Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Post
  • Reply
surebet
Jan 10, 2013

avatar
specialist


leper khan posted:

How can it be an investment? There's effectively no intrinsic value. And nothing is preventing a supplier from flooding the market with replicas of "rare" caps.

Also literally no one cares about them. There's what, a few thousand people on the planet that have ever bought an artisan cap? Who are they going to sell their "collection" to?

yes

however

http://www.ebay.com/itm/252489877984
http://www.ebay.com/itm/252508109002
http://www.ebay.com/itm/291436814456
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151687883770
https://www.reddit.com/r/mechmarket/search?q=artisan&sort=new&restrict_sr=on

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

surebet
Jan 10, 2013

avatar
specialist


evil_bunnY posted:

I mean a cool escape cap is nice and all but $30 is just lmao

lol

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=36546.msg691654#msg691654

leper khan
Dec 28, 2010
Honest to god thinks Half Life 2 is a bad game. But at least he likes Monster Hunter.

Lol https://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=access,cherrymxkeys&pid=cds_redesc

surebet
Jan 10, 2013

avatar
specialist


yup, that rerun of the key showed up somewhere between 2009 & 2011 iirc and simply collapsed the speculative market around the original

the is going to happen with those artisan caps, although for now the prices are keeping level in the $30-50 (and above, in some case well beyond) region per key because that's what the market (ie idiot nerds with money) is willing to pay for them.

the current big replica seller (k3kc) basically sells his wares at ~$5 below the originals, and i'm sure they're making money hand over fist if only because they actually sell direct to the public, versus the artisan makers who mostly use this hilariously hosed up lottery or auction systems.

that said, if you're willing to deal with taobao, you can source a bunch of these in the $5-10 range:
https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=550397515380&ns=1&abbucket=17#detail

before anyone asks, taobao is the chinese equivalent of amazon, kinda, and while anyone can open an account on it you won't be able to fund it through non-chinese banks or credit cards, aka you need to be physically present over there to do it.

your best bet is either to go what's called a taobao agent (a third party reshipper, and no i don't have a recommendation on which one to use) or contact the seller directly and loving pray that 1) they speak functional english, 2) they accept paypal or something, & 3) they don't just take your cash and tell you to pound sand, because the transaction will be 100% outside of taobao's rating system.

if all goes well, you can still expect the usual 30-90 day order cycle à la dx.com or aliexpress.com. odds are you'll be fine doing a small purchase, but go through an agent for anything significant, because if the seller intends on robbing you, they will try to string you along beyond paypal's refund window. for the love of god don't send money as "send money as gift" or whatever it's called these days, that basically neuters any chargeback options. be ready to offer to cover the fees (~35¢ + 2.9%) to shut them up about accepting money through the other option.

underage at the vape shop
May 11, 2011

by Cyrano4747
Is it possible to get a nice, cheap white key set for my masterkey L? Going by the last couple pages, looks like no?

LochNessMonster
Feb 3, 2005

I need about three fitty


underage at the vape shop posted:

Is it possible to get a nice, cheap white key set for my masterkey L? Going by the last couple pages, looks like no?

The vortex pbt keys are great and relatively cheap I think. Not sure if they come in blanks or with legends though.

MrMoo
Sep 14, 2000

The Unlife Aquatic posted:

A Quick Word On Cherry Clones

Cherry clones are extremely common, especially on lower quality mechanical keyboards but they’re not all bad. If you want a very specific switch weight and feel there’s probably a Cherry clone set up just the way you like it.

Good: Gateron, KBTalking, Zealio

Meh: Greentech, Razer

Nope: Otemu, Kalih

So if Kalih is worse than meh, that doesn't suggest WhiteFox is going to be stellar if they rate it as a good alternative to their own new switches:

WhiteFox posted:

Our New Switches

We also invented two new types of mechanical keyswitches that are available as options for the WhiteFox. Our goal when inventing these switches was to significantly reduce "pre-load" or the initial effort required when you first touch a switch. With this new capability, we were able to recreate the feeling of the most desirable keyboards in the world in a simple mechanical switch.

