch type Dvorak/Colemak, use a Qwerty keyboard!
• I wonder if wiping the keycaps with ArmorAll once a week might reduce your key wear (may be caused by acid in sweat?)

[muchadoaboutnothing]

You mean blank Filco keys?

Yes

Get the white ones if shiny bugs you.

It doesn't really solve the problem. Besides, the white keyboards I've seen always have a tendency to look dirty very quickly.

• Before commiting to Dvorak, take a look at Colemak.

Interesting, thank you.

• If you want to be kind to Qwerty users, just use a Qwerty keyboard.

I could do that, but...

• If you want to learn to touch type Dvorak/Colemak, use a Qwerty keyboard!

I was thinking blank because...
[LIST=A]

• I can't cheat by looking at the keys- which I might do out of force of habit - and I can't look at the keys, see the QWERTY letter, and get more messed up.
• I thought it would wear less than printed letters (Q, W, E...so on and so forth)
• Kinda like the minimalistic look (not enough of a minimalist to get rid of my numpad, though!

• I wonder if wiping the keycaps with ArmorAll once a week might reduce your key wear (may be caused by acid in sweat?)

It's something with the sweat...I have other family members who get white spots on their mice (where their fingers are) in a month or so.

Might be worth trying.

[Rajagra]

Wet your finger, touch the sandblasted key, and see what happens.

Don't. It's a trap!

[Mental Hobbit]

Same effect as water on a stone I guess.

[muchadoaboutnothing]

I don't think stainless keycaps will ever be in my budget...

Custom plastic ones are, what, 50 cents a key (assuming you do a run of ~50)?

[muchadoaboutnothing]

More like $800 for 104 keys for dye sub - assuming you are buying for only one keyboard.  Setup costs are not trivial.

Makes $330 for 86 Aluminum keys look good.

$800 for 104 keys dye subbed for a single set, right?

So if you make 50 sets (you found a group of buyers), the setup costs become dispersed.

[muchadoaboutnothing]

Yep, that's what Sixty did to make his one custom GeekHack key and get them to around $5 in cost each.

Shiny isn't so bad.

They DO look nice...

I can see the where the economics become different.

When you have a single key for a single site you can probably depend on a lot of people to buy it.

But a larger set is more expensive, people could back out...

I wonder how many people would be interested in buying a dye-sub set...

What about double shot? That's crazy expensive, right?

[EverythingIBM]

Model M keys are very grainy and can usually sustain against greasy fingers. Get one cheap if you can and try it out for a bit.

The other layouts aren't that all great, I can type over 100 WPM on qwerty; typing speeds depend on how good your fingers are (biologically), and trained to type. I play the piano a lot: so that may enhance typing.