Floating Key Mech Keyboard Designs

2018-06-16 at 9:05 PM UTC

#1

Lanny Bird of Courage

Anyone used a "floating key" design before? Like where the bezel doesn't raise above the plate? I ordered one of these recently:

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-mito-canvas-ctrl-mechanical-keyboard#overview

because I wanted to try it out. Sorry for the massdrop link, looks similar to this:

except the case is aluminum (actually would have preferred the dark design but wasn't available). Going to use a different set of caps with it.

I've been a full sized board person for a looong time, but I got a different TLK recently for travel and have actually be really happy with it, so now I want to try one out as my daily driver. Never gone the floating style though. I actually like the look and being able to clean my board without removing the caps sounds awesome. I've heard mixed things about wide key stabilizers although I think that's mostly a massdrop thing as opposed to anything inherent in the floating design (plus I'm not anal about stabilizers, maybe just because I'm use to it from using a cheap Chinese board with costar stabs that are a bit jank. I also use mx blues so what rattle there is is basically inaudible).

Thoughts?

2018-06-16 at 9:09 PM UTC

#2

🏚 Yung Blood

Where's the number pad?

2018-06-16 at 11:42 PM UTC

#3

esbity African Astronaut

For traval...just use a laptop.

2018-06-16 at 11:52 PM UTC

#4

joerell African Astronaut [twine our circinate supersymmetry]

At home it probably would be better...on the road not sure. I prefer my small laptop and Blue Stacks on the desktop for Android Apps. Maybe I'll go with just phone and tether to a 7" SS Tab. I hate lugging everything around and mobile sticks.

2018-06-17 at 12:02 AM UTC

#5

Kinks Enter's Waifu [bitch the twenty-second stewpan]

It’s pretty

I want a keyboard that I don’t have to press down with force to operate

2018-06-17 at 6:05 AM UTC

#6

Lanny Bird of Courage

Originally posted by 🏚 Where's the number pad?

There is none, that's what makes it TLK. I usually use a keyboard with a numpad but like I said, since it was for travel, I wanted something that was easier to fit in a backpack. But actually now that I've used it a bit I'm thinking I can get by just fine without the number pad.

Originally posted by esbity For traval…just use a laptop.

I do have a laptop, but laptop keyboards suck. Like if I need to write a quick email or something then sure, I'll just use my laptops builtin keyboard. But sometimes I have to go to different offices for work, or have an hour between classes in the library or something so then it's nice to have a better keyboard with me.

2018-06-17 at 9:38 AM UTC

#7

aldra JIDF Controlled Opposition

TenKeyLess

2018-06-17 at 9:38 AM UTC

#8

aldra JIDF Controlled Opposition

also the last one I built was 'floating', no real downside to it unless you don't like the look

2018-06-17 at 9:48 AM UTC

#9

The Self Taught Man Black Hole

I've had a floater before but I didn't like it because I am used to having a palm rest due to the more comfortable angle. However I have friends who exclusively use floaters.

I'm currently using a Corsair Strafe RGB with CMX Reds.

2018-06-17 at 10:29 AM UTC

#10

aldra JIDF Controlled Opposition

I'm using a masterkeys pro tkl with cherry blues

2018-06-17 at 10:43 AM UTC

#11

The Self Taught Man Black Hole

Originally posted by Kinks It’s pretty

I want a keyboard that I don’t have to press down with force to operate

Get one with CMX Red switches then. They have a very low actuation threshold and require very little force, but has as much "travel" available as a normal KB. So you can push them all the way down if you want and it has that satisfying mechanical feel, but they only requires a gentle press to actuate. When I first used CMX Reds, I actually used to accidentally type all the time because I was used to just resting my fingers fully on my keys.

This also theoretically means a higher typing speed.

2018-06-17 at 10:49 AM UTC

#12

The Self Taught Man Black Hole

Originally posted by Lanny I do have a laptop, but laptop keyboards suck. Like if I need to write a quick email or something then sure, I'll just use my laptops builtin keyboard. But sometimes I have to go to different offices for work, or have an hour between classes in the library or something so then it's nice to have a better keyboard with me.

Chiclet keyboards make me want to kill myself.

I have old ThinkPad T43 from 2004 somewhere in storage which had these gorgeous, clicky, premium keys that gave lots of feedback and tactile guidance.

But now everything is chiclet keys, and it offers zero tactile guidance, shit feedback and I make extra letter typos all the time. Smh.

The following users say it would be alright if the author of this post didn't die in a fire!

2018-06-17 at 1:17 PM UTC

#13

Grimace motherfucker [my enumerable hindi guideword]

You wanted something for travel, yet you bought the most "bells and whistles" keyboard you could buy under $40.

LEDs..ooooooooooooooooooooh!

2018-06-17 at 1:19 PM UTC

#14

Grimace motherfucker [my enumerable hindi guideword]

Originally posted by Captain Chiclet keyboards make me want to kill myself.

I have old ThinkPad T43 …

I stopped there. Awesome machine. IBM/Lenovos are well built.

2018-06-17 at 1:31 PM UTC

#15

The Self Taught Man Black Hole

My keyboard knowledge is clearly lacking. right now i'm using a 10 dollar keyboard because I ripped my old one to shreds one day while I was tweaking. It was dirty as fuck anyways and I had already planned on getting a new one so I just said fuck it and bought one on amazon and went to town.

Anyways I think there are a lot of sexy looking keyboards on amazon but they get pretty expensive. Now I can't find them. There was one with like lego colors though that was dank.

The following users say it would be alright if the author of this post didn't die in a fire!

Grimace

2018-06-17 at 1:48 PM UTC

#16

Grimace motherfucker [my enumerable hindi guideword]

Originally posted by greenplastic My keyboard knowledge is clearly lacking. right now i'm using a 10 dollar keyboard because I ripped my old one to shreds one day while I was tweaking. It was dirty as fuck anyways and I had already planned on getting a new one so I just said fuck it and bought one on amazon and went to town.

Anyways I think there are a lot of sexy looking keyboards on amazon but they get pretty expensive. Now I can't find them. There was one with like lego colors though that was dank.

There is literally no need for extravagant keyboards other than aesthetic LUST. Some keyboards favor to GAMERS with extra keys, some to PROGRAMMERS with shitloads of features with the accompanying software, but generally speaking, it's all bells and whistles for someone who wants an AESTHETIC keyboard. They WISH their desktop to look a certain way.

2018-06-17 at 1:52 PM UTC

#17

Kinks Enter's Waifu [bitch the twenty-second stewpan]

Yeah idk the last time I used a real keyboard to type anything beyond a password on before

2018-06-17 at 4:43 PM UTC

#18

The Self Taught Man Black Hole

Originally posted by Grimace I stopped there. Awesome machine. IBM/Lenovos are well built.

I still use it to do my actual writing, I just haven't written in a while. It's still pure joy to type on (and for typing alone, I actually like it better than my Strafe). Not to mention that the rubberised, angular chassis and general design is fucking gorgeous. I emotionally love that machine.

Currently it has an old Lubuntu version installed on it, a little slow but it still works fine. What a beast. It's still 100% functional too, beat up but everything works. I have it in a suitcase somewhere, I'll try to find it and post pix.

2018-06-17 at 5:20 PM UTC

#19