Halo True - A smooth, tactile switch that is effortless to push, and becomes firmer the harder you press it. View our page to learn more

Halo Clear - Based on the Halo True architecture, but with a spring weight closer to the very popular Cherry MX Clear. View our page to learn more

Kaihua Blue - We didn't invent this switch, but it is a wonderful clicky switch so we included it as an option. It is much louder to type on than the Halo switches, with a short, crisp tactile bump. View our page to learn more

Weedle
May 31, 2006




The Halo switches are also made by Kaihua.

The Unlife Aquatic
Jun 17, 2009

Here in my car
I feel safest of all
I can lock all my doors
It's the only way to live
In cars

MrMoo posted:

So if Kalih is worse than meh, that doesn't suggest WhiteFox is going to be stellar if they rate it as a good alternative to their own new switches:

Yeah, this is why I decided not to contribute to the latest WhiteFox drop despite the fact I've wanted one forever.

LionArcher
Mar 29, 2010


The Unlife Aquatic posted:

Yeah, this is why I decided not to contribute to the latest WhiteFox drop despite the fact I've wanted one forever.

Feeling better and better about having a cheap, well built CM storm board with real cherry blue switches, and getting a Race 3 for my birthday.

The Unlife Aquatic
Jun 17, 2009

Here in my car
I feel safest of all
I can lock all my doors
It's the only way to live
In cars

LionArcher posted:

Feeling better and better about having a cheap, well built CM storm board with real cherry blue switches, and getting a Race 3 for my birthday.

My first mechanical keyboard was actually a CM. Cherry MX Blues too.

You've got good taste.

surebet
Jan 10, 2013

avatar
specialist


underage at the vape shop posted:

Is it possible to get a nice, cheap white key set for my masterkey L? Going by the last couple pages, looks like no?

kinda depends what cheap means to you, but of course you can!

for zero dollars (but admittedly a fair chunk of time) you can do this, which is on my to-do list one of these days:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzoZ7rG0x0c

the same exists as an off the shelf product, but @$80 it might be breaking the cheap requirement:
http://www.maxkeyboard.com/custom-white-translucent-top-backlight-keycap-set-blank.html

you can drop down in the ~$40 price point via unknown sellers/brands, but be aware that these are probably budget side printed caps someone sanded down:
https://www.banggood.com/104-Key-OEM-Profile-Side-Printed-Translucent-Top-All-Light-transmitting-ABS-Keycaps-p-1160289.html

max does have a cheaper alternative with either clear or smoke caps:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz6y7DhcMUM (shown in smoke)
smoke, blank: http://www.maxkeyboard.com/max-universal-cherry-mx-black-translucent-full-keycap-set-blank.html
smoke, top print: http://www.maxkeyboard.com/max-universal-cherry-mx-black-translucent-full-keycap-set-top-print.html
smoke, side print: http://www.maxkeyboard.com/max-universal-cherry-mx-black-translucent-full-keycap-set-front-side-print.html
clear, blank: http://www.maxkeyboard.com/max-universal-cherry-mx-clear-translucent-full-keycap-set-blank.html

although not available in smoke (but available in other colors), signature plastics offers a nice alternative to max' keys in the same price range, but in a dcs profile for a more sculpted layout versus max' near flat one. click here for more info on key profiles
http://pimpmykeyboard.com/dcs-translucent-keycap-sets/

otherwise as mentioned vortex is an option:
https://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1330
(while white, the pbt is thick enough to prevent the backlight from showing except through the legends)

if price is 100% the decision factor, check this :10bux: set out:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Double-shot...jwAAOSwSypY~Zsr

worth noting, i pulled random links for most of these, so if you shop around you can probably get a deal

Constellation I
Apr 3, 2005
I'm a sucker, a little fucker.

MrMoo posted:

So if Kalih is worse than meh, that doesn't suggest WhiteFox is going to be stellar if they rate it as a good alternative to their own new switches:

Word on the street is that new Kailh switches are pretty drat good now that they've stepped up their QC. Also, I'm typing on Outemu Blues right now and they feel just as good as Cherry Blues. (I think I actually prefer its click) My only gripe with them is that the stems are a little wobblier and it's noticeable on the non-stabilized mod keys.

