Thank you everyone for taking time to help out. While looking for keyboards, I’ve found a great deal on a new Keychron C3 Pro at Amazon for around $30. It’s a wired keyboard, but it’s got hot swappable brown switches and I figured there’s no way I’d find something better to dip my toes in this hobby.
And I’m really glad I did! The feel and sound of it is just so much better from my regular keyboard it’s not even funny.
I’ve got some sample switches and o-rings in the mail to further dampen the sound but I’m very happy with my purchase.
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All those really sweet compact keyboards are super sexy and I want one. But the ones I like are both:
- very expensive
- have windows exclusive software
I’m not even sure mechanical keyboards are for me, to be honest. I don’t type that much, and the keyboard I have - a Logitech wave ergonomic keyboard - suits me, except for the humongous size and the noise (I do a lot of video calls and it gets distracting to my interlocutors).
From my research, a QMK/VIA 65% keyboard would be ideal. The VIA part would allow me to configure the few extra keys and layouts so I can make the most of the keys I’ll have. And it’s Linux compatible. However, it seems the controllers for VIA keyboards make them significantly more expensive. Then there’s the noise issue. The click clack, while tactile satisfying, is a no go for me.
I went down the rabbit hole and to find something that has a chance of suiting me, the cost quickly balloons above $200, and for something which I don’t know if I’ll like. If at least I knew it wouldn’t be too loud I might justify forking that kind of money.
Is there a keyboard for me? How can I tell if it’s going to be too loud? Or should I just give up that search and go for a normie tenkeyless keyboard?
Can you give examples of the “really sweet compact keyboards” that are both expensive and windows-only?
For custom mechanical keyboards, $200 is about the starting point.
I don’t have anything off the top of my head because I didn’t dig much into it once I found out they didn’t support Linux or the price was more than I’d like to pay for something that might not suit me. But I am not really looking for something custom.
Trying to find something as an example there’s this Iqunix unit that is interesting (though I’d prefer a more cassette futurism design).
I’m not saying it’s not worth it, it didn’t seem a good fit for me. That was before I learned from Shareni here that I wouldn’t strictly need a VIA unit. The other issue is I had no clue if the noise would be acceptable, or even if it’s a reasonable expectation to have out of a mechanical keyboard to be quiet.
So dropping that money on something that might not fit me in any way is a hard ask. I hope I made myself clear, if not, let me know.
I built a budget custom board using this chassis, gateron yellows, and cheap no-name keycaps from amazon for about $150. Judging by the images I found online for “cassette futurism”, this may be your style and is pretty quiet.
You can use kmonad to configure keys, layers, layouts, etc. on any keyboard. AFAIK unless you’re going to use the keyboard on random computers, it can replicate all of the functionality you’d want.
For sound:
- find a physical model to try out
- order one of those switch samplers
- find info from reviewers
Additional food for thought: get a keyboard with hot-swappable switches to possibly replace them with quieter ones. Also there are tricks to make it quieter like adding o-rings and a shock absorber for the bottom plate.
unless you’re going to use the keyboard on random computers
That’s great! The keyboard is meant to be stationary, indeed.
- find a physical model to try out
I’d love to, but where? Are there stores that stock them?
replace them with quieter ones.
Hoping to avoid buying something I won’t use, but I’ll keep that in mind.
Thanks a lot for the tips!
If you’re in the US and have a microcenter nearby, they tend to have a lot on display
Sadly, the closest one is ~5h away. Thanks though.
That’s great! The keyboard is meant to be stationary, indeed.
Try it with your current one first. I’ve only installed it through nix and guix, so it might be a possible issue for you if it’s not easily available.
I’d love to, but where? Are there stores that stock them?
No clue. If you can’t find that keyboard in the area, look for keyboards using the same switches. It’s not the only factor, but probably the most relevant.
I’ve got a Keychron V1 and it’s great. The software works fine on Linux. Once you configure it, it’s all stored in its firmware. The brown switch version of any option you look at is probably what you want if you don’t know what you want/need.
Lots of good advice already, but there’s two things I’d add:
- If you can’t find a place to test different keyboards you could also get a switch sampler first. They’re relatively inexpensive, at least compared to getting a keyboard you don’t end up liking. You don’t need one with lots of keys or with multiple brands, as long it contains the major types (Clicky, Tactile, Linear) and has some variation in actuation force. Worst case, you end up with a new fidget toy.
- You don’t necessarily need VIA, just QMK. There’s the online QMK configurator, which allows you to configure your keyboard, download it as custom firmware and flash it. If you have some experience as a developer you can also just grab the QMK firmware and customize it that way. QMK offers excellent tooling and tutorials that makes this incredibly easy, particularly on Linux. I’d recommend checking this out even before deciding on a specific keyboard model.
