Are mechanical keyboards that much "better" (I know this is subjective) than normal laptop keyboards (I have a macbook pro). I'm considering buying one but they are quite expensive...
If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead
221–230 of 373 posts
Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead
#222Around 2 years ago now, I took the plunge and bought myself an Ergodox EZ split island keyboard. Quite franky, it is the biggest quantum leap in the ergonomic experience of interacting with a computer I have seen since learning Vim. It is comfortable, effortless and fast. If you spend any significant time interacting with computers it is a complete no brainer to invest in optimising the IO channel between your brain…
Ergodox looks damn enticing. But I'm not planning to switch because it will make me unlearn all the traditional keyboards for me. In particular, I will have trouble touch-typing on a laptop keyboard after that, and there are zero options for an Ergodox-like layout on a commercially available laptop. So, no way to work on a train or a plane. I wish some laptop maker were so brave as to offer a split and angled keyboar…
As an ergodox user I'm still fine with normal keyboards. The key thing seems to be to stick with qwerty on your ergodox.
Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead
#223Are mechanical keyboards that much "better" (I know this is subjective) than normal laptop keyboards (I have a macbook pro). I'm considering buying one but they are quite expensive...
It’s completely and totally subjective. I don’t personally enjoy them as I find them too elevated and uncomfortable. Regardless, I enjoy looking at the keyboards people build over on /r/mechanicalkeyboards
I’d add that subjective also applies to ergonomics. I recognize that the Ergo series is borderline life changing for some people, but I greatly prefer the Apple keyboards and their extremely low profile. To each their own.
Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead
#224Are mechanical keyboards that much "better" (I know this is subjective) than normal laptop keyboards (I have a macbook pro). I'm considering buying one but they are quite expensive...
It depends.
Mechanical keyboards last for about a decade, probably more. During which time I’ll be at my main computer and typing about 20,000hours. So using a mechanical keyboard less than a penny an hour.
So yeah, if something makes my time a little more comfortable I’d consider it worth that cost.
Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead
#225Are mechanical keyboards that much "better" (I know this is subjective) than normal laptop keyboards (I have a macbook pro). I'm considering buying one but they are quite expensive...
That's a pretty low bar.
Even a cheap dome keyboard is much better than a laptop keyboard.
And you can get a mechanical keyboard for less than $100, if you don't want RGB and fancy features.
Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead
#226Are mechanical keyboards that much "better" (I know this is subjective) than normal laptop keyboards (I have a macbook pro). I'm considering buying one but they are quite expensive...
I would never use the keyboard of my 2012 MBP full time if I didn’t have to. OTOH, the typing class I took in high school used manual typewriters, and I came into computers in an era when keyboards could serve as a blunt weapon. So y’all can keep your squishy little laptop keyboards.
But, as sibling says, it’s subjective. Try and find a buddy to let you try their’s. If you’re anywhere near the Eastside of Seattle, hell, buy me a beer and I’ll loan you a Das Keyboard I’ve got spare.
Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead
#22710 months in with my Ultimate Hacker Keyboard, and I can confidently say that it brings me more joy than any other electronic device I have, with maybe the exception of my MBP. Before I had mild RSI here and there, but with the UHK I have zero pain, ever. But it did take a lot of learning. I spent about 3 months feeling like an idiot ( hitting keys that weren't there, forgetting which macro I'd mapped, typing an arro…
I have an UHK now and love it so much that I bring it back and forth to work everyday. Before the UHK I had a MS Sculpt and was a bit worried I wouldn't be able to get used to the UHK so I used Karabiner to set up a mod later and pretrained myself for a couple of weeks before pulling the trigger. Once I got the UHK the learning curve wasn't bad at all. For people who maybe tried a split keyboard and couldn't deal wit…
"That I bring it back and forth to work everyday".
Yeah, I said to hell with that, and just bought another one for work!
Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead
#22810 months in with my Ultimate Hacker Keyboard, and I can confidently say that it brings me more joy than any other electronic device I have, with maybe the exception of my MBP. Before I had mild RSI here and there, but with the UHK I have zero pain, ever. But it did take a lot of learning. I spent about 3 months feeling like an idiot ( hitting keys that weren't there, forgetting which macro I'd mapped, typing an arro…
I'd love to get a split keyboard (especially one with a long cable so I can have the two halves shoulder-length apart), but 300 euros for a keyboard is WAAAY too much.
Maybe I can somehow repurpose my old (or even current) Das keyboard into a split one.
Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead
#229Around 2 years ago now, I took the plunge and bought myself an Ergodox EZ split island keyboard. Quite franky, it is the biggest quantum leap in the ergonomic experience of interacting with a computer I have seen since learning Vim. It is comfortable, effortless and fast. If you spend any significant time interacting with computers it is a complete no brainer to invest in optimising the IO channel between your brain…
Ergodox looks damn enticing. But I'm not planning to switch because it will make me unlearn all the traditional keyboards for me. In particular, I will have trouble touch-typing on a laptop keyboard after that, and there are zero options for an Ergodox-like layout on a commercially available laptop. So, no way to work on a train or a plane. I wish some laptop maker were so brave as to offer a split and angled keyboar…
I also use an (QWERTY) ergodox, and I'm fine jumping back and forth between normal keyboards and the ergodox. I'd say budget 2-3 weeks to get comfortable on the ergodox, and then another 2-3 weeks before you're comfortable jumping between it and normal keyboards again.
Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead
#230Check out the "Dactyl-ManuForm": https://github.com/tshort/dactyl-keyboard > a parameterized, split-hand, concave, columnar, ergonomic keyboard.
I wonder how difficult would be mouse functionality integration to both of them or there was such an attempt before, would be quite interesting to use those with double pointer.
IIRC there was a variation someone made with a small trackball under the thumb. I thought that was an interesting idea. You're talking about having two mice inputs? That's pretty cool.