9 ms·

I agree so much!! I've tried my best to like mechanical keyboards... but no, I hate them. The noise is distracting, they require too much strength on every key

by csdvrx 5y ago

I agree so much!! I've tried my best to like mechanical keyboards... but no, I hate them. The noise is distracting, they require too much strength on every key, and they are big and expansive! I thought I might have the wrong keytypes, so I even purchased key testers: the red keys are less noisy, but that doesn't solve the other problems. So I just can't find a reason to like them. My favorite keyboard is the Thinkpad keyboard (TrackPoint Keyboard II Bluetooth 4Y40X49493): the island version (current) is more comfortable than the previous version where the keys were touching (SK-8835 family if you want a numpad) as it leaves some room for nails. Mechanical keyboards seem preferred by gamers, but in my opinion, they make little sense in an office setting. However, my new favorite mouse is the Logitech G600 that's popular for MMOs: after purchasing a few different mice that had been recommended here and testing them all, it's the one that fits the best in my hand, even if it's still too large (why can't they make smaller mice??) What I like the most is how it has side keys that can be mapped in the firmware to physical keys (persistent setting) and to elaborate actions in AutoHotKey! Now give me the same thing 30% smaller, wireless with bluetooth, with a left hand option, and I'd happily pay $200 for it!

Havoc 5y ago
>key testers: the red keys are less noisy You get red silents too, which end up not just less loud but also feel wise a little closer to traditional keyboards (which might be seen as a negative by the hardcore mech crowd)
Lhiw 5y ago
Silent reds are what I use after a long time on clears and browns. Can't go back, reds are good for gaming but also far less effort for typing. Never found the tactile bump to be all that useful.
- MeinBlutIstBlau 5y ago
  Same boat here. I'm eyeball some silent reds right now so if you could share what you got if you've had it for a while I'm all ears. Ideally I'd like to own a mechanical keyboard that just isn't going to have a key die on me.
  - Oddskar 5y ago
    You should try Gazzew Boba U4 Silent. Much more pleasant sounding.
    - cehrlich 5y ago
      They’re amazing. I picked them up a few months ago based on a random recommendation online, and couldn’t be happier. They’re 90% as satisfying to hit as Blues, but the noise level is similar to an Apple keyboard.
  - Lhiw 5y ago
    I have a wasd code keyboard (on my third). It's a good place to start if you're not interested in building your own. On my third because first was my old works, second was my own clear, third is works.
- hereforphone 5y ago
  I love brown after awhile of using blue. Blue feels great but is loud enough to wake up the neighbors.
clon 5y ago
Exactly the same sentiment. My yearlong experiment to try to love mechanical keyboards left me with a thousand euro hole in my wallet and physical problems spanning from fingers to upper body musculature. I loved the tactile feel, but hated what they did to my body. I think mechanical keyboards are just too high, with excessive travel. You sort of have to keep your hands floating in the air, which transfers stress to your neck, shoulders and upper body. No palm support I tried offered any substantial relief, probably due to the long travel and finger contortions required. Second issue, perhaps I'm a poor typist, but my fingertips frequently got stuck between the keys, causing mistakes by triggering adjacent keys. One day I got tired and bought a 10 euro keyboard from the grocery shop. Noname, slimline, rubber domes. What a relief that was. These days I swear by Logitech MX Keys. Best keyboard I have ever touched.
- BoysenberryPi 5y ago
  >Second issue, perhaps I'm a poor typist, but my fingertips frequently got stuck between the keys, causing mistakes by triggering adjacent keys. This is a new one on me. I have never heard of this happening to anyone. My recommendation for you would get a low profile mechanical keyboard like the Keychron K3 or Logitech G915
  - clon 5y ago
    To be clear, I did not mean that my fingers are caught between the keys. More like I often felt like I'm hitting keycaps sideways. I could not always discipline myself to operate the keyboard like a 1970s typist. This was very distracting and caused errors. Probably I bottomed out too much, instead of just breaking the click? I'm sure there's technique that can be mastered. I guess I'm a slimline keyboard person and thanks for the recommendation. Perhaps I will try a mechanical slim as well, to fully close this experiment. For the moment I enjoy just getting some work done on the MX Keys, it is an absolute delight. Can't say enough good things about it.
  - randomluck040 5y ago
    For some reason this happens to me with the MacBook laptop keyboards (the new ones). I don’t know what I‘m doing wrong, maybe it’s because I come from a MK with rather deep keys and all? I haven‘t figured it out yet.
Lio 5y ago
I have an IBM model M and a Pkr3 with Cherry MX Browns sitting on the shelf. What I’ve discovered over time is that I’m some kind of peasant when it comes to typing. What I really like are thin, low travel laptop keyboards and trackpads instead of mice. Small, symmetrical with everything centred below an external monitor. I love the idea of mechanical keyboards but the reality is that actuation force and the key travel just make me wrists hurt after a while.
- csdvrx 5y ago
  > What I’ve discovered over time is that I’m some kind of peasant when it comes to typing. You and me both. I love low travel keyboard that make little noise. I've learned to accept my personal tastes, even if they don't match what's expected of me. BTW I wonder how much of a learned preference mechanical keyboards are? At first, I thought they were preferred by older geeks because of a nostalgia factors, but they also seem popular with gamers. I just don't understand. I have a friend on the spectrum who's (the best I can say) "physically violent when typing on his keyboard", to the point I wouldn't let him use my laptop as I'd fear for my keys. He loves mechanical keyboards because they tolerate the abuse, and I just don't understand that: Isn't it better to not have to use that much force, and to not feel pain in your wrist and fingertips?
  - enaaem 5y ago
    I wonder how much of the mechanical keyboard popularity is just gaming marketing? I also prefer lower key travel and quieter keys. It is just lest straining. Take for example expensive gaming chairs that look like race car chairs. The side support makes no sense since gamers do not experience high g-forces. The side support lowers mobility which is actually really bad for your back.
- Oddskar 5y ago
  A lot of people like low profile. There's even mechanical switches for these. I think Kailh Low Profile Choc being one of the more popular ones.
- stan_rogers 5y ago
Agingcoder 5y ago
They make sense in an office setting : I have RSI, and random rubber dome keyboards in the office are painful. Some of them are good, some of them super bad, and to me, bad essentially means painful. So, I found one I liked, and stuck to it, until it started having problems. Then I tried to replace it. Unfortunately, this particular model of noname office keyboard was no longer available, and out of stock at my office. I realized that I had to do something : find a keyboard which would last a very long time, and with known physical properties ( actuation force, travel distance, etc), so that if I had to replace it later, it would be possible, and very easy. In the end, it seems like I want mx red(45 linear), a split keyboard, flat (no angle) , silent, and as low profile as possible. Problem solved, there's plenty of those on the market!
simonblack 5y ago
(why can't they make smaller mice??) People do make smaller mice. But the downside is that they are generally cheapies, and not very robust. I have bought several over the years from supermarkets when I found I'd left my usual mouse behind. When it comes to left-handed mice, it's often easier to obtain a symmetrical mouse, and change its handidness in software. I use my mice so much that I have a problem with wireless mice forever running out of batteries. "Up to six months usage": bullshit. I'm lucky to get two weeks out of a set of batteries. So I stick to wired keyboards and mice.
- jq-r 5y ago
  Not sure what is your ideal small mouse, but there are some good small "gaming" mouses though: Xtrfy MZ1 Coolermaster MM710 Razer Viper Mini I'm currently using the first one and it is a great mouse. No special software, no BS, very light, great shape, and a cable you don't even notice that you have. Don't know about the rest, but before this one I had Logitech G Pro wireless, and it was great, but a bit too large.
- csdvrx 5y ago
  > People do make smaller mice. But the downside is that they are generally cheapies, and not very robust The last mouse I had was a white Apple Magic Mouse: still a bit on the large side, yet much smaller than the Logitech G600. But multitouch is not as good as 12 dedicated keys for shortcuts! > When it comes to left-handed mice, it's often easier to obtain a symmetrical mouse, and change its handidness in software Symmetrical could do, but then I'd miss the 12 keys right by my thumb!
archarios 5y ago
You don't seem to understand that you don't need to bottom out your switches to actuate them. I have Kailh Copper switches which barely require me to push them down very far in order to actuate. Also they're pretty quiet. You can have your preferences, but blanketly saying that all mech keyboards "require too much strength" and are "loud" is wrong. The "expensive" part isn't even true in all cases.
