The Mechanical Keyboards Club

[Supercrumpet]

1 hour ago, The Pook said:

I've been wanting something smaller than a TKL that has:

a) full size right shift

b) dedicated arrow keys

c) dedicated DEL key

 

but my options are slim  

 

I like the Shurikey Hanzo (001 and 002, the 003 is a bit much) but it's continually OOS and I always miss the group buys 

 

 

 

 

Looks like it was practically made for you then. I really like the 001 color layout myself. Why the particular interest in a full right shift? Just how your finger rests on it?

[iamjanco]

2 hours ago, Supercrumpet said:

 

I've seen that Flying Tigers board before, interesting design but a bit much for me lol. The wrist rest is really nice though. What switches do you have on it?

 

I toyed with the idea of getting a Moonlander split keyboard for months, so I tried a friend's Ergodox out for a couple weeks and I just couldn't get used to it. Biggest issue I had was that I use my left hand to hit the "y" key (my fingers are pretty long so I can do that comfortably) but on most split keyboards it's on the right half. Relearning years of muscle memory proved to be too much of a hassle so I decided it wasn't worth that trouble, plus the premium price of a split board. They're super cool though.

 

That's right, I forgot you ended up with the OCN Ducky. I thought about buying it, but that wouldn't have been the best use of my money at the time haha. Glad it ended up in good hands.

 

All three boards (plus the pic) added to the membership sheet, minus the switches for the Varmilo.

 

Thanks! Don't forget the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Mechanical Gaming Keyboard I have as well, it's got SteelSeries' "Omnipoint" mechanical switches in it.

 

As for the switches in the Varmilo, those are Varmilo's "Rose" EC Switches (V2) in that keyboard.

[The Pook]

21 minutes ago, Supercrumpet said:

 

Looks like it was practically made for you then. I really like the 001 color layout myself. Why the particular interest in a full right shift? Just how your finger rests on it?

 

I bought a 60% with arrows and the half size right shift and even after a couple months I couldn't get used to it, 9/10 times I went for the right shift I hit the arrow key. I'm sure I'd get used to it eventually but if I'm going to spend >$100 on a keyboard I want what I want 

 

[Supercrumpet]

1 hour ago, iamjanco said:

 

Thanks! Don't forget the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Mechanical Gaming Keyboard I have as well, it's got SteelSeries' "Omnipoint" mechanical switches in it.

 

As for the switches in the Varmilo, those are Varmilo's "Rose" EC Switches (V2) in that keyboard.

 

Info added, thanks.

 

53 minutes ago, The Pook said:

 

I bought a 60% with arrows and the half size right shift and even after a couple months I couldn't get used to it, 9/10 times I went for the right shift I hit the arrow key. I'm sure I'd get used to it eventually but if I'm going to spend >$100 on a keyboard I want what I want 

 

 

Yeah I totally get that, exactly how I felt when I tried a split keyboard.

[pio]

7 hours ago, Supercrumpet said:

 

Info added, thanks.

 

 

Yeah I totally get that, exactly how I felt when I tried a split keyboard.

I guess I should've included more info, could you add my 2 to the list please?

AJazz DKM150, Cherry MX Brown switches, fullsize, white LED
Redragon Kumara K552N, Cherry MX Blue switches, TKL, various salvaged black and grey keycaps

[Supercrumpet]

13 hours ago, pioneerisloud said:

I guess I should've included more info, could you add my 2 to the list please?

AJazz DKM150, Cherry MX Brown switches, fullsize, white LED
Redragon Kumara K552N, Cherry MX Blue switches, TKL, various salvaged black and grey keycaps

 

Added, sorry I missed the Ajazz when you first posted about it.

[pio]

6 hours ago, Supercrumpet said:

 

Added, sorry I missed the Ajazz when you first posted about it.

No worries.  I derped and didn't include full info about my boards when I posted anyway.  Thank you for updating it. 

On the topic of keyboards, I went searching around and I have to say.....nothing good is in stock it seems. -_-  I'm also being super picky lol.  There was a neat DIY board at mechanicalkeybaords, but the switches were OOS till January.  I might go the build your own board route next keyboard.  Definitely wanting MX Blue keys, o-rings, wireless, and maybe RGB so I can change colors.  I really do like the idea of a build your own board, so that way I can know how to repair it myself if it breaks.  Too many options, but not enough in stock!

[Supercrumpet]

On 29/12/2021 at 00:08, pioneerisloud said:

No worries.  I derped and didn't include full info about my boards when I posted anyway.  Thank you for updating it. 

