MEW Community Keyboards

As much as I thought I won’t use a numpad, I realised I do (and I write code around 60% of the time). My TKL is now gathering dust. At home I use a HyperX Alloy Elite and at the office (and in the bedroom) I have a (glorious, I might add) Logitech MX Keys. Cherry MX Reds are just too light for work - I make too many mistakes, often having my fingers ever so slightly resting on a key and realising I’m accidentally pressing it. The MX Keys isn’t good for gaming, but it’s fantastic for work, especially paired with an MX Master 3 mouse.

So my work setup(s) are as follows:

  • Main home office / gaming PC setup: HyperX Alloy Elite (Cherry MX Reds) paired with Razer Naga Trinity
  • Bedroom study table setup: Logitech MX Keys paired with Logitech M720 Triathlon (i.e. MX Master “lite”)
  • Work office setup: Logitech MX Keys paired with Logitech MX Master 3
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:slightly_frowning_face:

The lecturer in me, cannot let this go.

Pudding keycaps, when the top quarter to third of the keycap is a colour, while the bottom part is a different colour (but usually white, and backlit), giving it that partial glow right through the base of the keycap. Called pudding, cos it looks like one of those shop custard puddings with the brown (chocolate) on top.

Cherry MX Silent Reds, a switch type. It’s a linear smooth lower force actuation, and has muted sound. Game with this at night, while the wife sleeps.

Cherry MX Blues, the loud clicky tactile switch, that reminds most people of old IBM keyboards. Tactile, means there’s a bump somewhere around the middle of the actuation, that you can feel through your fingers. Clicky, is just the fucking loud click of the actual button mechanism. Use this to piss of neighbours, 3 doors down.

Cherry MX Reds: again, same as Silent Reds, but just louder. Often called the gamer switch. It’s highly responsive actuation, and smooth linear feel, is ideal for gaming. While it’s not “silent”, it is not overly loud, and in a busy office, can easily fade into background noise.

The Ducky One 3 is also their new line of models, where you can swap the switches too, unlike the Ducky One 2 range, which are fixed switches. Obviously, keycaps are always removable.

And lastly, the thocc: what keyboard hobbyists call the mystical perfect solid bass’y thunk sound when you type on the keyboard. Ducky has done a great job, and the sound while the switch is sliding down, is also a satisfying shuck, as well as the bottoming out sound. Most keyboards resonate hollow, plastic or sometimes even metal sounds, because they don’t have enough internal padding and structural integrity, both for your fingers banging on the keys, and also for sound dampening. Both desk and desk cover affect the sound. The blue keyboard’s thocc, is good, in the grand scheme of things, but hey, it’s amazing for me, since none of the others sound d that good.

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I’m guessing Cherry MX Blacks would be perfect for you. Still linear, but more force needed, than the Reds. :ok_hand:

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I’ve come to appreciate the wirelessness, short travel and silent operation of the MX Keys. It’s a domed / scissor switch keyboard, but I’ve let my elitist tendencies go and just appreciate the 'board for what it is! The smart backlighting also works a treat to extend battery life. I only charge it once every 2 weeks.

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I’ve been through so many keyboards, it’s made me realise, what i’m doing, dictates the layout, the switch type I want, as well as connectivity. I’ll never be happy with just one keyboard. Next, I want to dip my toes in a custom build.

Also, sysadmin would say, “What’s a numpad?!?”

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Haven’t listened to them in some time…

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MX Blues all the way!

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I actually detest the “bump” of Blues. My discarded TKL had MX Blues. I love linear switches for gaming and general use, but for work I like my short travel scissor switches. And no, I don’t use a Mac.

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Remind me to rent a desk by you, and come annoying the living shit out of everyone in your office

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I bought the whole office TKL’s with MX Blues… I’m quite accustomed to the sound. It’s therapeutic, even. It’s just all about the feel for me.

EDIT: Side note - our office is quiet these days. Come drop by and have a coffee.

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Does someone have a spare MX blue switch they can send me? My shift key is starting to make funny noises. Like… It’s quiet…

Too quiet…

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Yeeeeeeeeeeeessss I’m in!

Heathen. I spend my days in Excel, I needs the numpad.

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Nonsense.

Although, what I REALLY need is a numpad with hexadecimal and a colon.

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This gives me a pain in my colon…

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Thanks for the detailed and in-depth clarification. I’ve personally never used a mechanical keyboard so I am very unaware of these things.

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At work I use the Logitech K780 bluetooth keyboard. Its amazing! Easy typing, very quiet, and it has 3 bluetooth memories so my laptop, tablet and something else techy can connect without having to fiddle.

They claim 24 months of battery life, and I can say that on and off use for the last 24 months and I still have the same battery. Not fulltime office use though.

Also, it has a very nice tablet stand built in. Granted I dont type on my tablet too much, but this was VERY handy when I was busy installing Windows 11 on my laptop and still needed to get long emails sent out.

10 out of 10

This is me multitasking:

EDIT: I realise I have posted about this keyboard higher up. Just giving you an updated review. Also, I forgot that I have mentioned it before. The keyboard lasts longer than my memory, ok?

2nd EDIT: thats not really me. Thats marketing photos… :smiley:

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I’m in the similar boat, Magic Keyboard and Mouse ftw.

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Geez that thing looks so thin.

It ain’t always about thickness. :smirk_cat:

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I found this insanely interesting and insightful.

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