I 2nd this. I’m not a very good programmer, but I have been able to use QMK Firmware to customize my keyboard. It’s mostly modifying existing code, and working with a command line (I use MSYS2 on Windows).
QMK Configurator and Toolbox is quite straightforward too: map your keybinds, download firmware, and flash it on Toolbox. VIA is nice, but I don’t find myself using it very often.
Cheap, supports QMK/VIA on linux.
Thank you very much for that, I’ve been real happy with the C3 I got.
Awesome to hear, Keychron makes some keyboards that are a great value, even if they are not the best.
I keep going back to my K4v2.
Keychron’s V2 (65%) might work for you as a good intro. The Barebone Knob option comes without switches and keycaps, so you can test out a few switches ahead of time, perhaps with a keytester set. For keycaps, you are best off just buying a ‘clone’ set from Aliexpress or Amazon, if you’re trying to get decent quality at a cheap price.
In total, I would expect this setup to cost around $110 before shipping costs and tax.
Thanks! The price difference to a fully assembled one is $15. Wouldn’t it be cheaper to get the assembled one and just change the switches? Or are the stock key caps not worth it?
Switch prices can range quite a lot, since there is a decently large enthusiast market for switches. However, I took into consideration that you mentioned you don’t like to buy things you won’t use (the stock switches). I figured it would be better to suggest that you try some switches before you pay for any in bulk.
As for the keycaps, they are not bad. They’re not amazing either, but for what you pay ($15 additional for switches and keycaps) you aren’t gonna beat the price. I just imagine most people are happier having some level of visual customization, and you can’t really see the switches unless you have a keyboard with “floating switches”.
By the way, if you are comfortable keeping the keycaps but swapping out switches, you may also be interested in the Keychron V8. It has somewhat of the ergonomic layout of your current keyboard. It’s only available with blue switches, which are clicky and wouldn’t be appropriate for working.
Sorry that this is getting so long, but one more comment: if you decide to go the barebones route, you will need to make sure you find a keycap set that has 65% compatability. Keys that are frequently missing include the bottom row cluster to the right of the spacebar, and the far right column of keys as well.
Oh don’t apologize, and thank you for all the tips!
And while we’re at it, I’ve had a hard time finding third party key caps for the Alice layout. Is there a better keyword to search for or are they really rare?
I don’t think there is a “standard” for alice layouts, but you definitely will have to check for key compatability. I found Keychron V8 keycap sizes on their site here, so you should generally look for keycap sets that show you what additional keys are included, such as in this listing and this listing.
You also need to keep in mind the rows (R1, R2, etc.) if you want the profile of each row of keycaps to be consistent. Worst case scenario, you can manually measure the length of each keycap by comparing to 1u keys and known lengths (i.e. standard RShift is 2.75u on ANSI keyboards, LShift is 2.25u, etc.), but that gives you no insight on profile.
Last but not least, I have seen people buy monochromatic keycap sets in a specific profile, such as Cherry profile, and then buying a second smaller set of supplemental keycaps in an accent color (also in Cherry profile). This usually costs more and can lead to mismatched keycaps if not careful or unlucky.
Keychron makes keyboards in a variety of sizes, and most you can configure with different types of switches. They’re priced well, too. I’d start there.
I have a Nuphy Halo 75 that I’m rather thrilled with. I have a 65% and TKL Leopolds, with Topre and Cherry Clears respectively, that I also love. But I wanted to go wireless, and I wanted RF instead of Bluetooth. I also wanted a happy medium 75%, and the Nuphy checked all those boxes.
I got baby kangaroo switches, as I love tactiles, and I really enjoy them.
A couple caveats:
- The v1 uses a proprietary tool for programming the layout. The v2 uses QMK/VIA, but the 65 isn’t available in v2 yet.
- The keycaps are kinda meh. Coming from a Leopold, which has very nice textured PBT keycaps, I knew I wouldn’t be happy. I ordered some Osume keycaps, and they greatly improve the quality of the experience.
I was considering a Keychron, but just got the feeling that the QC may be a bit lacking compared to Nuphy. I can’t back that up, and have no idea if it’s true, it’s just the feeling I got from reading reviews.
I also considered a Zoom75, but haven’t had the time for a first build, and availability wasn’t great.
Do you need wireless? Do you need it to be programmable? If the answer to both of those is no, I’d definitely recommend Leopold. They do have some bluetooth boards now, but my experience with bluetooth input devices hasn’t been great.
Varmillo is another one to look into, with the VXT67 in particular looking interesting. That glintstone colorway is gorgeous.