Great/Interesting Finds

Lynx_Carpathica · 03 Apr 2017, 21:24

Harshmallow wrote: ↑Screw this Blue Alps business - We must all vaunt the benefits and sublime typing joy of Foam and Foil! All hail F & F boards! Buy them all! Raise their market value! Forget about Alps boards!

Actually, I don't mind BTC Foam and Foil boards

//gainsborough · 03 Apr 2017, 21:28

dokyun wrote: ↑
//gainsborough wrote: ↑http://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-Chicony-E8 ... Swol5Y4dRK

$300 chicony blue alps board.

18d.jpg

4koma guys never fail to make me laugh.

Harshmallow wrote: ↑Screw this Blue Alps business - We must all vaunt the benefits and sublime typing joy of Foam and Foil! All hail F & F boards! Buy them all! Raise their market value! Forget about Alps boards!

You gotta figure at some point the alps hype will die down a bit....right? Sometimes I get really frustrated that I got into the vintage keyboard game this late into it >_< If you look into some really old G/I finds posts (both here and GH), some blue alps boards were selling for maybe $100 a few years ago.

cumwagondeluxe · 03 Apr 2017, 22:51

//gainsborough wrote: ↑
dokyun wrote: ↑
//gainsborough wrote: ↑http://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-Chicony-E8 ... Swol5Y4dRK

$300 chicony blue alps board.

18d.jpg
4koma guys never fail to make me laugh.

Harshmallow wrote: ↑Screw this Blue Alps business - We must all vaunt the benefits and sublime typing joy of Foam and Foil! All hail F & F boards! Buy them all! Raise their market value! Forget about Alps boards!
You gotta figure at some point the alps hype will die down a bit....right? Sometimes I get really frustrated that I got into the vintage keyboard game this late into it >_< If you look into some really old G/I finds posts (both here and GH), some blue alps boards were selling for maybe $100 a few years ago.

Unfortunately, I feel like it's the opposite - the mechanicalkeyboards subreddit has really exploded in growth and buying keycaps, artisans and building the same cherry boards over and over again can only be interesting for so long. If you browse mechmarket much it seems like there's been a pretty decent increase in the amount of alps and alps keycaps related posts over the past few months. On one hand, it'll be good since I think if anybody is going to drive up the availability/ease/options as far as custom alps boards go it'll be the reddit demographic (largely due to aesthetic preferences, age, and sheer size of their community compared to e.g. DT). I've got a handful of pretty grimy switches I intend to eventually clean and lube and it'd be nice to have more options than Plancks/Let's Splits as ~$100 builds to use em in.

On the other hand, they seem to be pretty lazy or ignorant about alps boards over there - I've seen people sell absolute dogshit condition boards with easy to find switches (or stand alone switches) for prices even higher than some of the ridiculous ebay sellers'. Plus, you get shit like that one guy buying literally NOS neon green alps at $8 a piece and then lubing them - I'm sure it's better than buying a beat to shit board full of them and trying to restore them, but why lube brand new, pre-lubricated switches that are known for being smooth?

dokyun · 04 Apr 2017, 00:20

cumwagondeluxe wrote: ↑ Unfortunately, I feel like it's the opposite - the mechanicalkeyboards subreddit has really exploded in growth and buying keycaps, artisans and building the same cherry boards over and over again can only be interesting for so long. If you browse mechmarket much it seems like there's been a pretty decent increase in the amount of alps and alps keycaps related posts over the past few months. On one hand, it'll be good since I think if anybody is going to drive up the availability/ease/options as far as custom alps boards go it'll be the reddit demographic (largely due to aesthetic preferences, age, and sheer size of their community compared to e.g. DT). I've got a handful of pretty grimy switches I intend to eventually clean and lube and it'd be nice to have more options than Plancks/Let's Splits as ~$100 builds to use em in.

I'm totes alright if the Reddit crowd starts getting into Alps and it means more custom options. Just let me get all the old boards I want first!

//gainsborough · 04 Apr 2017, 00:32

When will matias make SKCL/SKCM clones?! I want to get into matias switches, but I find it hard to since they are only making simplified alps clones >_< I can't justify buying the product when I know it's inferior to the real deal.

mike52787 · 04 Apr 2017, 00:44

//gainsborough wrote: ↑When will matias make SKCL/SKCM clones?! I want to get into matias switches, but I find it hard to since they are only making simplified alps clones >_< I can't justify buying the product when I know it's inferior to the real deal.

probably never honestly

dokyun · 04 Apr 2017, 00:53

//gainsborough wrote: ↑When will matias make SKCL/SKCM clones?! I want to get into matias switches, but I find it hard to since they are only making simplified alps clones >_< I can't justify buying the product when I know it's inferior to the real deal.