This cheap Zhuque keyboard with hotswappable keys is really a godsend because I can swap out switches and have a good apples to apples comparison. My friend has Gateron Greens coming for his own Zhuque board and I have Gateron Blues coming so I guess I'll report back with a trip report on how I feel about all these clicky switches.

The Unlife Aquatic
Jun 17, 2009

Here in my car
I feel safest of all
I can lock all my doors
It's the only way to live
In cars

Constellation I posted:

Word on the street is that new Kailh switches are pretty drat good now that they've stepped up their QC. Also, I'm typing on Outemu Blues right now and they feel just as good as Cherry Blues. (I think I actually prefer its click) My only gripe with them is that the stems are a little wobblier and it's noticeable on the non-stabilized mod keys.

If a few goons say as such I'll move them up to "meh".

e: I'm hard on the Otemus staying in nope because everything I've seen says their QC is abysmal. I'm sure your keys are fine, but they can't guarantee that kind of quality in every board with their switches.

The Unlife Aquatic fucked around with this message at 07:32 on Jul 6, 2017

Generic Monk
Oct 31, 2011

MrMoo posted:

So if Kalih is worse than meh, that doesn't suggest WhiteFox is going to be stellar if they rate it as a good alternative to their own new switches:

I now feel better about getting on this the first time, although i still feel guilty about paying so loving much for a keyboard

i got it with blues though and can't help but wonder what the clears feel like

surebet
Jan 10, 2013

avatar
specialist


the worst case scenario is that you'll have to spend some money and an afternoon replacing all the switches on your board. like unless the box contains a swarm of angry bees or something, that's pretty much the worst case scenario; bit more money, some time.

hopefully, the people building the keyboards will effectively add another layer of qc on the switches too. i wouldn't worry to much about it, especially since you didn't purchase this off of a random chinese site either

teethgrinder
Oct 9, 2002

Asked WASD when their Poker 3s with Clears on them would be back in stock ... they estimated 3-4 months! Ouch. Maybe Massdrop will come through sooner :v:

ColHannibal
Sep 17, 2007
Well I treated myself last night and ordered a ducky pocket to replace my Chinese numpad as I want macro functions.

Will post report on how it changes my life.

axeil
Feb 14, 2006
So my Ducky Shine 6 just showed up and...it feels kind of weird? Is this normal having typed on non-mechanical keyboards your whole life? Is there usually some getting used to it?

The lights look cool at least.


edit: Okay I think I may have figured it out. I always have typed on a keyboard that's on a slight incline and the keyboard lies really flat. Anyone have any good methods for elevating a keyboard?

axeil fucked around with this message at 04:28 on Jul 7, 2017

foutre
Sep 4, 2011

:toot: RIP ZEEZ :toot:
Just ordered a vortex core with clears, and a macropad with grays to go with it.

And a fancy escape key for it.

And pretty keycaps for my TKL:



It's a bit scary how I can come up with justifications for these purchases. Das Keyboard is still going strong 6 years on, but blues are too noisy for using in the office. CODE with clears is great and only 3 years old, but it's not as portable as it's like.

So here I am. I've never used 40% before, and I'm not sure if I'll end up keeping it. Anyone have experience switching over from a traditional size keyboard, or tips for transitioning?

pgroce
Oct 24, 2002
Update from the Whitefox Kickstarter:

* Settling on Cherry stabilizers. Sads.

* They're selling merch, if you're the sort who wants to rep your keyboard brand on a t-shirt or hat or something. kona.store is the link.

* They're looking at LED's, but they're not gonna put them on the keyboard. I guess you can buy them later and put them on yourself?? It instills confidence that I can mod the keyboard if necessary. (You guys have me spooked about the switches now, I'm hoping I can buy good ones and replace if necessary.)

unpronounceable
Apr 4, 2010

You mean we still have another game to go through?!
Fallen Rib
Has anyone tried the Logitech Romer-G switches? I saw a TKL keyboard with them, and might pick it up, since my current home keyboard is feeling too big.

Horizontal Tree
Jan 1, 2010

pgroce posted:

* They're looking at LED's, but they're not gonna put them on the keyboard. I guess you can buy them later and put them on yourself?? It instills confidence that I can mod the keyboard if necessary. (You guys have me spooked about the switches now, I'm hoping I can buy good ones and replace if necessary.)