- nsxwolf 5y ago
  Over the years I’ve become convinced that not “bottoming out” is a fetish that most people should not be trying to adopt. “Bottoming out” is just “typing”. You press the key. Find a keyboard that feels good when you press the keys.
- kQq9oHeAz6wLLS 5y ago
  > The "expensive" part isn't even true in all cases. Being a cheapskate but wanting a mechanical keyboard with swappable switches, I bought a Redragon K552 off Amazon (88 key version) for $28. The Outemu reds are fine, but I swapped the alphabet and control keys for browns. I have no regrets.
  - alyandon 5y ago
    I bought a Tecware Phantom 104-key keyboard with outemu browns for $50. Per-key RGB and came with replacement switches - no regrets here either.
- wruza 5y ago
  This is a skill and it isn’t free. First, you have to learn the contact height with all your fingers for all angles. Second, the balance between the weight of your fingers and the key resistance must be fine enough, or you get fatigue in finger-extending muscles, or misclicks, or misrepeats. Topre even made RealForce variants to address this specific issue. I’m sure it’s not so hard and you mastered it, but an average random person has to try few keyboards before finding the one that fits and each try has a learning curve, and the last ones can be expensive (“Oh, it seems that I want speed non-mx tactile 55g with orings and media keys, but there are only three models, one doesn’t ship to my region, and the other two are too high based, one pretty overpriced”). That’s why mechanical keyboard guys often have a handful of them, cause all are nice but only one really fits.
wwalexander 5y ago
There are mechanical keyboards that are lower profile. I felt the same as you with my old Filco Majestouch-2 with MX Blues, but switched to a Logitech G915 with MX Browns and enjoy it a lot more. The key travel is still the same, but I found that having the tops of the keys closer to the desk surface made it a lot less straining. I also recommend a desk chair that lets your forearms rest so that your wrists are parallel with and just slightly above the desk surface, so that your fingers are sort of pecking down (L shape) instead of curled (J shape). For any keyboard, but it matters more the taller the keyboard.
Findecanor 5y ago
Topre Realforce aren't really mechanical keyboards — they are rubber dome keyboards. They get lumped together with them only because they are high quality rubber domes, with a luxurious feel. I would best compare Topre to Key Tronic Lifetime and ErgoForce rubber dome keyboards from the '90s. Both those and Topre are full-travel, and have a distinct bottom-out feel, but they still require you to bottom out. They are also comparable in sound, IMHO. BTW. I prefer low-profile rubber dome/scissor switches or full-travel mechanical Cherry MX Clear. I've used a Topre keyboard a few weeks at work some years ago but my fingers starting aching from having to push past that big bump in the key travel.
- fomine3 5y ago
  Libertouch was also a luxury high quality rubber dome keyboard like Realforce, but it's not known outside Japan. It uses simple electrical contact switch rather than capacitive, but feeling/mechanism are similar to Realforce. It also support changing weight by replacing rubber. US ANSI layout is also available. Libertouch is the best feeling switch I've ever used including Realforce/HHKB. I love this but its full layout with tenkey is pain.
  - radicaldreamer 5y ago
    Are any of these still available for purchase? I saw a JP model but like they were discontinued
    - fomine3 5y ago
      It's gone so only available on Japanese second hand markets like Yahoo Auction and Mercari. You need to use proxy service to import. Some are brand new. https://buyee.jp/mercari/search?keyword=%E3%83%AA%E3%83%99%E3%83%AB%E3%82%BF%E3%83%83%E3%83%81&status=on_sale&lang=en&category_id=7 https://buyee.jp/mercari/search?keyword=%E3%83%AA%E3%83%99%E... https://buyee.jp/mercari/search?keyword=libertouch&category_id=7&status=on_sale https://buyee.jp/mercari/search?keyword=libertouch&category_... https://buyee.jp/item/search/query/libertouch?translationType=1 https://buyee.jp/item/search/query/libertouch?translationTyp... https://buyee.jp/rakuma/search?keyword=libertouch https://buyee.jp/rakuma/search?keyword=libertouch
gregwebs 5y ago
Not all mechanical keyboards are loud. I have used fairly quiet cherry brown switches that nobody seemed to mind in my office settings. And not all require as much key travel and force. I am using louder and heavier keys now and I do agree with the general sentiment of your comment. I think the linked site has the best reviews but favors louder and heavier.
