Looking for a compact keyboard

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fishoil

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Aug 11, 2010
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I'm currently using a Razer Lycosa and it's a POS. Keys all over the board randomly stop working or the back light will die and the only way I can get them back is to unplug the keyboard.

So I'm looking for a new keyboard. I want something that takes up less space since I'm always doing homework on my desk and I just need the room.

I'm looking at the happy hacker line and I like what I see. How is the HH Lite2? That would be about as much money as I'm willing to spend on a keyboard. Roughly $80

Any suggestions on another brand?
 
The Razer Lycosa is garbage, totally agreed. I had it and regretted ever buying it, replaced it with an Apple keyboard and never looked back.

By going with a compact keyboard I'm assuming that you don't mind missing the numpad. If you want one that is low profile and with scissor switches, I recommend the Apple compact aluminum USB keyboard (http://www.amazon.com/Apple-MB869LL...4VFW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1288238805&sr=8-3). $50 and it also has two USB ports on the sides. Note that the full size keyboard is the same price, and it is also smaller than the Lycosa (I've owned both and compared). http://www.amazon.com/Apple-Aluminu...7N9U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1288238805&sr=8-1

If you want a mechanical keyboard then I recommend the Filco tenkeyless (http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=filco_keyboards,majestouch_87key). You get the option of three mechanical switch types. This FAQ may help you to decide: http://elitekeyboards.com/support.php?lang=en#1a

I own the Filco tenkeyless with Cherry MX brown switches, a full size Apple aluminum keyboard, and a Steelseries 6Gv2 with Cherry MX black switches (my favorite one, currently used on my gaming PC). It really comes down to personal preference, whether you want low profile scissor keys or want a specific Cherry MX mechanical switch type. I don't think you can go wrong with any of these choices.

Hope this helps!
 
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do you like the steelseries because of the black switches compared to brown or for another reason?
 
Guess I wasn't aware that apple keyboards are compatible with a PC. I'll definitely look into those. Not sure how I feel about mechanical keyboards.... they all seem pretty loud.
 
fishoil said:
Guess I wasn't aware that apple keyboards are compatible with a PC. I'll definitely look into those. Not sure how I feel about mechanical keyboards.... they all seem pretty loud.
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Blues are the only loud ones while Blacks and Browns only really make noise if you bottom out the keys. If you spend the extra money on a Filco tenkeyless you will not be disappointed I promise you.
 
100inch said:
do you like the steelseries because of the black switches compared to brown or for another reason?
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I surprisingly ended up preferring the black switches, and I prefer the texture of the keys and overall construction of the Steelseries. In any case, I wouldn't recommend the Steelseries for a compact keyboard since it only comes as full size, so it's a moot point.

fishoil said:
Guess I wasn't aware that apple keyboards are compatible with a PC. I'll definitely look into those. Not sure how I feel about mechanical keyboards.... they all seem pretty loud.
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Yeah, its just a USB keyboard, plug & play. It wasn't the first thing that occurred to me either, but I cannot think of any better low profile keyboard at the moment. Absolutely blows the Lycosa away.

Not all mechanical keyboards are loud. Blue switches are the only Cherry MX ones that make an audible clicking sound. The black and brown switches are silent, and the only sound they make are from the actual striking of the keys and them bottoming out. The Filcos make a slightly higher pitched and louder sound than the Steelseries because the keys themselves are lighter and made of thinner plastic. The Steelseries are deeper and softer by comparison, but again, that is because of the keys themselves, not the mechanical switch.

Check out the FAQ on Cherry switches that I listed, goes over the characteristics of each switch. Two out of the three Cherry MX switches available in the Filcos are "silent".
 
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The EliteKeyboards FAQ has a mislabeled graph for the blue switch. Check here for the proper graph, noting the difference in height between the electrical activation point and the release point. There's also a solid audio sample roundup here.
 
Happy Hacking at elitekeyboards don't have tenkey.

Actually, some of the filcos as well.

I highly recommend the filco. Great keyboards.

Filco black switch over steel series and das for sure. Better construction and no gloss and good design. Also, use ps2 adapter for true nkey rollover. usb maxes at 6.
 
