Mechanical Keyboards...

Discussion in 'Geek Cave: Computers, Tablets, HT, Phones, Games' started by aufmerksam, Oct 1, 2015.

  1. bobboxbody

    bobboxbody Friend

    Pyrate BWC Contributor
    Joined:
    Sep 6, 2016
    Likes Received:
    1,465
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    GR, MI
    I've been pretty happy with the Hexgears X-1 low profile for a little over 2 years, never had a fancy keyboard before. I wanted low profile, ability to turn off RGB entirely, and the option to stay hard wired with USB. I do a moderate amount of typing and it's holding up well. I went with the brown(tactile) switches, they're not too loud and have decent feedback. They're on sale now at the Kono Store:
    https://kono.store/products/hexgears-x-1-mechanical-keyboard
     
  2. HeadFoneDude64

    HeadFoneDude64 Facebook Friend

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2016
    Likes Received:
    192
    Trophy Points:
    43
    Swapped my main keyboard to a Topre Type Heaven, swapped the keycaps to blue PBT ones. Also had gotten a keyboard wrist rest and a wrist rest + mousepad combo for these old wrists of mine.
    [​IMG]
     
  3. Riotvan

    Riotvan Snoofer in the Woofer

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    4,171
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    The Netherlands
    Just bought a Keychron K1-E1 with low profile optical red switches. And i'm very pleased with it, feels great to type on with no added pain for my messed up hands. Looks great as well and feels very sturdy with the full metal frame. Doesn't have tilt adjustment though so i stuck some rubber under it to angle and dampen it a bit more.
     
  4. fraggler

    fraggler A Happy & Busy Life

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 1, 2015
    Likes Received:
    5,085
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Chicago, IL
    Finally broke down and got a new keyboard for work. My partners and I decided to embrace flexibility to almost a fault so there are no assigned desks for our associates. They are free to work from home or in the office. Because they do the real work, I move from desk to desk as they are open. As such, I had been working off of just my laptop keyboard (and also why I just use BT NC buds now). Really missed the feel of my home office keyboard so I tried a couple different Keychrons. I ended up with the K5 Pro with low profile brown switches (Gateron Pro I think). I originally got one with low profile reds because I was worried about noise, but they were too mushy without that that tiny bump browns have. I had to go full numpad because I spreadsheet a bit. It is really nice - I enjoy it better than my full sized Logitech G610 with Cherry browns I have had at home for years. Quieter, decent travel still, much nicer keycaps, aluminum vs plastic, BT and USB. Perfect for when I have to move around. Liked it so much I got a K10 Pro for home, which is even nicer due to extra layers of foam, etc. For only about $25 more than I paid for my Logitech, I feel like I have gotten twice the typing experience. And, knowing myself, I don't need to go up the mountain any further.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jul 14, 2023
  5. Walderstorn

    Walderstorn Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Mar 20, 2016
    Likes Received:
    1,904
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Europe
    That's very clean@fraggler, i like those. Did you choose the switches yourself?
     
  6. fraggler

    fraggler A Happy & Busy Life

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 1, 2015
    Likes Received:
    5,085
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Chicago, IL
    Switches and keycaps were stock from Keychron. They included several extra keycaps to customize for Windows or Mac. Originally the Escape and Enter keys were red, but I swapped to the grays that they had included. They also do sell versions that are hot swappable so you can play with different switches, but for this work keyboard, I was happy. The K10 Pro I got for home is hot swappable just in case, but my patience for tinkering is low right now.
     
  7. fraggler

    fraggler A Happy & Busy Life

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 1, 2015
    Likes Received:
    5,085
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Chicago, IL
    • Like Like x 3
    • heart heart x 1
    • Epic Epic x 1
    • List
  8. Walderstorn

    Walderstorn Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Mar 20, 2016
    Likes Received:
    1,904
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Europe
    If that is well made it's something i would like to purchase. Will wait for the first batches.
     
  9. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

    Staff Member Pyrate Flathead IEMW
    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2015
    Likes Received:
    6,304
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Clear, clear water
    I’m looking to get a nicer keyboard. I’ve been using a Logitech K380 since Covid hit and we shut down the office for good. It has served its purpose but the letters are wearing off and I hate the round keys that make it a little difficult to type very fast. On the plush side, it had incredible battery life (approx 2 years) and was dirt cheap.

    I want to stick with wireless and need it to connect to several devices (Windows, Mac, iOS). I was thinking of sticking with something low profile, since I have no pain using this Logi ultra low profile.

    Does anyone have experience with NuPhy keyboards? The Air96 looks really nice. 300 hours with no backlight usage seems well above average for a quality mechanical keyboard. I’m a little worried of going to such a wider keyboard (3.75” wider) but the number keypad is desirable, even if I’ve lived without one since Covid.

    Also have a few Keychron models on my wishlist: K1, K3/K3pro and K13pro. The K3 non-backlight version is most appealing of these due to the extra battery life but only comes in white version and is sold out at the moment.

    Any others to investigate?

    @fraggler That K5 pro looks nice and clean.
     
  10. fraggler

    fraggler A Happy & Busy Life

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 1, 2015
    Likes Received:
    5,085
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Chicago, IL
    If you go with Keychron, I do recommend getting the Pro versions for the pbt keycaps. They feel great and will wear much more slowly with less shininess. A quick glance shows the price differences are less than what a full set of pbt keycaps would cost. At least for mine, you can turn off the backlights for longer battery life and it can be used while recharging.