LAC-Tech 5y ago
I get the impression that mechanical keyboard people tend to be hard typers. The keyboard I have now uses cherry MX reds, and everything online suggested that these were super sensitive and you'd mis-type a lot. Only good for games. But honestly, I could go for something even easier to press. I fail to actuate the left shift with my small finger quite a lot. Guess I have a light touch.
- mumblemumble 5y ago
  It depends? Cherry MX keys have very stiff springs IMO - it's definitely an oldschool feel. Low profile keys tend to have a shorter pre-travel, and may have lower actuation force. They aren't available on a lot of keyboards, but I'm fond of Kailh Speed Copper switches. The travel and speed needed to activate the key is comparable to that of a mid-2000s Apple keyboard, but the tactile bump is much lighter, and there's a whole lot more travel after the activation point before you bottom the key out. I find this to be really cushy; I can type lightly but quickly, with very little impact because I'm not hitting the end of the key's range of motion with any force. That said, the annoying thing here is that it's expensive to try keys. Even when computer stores have keyboards you can try out, they usually only have the run-of-the-mill red, brown and blue switches.
  - iCarrot 5y ago
    >That said, the annoying thing here is that it's expensive to try keys You can get switch tester kits off Aliexpress, I see there are $15-ish options that let you test 16-30 types of switches.
    - mumblemumble 5y ago
      I don't love those because, at least for me, the feel of pressing a single key in a tester kit just isn't the same as typing on that keyswitch at speed.
go_elmo 5y ago
Atreus keyboard with purple switches is the best ever imo, tiny (no hand movement to use anything, incl. numbers & arrows), great mechanical feel & not too much travel / noise. Ill never switch back!
k_sze 5y ago
I’ve tried a couple of mechanical keyboards at this point and I still don’t understand why people rave about Cherry MX blue switches. I have two of the exact same model of keyboard, one with Cherry MX blue and one with Cherry MX silent red. I much prefer the silent red for pretty much all situations. I suspect I might also like/tolerate the Cherry MX silver switches for their relative silence (still not as silent as the silent red though) and really short actuation distance.
- drakonka 5y ago
  For me, the Blues just feel perfectly snappy and quick. I really like the Red switches as well and if I was using a keyboard in an office environment, I'd probably go for Reds as the Blues have an audible click. But in the privacy of my home with no one else around, I find the typing experience to just be really fun and snappy on Blue switches. Your fingers can easily race over the keyboard (assuming you're not bottoming them out!)
  - k_sze 5y ago
    Hah, at my last job my colleagues in the software development department were like waging a loudness war. Almost everybody, including myself, brought their own blue switch keyboard to the office. Being an open-floor office with no noise absorbing ceiling, it was funny as hell to take off your headphones and suddenly realize all the clicking and clacking happening around you.
prox 5y ago
The logitech MX series is smaller yet more comfortable
atoav 5y ago
Ever tried any linear type switches? Silent silver, silent red, silent black... I am a guitar and bass player, and I love just having a linear switch that you can either hammer on and bottom out (=loud) or silently hover and move 1mm to activate it inaudibly. All depending on mood.
fuzzfactor 5y ago
I like this kind of keyboard: https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/9bypxi/from_my_hopefully_growing_collection_of_ibm/ https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/9bypxi... IBM KB-7953 Weighs as much as a tablet PC. Mine is from 1999, one of the most silent mechanicals, it's PS2 not USB. It's beginning to stand the test of time and show proof of being as durable as you would want. The office PC it is connected to is no spring chicken either. >why can't they make smaller mice?? For an inexpensive less bulky office mouse ASUS AM1D is somewhat smaller than average and ambidextrous: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEMyuDKRmnc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEMyuDKRmnc You get surprisingly more use out of your limited mousepad/benchtop area. Only takes up half as much room in a laptop case and anything smaller can be much less ergonomic. It looks like about the same size as the Viper Mini gaming mouse.
davidjytang 5y ago
There are bluetooth mechanical keyboards with low profile, shorter travel, silent actuation, lightweight touch. The combination is there. Don't hate every mechanical keyboard.