Epiik said:
Happy Hacking at elitekeyboards don't have tenkey.

Actually, some of the filcos as well.

I highly recommend the filco. Great keyboards.

Filco black switch over steel series and das for sure. Better construction and no gloss and good design. Also, use ps2 adapter for true nkey rollover. usb maxes at 6.
Click to expand...

I own a Filco tenkeyless with brown switches and a Steelseries with black switches, and I completely disagree with you. The Steelseries is heavier, has heavier keys with less wobble than the Filco, better texture on the keys, and contrary to what you said has no gloss. The Filco keys actually have a smooth and shiny texture on the keys, while the Steelseries is matte and with a slightly rougher texture.

The Filcos are nice (you can beat someone with both keyboards), don't get me wrong, but the comparisons you made are incorrect based on the ones I have in front of me. :)
 
@Serpico: Would you say that you prefer the low profile keys of the Apple keyboard to mechanical keyboards like those made by Steelseries/Filco/etc?

I've grown accustomed to working on my MacBook Pro's low profile keys, but I need a good keyboard for my desktop rig that's good for programming and gaming. I'm trying to decide if this mechanical keyboard thing is right for me. A lot of people seem to be very passionate about their mechanical keyboards and it's made me curious haha.
 
Alex S - Boy, that's a tough one. I love typing on the Apple keyboard, but I also love typing on the Steelseries. Both are way better than typical membrane keyboards, that's easy for me to say. Anything else comes down to personal preference. This is especially the case with mechanical keyboards since there are several different types of switches (some may prefer Cherry MX brown, other black, other blue).

I will say that for RTS gaming in particular, I much prefer the Steelseries with Cherry blacks over other keyboards. Being able to spam high APM and register keystrokes in Starcraft 2 (without spurious inputs like I am more likely to do with the more sensitive Cherry brown switches) is very easy since the actuation point is only halfway down. With scissor keys you have to press it down all the way, and while it is a very low distance, spamming keys isn't as easy since you still have to bottom them out. This translates to other kind of games as well, but right now I feel that RTS games benefit the most from a mechanical keyboard. I don't play MMOs but I assume that the same thing would work there as well since it is so dependent on multiple keystrokes. For FPS I can use either just fine.

Either way, for typing I'm comfortable with both. They are very different, so your personal preference may have you leaning towards one over the other.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help. :)
 
No, that's actually really helpful, thanks :).. I think I'll lean toward the 6vg2 for my next keyboard purchase
 
I have a filco tenkeyless w/blacks . No problems at all. Although I wouldnt recommend cherry blacks to any of the older folk, the keys definitely get tiresome after a few hours of gaming and I'm young and in shape. And of course a filco tenkeyless weighs less than a full sized steelseries. And did you really try to say the keys wobble different? You arent even comparing the same kind of switches......
 
Alex S said:
No, that's actually really helpful, thanks :).. I think I'll lean toward the 6vg2 for my next keyboard purchase
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No problem. I do have to emphasize again that personal preference plays a huge part in everything, especially when it comes to mechanical switches since you get so much variety with them compared to membrane keyboards.

In any case, I don't think you can go wrong with any of the keyboards I recommended (the Filco, the Steelseries, or the Apple), it all comes down to what you prefer to type or game on. Good luck!
 
sok0 said:
I have a filco tenkeyless w/blacks . No problems at all. Although I wouldnt recommend cherry blacks to any of the older folk, the keys definitely get tiresome after a few hours of gaming and I'm young and in shape. And of course a filco tenkeyless weighs less than a full sized steelseries. And did you really try to say the keys wobble different? You arent even comparing the same kind of switches......
Click to expand...

The difference in feel seems to be the product of the weight and thickness of plastic of the keys themselves, not the switch. Same with the sound they make, deep and soft with the SS and higher pitched and louder with the Filco since those have lighter keys.

I was very concerned about the resistance of the black switches. I actually bought a Filco tenkeyless brown first, but the force issue with black switch is IMO a moot point since I'm not bottoming out keys all the time. The actuation point is only halfway down so you don't need to apply much force at all, you just kind of float on top.