    I still love mine (both versions I have), fwiw so definitely recommend the brand in general.
     
  11. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

    Staff Member Pyrate Flathead IEMW
    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2015
    Likes Received:
    6,304
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Clear, clear water
    I've not been in a rush to buy. I've decided when I do, I'll go with a 75% size and so far I have 2 particular models I'm interested in:

    1. Lofree Flow
    This is a low profile keyboard. Low profile interests me b/c a wrist pad isn't necessary. The Flow comes in all white or all black with an aluminum frame. The aluminum on the black model is darker and the whole thing looks pretty elegant.
    lowfree.jpeg
    The Kailh full POM 'self lubricating' hot swappable switches sound interesting; and gasket mounts and damping foam are appealing as well. Must be a tight fit in low profile. However the 40 hour battery life, we seemingly average is kind of a disappointment. Using wirelessly is a requirement, as I usually switch between 3 devices regularly. Also, this thing isn't in production yet. They've finished a Kickstarter funding and are now on Indiegogo for the next stages of 'orders'. I don't do this garbage anymore. Supposedly production units are planned to ship this month. Pre-production reviews look good but will wait to see the real thing released.

    2. Asus ROG Azoth
    Not a low profile keyboard but has custom like, seemingly high quality build. I'm not a gamer but the build of this appeals to me. More costly at $250 (Amazon has for $199) but might be worth it for the seemingly higher end build. Don't really care about the OLED screen, as that's something that I imagine will stay off, so useless real estate. Speaking of leaving it off, as well as the RGB lights, and you are talking 2,000 plus hours of battery life. That's competing with battery life Logitech gets from some of their various keyboards. This, along with the nice build, is part of the appeal of this keyboard.
    azoth.jpeg

    Possible 3rd option: Nuphy Air75 v2. Nuphy is asking for wish list of items for the v2 of their Air75. They have a thread on it on their Discord. Not sure on planned release dates.
     
  12. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    8,200
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Northwest France
  13. karas

    karas New

    Joined:
    Mar 13, 2018
    Likes Received:
    4
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Location:
    France
    For premade keyboards, I tend to recommend Leopold, and avoid gamer products.

    Most significant gains are from modding (lubing) stabilizers and switches, in that order. Obviously, this will affect your typing experience and not the look of your keyboard.
     
  14. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

    Staff Member Pyrate Flathead IEMW
    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2015
    Likes Received:
    6,304
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Clear, clear water
  15. Lyander

    Lyander Official SBAF Equitable Empathizer

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2017
    Likes Received:
    10,961
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Philippines, The
  16. Ti_Leo

    Ti_Leo Almost "Made"

    Joined:
    Mar 10, 2016
    Likes Received:
    355
    Trophy Points:
    53
    Oh, some Chinese mechanical keyboard users LOVE musical lighting! It's like a huge feature for some smallers manufacturers. (I don't know how it works, just some simulated lighting or calculated by real FQ.) Fiio has to make it right!!!
     
  17. Souldriver

    Souldriver Almost "Made"

    Contributor
    Joined:
    Mar 29, 2022
    Likes Received:
    362
    Trophy Points:
    75
    Location:
    NY
    Finished my first two builds.
    First build was pretty standard and came out great!

    Second was a pia as the alu plate wanted to bend and not let the switches snap in. I also blasted the stock finish and did a custom brushed look and put a smoke tinted powder clear coat on it.

    Im trying to decide if i want to swap to the gold screen trim.
     

    Attached Files:

  18. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

    Staff Member Pyrate Flathead IEMW
    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2015
    Likes Received:
    6,304
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Clear, clear water
    I decided to try an affordable kit from Qwerty Keys called the Neo65. It was pretty affordable and has a very similar profile to the Mode Envoy. Hopefully the wireless live is decent, as I got the tri-mode pcb.

    I was pretty convinced I was going to try a Keychron Q1 pro or Q2 pro, and was looking forward to having the rotary knob, but was little worried since those sit a few mm taller. The Neo65 is about as low profile as I’ve seen for a non-low profile keyboard with a height of 17mm without keys at the front.

    I went for the green case and copper bottom weight, and have my eyes on the PBTfans Resonance keycaps and some Haimu silent switches.
     
  19. dasman66

    dasman66 Self proclaimed lazy ass - friend

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Mar 13, 2018
    Likes Received:
    2,462
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    NW Pennsylvania
    Curious what is that little LCD between the keyboard and numpad? Also curious where the parts came from... I've wanted to build something for the first time and that second grey keyboard you doctored up looks awesome.
     
  20. Souldriver

    Souldriver Almost "Made"

    Contributor
    Joined:
    Mar 29, 2022
    Likes Received:
    362
    Trophy Points:
    75
    Location:
    NY
    It is a qk100 kit from qk keyboards. Not sure if there are extra but i bought it in their group buy. The little screen comes with the tri-mode kit, the wired kit comes with per key led instead and a filler badge.

    Kit has everything, you provide switches, keycaps, and assembly. (and lube for the stabilizers).
     
    Last edited: Sep 1, 2023

Share This Page