by csdvrx 5y ago

Havoc 5y ago

>key testers: the red keys are less noisy You get red silents too, which end up not just less loud but also feel wise a little closer to traditional keyboards (which might be seen as a negative by the hardcore mech crowd)

Lhiw 5y ago

Silent reds are what I use after a long time on clears and browns. Can't go back, reds are good for gaming but also far less effort for typing. Never found the tactile bump to be all that useful.

MeinBlutIstBlau 5y ago
Same boat here. I'm eyeball some silent reds right now so if you could share what you got if you've had it for a while I'm all ears. Ideally I'd like to own a mechanical keyboard that just isn't going to have a key die on me.
- Oddskar 5y ago
  You should try Gazzew Boba U4 Silent. Much more pleasant sounding.
  - cehrlich 5y ago
    They’re amazing. I picked them up a few months ago based on a random recommendation online, and couldn’t be happier. They’re 90% as satisfying to hit as Blues, but the noise level is similar to an Apple keyboard.
- Lhiw 5y ago
  I have a wasd code keyboard (on my third). It's a good place to start if you're not interested in building your own. On my third because first was my old works, second was my own clear, third is works.
hereforphone 5y ago
I love brown after awhile of using blue. Blue feels great but is loud enough to wake up the neighbors.

clon 5y ago

Exactly the same sentiment. My yearlong experiment to try to love mechanical keyboards left me with a thousand euro hole in my wallet and physical problems spanning from fingers to upper body musculature. I loved the tactile feel, but hated what they did to my body. I think mechanical keyboards are just too high, with excessive travel. You sort of have to keep your hands floating in the air, which transfers stress to your neck, shoulders and upper body. No palm support I tried offered any substantial relief, probably due to the long travel and finger contortions required. Second issue, perhaps I'm a poor typist, but my fingertips frequently got stuck between the keys, causing mistakes by triggering adjacent keys. One day I got tired and bought a 10 euro keyboard from the grocery shop. Noname, slimline, rubber domes. What a relief that was. These days I swear by Logitech MX Keys. Best keyboard I have ever touched.

BoysenberryPi 5y ago
>Second issue, perhaps I'm a poor typist, but my fingertips frequently got stuck between the keys, causing mistakes by triggering adjacent keys. This is a new one on me. I have never heard of this happening to anyone. My recommendation for you would get a low profile mechanical keyboard like the Keychron K3 or Logitech G915
- clon 5y ago
  To be clear, I did not mean that my fingers are caught between the keys. More like I often felt like I'm hitting keycaps sideways. I could not always discipline myself to operate the keyboard like a 1970s typist. This was very distracting and caused errors. Probably I bottomed out too much, instead of just breaking the click? I'm sure there's technique that can be mastered. I guess I'm a slimline keyboard person and thanks for the recommendation. Perhaps I will try a mechanical slim as well, to fully close this experiment. For the moment I enjoy just getting some work done on the MX Keys, it is an absolute delight. Can't say enough good things about it.
- randomluck040 5y ago
  For some reason this happens to me with the MacBook laptop keyboards (the new ones). I don’t know what I‘m doing wrong, maybe it’s because I come from a MK with rather deep keys and all? I haven‘t figured it out yet.

