Mechanical Keyboards

Yes, one of my laptops has an American keyboard and whilst I don't notice the vast majority of the time the lack of \ is really annoying because when I need it I'm usually in a terminal with fewer options for inserting characters. My girlfriend isn't a fan though as she expects things like " and @ to be where they're marked on the keyboard.

\ and | are just above the the enter key, easy peasy

I need a dedicated £ key, couldn’t work efficiently without it.

I use it almost as much as the letter E...

Map to # and ~ with US KB layout on a UK PC...

So add US layout, it takes 2 clicks to switch between them

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Get the keychron wooden one if you’re ordering.

I’m attempting to hover type without one as it is uncomfortable with the drop to desk (metal frame K4)

Bugger too late!

Will see how I get on, if not will measure and get one more locally .

Pretty happy with this now.

Rk84 keyboard ticks the boxes I wanted 2.4ghz/hotswappable/tkl

Added pbt crayon keycaps yesterday.

Have added boba U4T Thocky tactile switches, then clipped and lubed the stabilisers and Band-aided the pcb underneath. Along with some foam between the pcb and the case this keyboard is now looking and sounding pretty good!

Will probably go and lube the switches at some point too although that's a bit of a ball ache.

Love the shape of those keycaps.

Did you order them from the US or is there a UK/EU source?

from kbdfans (who seem to be the ones who make them) so from China. Only took about 8 days to arrive.

Real shame there's no ISO modifiers. Otherwise that's great value and looks lovely.

the only real problem i have with non-ISO is the smaller space bar and i've already adapted to that tbh. Otherwise no big deal for me personally.

Nice they let you have computers in the gulag! :-)

Obviously I've become conditioned as I quite like it in here!

This is my view to the right so it's not all doom and gloom - plenty of sunshine and greenery

keyboard looks awesome!

So my Keychron K4 ISO has just arrived, impressed with delivery speed, ordered last Tuesday, so 8 days door to door.

Slightly odd dropping from full size to 95%, but sure I will get used to not reaching as far as before the num pads.

It sits pretty high, so think I will invest in a wrist rest, should have ordered the keychron one, but think there are suitable third party ones.

Makes a very satisfying noise with the blue keys, but probably a good thing I am in an office by myself, else people would get annoyed with my space bar smashing.

Tempted to play around with key caps now, where are people sourcing theirs from? Need to check what options come with as some as the keys are slightly odd size I think given its a 95% board, which seems a rarer option.

It's also trickier finding caps in a UK layout.

The slim design and not needing a rest is what I like about mine (K3 Ultra-slim). Happy to live with the poorer battery life.

However, I do miss an ISO layout and a number pad. I'm going to hold out/cross my fingers for a slim K4 ISO.

Yeah the UK layout thing was also something I figured adds a layer, I don’t hate the existing key caps, so will prob keep these for now.

I can’t really live without the numpad, and given the cost I don’t mind if I only use this one for a year. What I would really like is a full size slim. There are other options for that already on the market, but all quite pricy .

Have you considered a separate number pad?

This is the thing though isn't it?

Let's clear up your desk with a simplified keyboard.

But it's quite chunky so you'll need a wrist rest to use it.

Oh yeah, the number pad is pretty handy. Grab a separate one.

Have you considered a trackpad? You'll probably want a mouse though.

Those F-Keys are also useful...

I did consider a separate num pad, but couldn't find one I really liked and was worried about it always being in slightly the wrong place for me.

Keychron are apparently doing a full size (The K10), but figured their V1s can sometimes have issues, and ISO version is likely to take a while as well, so would give the 95% a try for a while.

I had a mechanical number pad by Filco while I was stuck on a very small desk (so had laptop + num pad), actually wasn't bad for working on, though having everything all back on one keyboard & the laptop raised to be level with big screens is obviously much better!

Good thing you've got a lockable office.

I stopped looking for keycaps when switched the funky orange ESC key to dull grey as it was like crack for child No.1.

Parents were in need of new keycaps

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I am looking for a full sized board for work, think I have decided on a Cherry MX board 1.0, Red silent switches (populated office)
Is there a better option for the money? (about £80)

Number Pad is essential as I use that more than letters most days