Chicken :cqlgusu:
Next payday, I want to buy a #MechanicalKeyboard. I've been looking in shops but they don't have many options and none of them appeal to me.
I know there are lots of people who are nerds about mechanical keyboards.
If this applies to you, do you have any recommendations for me?
Chicken :cqlgusu:
@geillescas I don't know what any of those things mean. 😅
Germán Enríquez
@lookitmychicken
It pretty much depends on your taste. Nowadays there are barebones kits for everyone. Do you prefer linear or tactile? Ortholinear or staggered? PBT or ABS?
Chicken :cqlgusu:
@minna They're dull, or not pretty, or they're in sealed boxes and I don't get to tappy tap on them to check the feel.
So far, I've only tried Officeworks and JB Hi-Fi. Both of those places only had 2 or 3 options each.
minna
@lookitmychicken keychron are always a solid option, I've got two. Is the part thats not appealing about brick and mortar options the appearance or the feel?
Chicken :cqlgusu:
@minna
Definitely want numpad. Slight preference for wireless but not that important
minna
@lookitmychicken oh yeah they're SO boring haha. for appearance, to have something genuinely attractive or cute ones you generally have to buy a set of keycaps and swap out what it came with. that said, i'd really recommend getting a hot swappable one so that you can try different switches if you want to and still keychron > anything at jb etc. keychron ship from aus and it arrives pretty quick in my experience. do you care about numpad or not, or have a preference for wireless vs wired?
Chicken :cqlgusu:
@opendev
I learned to type 40 years ago on an old manual typewriter, so I'm going to stick with the traditional keyboard layout.
I found several people locally that I already know, and didn't realised that they were mechanical keyboard people too. So I'm going to try out their keyboards.
opendev | scs
@lookitmychicken Try to find a meetup near your location, take a look at the many boards there and try them. :)
For any further questions, just ask. :)
opendev | scs
@lookitmychicken So many options. The first question is, how deep you want to fall (at least directly at the beginning) into the rabbit hole?
You can start with a regular keyboard which is only smaller then a normie 100%. Some cut just space between alphas, arrows and numbers, some skip the numbers, some also the arrows and the next steps are get rid F-row and then num-row, and so on.
But if you want to dare something then take a look at split-keyboards. They are also available in many sizes.
Marco Bresciani
@lookitmychicken
Take a look at my story, if it helps: https://marcoxbresciani.codeberg.page/keyboards/my-keyboard-story.html
@geillescas
Chicken :cqlgusu:
@AAMfP @geillescas oh my goodness, that's a lot of information! 😲
I'm not planning to get that deeply into it, but you never know.
Chicken :cqlgusu:
@the_blackwell_ninja
That looks pretty neat! I might like to get a split keyboard at some point. Not yet but maybe a second keyboard for work?
the_blackwell_ninja
@lookitmychicken I like the ErgoDox because along with all the other benefits you get from a programmable mech keyboard, it's ergonomic and you can position each half just so.
Chicken :cqlgusu:
@minna I've used the old-school keyboards back in the 80s and 90s so I'm pretty used to the larger size and the clickiness.
It sounds like I'm going to want the blue switches and maybe a wrist rest.
I guess my wrists are a bit older now than they were in the 80s, so they might appreciate a bit more support.
minna
if any of the ones you got to try in person advertised themselves as a "gamer" keyboard they were almost certainly linear. the ones that heavily bill themselves as 'retro' are usually clicky, like if you got to try the 8BitDo Retro one that's a clicky switch, and those round-key logitech Pop mechanical keyboards are tactile / brown switches
minna
@lookitmychicken oh something to consider if you haven't had one before as well, they're quite a bit taller than non mechanical keyboards. i had a couple of cheap squishy wrist rests that i used on heavy typing days until i got into the habit of holding my arm up instead of resting the point of my palm on the desk because i kept goofing myself ^^;
minna
@lookitmychicken i'd rec the aluminium frame Keychron K4 or K10. they're USB-C and you can use them wired or wireless, which also means you can switch between two different machines pretty quick. I've got a K4 as my work keyboard, it's got a great feel without weighing a ton.
re: the feeling of typing on them, a lot of that's about the switch - the 3 most common ones are blue (clicky) brown (tactile) and red (linear). there's some other colours, but they're less common and are variations on those three, being all clicky, tactile or linear theme.
'clicky' is a loud tactile switch, they're the closest to the old school keyboards from the 80s/90s. 'tactile' are similar but less loud, and you don't have to push the keys quite as hard. they both have a sort of 'bump' as you press down the key that tells you it's registered. linear are the quietest, lightest touch & don't have that bump feedback.
Chicken :cqlgusu:
@apfel I like the idea of something weird!
But I also want to get something that feels like what I use to type on in the 80s and 90s.
So I think probably a retro-style keyboard for my first modern mechanical keyboard, and perhaps something weird if I end up getting another one.
apfel
@lookitmychicken Personally fell down the rabbit hole a while ago and ended up trying a 34-key split ergonomical keyboard. I've never productively typed on anything bigger since. So i guess my recommendation would be: Don't be afraid to try something weird!
Chicken :cqlgusu:
@pdcawley @jesse Wow, that keyboardio model 100 is hella sexy 😍
Piers Cawley
@lookitmychicken I've been pleased by my Keychron K3, or if you want something more radical, @jesse makes some fabulous boards at https://keyboard.io
Chicken :cqlgusu:
@fabrik42 I don't think there are many meetups where I live (Melbourne), and I don't want to wait that long! It sounds like an excellent idea for people who live in areas where the meetups happen more often, though.
Christian Bäuerlein
@lookitmychicken visit a local meetup like https://mechanicon.io and try before you buy :)
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