Lio 5y ago

I have an IBM model M and a Pkr3 with Cherry MX Browns sitting on the shelf. What I’ve discovered over time is that I’m some kind of peasant when it comes to typing. What I really like are thin, low travel laptop keyboards and trackpads instead of mice. Small, symmetrical with everything centred below an external monitor. I love the idea of mechanical keyboards but the reality is that actuation force and the key travel just make me wrists hurt after a while.

csdvrx 5y ago
> What I’ve discovered over time is that I’m some kind of peasant when it comes to typing. You and me both. I love low travel keyboard that make little noise. I've learned to accept my personal tastes, even if they don't match what's expected of me. BTW I wonder how much of a learned preference mechanical keyboards are? At first, I thought they were preferred by older geeks because of a nostalgia factors, but they also seem popular with gamers. I just don't understand. I have a friend on the spectrum who's (the best I can say) "physically violent when typing on his keyboard", to the point I wouldn't let him use my laptop as I'd fear for my keys. He loves mechanical keyboards because they tolerate the abuse, and I just don't understand that: Isn't it better to not have to use that much force, and to not feel pain in your wrist and fingertips?
- enaaem 5y ago
  I wonder how much of the mechanical keyboard popularity is just gaming marketing? I also prefer lower key travel and quieter keys. It is just lest straining. Take for example expensive gaming chairs that look like race car chairs. The side support makes no sense since gamers do not experience high g-forces. The side support lowers mobility which is actually really bad for your back.
Oddskar 5y ago
A lot of people like low profile. There's even mechanical switches for these. I think Kailh Low Profile Choc being one of the more popular ones.
stan_rogers 5y ago

Agingcoder 5y ago

They make sense in an office setting : I have RSI, and random rubber dome keyboards in the office are painful. Some of them are good, some of them super bad, and to me, bad essentially means painful. So, I found one I liked, and stuck to it, until it started having problems. Then I tried to replace it. Unfortunately, this particular model of noname office keyboard was no longer available, and out of stock at my office. I realized that I had to do something : find a keyboard which would last a very long time, and with known physical properties ( actuation force, travel distance, etc), so that if I had to replace it later, it would be possible, and very easy. In the end, it seems like I want mx red(45 linear), a split keyboard, flat (no angle) , silent, and as low profile as possible. Problem solved, there's plenty of those on the market!

simonblack 5y ago

(why can't they make smaller mice??) People do make smaller mice. But the downside is that they are generally cheapies, and not very robust. I have bought several over the years from supermarkets when I found I'd left my usual mouse behind. When it comes to left-handed mice, it's often easier to obtain a symmetrical mouse, and change its handidness in software. I use my mice so much that I have a problem with wireless mice forever running out of batteries. "Up to six months usage": bullshit. I'm lucky to get two weeks out of a set of batteries. So I stick to wired keyboards and mice.

jq-r 5y ago
Not sure what is your ideal small mouse, but there are some good small "gaming" mouses though: Xtrfy MZ1 Coolermaster MM710 Razer Viper Mini I'm currently using the first one and it is a great mouse. No special software, no BS, very light, great shape, and a cable you don't even notice that you have. Don't know about the rest, but before this one I had Logitech G Pro wireless, and it was great, but a bit too large.
csdvrx 5y ago
> People do make smaller mice. But the downside is that they are generally cheapies, and not very robust The last mouse I had was a white Apple Magic Mouse: still a bit on the large side, yet much smaller than the Logitech G600. But multitouch is not as good as 12 dedicated keys for shortcuts! > When it comes to left-handed mice, it's often easier to obtain a symmetrical mouse, and change its handidness in software Symmetrical could do, but then I'd miss the 12 keys right by my thumb!

archarios 5y ago

You don't seem to understand that you don't need to bottom out your switches to actuate them. I have Kailh Copper switches which barely require me to push them down very far in order to actuate. Also they're pretty quiet. You can have your preferences, but blanketly saying that all mech keyboards "require too much strength" and are "loud" is wrong. The "expensive" part isn't even true in all cases.

