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headcase
Sep 28, 2001

So I want to try some cherry browns. I'm looking at the Majestouch Tactile Touch NKRO and the Deck Legend - Frost (tactile). I like the look of the Majestouch, and its cheaper, and I've heard bad things about deck construction quality, so I guess I'm leaning toward the Majestouch. Any opinions?

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headcase
Sep 28, 2001

Loztblaz posted:

Well if it helps, I absolutely love this keyboard. I've typed a lot more on it and my typing speed and accuracy has gone up noticeably. Typing is actually sort of enjoyable now, instead of being something in the way of communication.

As for this keyboard specifically, I really recommend it. I felt silly spending an extra hundred dollars on a keyboard with no fancy features, but now I'd rather have a smaller monitor than a cheaper keyboard. Hell, I'd rather have this Filco board than that 1600 dollar OLED keyboard.

Good to hear. Mine gets here tomorrow, along with a G500 mouse ($39 at BestBuy blows any thoughts of other gaming mice out of the water). This will be updating my 10 year old mouse and keyboard!

headcase
Sep 28, 2001

Bonobos posted:

God drat that is one sexy keyboard. Does anyone know how these compare to the HHKB Pro?

I am trying to find a modern equivalent to the Model M I used to use. Does not have to be noisy, just has to have the tactile feedback. If this is will feel like my Model M, I'll just pick this up.

It does not. The tactile feel is very slight, and if you like typing on a Model M, it will smack the bottom every time. I like my cherry browns because the activation is so light, I'm pretty much just focusing on not touching the bottom, and waving my fingers up and down. You get a little bit of feedback, but you really have to focus to notice.

headcase
Sep 28, 2001

Typh posted:

Hmmm, I might be looking to ditch my HHKB Pro 2 for a Filco Majestouch Tenkeyless Tactile Touch "Otaku". The lack of arrow keys end up being a pain in the rear end when I'm using a program that depends on them a lot, and the Otaku looks like the best of both worlds. drat.

I'd be happy to take your HHKB P2 off you... been wanting to try it.

headcase
Sep 28, 2001

Bonobos posted:

I love the feel on those old keyboards, but they just look so dated, compared to the Filcos. Is there any similar feeling keybaords that look more modern? From what I read on this thread so far, I think blue cherry keyboards will feel most like the Model M, so maybe the Filco with blue cherries is the way to go?

From what I've read, people with all of their experience on rubber domes will feel better on browns. People that want to move on from buckling springs to a lighter (but plasticy) touch will appreciate blues.

headcase
Sep 28, 2001

GreatGreen posted:

I agree 100%. The numberpad should definitely be on the left hand side of the keyboard. Even at my job, where I spend a lot of time using the numberpad, I still think it just gets in the way of the mouse, being on the right side.

Mouse with right hand, key numbers with left. Makes complete sense, and as a bonus, this would shift all the other keys to the right, so you wouldn't have to type with your hands off to your left anymore because of the orientation of the alphabetic keys relative to the layout of your keyboard and mouse.

For about 10 years I moused with my left hand and enjoyed the numpad for gaming. My thumb fit perfectly on the down arrow for jump with access to 3 extra thumb buttons, and the symmetrical structure was nice. Now I mouse with my right hand, so screw it -- Tenkeyless wins.

headcase
Sep 28, 2001

GreatGreen posted:

I can see paying over $100 for a keyboard, but $122 for just a numberpad? Ha. Ha ha.


It's funny because it's so absurd.

It may seem absurd considering you can get a reasonable approximation of the functionality for 1/10 the price. In the larger scheme of things, $300 for the extreme end all keyboard/numpad that fits you perfectly and increases your comfort and efficiency is a pretty small price to pay. If this is for work, it's a no-brainer.

Compare this to graphics cards, which become quickly obsolete, or hi-fi equipment that can be as expensive as you want it to be. You can count on using your Topre every day for as long as you want to without noticeable wear.

The extremely accurate key activation (halfway down the travel) and rock solid controller give me a comfort while typing (or gaming) that I have never known. I can think anyone would improve their typing accuracy and speed 10-20%. (not a salesman, just happy with it.) If I were an accountant, I would definitely have that numpad.

headcase
Sep 28, 2001

A Duck! posted:

And still using a 17" CRT from like 1997, sitting on a milk crate and using a keyboard from the former soviet bloc milled out of asbestos and uranium.


Hey, I'll take Soviet bloc asbestos over a Chinese Tupperware grade plastic toy any day.

headcase
Sep 28, 2001

Randuin posted:

What's the difference. Does the click make them harder or easier to press? I might end up doing the same thing :O

The main difference is you don't have to hammer the key against the bottom and squash a rubber membrane in order to get them to activate. It activates before you hit the bottom. That extra effort at the end is more taxing than you might think.

headcase
Sep 28, 2001

powderific posted:

The difference is twofold for me: first, the keys are very easy to press, some of the lightest keypresses I've encountered; second, and probably most important, because the keys are designed to actuate halfway through their travel, you don't press the keys till they bottom out. The click or tactile bump gives you a cue for when you can let up on it. As you get used to it you wind up not just pressing the keys much more softly, but also avoiding the shock of hitting the bottom of the keyboard. That change in typing style is huge. The tenkey-less have a little bit of an extra advantage because you don't have to move your hand as far for the mouse.


