London Keyboard meet

[GeorgeStorm]

Not sure if this is the best place to put this...

As above, spent the afternoon with a couple of friends who met up to talk keyboards and have a go with some new ones.

Highlights for me was trying a Filco with some aluminium keycaps, they had a lovely heavy, thick feeling, and were cool to the touch, very jealous. Also had a go on the HHKB, which was my first time trying topre switches, and while there is no doubt they are very nice, not worth the extra over a nice cherry board to me

Some photos of the keyboards themselves:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/georgey...7630361802266/

Anyone from Hexus into their mechanicals?

[Pob255]

That's a really bizarre and geeky concept.

I know there's quite a few people who vastly favour mechanical over membrane, personally I'm really not that fussed.
as long as there's a decent firmness to the keys and they are smooth.
A lot of it is down to how you type, if you're a fast touch typest then you'll probably get far more out of a mechanical keyboard than most people who'll really not notice that much difference.

I'll say that the cherry mini keyboards (which use mechanical switches) we have at work are really nice for a mini keyboard, but it has brought up a couple of major issues with mechanical keyboards.

1 cost, not such an issue if you're just getting one for yourself, but if you're buying a lot then it adds up fast.
2 malicious damage, the biggest issue we have is people removing keys (often because it's sooooo funny to swap keys over) and it's a lot easier for them to damage the keys and switches on a mechanical keyboard than the very simplistic membrane keyboards, although it's still better than the scissor action laptop keyboards which are very vulnerable to malicious damage.

[IronWarrior]

Seems worst then train spotting. o.O

[GeorgeStorm]

Haha yeah it is, but was a nice chance to try out some different setups, and as I said, meet some people who've been talking on the forums for a while to each other but never having actually met.
None of us are amazing typists really, we each just prefer the feel, and since we're all using our keyboards most of the day, why not spend a little money on a nicer typing experience

Cost can be a lot, most expensive board there cost 300usd + shipping.
Cheapest was around £60

I wouldn't say that are that easily damaged, atleast not the cherry mx switches, topre look a little more delicate, no idea about cherry ML, which I think might be the switches in the cherry mini boards you're referring to?

[Pob255]

The damage comes from idiots pulling they keys off and in doing so damaging the switches under neath.

the keyboards are the G84-4100 compact keyboard, that does use the ML switches.
http://www.cherrycorp.com/english/switches/key/ml.htm

The keys have plastic lugs which connect into the top of the switch and if you're an idiot you don't try to lift the key off vertically but twist or leaver it off at an angle, resulting in the lug snapping off inside the switch or pulling the top off the switch.
Which means you cannot just replace the key but have to take the whole thing apart to replace the switch, which is just way too much hassle.

It's not an issue if you're not an idiot who maliciously pulls the keys off your own keyboard.