To install LED's later, all you'd have to do is remove the keycaps, unscrew the plate from the case and lift it out, then drop the LED's in and solder two pins on each. Repeat for each key, EZ.

This is my White Fox with DSA Granites next to the newish GPU I got, I found it funny that the GPU is isgnificantly larger

The Unlife Aquatic
Jun 17, 2009

Here in my car
I feel safest of all
I can lock all my doors
It's the only way to live
In cars

Horizontal Tree posted:

To install LED's later, all you'd have to do is remove the keycaps, unscrew the plate from the case and lift it out, then drop the LED's in and solder two pins on each. Repeat for each key, EZ.

This is my White Fox with DSA Granites next to the newish GPU I got, I found it funny that the GPU is isgnificantly larger


Good stuff, you want it in the OP?

chippy
Aug 16, 2006

OK I DON'T GET IT

axeil posted:

edit: Okay I think I may have figured it out. I always have typed on a keyboard that's on a slight incline and the keyboard lies really flat. Anyone have any good methods for elevating a keyboard?

I'd recommend you get used to typing on it flat - it's better for your wrists, however, if you do want to incline it, does it not have little legs you can extend?

axeil
Feb 14, 2006

chippy posted:

I'd recommend you get used to typing on it flat - it's better for your wrists, however, if you do want to incline it, does it not have little legs you can extend?

It does not.

Nondescript Van
May 2, 2007

Gats N Party Hats :toot:
The input club people apparently beat kalih over the head with improving their qc and the dude behind it is a neeeeeeerd that built his own switch tester so the switches are probably just fine.

chippy
Aug 16, 2006

OK I DON'T GET IT

axeil posted:

It does not.

You could make some out of Sugru (https://sugru.com/)?

Seriously though, if typing with it flat means that your wrists are in a neutral position (i.e. straight line through your forearm, wrist, and hand, no bend at the wrist), then definitely consider getting used to that. Your future self will thank you for the lack of carpal tunnel syndrome.

axeil
Feb 14, 2006

chippy posted:

You could make some out of Sugru (https://sugru.com/)?

Seriously though, if typing with it flat means that your wrists are in a neutral position (i.e. straight line through your forearm, wrist, and hand, no bend at the wrist), then definitely consider getting used to that. Your future self will thank you for the lack of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Yeah i think it's probably better to just suck it up and adjust to a flat keyboard. I have a normal flat keyboard for my work computer, I've just been using my old keyboard for so long I've adjusted to it.

Otherwise, about how long does it take to adjust to using a mechanical keyboard? It started to feel a bit better as I used it yesterday evening but it still feels weird.

chippy
Aug 16, 2006

OK I DON'T GET IT
What switches do you have in it, and what keyboard are you coming from? In what way does it feel weird? I don't remember having to go through much of an adjustment, really.

Lawen
Aug 7, 2000

Finally got the Godspeed set that I ordered like a year ago and put it on one of my Ergodox Infinities. It looks good but a bunch of the keys aren't correctly labeled for my keymap and since these are SA profile, most of the novelties I got aren't the right row type for where I want to put them. Guess I'll either pay too much for a blank ergo set or just sell these all off and either pick up Nautilus (which has a really well thought out ergo kit) or another DSA profile set.



And since it's a new thread, here's my other ErgoInf with DSA Granites (actually has some HC Granite modifiers now but don't have a new pic handy):

axeil
Feb 14, 2006

chippy posted:

What switches do you have in it, and what keyboard are you coming from? In what way does it feel weird? I don't remember having to go through much of an adjustment, really.

Cherry Reds and a plain old Microsoft membrane keyboard. Part of me thinks that maybe I should've gotten blacks but I want to stick it out for a few weeks in case I need to adjust.

I honestly think its the flat/tilted thing but it just felt kind of weird to me at first.

chippy
Aug 16, 2006

OK I DON'T GET IT

axeil posted:

Cherry Reds and a plain old Microsoft membrane keyboard. Part of me thinks that maybe I should've gotten blacks but I want to stick it out for a few weeks in case I need to adjust.

