Haven’t had a chance to try the Pearls, but I do have a batch of the OG KBDfans Roller switches & am super impressed by them. They are very smooth, very stable, & the ball bearings really don’t have any negative effects on the switches IMO. Definitely a pretty cool & functional switch design! Let us know what you think once you get them in & have a chance to try them out!
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My search for the perfect trackball got started once again and I ordered a Kensington Orbit Fusion as import from Amazon.us as it’s somehow not sold here anymore. The tracking experience however is very…lacking I have to say. Doesn’t work very good with my current fomo, but it’s supposed to show up here on Friday. I really hope so, can’t wait to test it out.
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I have the Orbit Fusion. I use it on the couch, or when my wrist starts acting up (mousing sometimes gets to me, but typing never does… weird), or when I bust out a truly large vintage board.
I got it versus an Elecom or Adesso because I am very fond of the scroll ring, and I don’t think Kensington’s patent has run out. My favorite layout of theirs is actually the original Orbit with scroll ring, but they refuse to make a new mold and PCB to add a third mouse button, so it was out.
The basic ergonomics of the Fusion are okay, maybe even really good if it matches the way you want to use it, but the grip is not angled how I’d like so I remapped the top-front thumb button to be left-click, which lets me use a grip I like better, sort of like how I’d use an Orbit classic but with a bit more supination, to include regularly changing the exact grip and hand-angle. The remapping is not stored on the hardware, unfortunately, but I only use it on two different computers, so it works out.
The ball itself is fine. I haven’t quite fallen down the trackball-bearings rabbit hole, but it exists if you wanted to. The ring has a bit of slop, but feels good and works well, allowing a lot of different grips and angles while still being easy to scroll.
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Not sure if you already have gone down this route, but this was something that I have on my maybe buy list.
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@wjrii I actually recieved the package today, did not expect that. Amazon tracking was completely off and also said it would come with a different service. Not going to complain to get it earlier however 
remapping the forward button sounds very interesting, but not mapping that on hardware is…very disappointing. I did notice while using it for the workday that my thumb is not really used to that position, I think that will get better with time.
I also tried the Elecom Huge some time ago, was really not satisfied with the scrollwheel and its strange position. The scroll ring was something I really wanted to try out.
@TheNamesTy45 I actually do have a PCB for a Adept here, which was forked by weteor to utilize a Xiao footprint. I do have some issues to find a ball in the right size, I think ill try one of the POM balls available on Ali. Not sure about the scrolling situation however, really need to build mine first and try it out.
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Thanks for the comparison reference.
I actually have a M65B Milk board. I’ll give it a try, currently rocking PBT 9009 and it blends so much better than the previous set i had, GMK Bleach.
I’ll let you guys know! Currently waiting for my CYL Extended 2048 which I’m also pretty excited about.
I broke down, I had some extra funds that apparently I couldn’t be rid of quickly enough. So I got myself one of these…
QK101 Custom Mechanical Keyboard – Qwertykeys
I didn’t get too adventurous with the color, going with dark grey, but it’s my first full-sized custom and will be used for my work computer. I currently use a Leopold 980C in this role which I like, but I guess I wanted to try something new.
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I am a sucker for orange. I am a sucker for Cherry linears (Yes, I know there are a billion manufacturers that are technically better at linears, but I still prefer Cherry above all). So, I did the only logical thing and ordered 80 MX Oranges; I could see these becoming my favorite Cherry linears because the stock spring hits a really nice weight.
The impending tariffs made me want to stock up on some things, so I stocked up on MCUs and PCBs…
- 8 Xiao nRF52840 to add to the 6 I already have waiting for builds.
- 3 Nice!Nano v2 and sockets
- Another order of Totem PCBs this time with ENIG instead of leaded HASL. And in white.
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I have stock Cherry oranges in my Minerva LX and I love them. I agree that the spring is quite nice.
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I didn’t keep them stock & did spring swap them, but MX oranges were my first real run with a MX2A switch & they definitely impressed me. Especially compared to older Cherry switches. The housings fit together so much tighter now there is no need for films at all with them IMO, but they managed to keep that signature Cherry feel. Definitely a great linear!
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How are they compared to the hyperglides?
I’ve used MX Reds Hyperglides (if the AE vendor actually sent HGs) for the vast majority of the past year, and I don’t recall them needing films either.
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They’re better than the HGs IMHO. While you could get away with not filming the HGs you could safely use the thinner films with them. MX2A housings on the other hand are so tight any film would keep them from closing properly. Then the MX2A barrel springs are much much better than the crappy stock springs Cherry was known for. Also they managed to keep the signature Cherry feel despite the molding changes. So while there is nothing wrong with HGs I’d personally opt for MX2As over them if they’re available.
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Ordered some Cherry MX Oranges from Milktooth. What I usually go through to prepare Cherry switches for use is borderline insane so no board planned for them yet.
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i want italian og ansi
gonna be like several k. maybe one day, prob a bit more by that point too
Trying to minimize my collection to four really high quality boards. Yesterday ordered the last one, no. 4: a cardinal (red anodized) Compact Ergo from bowl. Got super lucky, the small amount of extras got sold out within the first 2 minutes.
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I don’t buy keycaps ad much as I used to, but I couldn’t resist using my tax return on these >.>
I’ve been waiting on a set exactly like this for literal years, and passing on it would have driven me nuts. 
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This set KILLED me. I don’t even have any boards that need Cherry keycaps, but now I’m designing another board just to put these on.
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In actually went in and walked around a Best Buy today.
- The lack of variety in the “big boy” gaming space, especially with the prices, is absolutely baffling to me, even when trying to allow that all hobbies can seem off to “outsiders”. It truly seems like tribalism on the brands and distinctions without differences, but that said…
- How did I not realize how delightful Choc clickies are?! There was a board with whites (I checked, lol, but was very careful with the keycap) and it was really nice to use, and the snappy click went a long way towards making up for reduced travel. Now I’m starting to think about what I might use them for.
- Gaming mice seem similarly ridiculous like the keyboards, but features that used to be quite pricy seem to have made their way deep down the price scale in the “normie” space. I may finally replace my ancient m605 with the flaky left wheel-tilt microswitch.
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The Outemu low profile snap blues have a similar feel and click and will work on standard PCBsz
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