On the topic of keyboards, I went searching around and I have to say.....nothing good is in stock it seems. -_-  I'm also being super picky lol.  There was a neat DIY board at mechanicalkeybaords, but the switches were OOS till January.  I might go the build your own board route next keyboard.  Definitely wanting MX Blue keys, o-rings, wireless, and maybe RGB so I can change colors.  I really do like the idea of a build your own board, so that way I can know how to repair it myself if it breaks.  Too many options, but not enough in stock!

 

To what degree were you thinking about DIY-ing? I'm currently of the mindset that hotswappable switch-capable boards are the happy medium since they don't require any soldering or intensive assembly, but allow you to replace faulty switches or change things up without having to purchase an entirely new board. Many hotswappable boards are also RGB, with the LEDs on the PCB of the board, so any switch is effectively RGB-compatible (but of course some are better than others since not all switches have translucent housings).

 

A note on o-rings though, I tried them on a board I had with Gateron browns (very similar to Cherry browns) to quiet it down even more, and while it was a bit quieter, it completely destroyed the feel. Very mushy, and not much better than a rubber dome. I'll be extremely hesitant to use o-rings in the future. I'm sure others have had better experiences, and hopefully someone here has and will pipe up about it, but I'm not sure if you'd be terribly satisfied with that solution.

[ENTERPRISE]

I didn't make it to the list

 

Overclock.net Ducky Shine Edition DK9008S is my daily driver.

[Supercrumpet]

On 19/03/2022 at 11:37, ENTERPRISE said:

I didn't make it to the list

 

Overclock.net Ducky Shine Edition DK9008S is my daily driver.

 

Whoops! I think I assumed that was the board that you sold, but looking again, it was a different model. Didn't know there was more than one.

 

What switches?

[Fluxmaven]

I try not to think about how many keyboards I have lol. I'll list a few of them 

 

RAMA Kara - Glorious Pandas - GMK Laser

Custom 60% with brass plate and NPKC resin case - BOX Royal - KAT Specimen

Custom 60% with KPrepublic 3layer case - Gateron Green - EnjoyPBT Sushi

Anne Pro - Lubed Gateron Browns - Stock keycaps and a couple cheap artisans 

Daisy 40% meme build... - IIRC it's Gat housings, Cherry blue stems, 150g springs - random blanks I had in my spare parts drawer. 

Clueboard - 67g Zealios- SA Pulse

Affirmative branded Unicomp Model M 122 key - Buckling springs- Stock caps *Miata for scale. (also yikes I forgot how tall it was before coilovers)

Realforce 87u - 55g uniform Topre - mostly stock with 8 bit alphas and purple marble caps... Don't remember the brand. 

 

Also have a GMMK TKL that I used for testing switches, another custom board with BOX Navies (clickiest board I own), and a few different 60% cases and keycap sets that I swap between as well as a few mech numpads and macro pads. 

[Avacado]

6 hours ago, Fluxmaven said:

I try not to think about how many keyboards I have lol. I'll list a few of them 

 

RAMA Kara - Glorious Pandas - GMK Laser

Custom 60% with brass plate and NPKC resin case - BOX Royal - KAT Specimen

Custom 60% with KPrepublic 3layer case - Gateron Green - EnjoyPBT Sushi

Anne Pro - Lubed Gateron Browns - Stock keycaps and a couple cheap artisans 

Daisy 40% meme build... - IIRC it's Gat housings, Cherry blue stems, 150g springs - random blanks I had in my spare parts drawer. 

Clueboard - 67g Zealios- SA Pulse

Affirmative branded Unicomp Model M 122 key - Buckling springs- Stock caps *Miata for scale. (also yikes I forgot how tall it was before coilovers)

Realforce 87u - 55g uniform Topre - mostly stock with 8 bit alphas and purple marble caps... Don't remember the brand. 

 

Also have a GMMK TKL that I used for testing switches, another custom board with BOX Navies (clickiest board I own), and a few different 60% cases and keycap sets that I swap between as well as a few mech numpads and macro pads. 

Yea, yea, yea. The keyboards are nice, but can we talk about that LOGITECH MOUSE!? The dead inside pillow is a bit misleading, what with the happy Sun and Dolphin. 

[Fluxmaven]

5 hours ago, Avacado said:

Yea, yea, yea. The keyboards are nice, but can we talk about that LOGITECH MOUSE!?

It's an original TrackMan Marble from 95. Works great but it feels like a cheap toy compared to my CST (Clearly Superior Technologies) L-Trac Glow. 