nsxwolf 5y ago
Over the years I’ve become convinced that not “bottoming out” is a fetish that most people should not be trying to adopt. “Bottoming out” is just “typing”. You press the key. Find a keyboard that feels good when you press the keys.
kQq9oHeAz6wLLS 5y ago
> The "expensive" part isn't even true in all cases. Being a cheapskate but wanting a mechanical keyboard with swappable switches, I bought a Redragon K552 off Amazon (88 key version) for $28. The Outemu reds are fine, but I swapped the alphabet and control keys for browns. I have no regrets.
- alyandon 5y ago
  I bought a Tecware Phantom 104-key keyboard with outemu browns for $50. Per-key RGB and came with replacement switches - no regrets here either.
wruza 5y ago
This is a skill and it isn’t free. First, you have to learn the contact height with all your fingers for all angles. Second, the balance between the weight of your fingers and the key resistance must be fine enough, or you get fatigue in finger-extending muscles, or misclicks, or misrepeats. Topre even made RealForce variants to address this specific issue. I’m sure it’s not so hard and you mastered it, but an average random person has to try few keyboards before finding the one that fits and each try has a learning curve, and the last ones can be expensive (“Oh, it seems that I want speed non-mx tactile 55g with orings and media keys, but there are only three models, one doesn’t ship to my region, and the other two are too high based, one pretty overpriced”). That’s why mechanical keyboard guys often have a handful of them, cause all are nice but only one really fits.

wwalexander 5y ago

There are mechanical keyboards that are lower profile. I felt the same as you with my old Filco Majestouch-2 with MX Blues, but switched to a Logitech G915 with MX Browns and enjoy it a lot more. The key travel is still the same, but I found that having the tops of the keys closer to the desk surface made it a lot less straining. I also recommend a desk chair that lets your forearms rest so that your wrists are parallel with and just slightly above the desk surface, so that your fingers are sort of pecking down (L shape) instead of curled (J shape). For any keyboard, but it matters more the taller the keyboard.

Findecanor 5y ago

Topre Realforce aren't really mechanical keyboards — they are rubber dome keyboards. They get lumped together with them only because they are high quality rubber domes, with a luxurious feel. I would best compare Topre to Key Tronic Lifetime and ErgoForce rubber dome keyboards from the '90s. Both those and Topre are full-travel, and have a distinct bottom-out feel, but they still require you to bottom out. They are also comparable in sound, IMHO. BTW. I prefer low-profile rubber dome/scissor switches or full-travel mechanical Cherry MX Clear. I've used a Topre keyboard a few weeks at work some years ago but my fingers starting aching from having to push past that big bump in the key travel.

fomine3 5y ago
Libertouch was also a luxury high quality rubber dome keyboard like Realforce, but it's not known outside Japan. It uses simple electrical contact switch rather than capacitive, but feeling/mechanism are similar to Realforce. It also support changing weight by replacing rubber. US ANSI layout is also available. Libertouch is the best feeling switch I've ever used including Realforce/HHKB. I love this but its full layout with tenkey is pain.
- radicaldreamer 5y ago
  Are any of these still available for purchase? I saw a JP model but like they were discontinued
  - fomine3 5y ago
    It's gone so only available on Japanese second hand markets like Yahoo Auction and Mercari. You need to use proxy service to import. Some are brand new. https://buyee.jp/mercari/search?keyword=%E3%83%AA%E3%83%99%E3%83%AB%E3%82%BF%E3%83%83%E3%83%81&status=on_sale&lang=en&category_id=7 https://buyee.jp/mercari/search?keyword=%E3%83%AA%E3%83%99%E... https://buyee.jp/mercari/search?keyword=libertouch&category_id=7&status=on_sale https://buyee.jp/mercari/search?keyword=libertouch&category_... https://buyee.jp/item/search/query/libertouch?translationType=1 https://buyee.jp/item/search/query/libertouch?translationTyp... https://buyee.jp/rakuma/search?keyword=libertouch https://buyee.jp/rakuma/search?keyword=libertouch

gregwebs 5y ago

Not all mechanical keyboards are loud. I have used fairly quiet cherry brown switches that nobody seemed to mind in my office settings. And not all require as much key travel and force. I am using louder and heavier keys now and I do agree with the general sentiment of your comment. I think the linked site has the best reviews but favors louder and heavier.