I still get a bit of RSI pain depending on the day, but it does seem to help. And I just really enjoy typing on them. They feel pretty different from normal keyboards. I've actually been carrying mine to and from work with me, which is a level of nerdiness I'd never imagined.

I hate to throw fuel on the money wasting fire... but I think cherry brown -> Topre variable weight was a bigger upgrade in wrist comfort than membrane -> cherry brown.

headcase
Sep 28, 2001

TheQat posted:

You don't have to hammer the Cherry Browns to get them to activate--their activation point is at like 1/3rd of the total travel. They just don't have a click like the Blues

Isn't that exactly what I said?

headcase
Sep 28, 2001

Twiin posted:

No, you said that the difference between the blues and the browns is that you don't have to hammer the key against the bottom and squash a rubber membrane in order to get them to activate.

Ah, my bad. I thought he was talking about his eagerly awaited delivery of the cherry brown. I totally misread his post.

headcase
Sep 28, 2001

ScumTricycle posted:

I ordered a Das Keyboard Professional S Silent model and wasn't real happy with it. It was fairly loud but didn't have the click. I couldn't really feel much of a tactile click either. It was a little better than a regular keyboard, but I wasn't blown away, and for $130, I wanted to be. I've tried the regular one (non silent) and enjoyed it, so I requested a refund.

Are the filco's as light and snappy as the regular Das Keyboard? I was pretty much set on trying a regular Filco with Cherry Blues next, but I came back to this thread and you guys have me looking into the Topre switches for 100bux more. I want the lightest presses possible, a little nice click, and instant recovery back to the regular button position. Should I give the Filco a shot? Jump straight to the HHKB2?

I don't think the Topres are what you are looking for. They don't click at all. They do have a very light accurate touch, but they feel like stiff rubber domes (which they are). They have a satisfying thud when you bottom out, and couldn't be more accurate. They activate exactly 1/3 of the way down every time. The rollover/controller is flawless. It's just not all that tactile. I go back and forth between my realforce 87u and my cherry brown filco, which is nice and crispy. I'd like to try some blues, but I can't comment on those yet.

headcase
Sep 28, 2001

I have topres and cherry browns, and my Filco just sits in the closet. I think I'll take it to work eventually. Cherry browns are easier to type accurately on than rubber domes, but I just don't like the way they feel. It's like there is no resistance except for a sloppy grating plastic mechanism in each key that is supposed to be the tactile feedback.

The Realforce 87UB is pretty much perfect. Solid, flawless construction. Nice feedback. Each key activates at exactly the same level, way before the key bottoms out. I will say the "feedback" feels much more like a sturdy rubber dome, which it is, than say a spring or plastic mechanism. If you are looking for a click, then forget about it.

headcase
Sep 28, 2001

shrughes posted:

No palmrest. You shouldn't be touching it when you type and you shouldn't be resting your hands there when you aren't typing.

I don't use a palmrest either, but your statement doesn't cover long gaming or editing sessions. It seems like they would be beneficial in those cases. How often are you just sitting there typing 80+ wpm?

headcase
Sep 28, 2001

The_Franz posted:

I've been using a Topre Realforce for a few days now and I must say that, despite the price, this is the best keyboard I've ever used. I bought a Filco brown along with it to see which I liked better and it literally only took a few minutes of testing to settle on the Topre (incidentally, the Filco is on sale in SA mart if anyone is interested). That isn't to say that the Filco was bad as it is a very well built keyboard that has a robust tactile feel to it, but compared to the Realforce it just felt and sounded like grating plastic and twangy springs.

That said, the Realforce does take some getting used to as it really doesn't feel quite like anything else that I've used for any length of time before including an old 90's clicky mechanical keyboard and a rubber dome model, but now that I've used it for a few days anything else just feels "sloppy", if that makes any sense. The keys really have a light, smooth and solid feel that nothing else replicates. They are expensive, but it seems there really is a reason that so many people sing their praises once they've used them for a while.

Your experience matches mine exactly 100% except that I took the Filco to work.

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headcase
Sep 28, 2001

illamint posted:

This is why I'm hesitant to upgrade to Realforce keyboards; I already have a Filco with Browns at both work and home, and I know that it wouldn't just be a $250 upgrade, it'd be a $500 upgrade because if I loved it that much I'd have to have two :(

Stick with the browns unless curiosity gets the best of you, the functionality is comparable. The Realforce is just a really solid, well made board. My favorite part is not the capacitive switches, but the heavy plastic keys. Thok thok thok.

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