Hello Keebtalk, finally decided to join and post in a keyboard forum instead of just lurking.
Intro:
I was sucked into the black hole that is the keyboard hobby about 6 months ago (around when nationwide WFH started to happen in the US, coincidence, right?) and since then I’ve been hooked, for better or worse. I really appreciate the seemingly endless amounts of design, nuance, variation, and customization that this hobby brings together, along with what I’ve found to be a great community and continual DIY spirit.
Here’s a photo of what I currently have in my “collection”, if it’s enough to call it that:
Currently typing this on the HHKB, which is my first experience with Topre.
Looking forward to asking some weird questions that have been on my mind recently, like “do we actually need a lube as chemically robust as Krytox, or are we overdoing it (because we can)?” or “is the hate for brown switches really justified?” Anyway, thanks for reading!
That is a pretty cool collection you’ve got there. What on Earth is that interesting ortho green acrylic piece? Really neat layout - new for me, anyway!
I’m way down the mx-compatible rabbit-hole, but I still haven’t tried Topre - how are you liking the HHKB? I’m pretty curious about the lube myself - I’m currently typing on a keeb smoothed-up with bike lube - ha! I am pretty curious about the difference in feel between 205g2 and 205g0, as the former has been easier for me to find.
Hate for browns is a staple meme at this point. It’s the DEX that every Dark Souls player levels but won’t admit to. For me, they were like Sam Adams - the thing that introduced me to a whole new world of flavor, and not too long after became eclipsed by and forgotten for it.
There’s nothing wrong with mild tactility, even if it’s not the most interesting or exciting - in fact, some more recent takes on the brown are some of my favorite to daily. It’s true, though - my Cherry brown board does feel a little rough compared to what I tinker with these days, but hey, a solid brew is a solid brew - and life isn’t as fun when the perfect is the enemy of the good.
The Tofu at the top was the first one for me; I quickly found out that Hako Royal Clear are a little too heavy to daily for me but are a super tactile switch either way. Currently really enjoying the HHKB Classic, which is totally stock. I see what all the Topre hype is about after giving it a few days.
That one is actually a custom that I designed (pcb and case with QMK and rgb underglow)! After using my Nyquist I was a little hooked on ortho layouts, but I was looking for one that had a little more compatibility with standard keycap sets and also wasn’t a true split board. I couldn’t really find anything close to what I wanted so I just decided to see if I could make it myself. More of a challenge to see if I could actually design something mostly from the ground up with the help of many great community guides and tools. Happy to say it works as designed.
I’ve had it for a few days and definitely see why people love it, although I can see myself missing the tinkering aspect that’s inherent with MX boards.
Nicely said.
Sometime down the line I’m considering giving (not Cherry) Browns the same treatment that more “enthusiast” switches get and seeing what the result is (AKA lubing, filming, and putting them in a nice keyboard). I do love a mild/non-fatiguing typing experience.
Alongside Box browns, these are quickly becoming my favorite interpretation of the theme - and I think the TTC’s will take better to tuning / have a higher ceiling when it comes to potential quality. Box browns are my daily-driver budget heroes, but there are some minor issues with the design that I think keep them from being quite enthusiast grade, even with some TLC. The TTC’s, though - they seem remarkably solid and do have the more classic design - and I quite like the sound, as well.