I honestly think its the flat/tilted thing but it just felt kind of weird to me at first.

I'm not personally a fan of linear switches - I prefer tactile or clicky. Whenever I've tried linear switches I miss the lack of feedback that the switch has actually actuated. Perhaps you're missing that - membrane boards do have a slight bump to them as you press the key and the rubber dome collapses.

That's the thing with mechanicals, the different switch types do have a distinctly different feel to one another.

teethgrinder
Oct 9, 2002

I really dislike linear personally ... just feels mushy to me. I need that actuation point too. Though Clears, which don't have the 'click' sound, are definitely my favourite.

teethgrinder fucked around with this message at 16:53 on Jul 7, 2017

unpronounceable
Apr 4, 2010

You mean we still have another game to go through?!
Fallen Rib

axeil posted:

Otherwise, about how long does it take to adjust to using a mechanical keyboard? It started to feel a bit better as I used it yesterday evening but it still feels weird.

When I switched from a generic membrane keyboard to a basic mechanical keyboard with cherry brown switches, I didn't notice a huge difference, save for the noise from bottoming out the keys. It was only after a couple weeks, when I tried a lovely keyboard at school that I really understood how nice it was

surebet
Jan 10, 2013

avatar
specialist


chippy posted:

You could make some out of Sugru (https://sugru.com/)?

Seriously though, if typing with it flat means that your wrists are in a neutral position (i.e. straight line through your forearm, wrist, and hand, no bend at the wrist), then definitely consider getting used to that. Your future self will thank you for the lack of carpal tunnel syndrome.

echoing the warning about raising your keyboard, catching an rsi is not a good thing

you could use pretty much anything rubber to raise it while keeping it in place

leper khan
Dec 28, 2010
Honest to god thinks Half Life 2 is a bad game. But at least he likes Monster Hunter.

surebet posted:

echoing the warning about raising your keyboard, catching an rsi is not a good thing

you could use pretty much anything rubber to raise it while keeping it in place

In this vein, anyone who gets a split board just be aware of what you're doing. They can be really ergonomic, but they can also force you to contort your wrists in incredibly harmful ways.

If you're bending your wrists, you're doing something wrong.

Brightman
Feb 24, 2005

I've seen fun you people wouldn't believe.
Tiki torches on fire off the summit of Kilauea.
I watched disco balls glitter in the dark near the Brandenburg Gate.
All those moments will be lost in time, like crowds in rain.

Time to sleep.

unpronounceable posted:

When I switched from a generic membrane keyboard to a basic mechanical keyboard with cherry brown switches, I didn't notice a huge difference, save for the noise from bottoming out the keys. It was only after a couple weeks, when I tried a lovely keyboard at school that I really understood how nice it was

Our first computer had an IBM Model M, the keyboards in my elementary where all old Apple IIs, they were upgrading but didn't finish until I got to middle school where they had modern membrane keyboards and I remember being all "These feel mushy and bad" but eventually got used to them. Getting a set of Cherry MX Browns was almost nostalgic (probably would need to get a Unicomp for the real deal). Having to use a regular Dell keyboard at work was just awful after that, so I got a CODE with Clears. Not really sure when the last time I touched a generic membrane keyboard was now. I guess my laptops, since they use scissor switches which are technically rubber dome but they don't have that mushy feeling at all.

LionArcher
Mar 29, 2010


leper khan posted:

In this vein, anyone who gets a split board just be aware of what you're doing. They can be really ergonomic, but they can also force you to contort your wrists in incredibly harmful ways.

If you're bending your wrists, you're doing something wrong.

It's also one of the Reasons I shy away from clears vs blues or browns. Harder impact on the fingers

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Horizontal Tree
Jan 1, 2010

The Unlife Aquatic posted:

Good stuff, you want it in the OP?

Sure, if you want it to be a lovely example of how tiny compact layouts can actually be.

I really love this keyboard, it was fun to build and its just wonderful to type on with the caps, o-rings, and clear switches. I very much want to build a small 6 or 8 key macro pad to attach to the base of my monitor, and I'm tempted to build another tiny layout board of some kind to use with a tablet for schoolwork. Need ideas.

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Post
  • Reply