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Mechanical Keyboard Guide

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Re: Mechanical Keyboard Guide

#11

Post by thristian »

dxq wrote: post #5
thristian wrote: post #4

I'd like to have a mechanical-switch keyboard someday; unfortunately most of the ones I've seen (including the ones in this article) tend to be full-size 104-key keyboards, while my tastes tend toward smaller keyboards like the Happy Hacker keyboard (which is excellent but uses rubber-dome switches). Right at the moment I'm using a Lenovo Thinkpad USB keyboard because it's a smallish keyboard with a built-in trackpoi…

The HHKB is very much still in production (mine just arrived last week), though it can be hard to get one in the US. I ordered mine from http://elitekeyboards.com . My HHKB is replacing a 16 year-old Apple Extended Keyboard. It's definitely not as click-clacky as a buckling spring keyboard, but it's much easier on my wrists (and doesn't wake people up when I'm hacking at night).

Hmm... elitekeyboards.com only seems to have the HHKB Professional 2... the one I have is a "HHKB Lite 2", which (in a strange inversion of the usual hierarchy) includes an extra Fn key on the left and an inverted-T arrow-key cluster.

I realise using arrow keys is heresy to a certain subset of the programming community, but I've been using them for decades and it's hard to give them up.

Re: Mechanical Keyboard Guide

#12

Post by sliverstorm »

Of course, realize that mechanical keyboards being made of higher quality components has nothing to do with them being mechanical, and rather everything to do with being a niche market. You can always expect to find high quality materials in niche markets, because the consumers specifically seek out the product and relatedly are willing to pay a little more.

Re: Mechanical Keyboard Guide

#13

Post by jrockway »

thristian wrote: post #11
dxq wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The HHKB is very much still in production (mine just arrived last week), though it can be hard to get one in the US. I ordered mine from http://elitekeyboards.com . My HHKB is replacing a 16 year-old Apple Extended Keyboard. It's definitely not as click-clacky as a buckling spring keyboard, but it's much easier on my wrists (and doesn't wake people up when I'm hacking at night).

Hmm... elitekeyboards.com only seems to have the HHKB Professional 2... the one I have is a "HHKB Lite 2", which (in a strange inversion of the usual hierarchy) includes an extra Fn key on the left and an inverted-T arrow-key cluster. I realise using arrow keys is heresy to a certain subset of the programming community, but I've been using them for decades and it's hard to give them up.

I realise using arrow keys is heresy to a certain subset of the programming community, but I've been using them for decades and it's hard to give them up.

Then buy a RealForce or the Japanese HHKB Professional instead:

http://www.g-ray.co.uk/pictures/Realforce87U2b.jpg

http://www.pfu.fujitsu.com/hhkeyboard/lineup/pdkb420b.html

FWIW, I use the arrows once in a while (not everything supports Emacs-style keybindings, after all, especially on Windows), and I like the HHKB's approach. Less hand movement than normal arrow keys.

in a strange inversion of the usual hierarchy, includes an extra Fn key on the left and an inverted-T arrow-key cluster

"Lite" refers to the price, not the number of keys. Topre keyswitches are not cheap. A rubber membrane is.

Re: Mechanical Keyboard Guide

#14

Post by dxq »

thristian wrote: post #11
dxq wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The HHKB is very much still in production (mine just arrived last week), though it can be hard to get one in the US. I ordered mine from http://elitekeyboards.com . My HHKB is replacing a 16 year-old Apple Extended Keyboard. It's definitely not as click-clacky as a buckling spring keyboard, but it's much easier on my wrists (and doesn't wake people up when I'm hacking at night).

Hmm... elitekeyboards.com only seems to have the HHKB Professional 2... the one I have is a "HHKB Lite 2", which (in a strange inversion of the usual hierarchy) includes an extra Fn key on the left and an inverted-T arrow-key cluster. I realise using arrow keys is heresy to a certain subset of the programming community, but I've been using them for decades and it's hard to give them up.

The arrow keys are accessible with the function key. It seems awkward at first, but after a day of use it becomes very natural.

If it's what you really want, the HHKB Lite 2 is actually sold in the US and is quite a bit cheaper (though the switches aren't as nice).

Re: Mechanical Keyboard Guide

#16

Post by wwortiz »

thristian wrote: post #11
dxq wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The HHKB is very much still in production (mine just arrived last week), though it can be hard to get one in the US. I ordered mine from http://elitekeyboards.com . My HHKB is replacing a 16 year-old Apple Extended Keyboard. It's definitely not as click-clacky as a buckling spring keyboard, but it's much easier on my wrists (and doesn't wake people up when I'm hacking at night).

Hmm... elitekeyboards.com only seems to have the HHKB Professional 2... the one I have is a "HHKB Lite 2", which (in a strange inversion of the usual hierarchy) includes an extra Fn key on the left and an inverted-T arrow-key cluster. I realise using arrow keys is heresy to a certain subset of the programming community, but I've been using them for decades and it's hard to give them up.

The lite can be found here http://pfuca-store.stores.yahoo.net/haphackeyser.html

Though they didn't take away their days unavailable from august. I believe this yahoo store is also found from the officials manufacturers website for buying the keyboards.

Re: Mechanical Keyboard Guide

#18

Post by loup-vaillant »

Keyframe wrote: post #15

Has anyone tried TypeMatrix 2030?

I'm using one right now. It's not "mechanical", it's scissor-switch. It's a bit better than plain rubber dome, but you still have to bottom out.

The layout on the other hand, is really cool. I can now touch type without twisting my fingers in weird ways. It's more comfortable (even more than a Natural keyboard, actually), and a bit faster than ordinary slanted keyboards.

The displacement of some of the keys isn't a big deal. It takes some time to get used to, but makes things a bit better in the long run.

Re: Mechanical Keyboard Guide

#19

Post by nodata »

jrockway wrote: post #6

If you are new to mechanical keyboards, I recommend a Cherry Brown-based keyboard. They have a great tactile feel that quickly trains you to recognize that a key is typed without having to bottom out. I prefer the Topre switches, but the tactile bump is very subtle and if you do not consciously make the effort to not bottom out (initially), you will. And then it's just a very very expensive rubber-dome keyboard. (The…

Where can you buy a Cherry Brown keyboard?
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