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...
Oh wow, do people really bring mechanical keyboards to the office? I thought that was generally considered a no-no.
Why Are Topre Keyboards So Expensive?
241–250 of 413 posts
Re: Why Are Topre Keyboards So Expensive?
#242Earlier quoted context omitted.
Oh wow, do people really bring mechanical keyboards to the office? I thought that was generally considered a no-no.
I’ve got a keychron at the office. No one bats an eye and it’s not like I pound the thing.
Re: Why Are Topre Keyboards So Expensive?
#243Earlier quoted context omitted.
Your best bet for mechanical switches that aren't too noisy are probably Cherry MX Browns.
I’m using silent red and I don’t find them too noisy. One of the main advantages of a mechanical is that they are often programmable so you no longer have to rely on software based methods to change key mappings. Caps lock is Escape everywhere all the time.
1. High quality, tactile switches (Cherry MX Blues or Browns) 2. Programmable keymapping 3. TKL layout 4. 6NKRO 5. PBT double-shot molded keycaps (not ABS) 6. Steel baseplate with as little flex as possible 7. Removable USB-C cable 8. Black or grey (dark colours)
I don't care at all about RGB, that's a gimmick to me. I'm not a gamer. I need something I can blaze on when doing heavy Vim editing or writing (I type +/- 150 wpm) after a nap and a few cups of good coffee.
I also prefer a narrow bezel, something like this: https://www.duckychannel.com.tw/en/Ducky-One-Golden-grey-TKL
Re: Why Are Topre Keyboards So Expensive?
#244Topre switches are great! But can someone explain the draw of HHKBs? Aside from nerd street cred, that is. A lot of programmers swear by them, but I don't understand why. Let's talk about the layout. As a Vim user, I need my CapsLock->Esc. Fine, so I'll remap Ctrl—but inexplicably, there are huge gaps where the regular Ctrl keys would be. There are no arrow keys or nav cluster, which means you need to use layers or k…
Re: Why Are Topre Keyboards So Expensive?
#245I paid through the nose for my Leopold FC660C because the specific one I wanted had to come from the US. Never regretted it ! I've added Hasu's board on it a few weeks ago and it's basically a perfect keyboard now.
Re: Why Are Topre Keyboards So Expensive?
#246Earlier quoted context omitted.
Frankly, the old Thinkpad keyboard had the best combination of travel and feel ever put together. I can understand people preferring a different trackpad, and not particularly liking the TrackPoint, but the keys themselves were bloody amazing. Low travel, low effort, pre-bottom feedback with no unnecessary noise. (I used to use the USB version of the keyboard with my desktop machines, even though I needed a separate…
I think I remember the keyboard you're referring to- the keys had squared corners and slightly concaved shape? The newer Thinkpad keyboards have much different- and worse- flat keys with rounded corners, and mushy. I've actually come to prefer the much shorter Macbook style keys nowadays.
Re: Why Are Topre Keyboards So Expensive?
#247The 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…
Re: "Rigorous Japanese Quality Standards," earlier this year I ordered a Leopold FC980C. It arrived with a warped case that would not lay flat on my desk (tested on multiple surfaces to make sure the problem wasn't with my desk). So much for legendary QA.
Re: Why Are Topre Keyboards So Expensive?
#248The mechanical keyboard community is unfortunately really toxic. In addition to second hand accounts, I have a friend who’s a newbie in it who I encouraged to talk to people to get her bearings, and there was a basically unanimous chorus of “fuck off, until you have something to offer us you’re just a waste of time”. I think it’s partially because it’s largely gamers, and partially because it’s largely about perceive…
Re: Why Are Topre Keyboards So Expensive?
#249After enough persuasion from my friend, who loves mechanical switches, I bought a silent full-sized Realforce R2 PFU. This is not a game-changer but a nice upgrade of the workspace. Now I am more comfortable with it than with any mechanical switch I tried.
Re: Why Are Topre Keyboards So Expensive?
#250Earlier quoted context omitted.
I agree so much!! I've tried my best to like mechanical keyboards... but no, I hate them. The noise is distracting, they require too much strength on every key, and they are big and expansive! I thought I might have the wrong keytypes, so I even purchased key testers: the red keys are less noisy, but that doesn't solve the other problems. So I just can't find a reason to like them. My favorite keyboard is the Thinkpa…
Exactly the same sentiment. My yearlong experiment to try to love mechanical keyboards left me with a thousand euro hole in my wallet and physical problems spanning from fingers to upper body musculature. I loved the tactile feel, but hated what they did to my body. I think mechanical keyboards are just too high, with excessive travel. You sort of have to keep your hands floating in the air, which transfers stress to…
I've also not charged the thing in months and it doesn't seem to care, which blows my mind.