81–90 of 413 posts
For me, one nice thing about working from home all the time now is that I don't have to listen to everyone's annoyingly loud mechanical keyboards. I kinda hope this fad dies before I have to work in an office again...
The notion that a capacitive switch is somehow expensive to manufacture because the PCB is allegedly "special" (doubt) seems odd to me. All other capacitive sensing stuff uses bog-standard PCBs with nothing special about them at all and it's not like the rubberdome is hard to manufacture either (considering that a more complex kind of rubberdome mat is the centerpiece in cheap rubberdome membrane keyboards). And then…
I've taken apart Topre style boards before. I can absolutely confirm that the internals work differently from a classic rubber dome board.
I'm not about to argue that the different mechanism makes Topres somehow special or worth the price of admission, but there's nothing "alleged" about it. I do love the sound they make, though.
Can anyone recommend an entry level mechanical keyboard specifically for extended typing (as opposed to gaming)? Or, at least, specific features/qualities to seek out.
Having a split keyboard is the most important step IMO to healthy hands, right after getting the right desk height to keep the wrist at the normal angle.
I recommend keeb.io keyboards (I own 3), Sinc (fuller size) or Quefrency. Don’t let the aesthetic confuse you - they are much better quality than anything factory made.
If you are looking for a more traditional keyboard - look at Kinesis offerings (they have several split mech boards, I own Freestyle, but retired it in favor of Keeb.io stuff)
I hear people like Digma Raise as well, but i never used it.
YMDK has a 65% split board on Drop i think.
Seriously, go for the split one.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
IBM keyboards were also astronomically expensive, the Model M was around $250 in 1985 which is something like $600 in 2021 dollars. The modern Unicomp incarnations made on the same tooling are not as nice as the OG Model M's, but they're a reasonable approximation and still only $100. I have no doubt the pricing on the HHKB and other Topre boards provides a very comfortable profit margin. Which is fine, if people are…
Wow, I had no idea the Model M was so pricey. I always assumed it was a big standard accessory that became a cult classic
It was my favorite until I got a new thinkpad, with island keys: even if both are membrane, they are just so much better than the mechanical alternatives!
No, I haven't heard of Topre or seen any reviews until now.
> Topre boards, why are they so expensive? ... $250 ...
Although I suspect many keyboard enthusiasts might usually hover in the $100-$200 range for their pieces, $250 for parts and labor isn't that expensive. The Kinesis Advantage is $350, the Ergodox Moonlander is $370, even Apple's magic keyboard for the iPad is $300 so a $250 isn't cheap, but certainly isn't astronomical compared to what's out there. A lot of cheaper keyboards can be had, but they usually come at the cost of poorer quality or require additional labor and customization.
I have the privilege of owning a Happy Hacking 2, it has topre keys. I used it for about a year. And I hated it! It's insanely noisy, to the point of distraction. It's so damn loud. But the dealbreaker for me is how heavy and deep the keys are. It's just too much energy and travel time for efficient typing IMO. After long sessions my fingertips felt sore from the blunt damage of pushing down the keys. But I'll recogn…
This kinda seems like an advertisement masquerading as a review.