So, first off, I’ve talked on this forum a little bit already, but I am truly bored at this moment as I wait for stuff on my laptop to happen.
I’ve been aware and “in” this hobby for a few years now. Started out with a WASD CodeV2 with MX Clears but’ve upped the ante to my now HHKB Hybrid-S (maybe you are already aware of what I do at this point). Really, not much else has stolen my wallet over these years, minus a NIZ plum.
In the threads I have been chatting, I’ve become terribly close to closing the deal on a few different keyboards and cables; namely, the FL980/FC980C/FC660M. I’ve some conflicting reasons as you could guess.
But that leads me into my question… what the hell does everyone do?
I’m a programmer/software engineer and I sit at the desk and type somewhere between 2 and 24 hours in a day just typing so I understand my appreciation of keyboards. Not everyone does this obviously, so why do you like keyboards? Are you a musician that sits at a DAW all day too?
If you’re going to be using a keyboard often and for long hours it only makes sense to seek a quality tool that fits your use-case. That’s more or less what led me here; I’ve worked in various professions that revolve around a keyboard and mouse, all more or less in the graphics and/or printing industry with some writing and customer service in the mix.
It’s a good problem to have, trying to decide between three different Leopold keyboards - even if you somehow pick the worst one for your tastes and needs, it’s still an excellent keeb.
I work on the customer side of a software company so a big portion of my job is emails and Slack. I may not type as much as a programmer for instance but it’s something that I spend hours doing each day so that’s why it became an interest for me initially.
I don’t think you can go wrong with anything in the 980 family. I’m biased but I love the aesthetic of the layout so I think you’ll be well served no matter what.
Choosing between keebs is the easy part It’s proven too difficult for me to decide on a first cable. Still running the stock cable that came with my NIZ plum.
Welcome! Can’t go wrong with Topre… I regret selling my Realforce, but I got bitten by the ortho bug.
I’m a solo musician who does a lot of DAW work like you mentioned, occasionally recording projects for other artists. I’m also a full-time student, a writer, and a tinkerer in general. DIY keyboards are a million and one relaxing problems to solve.
I might have been responsible for the FC980M / FC980C / FL980 bug ahaha
I think you’ll find that a large number of us are software engineers, myself included. Definitely having a nice keyboard that you enjoy using on the daily makes work more pleasant. I find it useful to think about keyboards and their purpose:
Workhorse: The keyboard that’s most likely your daily driver. The one that goes through everything, potentially worn but you love the wabi-sabi nature of it.
Experiment: The keyboard that’s most likely the cheapest, possibly hotswap and in a smaller form factor. This is the one you’ll use to learn more about the hobby, trying out mods, switches, keycaps and everything in between
Luxury: The keyboard that you’ll love dressing up, taking pictures of and generally feels bespoke. You might not use it as much, but it occupies a nice space in your mind.
I can’t help you with cables, but between the 1800 options, I think you won’t go wrong with any of them. I personally daily drive the FC980C as my workhorse keyboard, and it’s perfect for what I need it to do. I have a Hasu controller flashed with VIA for easy programming and silencing rings to reduce/remove the upstroke noise. I also have a HHKB Pro 2 Type-S, which I have mixed feelings about - to me it’s inferior in construction, sound and feel to the 980C, but the HHKB is just so much fun to use!
Same. I’m a software engineer too, mostly C#. I’m at one of my computer stations all day every day. Some people may get tired of that, but I love it!
But yeah, that’s how I got into keyboards. I started with a Leopold FC750R PD (MX Blue gang), and eventually made my way into the world of Topre. And I haven’t looked back.
C# was my first real language, used it along with XNA to make some little games (using XNA as my first framework was a mistake). But I’m finally back to C# for making log4j system scanners . Back then I may have been using a Razer Blackwidow (MX Blue).
I’ve begun hearing a lot of opinions on how the newest model, the hybrid hhkb, has superior build over the past models and I guess this is the result. I’ve never handled any other hhkbs so I can’t say for myself on the matter. Sitting here just working and typing this message with it.
Also yeah, a lot more of you guys are SDE than I would have initially guessed.
It’s proven too difficult for me to decide on a first cable. Still running the stock cable that came with my NIZ plum.
. Back then I may have been using a Razer Blackwidow (MX Blue).