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Much like musicians that have dozens of musical keyboards in their collection, I've collected/built dozens of mechanical keyboards over the years. I've got ones

Much like musicians that have dozens of musical keyboards in their collection, I've collected/built dozens of mechanical keyboards over the years. I've got ones with nearly every general type of switch (including Topre). I like to tell people that - as a developer - I'll spend $400+ on a mechanical keyboard that makes the sound I like, and then use it alongside $500+ noise-cancelling headphones. But all of my mechanical keyboards sit on a display shelf unused today as I prefer to use the Lenovo TrackPoint II keyboard for all of my work (including coding). It's just the best keyboard ever made in my opinion, and I love using it.

deleted 2y ago
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ziml77 2y ago
I've got tons of keyboards as well, and despite just weeks ago getting the new Wooting keyboard am likely to get another. You don't really know if you like a board until you use it for a while. Like, I thought the near-TKL design of the Wooting would be fine, but it's actually incredibly annoying. I often use delete, home, end, page up, and page down[1] but only 4 of the keys exist in that cluster. Why could they not have just added the tiny bit of extra width to include the rest of the cluster? On other boards the issues that made me try something else tended to come down to the switches. It's wild how some switches were so easy to press that the weight of my fingers was basically enough to actuate them, while others made my fingers feel tired when trying to overcome the resistance of the tactile bump. I had one board I could hot swap keys on which made it easy to try other kinds but I gave up on doing that since even when I thought they were well aligned I would bend pins when pushing them in (and bending them back would just break the pins off, leading to many trashed switches).
sgarman 2y ago
Ten years ago I used to be really into all the mech keyboard stuff. Then I bought a topre realforce and have been using it ever since. The hobby part of the keyboards is neat but as far as "good" keyboard I haven't seen anything that would cause me to switch.
- christophilus 2y ago
  For me, it was the Vermillo in the same form factor. I love it.
- amatecha 2y ago
  same. finally got realforce R2 and I'm good. There might be something better for me, but I've spent enough time and money searching for the perfect combination of form-factor, switches, keycaps, materials, etc.
- danielheath 2y ago
  I have broad shoulders, and find a split keyboard is absolutely essential to avoid scapula pain after longer sessions.
  - SirHumphrey 2y ago
    The only reason i bother with custom keyboards hobby is because this is the only way to get a split keyboard that doesn’t cost 400$. They are great but very expensive- this I think is one of the main reasons why they are so niche.
  - KetoManx64 2y ago
    I'm not the only one!!
seanmcdirmid 2y ago
The sound of the keystroke is much less important than the feeling. The return power on stroke is also important for stamina reasons. That being said, I’m happy with a Model M, no need for fancy customizations.
aranaur 2y ago
Ha! My Track point II hangs above my desk as a quick-to-grab keyboard whenever I (frequently) need to plug into a computer I don't normally use. Absolutely perfect for that.

deleted 2y ago

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ziml77 2y ago

I've got tons of keyboards as well, and despite just weeks ago getting the new Wooting keyboard am likely to get another. You don't really know if you like a board until you use it for a while. Like, I thought the near-TKL design of the Wooting would be fine, but it's actually incredibly annoying. I often use delete, home, end, page up, and page down[1] but only 4 of the keys exist in that cluster. Why could they not have just added the tiny bit of extra width to include the rest of the cluster? On other boards the issues that made me try something else tended to come down to the switches. It's wild how some switches were so easy to press that the weight of my fingers was basically enough to actuate them, while others made my fingers feel tired when trying to overcome the resistance of the tactile bump. I had one board I could hot swap keys on which made it easy to try other kinds but I gave up on doing that since even when I thought they were well aligned I would bend pins when pushing them in (and bending them back would just break the pins off, leading to many trashed switches).

sgarman 2y ago

Ten years ago I used to be really into all the mech keyboard stuff. Then I bought a topre realforce and have been using it ever since. The hobby part of the keyboards is neat but as far as "good" keyboard I haven't seen anything that would cause me to switch.

christophilus 2y ago
For me, it was the Vermillo in the same form factor. I love it.
amatecha 2y ago
same. finally got realforce R2 and I'm good. There might be something better for me, but I've spent enough time and money searching for the perfect combination of form-factor, switches, keycaps, materials, etc.
danielheath 2y ago
I have broad shoulders, and find a split keyboard is absolutely essential to avoid scapula pain after longer sessions.
- SirHumphrey 2y ago
  The only reason i bother with custom keyboards hobby is because this is the only way to get a split keyboard that doesn’t cost 400$. They are great but very expensive- this I think is one of the main reasons why they are so niche.
- KetoManx64 2y ago
  I'm not the only one!!

seanmcdirmid 2y ago

The sound of the keystroke is much less important than the feeling. The return power on stroke is also important for stamina reasons. That being said, I’m happy with a Model M, no need for fancy customizations.

aranaur 2y ago

Ha! My Track point II hangs above my desk as a quick-to-grab keyboard whenever I (frequently) need to plug into a computer I don't normally use. Absolutely perfect for that.