LAC-Tech 5y ago

I get the impression that mechanical keyboard people tend to be hard typers. The keyboard I have now uses cherry MX reds, and everything online suggested that these were super sensitive and you'd mis-type a lot. Only good for games. But honestly, I could go for something even easier to press. I fail to actuate the left shift with my small finger quite a lot. Guess I have a light touch.

mumblemumble 5y ago
It depends? Cherry MX keys have very stiff springs IMO - it's definitely an oldschool feel. Low profile keys tend to have a shorter pre-travel, and may have lower actuation force. They aren't available on a lot of keyboards, but I'm fond of Kailh Speed Copper switches. The travel and speed needed to activate the key is comparable to that of a mid-2000s Apple keyboard, but the tactile bump is much lighter, and there's a whole lot more travel after the activation point before you bottom the key out. I find this to be really cushy; I can type lightly but quickly, with very little impact because I'm not hitting the end of the key's range of motion with any force. That said, the annoying thing here is that it's expensive to try keys. Even when computer stores have keyboards you can try out, they usually only have the run-of-the-mill red, brown and blue switches.
- iCarrot 5y ago
  >That said, the annoying thing here is that it's expensive to try keys You can get switch tester kits off Aliexpress, I see there are $15-ish options that let you test 16-30 types of switches.
  - mumblemumble 5y ago
    I don't love those because, at least for me, the feel of pressing a single key in a tester kit just isn't the same as typing on that keyswitch at speed.

go_elmo 5y ago

Atreus keyboard with purple switches is the best ever imo, tiny (no hand movement to use anything, incl. numbers & arrows), great mechanical feel & not too much travel / noise. Ill never switch back!

k_sze 5y ago

I’ve tried a couple of mechanical keyboards at this point and I still don’t understand why people rave about Cherry MX blue switches. I have two of the exact same model of keyboard, one with Cherry MX blue and one with Cherry MX silent red. I much prefer the silent red for pretty much all situations. I suspect I might also like/tolerate the Cherry MX silver switches for their relative silence (still not as silent as the silent red though) and really short actuation distance.

drakonka 5y ago
For me, the Blues just feel perfectly snappy and quick. I really like the Red switches as well and if I was using a keyboard in an office environment, I'd probably go for Reds as the Blues have an audible click. But in the privacy of my home with no one else around, I find the typing experience to just be really fun and snappy on Blue switches. Your fingers can easily race over the keyboard (assuming you're not bottoming them out!)
- k_sze 5y ago
  Hah, at my last job my colleagues in the software development department were like waging a loudness war. Almost everybody, including myself, brought their own blue switch keyboard to the office. Being an open-floor office with no noise absorbing ceiling, it was funny as hell to take off your headphones and suddenly realize all the clicking and clacking happening around you.

prox 5y ago

The logitech MX series is smaller yet more comfortable

atoav 5y ago

Ever tried any linear type switches? Silent silver, silent red, silent black... I am a guitar and bass player, and I love just having a linear switch that you can either hammer on and bottom out (=loud) or silently hover and move 1mm to activate it inaudibly. All depending on mood.

fuzzfactor 5y ago

I like this kind of keyboard: https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/9bypxi/from_my_hopefully_growing_collection_of_ibm/ https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/9bypxi... IBM KB-7953 Weighs as much as a tablet PC. Mine is from 1999, one of the most silent mechanicals, it's PS2 not USB. It's beginning to stand the test of time and show proof of being as durable as you would want. The office PC it is connected to is no spring chicken either. >why can't they make smaller mice?? For an inexpensive less bulky office mouse ASUS AM1D is somewhat smaller than average and ambidextrous: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEMyuDKRmnc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEMyuDKRmnc You get surprisingly more use out of your limited mousepad/benchtop area. Only takes up half as much room in a laptop case and anything smaller can be much less ergonomic. It looks like about the same size as the Viper Mini gaming mouse.

davidjytang 5y ago

There are bluetooth mechanical keyboards with low profile, shorter travel, silent actuation, lightweight touch. The combination is there. Don't hate every mechanical keyboard.