[Supercrumpet]

On 04/04/2022 at 01:20, Fluxmaven said:

I try not to think about how many keyboards I have lol. I'll list a few of them 

 

RAMA Kara - Glorious Pandas - GMK Laser

Custom 60% with brass plate and NPKC resin case - BOX Royal - KAT Specimen

Custom 60% with KPrepublic 3layer case - Gateron Green - EnjoyPBT Sushi

Anne Pro - Lubed Gateron Browns - Stock keycaps and a couple cheap artisans 

Daisy 40% meme build... - IIRC it's Gat housings, Cherry blue stems, 150g springs - random blanks I had in my spare parts drawer. 

Clueboard - 67g Zealios- SA Pulse

Affirmative branded Unicomp Model M 122 key - Buckling springs- Stock caps *Miata for scale. (also yikes I forgot how tall it was before coilovers)

Realforce 87u - 55g uniform Topre - mostly stock with 8 bit alphas and purple marble caps... Don't remember the brand. 

 

Also have a GMMK TKL that I used for testing switches, another custom board with BOX Navies (clickiest board I own), and a few different 60% cases and keycap sets that I swap between as well as a few mech numpads and macro pads. 

 

Sheet updated; what a collection! Thanks for posting with photos, I really like the variety you have. I think you're just missing some split board action.

[Fluxmaven]

Thanks for taking the time to add everything. There are a few boards I would like to get at some point but I've scaled back on the hobby as a whole in the past couple years. There was a point where I was browsing r/mechmarket daily. Used to buy a lot of botched boards to fix and flip. Usually just bad soldering sometimes got lucky and people just didn't know how to flash firmware. 

[Supercrumpet]

11 hours ago, Fluxmaven said:

Thanks for taking the time to add everything. There are a few boards I would like to get at some point but I've scaled back on the hobby as a whole in the past couple years. There was a point where I was browsing r/mechmarket daily. Used to buy a lot of botched boards to fix and flip. Usually just bad soldering sometimes got lucky and people just didn't know how to flash firmware. 

 

Not such a bad way to spend your time, you may as well make your time/money/unhealthy spending desires work for you a little. I meant to ask yesterday, what's your daily board? I have two that I go back and forth between on my main PC so I'm always curious to see if other folks that have a lot of boards just use one or rotate through them all.

[Fluxmaven]

8 hours ago, Supercrumpet said:

 

Not such a bad way to spend your time, you may as well make your time/money/unhealthy spending desires work for you a little. I meant to ask yesterday, what's your daily board? I have two that I go back and forth between on my main PC so I'm always curious to see if other folks that have a lot of boards just use one or rotate through them all.

 

I used to rotate constantly because I was upgrading and flipping boards a lot. I actually prefer clicky boards but have settled on mostly using tactile boards as to not disturb the people I'm around. I recently changed careers and went from an IT sysadmin with a private office to being an AV engineer that's mostly out in the field. I have the Clueboard in my cube for the rare times when I'm actually in the office. In my shared home office I have been using the Kara, and in my bedroom I'm using the Realforce. 

[tictoc]

Looks like I'm not in this yet.

 

Latest addition:

 

Unicomp Mini M

 

 

Daily driver | Filco Majestouch 2 TKL Camo | MX Brown | Keycaps: Blank Black PBT and Double Shot PBT Dark Gray w/ Black Legends

Work board | Cooler Master Quick Fire TK | MX Brown w/ dampers

On the KVM | Max Blackbird TKL | MX Brown

Spare board | Corsair K65 RGB Mini Black | MX Speed

  

 

 

Edited May 27, 2022 by tictoc

[bonami2]

Just in case

 

 

[Supercrumpet]

On 26/05/2022 at 22:39, tictoc said:

Looks like I'm not in this yet.

 

Latest addition:

 

Unicomp Mini M

 

 

Daily driver | Filco Majestouch 2 TKL Camo | MX Brown | Keycaps: Blank Black PBT and Double Shot PBT Dark Gray w/ Black Legends

Work board | Cooler Master Quick Fire TK | MX Brown w/ dampers

On the KVM | Max Blackbird TKL | MX Brown

Spare board | Corsair K65 RGB Mini Black | MX Speed

  

 

 

 

Added!

 

Always been interested in Unicomps. How do you like yours?