As I keep saying, personal preference. I might not like blues but someone may love them, etc etc. The one thing I can safely recommend is the Steelseries over a Filco with black switches since it is $25-$35 cheaper than the Filco. Given that the 6Gv2 is also a great keyboard, and that it doesn't have a Windows key on the left side (I love this), I don't see a reason to spend the extra cash. If you want brown or blue switches or a tenkeyless keyboard, then you would clearly want the Filco.

All great keyboards, we're just splitting hairs here, it isn't crap like the Lycosa. ;)
 
most companies tend to make the keys too "heavy" instead of very light - kind of annoying...
 
I was looking for the same thing and went with the Microsoft Arc. You should check it out.
 
Second the MS Arc. It's got the ergo key arrangement like their natural elites, low profile laptop style keys, and is tiny. I use it for coding at work, sometimes 10+ hours at a stretch.
 
Serpico, the no gloss comment was for the das keyboard. And of course the Steelseries 7g is going to be heavier it's not tenkeyless and the black switches are going to be different than brown switches obviously.

The das keyboard is noticeably lower in build quality but the steelseries is much better in that regard. But the main thing I can't stand about the SS7g is the nonstandard key layout. They take the | key from above the enter and drag it down next to the right shift key which makes the shift key smaller and they make the enter key larger. Silly to do this and hopefully they fix it with the next generation.

Here's the Filco and then the SS7G for comparison.

I have never been a fan of Filco's keycaps. But overall the Filco is the better board. And I hate keyboards like the 7G that give you USB ports but they're only 1.1.

P1020072.jpg


img_206542_steelseries-keyboard.jpg
 
Epiik - Yup. You will note that my first recommendation in this thread was for the Filco due to it having a tenkeyless option. I myself own a Filco tenkeyless brown along with a Steelseries 6Gv2.

That said, if tenkeyless isn't necessary and you are fine with black switches, I wholeheartedly recommend the Steelseries over the Filco. It is less expensive, has better key caps, and IMHO is of a better build quality (denser, less flex, etc etc). The main drawback is one that you pointed out, the non-standard keyboard layout. It honestly doesn't bother me, it only took an hour to adjust, but others may have bigger problems with that.

As for the USB, that doesn't bother me simply because I have a 6Gv2 which has no USB ports. :) If one was in the market for a Steelseries, I would recommend the 6Gv2 over the 7G because I don't think that the audio and USB ports are worth the extra $50.
 
fishoil said:
Guess I wasn't aware that apple keyboards are compatible with a PC. I'll definitely look into those. Not sure how I feel about mechanical keyboards.... they all seem pretty loud.
Click to expand...

They are, with the caveat that the eject key will not work on a PC and you need to run a driver to correctly confirgure the Alt and Windows keys.

I would look into the Matias Tactilepro mechanical keyboard which uses the patented ALPS key-switches with a legendary feel that many hardcore people swear by. Matias is about the only one who licenses the switches and sells them now afaik. They started shipping last year and sold out on the first manufacturing run.
 
I'm very happy with the Roccat Arvo personally, served me well so far. Nice and compact, lovely big springy keys. Gaming mode functions are pretty cool on it too.
 
Arthur Hucksake said:
I'm very happy with the Roccat Arvo personally, served me well so far. Nice and compact, lovely big springy keys. Gaming mode functions are pretty cool on it too.
Click to expand...

I'm interested in the Roccat Arvo but can't seem to find them for sale in the US. I've seen them in several UK online retailers but they want 50 bucks just for shipping, and for that price I might as well just get the Razer Marauder keyboard that is coming out for StarCraft II and has a very similar layout.
 
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OkuluS said:
They are, with the caveat that the eject key will not work on a PC and you need to run a driver to correctly confirgure the Alt and Windows keys.

I would look into the Matias Tactilepro mechanical keyboard which uses the patented ALPS key-switches with a legendary feel that many hardcore people swear by. Matias is about the only one who licenses the switches and sells them now afaik. They started shipping last year and sold out on the first manufacturing run.
Click to expand...

Misinfo. There's still other new keyboards out there with Alps switches (Solidtech 6600, Filco Zero, SIIG, previously ABS M1), and Matias does not manufacture the switches either.

It also isn't a compact keyboard.
 
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