31
'Gaming' keyboard that isn't mechanical? (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world
26 comments fedilink hide all child comments
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 7 points 1 year ago (4 children)

My favorite keyboard ‘feel’ 100% is an oldschool laptop style keyboard. Like the IBM T60

You may be looking for the IBM SK-8845 Ultranav USB keyboard. They're long-discontinued, but I see several on Ebay.

Razer Blackwidow Stealth w/ rubber o-rings added to the base of each key, which I think is as non-clackety as a mechanical gets.

It isn't. A web search says this uses Cherry MX Brown switches, which are pretty average in terms of noise. Here are some switches more focused on minimizing noise:

  • Outemu Boba U4 - a quiet switch with a strong tactile bump (MX Browns have a weak tactile bump)
  • Healios v2 - a linear switch (smooth, no bump) designed to be very quiet
  • Cherry MX Silent Red - a quiet linear switch you might actually find in a factory keyboard rather than something custom or DIY

At least two of the three use rubber pads inside to minimize noise.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • hideshow 4 child comments
    •
  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    A web search says this uses Cherry MX Brown switches

    Strange, I had the same thought about swapping out the switches and found that OP's keyboard had Razer's Orange Switches (which supposedly are tactile and silent), but maybe that's a newer/different model. Regardless, I second the recommendation to try out some different switches. There's a big different between the feel of linear, tactile, and clicky switches, and if someone doesn't like one, they might still be fine with another type. Clicky switches in particular can be polarizing for their sounds, but linear switches can be as smooth as butter.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •
  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago

    I'm not necessarily advising OP to swap keyswitches. I don't think that's a hot-swap keyboard, and they expressed no desire to solder.

    I do, however think researching the switches available in factory or built-to-order keyboards could lead to better results. In this case, mimicking the feel of a Thinkpad T60 calls for something with a strong tactile bump and shorter travel than most mechanical keyswitches. O-rings can shorten travel.

    I, too like the T60 keyboard enough that I built a Tex Shinobi with Durock Koala switches, which have a strong, early tactile bump that's a lot like the feel of the T60. I don't mind the longer travel or some clacking, so I haven't used any lube or O-rings.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent