I bet some of you remember old, ugly, heavy keyboards that does CLICK CLAK and occasional goes PING. There's no other thing as sexy as those bastards (IMB and Uncomp Model M). Years passed, yet nothing new with buckling springs on horizon. Luckily for us there are few companies that make mechanical switches, and few companies that make keyboards out of those switches.

Cherry with their MXes, ALPS, Topre (master race) with semi mechanical rubber domes. They come in lots of flavors. Linear switches that have same "stiffness" all the way down. Switches with tactile bump, so you know by touch when press is registered. And even those comes in many variants. They differ in force needed to press the key, sound they make and many other smaller details. Everybody can find something suiting their needs. I won't kid you. Mechanical keyboard is luxury. It's not essential. It's not something that will make you typing/programming superhero. It's feels better, it's fun, and the noise makes you space-mates envy/angry and some people just wet their pants.

If you like to join this elitist club of people who think their keyboards will make them popular among ladies/gentlemen and you like to annoy family, go ahead, prepare $100 or more and read in:

[http://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboa...eyboards/)
[http://deskthority.net/](http://deskthority.net/)

Post your mechanical keyboard if you have one.

PS. Topre switches, despite having rubber domes, are considered mechanical thanks to springs and not having to bottom them out to register key.

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I'll start with my rig:

It's Chinese HPE 87. 87 is number of keys. Those keyboards are also know as TenKeyLess (it's more than ten less actually) since they don't have numpads.
I bought it for about $90 including shipping from china.
It's almost the same as Filco Majestouch.
Mine came in Cherry MX Blue flavor, which means it's clicky, tactile and pretty stiff.
Bright blue leds. I see them rarely.
Rubber feet. They make keyboard really hard to move.

Some of you may have spotted it in my [battlestation pics](http://forums.unixhub.net/showthread.php...93#pid2993).

It's really awkard for me to write on rubber dome/scissor switches keyboards now. I carry my HPE almost everywhere.

I would like to buy [KBT Pure](http://kbtpure.com/index.php/kbt-pure/vo...-ansi.html) with no backlight (since I touchtype) next. It's portable, as small as it can get and looks nicely. No F keys, no arrows. It's perfect. It's bit pricey though so I'm considering also [Noppoo Choc Mini](http://www.amazon.com/Noppoo-Mechanical-...B0091Q34EI), slightly bigger, much cheaper.

Obvious choice for portable keyboard would be Cherry MX Brown switches. They are tactile but much less clicky. I would also add o-rings (small rubber circles that comes under the keycap silencing it when bottoming out.

I can tell you from experience, MX Blues are *not* going to make you popular with the ladies. At least not if you live with them.

Also, for your "choice for a portable keyboard", I think you meant Browns? Blacks are linear.

I also like 10keyless, I can't stand these huge things that take up the entire desk. Also a full-size board moves the mouse too far away. I do like what CM did with the QuickFire TK - 10kl width, but with number block, and it comes with a choice of Black, Brown or Blue <3



I've seriously been considering picking one up, but I feel stupid using an external keyboard on a laptop. But the KBT is seriously tempting, too.

(13-01-2013, 10:55 PM)crshd Wrote: I've seriously been considering picking one up, but I feel stupid using an external keyboard on a laptop. But the KBT is seriously tempting, too.

lol, same here you seen the 'STEEL KEY' series of the keyboards?

sexy they are.

(13-01-2013, 10:55 PM)crshd Wrote: Also, for your "choice for a portable keyboard", I think you meant Browns? Blacks are linear.

Sure thing. Fixed. Thanks.

(13-01-2013, 10:55 PM)crshd Wrote: I've seriously been considering picking one up, but I feel stupid using an external keyboard on a laptop. But the KBT is seriously tempting, too.

It won't change your life but if you love gadgets and have money do so, you won't regret.

Ducky unveiled a 60% board at COMPUTEX, that thing looks pretty sweet. And a Shine 3 with aluminum body. And a Shine 3 Year of the Snake edition. Being a snake myself, I need one of those. Actually, I need one of everything.

I just got a model m as well, very noisy but amazing to type one. dat click clack

wow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hb5eNzm7oiY

I like the selected keys backlit

Just ordered me a KBT Pure with MX Browns as a little birthday present to myself. Can't wait.

Which companies keyboard you all uses?

(26-06-2013, 02:08 AM)NelsonAGilli Wrote: Which companies keyboard you all uses?

Cheery 3800... something.. blah I forgotten

Got this lil thing yesterday. Click clackin away with all kinds of spare deskspace.

What switches?

MX Browns as this is my first mech and I knew I was comfortable with those. I'm starting to wonder if I should have got some blues though.

I prefer blues to browns myself, I found the browns to be weird when you release the key.

That Pure is beautiful, congrats to your new board. I agree with Beastie though, Blues are the way to go.

\#topre

blues would make my fingers spam. However, that might just be me being a little weird.

It's begun.



SOON.

Finally got myself a mechanical keyboard for my birthday.
It's heaven!

Here's what I got http://gaming.coolermaster.com/en/produc...s/rapid-i/

Very nice venam! What switches did you go with?

I have a Royal Kludge RG-987. Brown Greetech switches, black with RBG backlighting.
It's...not as good as I thought it would be? Everyone in /r/MechanicalKeyboards made it sounds like it would be heaven on earth, typing on a mech. Thought the keys would be a lot stiffer, at least. It mostly just feels like a better rubber dome to me, not worth the price.

I got blue switches.
I had a wrist rester before getting the keyboard, it didn't serve much as the laptop keyboard is too low.
Now it fits perfectly.

(28-10-2015, 02:34 PM)venam Wrote: I got blue switches.

me too!
Blue switches clack together
Glad it working out

Nice venam! I have a coolermaster with blue switches but mine combines the numpad with the arrow keys so you just hit numlock and it changes between the two. I use my poker3 way more now though.

I found out one of my manager also has mechanical keyboard. It has red switches.
After trying them I could feel for myself the difference.
Frankly, red switches feel a bit like a rubber dome of good quality. I preferred my blue switches, you can feel the point of pressure under your fingers and the clicky-clack sound is amazing.

I am reviving this old thread in hopes more people might talk about what they are doing now. If anyone is programming their keyboard, got new ones, or new people want to post about theirs.

It may or may not be ever so slightly dirty... the J key is not pristine. But I was so surprised my phone took a remotely decent photo I didn't retake it.


EDIT: I should mention it's my first one, and I have plans in the future for building a keyboard. Also: @strang3quark, I think you posted that link in the wrong thread... ?

I got two cherry g80-3000.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/qlxdpoo0vuihdf....webm?dl=0

I use a DAS at work and have some Razer at home, both with blue switches. I love them but I have always wanted to try Topre but don't have one to try before I buy

@quark, I think you didn't link the good video there...

oh cool

heres a few of mine

this is my black hhkb professional 2 and leopold fc660c, both featuring the greatest keyswitch ever made, Topre. I think they're both 45 cN but the hhkbp2 might be 55 cN idk.

and THIS bad boy is my buckling spring unicomp which got me banned for a week about a year ago.

Poker 3 with Reds:

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