[GhosX]

hi,

mine was Ducky DK-9087
Year of the Dragon Yellow LED TenKeyLess
Switch : Brown Cherry MX

Extra : White Rubber for more silent

 

 

[Supercrumpet]

On 07/06/2022 at 07:04, GhosX said:

hi,

mine was Ducky DK-9087
Year of the Dragon Yellow LED TenKeyLess
Switch : Brown Cherry MX

Extra : White Rubber for more silent

 

 

 

Thanks! Added to the list.

[tictoc]

On 06/06/2022 at 13:12, Supercrumpet said:

 

Added!

 

Always been interested in Unicomps. How do you like yours?

 

I haven't had a chance to do much testing, but this board should have the newer firmware so hopefully it is free of the bugs that existed in the earlier run of the Mini M.  As far as the typing experience goes, all of the clickity-clackity goodness of a buckling spring is present, and it is a joy to type on.

Edited June 10, 2022 by tictoc

[neurotix]

Wow lotsa work going into this thread. Nice spreadsheet. Attached are photos of my main board, pretty much my endgame, I love it. I could possibly make a YouTube vid demo of how it sounds if anyone is interested. I can post pics from different angles too.

 

Pictures at bottom. I can't figure out how to do inline images on mobile.

GMMK v2 fullsize 104 key

Custom white plastidip + plastidip pearlizer on the top, some white plastidip on the inside of the top plate to help rgb light diffusion

Kailh Box Jade switches, a few are Gateron Browns (like Caps so if I bump it I immediately know)

Cherry Blue o-rings

Filco Sakura keycaps

Stabs clipped and lubed with lithium grease

Case weighted and noise dampened with some small metal weights I had laying around as well as packed with crafters foam.. the kind you get at Hobby Lobby or whatever that comes in a big flat sheet.

 

I think thats about it for my main one. Secondary one:

 

E-Element or E-Yooso Z77 or whatever 

Removed stock Outemu Blue switches. They advertise it as being hot swappable but if that means using 50 lbs of force with a switch puller... Yeah my lovely hardworking wife removed them all. The switches are not soldered but the contacts on the switch are too large for the hole so yeah.

Replaced all switches with Kailh Box White switches. Each one needed the pins trimmed with a flush cutters to fit into the PCBs non standard hole size (too small for the right pin).

Cherry Blue O-rings

Stabs clipped and lubed

cheapo white and blue keycaps

Case packed with foam

Multiple Doraemon stickers from Ebay

 

In the spreadsheet just put modded E-Yooso Z77 with box whites. I will take pictures if anyone wants to see it. Additionally I could also do a test video. They do make these kbs in Tenkeyless and 60% versions for like $30, add in the cost of some switches, o rings and crafters foam and maybe some keycaps and you might be able to do a fully custom board for around $100. If you are brave enough to try lol

 

Additionally my wife has a GMMK fullsize with Kailh Box white switches. It might have o-rings but I don't remember. She's an accountant so she needs the numpad. Additionally she works 100% remote and that just got extended through June. This board sees heavy use. It has PBT pudding keycaps because she likes them.

 

Moms pc has a Rosewill something black board, RGB, fullsize, with Kailh Blue (non box) switches. She plays Tetris and some other games on it and loves it. I'd have to go look in storage for the model number. It has really nice lighting.

 

On top of that, in storage I have (and want to sell):

Corsair K70 Lux fullsize stock with Cherry MX Red switches..red backlighting. my first mechanical board before I realized I like clicky switches.

OCN Ducky with Cherry Blues. Switches need to be replaced, it was used heavily. Paint on keycaps is yellowed because the previous owner smoked.

Ducky One 2 RGB fullsize year of the dog edition with Cherry MX reds.

 

I want to try Topre switches but don't like the HHKB and a fullsize Realforce is like $300 that I would rather save to eventually get a new GPU.

 

Sorry for how long this was! Also good to see you here Fluxmaven.

 

[Fluxmaven]

3 hours ago, neurotix said:

I want to try Topre switches but don't like the HHKB and a fullsize Realforce is like $300 that I would rather save to eventually get a new GPU.

 

Sorry for how long this was! Also good to see you here Fluxmaven.

 

 

Hi, good to see you as well. Your custom GMMK turned out really nice. Makes me want to dig mine out and mod it lol

 

I've tried an actual HHKB and didn't like it because it was too light. 

I also have mixed feelings on the HHKB layout. My Rama board uses that layout and Its fine when I mostly use that setup but jumping between builds is weird since the layout is fairly different. Also Topre is nice but with all the different boutique switches these days it's easy to get an equally nice tactical feel for way less. 

 

I still want to try bke heavy domes in my Realforce but I'm more likely to build another custom board