Mechanical Keyboard Corner

Do post what you get up to with it. I was used to the size but it is very well packaged foot print wise so it feels/looks smaller than it is, not much waste on it. I wanted the Browns but they seller said they had issues with them so asked if I wanted to change the order.

I have to post an update one of these evenings on the switch swap I did, Gat Blues to Zeal Zilents.

The best quality of life improvement I made with it though was shaving the sharp edges on the case to smooth rounded edges. It is for travel and will be in and out of bags hands and so on so a but of a more friendly corner on it is nice in the hand, no more scrapes.

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I ordered my unit with Gateron Browns, canā€™t say i have any issues with.
This one is going to be my living room and travel keyboard, i have a Logiā€™ K400R that filled this gap for quite a while, but the rubber domes on it became stiff and kept locking up, so i decided to upgrade.
As for the switches the Gateron browns are nice but weird, never had one on hand before just tested the ones that my friends had, they are quite lightweight and the ā€œtactile feelā€ is minimal, almost non existent. I think iā€™m going to put some Gateron or Cherry Blacks (vintage ones, if possible) on it, perhaps even something like a Kailh BOX Heavy Dark Yellow.

Your description is quite accurate. They are often described jokingly as ā€œdirty redsā€, soft and almost linear travel with dirt on the slider. The tactile switches can be much more, well, tactile. The likes of Chery Clears and Zealios.

I have found over some time and experimentation that I like heavy switches and tactile ones, though linear were my first favourites and still up there.

If you are going for Black switches, or ones like them, I can easily recommend the Gateron switches (Black and Yellow). They are super smooth right from the start so much so they have made Vintage Blacks irrelevant. Vintage was prised because they had been broken in and harvested after years of use so they were nice and smooth. I hear now that Cherry have retooled and their switches are smooth from new again.

I would like to try the Box switches, particularly the clicky ones with the bar that clicks on the up and down, but would not like to try a full board based on my recent experiences with Blues. Though the click mechanism is different so maybe the are nicer, I did not like the loose rattle of the slider in the Blues.

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The Kailh click bar is nifty because it clicks on both the down- and upstroke, but provides very little actual tactility. You can feel some from the bar, but really not much. The slider will provide more feedback.

It would be amusing if it was possible to make an Aristotle/Click bar amalgamation. A switch like that would be so noisy with itā€™s triple click.

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Now I really want to get a few. I am sure if it is possible then one of the enthusiast groups has tried it. I will have to have a look.

I will see how much i get involved with the keyboard, iā€™m not even sure if iā€™m going to mod it, its nice just as it is, but i wonā€™t lie wouldā€™ve liked a heavier, more linear experience.
And its really good to know that the Gateron switches are a good alternative to the vintage Cherry blacks, they are cheaper and much easier to come by.

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First time actually using the Anne in the living room, damn, it makes a whole lotta difference over the K400R.
And i take back what i said about not being abble to daily this, been playing with it for a few hours, testing some different tweaks here and there and its pretty much second nature now, this is quite a fancy little keyboard after all!

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Anyone used the Logitech G613 lately? Seriously considering that, looking for a wireless ten key and mouseā€¦ and mechanical.

There is also an app for your phone/tablet than can set custom lighting and macros. I have not played with it much but the brief time I did it is interesting. The oddity lies in installing third party apps made by a Chinese company.

The Anne Pro subreddit has many useful tips and tricks including some apps for PCs that were written by users. Again not really looked into but but lots of good info it seems from the brief look I did take.

@RevampedTech I have never used Romer-G switches. So I cannot comment on that. I know they get mixed reviews on the mechanical keyboards subreddit. That would have a lot more comments and reviews on the daily use factor of that board. Hope that helps a little.

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Been testing those, the iPhone app is actually pretty good and its really easy to set up things on it. i changed a few binds here and there, the ones that comes from the factory are mostly good.
Iā€™m yet to try those the over guys over at the Anne subreddit are developing.

Canā€™t say i have used Romer Gs either, but just the fact that the main goal with those switches was just to allow brighter and more centralized LEDs instead of making a better switch bothers me to no end.
I found Thomasā€™ reviews to be very in line with my general opinion about switches, so iā€™ll link him as a reliable source:

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Wow that was harsh. I generally like his reviews and style but that was just dumping on the thing. It made sense at the end when he pointed out that it was not Logitech that sent him the board but another user.

It has come to mind that a friend of mine had one of these (a romer-g not that specific board) and recently upgraded to a MX Clear board. The response was that the new board was much nicer over all. He is not a super enthusiast but does use a keyboard a lot so wanted something to suit.

For me it does come down to the replaceable caps. As pointed out you can get not good feeling cherry switches but at least you can improve things like key feel and sound on even a bad cherry board. I like customising and user replaceable parts too much go with anything else for my daily boards. But I am lacking in comparison as all I have are MX boards.

Addendum: Not only caps as alluded too but if you can solder you can take a cheap bad Cherry board up to endgame forever board by replacing the switches.

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That kinda sucksā€¦ but for some reason trying to find a ten-key wireless keyboard is a pain, not many are madeā€¦ most are TKLā€™s.

Indeed, its not an easy task, i know Filco makes them, but they are definitely not cheap.

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But on the upside Filco are just awesome. I have a TKL and they are built to last.

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Ouchā€¦ yeah, thats more then I want to pay, looking for something in the 100 to 125 range mechanical wireless which are plenty, just only the G610 is a ten-key. Itā€™s not a deal killer, just something I would prefer to have.

Always wanted one but never had the opportunity to pick one up for the right price just yet.
Reality is, all my keyboards were quite cheap, my most expensive keyboard was, well, the Anne! Paid US$60 for it.

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I have run the gamut of boards. From very cheap ($35 or 30) all the way up to too much I never bothered counting the number (but not like over 500 or anything crazy).

They (Filco) are super nice and mine will forever be my Endgame board but having bought and modified a very cheap board I do not see the need to spend a lot on a board at all, even though I have.

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So can anyone recommend a good wireless mechanical around the 100 to 120 range? After research Iā€™m pretty much dropping the ten-key requirement as they just donā€™t seem to exist other then the Logitech (which I may still go with).

Indeed, but i think it all comes down to the fact that some people are enthusiasts, its pretty much like cars, you donā€™t need a Lamborghini HuracĆ”n Performante, you can literally get a Camaro that is just as fast, but in the end the Lamborghini will still be a Lamborghini.
Iā€™m all in for ā€œdifferentā€ keyboards right now, i tasted the buckling springs fruit, now i want to pick something with Hi-Teks and maybe even some Alps after that!

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