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My Unhealthy Relationship with Keyboards

jackevansevo.github.io

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Re: My Unhealthy Relationship with Keyboards

#191

Post by fallat »

tomduncalf wrote: post #180

Big fan of the MS Sculpt myself. I like the "MacBook-esque" low profile keys. The only downsides are: - I've had keycaps fall off after a couple of years and they're almost impossible to get back on (for me at least). The second time this happened I realised it had a 3 year warranty though, so got a replacement. - It requires a dongle rather than Bluetooth, and if you lose the dongle, you're screwed, as they're paire…

I honestly hope to god MS continues to produce these keyboards. It's the only keyboard I've rebought because I love it so much. The ergonomic tilt both inward and upward, with the scissor switch keys, all for $100, is f'ing incredible.

This is the defacto keyboard I recommend to everyone who types a ton a day.

Re: My Unhealthy Relationship with Keyboards

#192

Post by doubled112 »

bityard wrote: post #139
gorjusborg wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also, the number pad is pretty useless to me. I am not a cashier or accountant. The top row is fine fine for programming.

People who work at all with ipv4 networks (devops, sre, sysadmin, netadmin) find themselves entering IP addresses on most regular days.

I am a sysadmin who thought I wanted a numpad, but it turns out I want the desk space and ability to toss the keyboard to the side more.

Re: My Unhealthy Relationship with Keyboards

#193

Post by normaler »

jseliger wrote: post #117
EtienneK wrote: post #56

I was expecting to see 10s of keyboards as you'd see from most in r/MechanicalKeyboards and was disappointed to only find 5. Not an unhealthy relationship at all!

I eventually wound up with Kinesis ergo keyboards and stopped being much "into" keyboards; they are a means to an end: https://jakeseliger.com/2011/07/17/further-thoughts-on-the-k... . Now I have an Advantage 3 with Box White switches, after admittedly talking to an Upgrade Keyboards key switch sommelier, which I admit somewhat undercuts my first sentence in this comment.

I have been using the Freestyle Pro for the last 4 years now and it has ended me thinking about keyboards. I was really looking forward to the new super fancy one, but that felt too expensive when I already have one I am happy with it. ~600 Euros in DE when I remember correctly.

Re: My Unhealthy Relationship with Keyboards

#194

Post by tomduncalf »

fallat wrote: post #191
tomduncalf wrote: post #180

Big fan of the MS Sculpt myself. I like the "MacBook-esque" low profile keys. The only downsides are: - I've had keycaps fall off after a couple of years and they're almost impossible to get back on (for me at least). The second time this happened I realised it had a 3 year warranty though, so got a replacement. - It requires a dongle rather than Bluetooth, and if you lose the dongle, you're screwed, as they're paire…

I honestly hope to god MS continues to produce these keyboards. It's the only keyboard I've rebought because I love it so much. The ergonomic tilt both inward and upward, with the scissor switch keys, all for $100, is f'ing incredible. This is the defacto keyboard I recommend to everyone who types a ton a day.

Agree, I almost want to stockpile them in case they ever do stop making them haha

Re: My Unhealthy Relationship with Keyboards

#195

Post by pxc »

acheron wrote: post #122
Jackevansevo wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apologies for the clickbait headline. My dad worked in IT and used the same keyboard for like 20+ years. Part of me hopes that one day I can find a board that survives for an extended period of time, but I guess modern spending habits and build quality has changed. I have to buy a new phone every 2/3 years for the same reasons.

I bought my Unicomp Model M 15+ years ago and it’s still perfectly great.

My current favorite keyboard is a Unicomp Mini M, and my collection includes a couple of IBM Model Ms, which I grew up typing on.

It's basically a slightly nicer mechanical tenkeyless than the original IBM SSK: lighter, slimmer, native USB, and more simultaneous keypresses, but still hefty and solid, with the same buckling spring action and wonderful curved backplate.

Unicomp's brand new Model M keyboards are also quite affordable by custom keyboard standards: $125 for a New Model M, $150 for a buckling spring Mac keyboard, and $150 for the excellent Mini M.

I have some of the more common, modular custom keyboards with the Cherry-compatible switches and all that. By and large, they're more expensive and more work to get into an agreeable actuation force range if you're used to dealing with real buckling spring switches. At the same time, the actuation force curve is never quite right because the 'tactile bump' of such a switch always involves a brief spike in actuation force instead of the regular increase and then collapsing action you get with a buckling spring.

If you've never used a buckling spring keyboard, you may find that you prefer some of the newer switches, especially the ones that don't imitate the 'clickiness' or heaviness of IBM/Unicomp buckling spring switches. But IMHO a brand new buckling spring keyboard is not just cheaper but plain better to type on them any of the more expensive, more 'modern' options.

Re: My Unhealthy Relationship with Keyboards

#197

Post by wellthisisgreat »

coreyh14444 wrote: post #67
coreyh14444 wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was going to do the Crocodile Dundee "That's not a knife, this is a knife" routine on this one. Taeha Types, Glarses, Hipyo Tech, Switch and Click, et al, would like to have a word.

And I'm typing this on a fully custom, hand soldered, hand lubed, modded Maja V2 from KBDFans and MT3 keycaps from Drop. Easily costs more than all those boards in that post combined. And let's just say this is not my only keyboard.

I tried all the profiles that existed up to 2021 or so, and MT3 is really the best keycap profile;

Re: My Unhealthy Relationship with Keyboards

#198

Post by wellthisisgreat »

coreyh14444 wrote: post #133
J_Shelby_J wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s a neat hobby! Honestly, all you really need is to lube the switches. That’s biggest benefit. A lubed mechanical switch, even the cheapest generic red, out performs anything off the shelf.

Totally agree. You can take a basic mechanical keyboard from Amazon with hot swap switches, lube them. Maybe do a basic tape mod (just put masking tape on the back of the PCB) and get like 85% of the benefit of a high end keyboard. This is what I've done for the rest of my family's keyboards.

What does the tape mod do?

Re: My Unhealthy Relationship with Keyboards

#199

Post by jrockway »

frameset wrote: post #16

I really don't understand the numpad-less trend of fashionable keyboards. Doing any kind of number entry beyond one or two digits is very annoying without one. They also don't take up that much space really. If your keyboard is a portable one you pack with you on trips, I get it. If it lives on a desk, why not splash out the small amount extra to make number entry much easier.

The reason people ditch number pads is so that their mouse can be closer to them. Feel what your upper arm is doing as you rotate to get to a mouse that's next to a number pad, that is painful for a lot of people. (If you use your mouse with your left hand, then this doesn't matter.)

Personally, I just have a layer that I activate with my right thumb to turn the m,.jkluio keys into 123456789, so it's like having a number pad, but one that doesn't take up any space.

Re: My Unhealthy Relationship with Keyboards

#200

Post by Whatarethese »

whatever1 wrote: post #196

I want a keyboard with a touchpad beneath the space bar, like the laptops. It is very nice to have everything in front of you and have space on your right / left for a paper notebook. There is nothing out there.

Not sure if you use Mac OS but people have designed this https://www.printables.com/model/61596-magic-keyboard-and-tr...
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