I think the quiet clicks are really solid. I finally got to try some at a recent meet while they were next to some Zealios and honestly I thought the QCs felt the same, if not better.

taylorswiftttttt · 04 Apr 2017, 01:13

removed

mike52787 · 04 Apr 2017, 01:23

100$ for a blue alps board? damn. gotta list that on open auction on ebay

taylorswiftttttt · 04 Apr 2017, 01:32

removed

cumwagondeluxe · 04 Apr 2017, 04:14

//gainsborough wrote: ↑When will matias make SKCL/SKCM clones?! I want to get into matias switches, but I find it hard to since they are only making simplified alps clones >_< I can't justify buying the product when I know it's inferior to the real deal.

iirc all the alps tooling is gone/destroyed, so it'd be extremely expensive for him to try to recreate complicated alps with no clear payoff even if he wanted to

tbh though, they're pretty decent if you just want a clicky or linear switch without any hassle of finding a clean old board and desoldering it for a custom - although I didn't really like the sound much, the clicky matias switches definitely felt p nice. I'd imagine a spring swapped + lubed (maybe dampener removed too?) matias linear would be just as good as an SKCL green and some people seem to swear by quiet clicks although IMO they feel like shitty rubberdomes so I can't personally recommend them.

Slom · 04 Apr 2017, 07:18

Popcorn!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/252843230774

That's from the same seller who sold the magnetic valve one.

taylorswiftttttt · 04 Apr 2017, 08:04

removed

Menuhin · 04 Apr 2017, 13:14

taylorswiftttttt wrote: ↑honest question, why do people go crazy over symbolics keyboards like that one? It looks nowhere near as cool or unique as the space cadet ones.

Agree.
This is sspecially when those special functions such as 'Select', 'Mode lock' were built into the Lisp Machine, and will no longer but easily available just through a keyboard.

And this one is the keyboard for a relatively later model of Lisp machines with more units produced.

//gainsborough · 04 Apr 2017, 20:04

Harshmallow wrote: ↑Screw this Blue Alps business - We must all vaunt the benefits and sublime typing joy of Foam and Foil! All hail F & F boards! Buy them all! Raise their market value! Forget about Alps boards!

Time to get the F&F hype going!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Wang-QW ... Sw-CpX9Biu\

Someone buy it now!! =P

seebart · 04 Apr 2017, 20:07

//gainsborough wrote: ↑
Harshmallow wrote: ↑Screw this Blue Alps business - We must all vaunt the benefits and sublime typing joy of Foam and Foil! All hail F & F boards! Buy them all! Raise their market value! Forget about Alps boards!
Time to get the F&F hype going!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Wang-QW ... Sw-CpX9Biu\

Someone buy it now!! =P

Have you actually tried Foam and Foil? I'm just saying. That WANG looks nice but it's overpriced either way.

//gainsborough · 04 Apr 2017, 20:27

seebart wrote: ↑ Have you actually tried Foam and Foil? I'm just saying. That WANG looks nice but it's overpriced either way.

I have! I did not like it =(

seebart · 04 Apr 2017, 20:29

//gainsborough wrote: ↑
seebart wrote: ↑ Have you actually tried Foam and Foil? I'm just saying. That WANG looks nice but it's overpriced either way.
I have! I did not like it =(

OK, which keyboard did you try?

Hypersphere · 04 Apr 2017, 22:38

Harshmallow wrote: ↑Screw this Blue Alps business - We must all vaunt the benefits and sublime typing joy of Foam and Foil! All hail F & F boards! Buy them all! Raise their market value! Forget about Alps boards!

I recall seeing posts from Chyros saying that some F&F boards are okay. Perhaps he could chime in to remind us of the ones worth a look and those to avoid.

Harshmallow · 04 Apr 2017, 22:44

Yes, Seebart - show all of us unenlightened ones to the true greats of F & F boards! We have been blind for so long.

ekeppel · 04 Apr 2017, 22:47

"Hallowed are the Ori / F&F"

Chyros · 04 Apr 2017, 22:59

Hypersphere wrote: ↑
Harshmallow wrote: ↑Screw this Blue Alps business - We must all vaunt the benefits and sublime typing joy of Foam and Foil! All hail F & F boards! Buy them all! Raise their market value! Forget about Alps boards!
I recall seeing posts from Chyros saying that some F&F boards are okay. Perhaps he could chime in to remind us of the ones worth a look and those to avoid.

I have another F&F video in the pipeline actually, but that'll be a few weeks. So far I have concluded that the tactile ones = avoid and the linear ones = okay. BTC's version seemed better than Key Tronic's, so far.

There is actually a particularly ironic conclusion at the end of the upcoming F&F video, but I won't spoil it for you xD .

Harshmallow · 04 Apr 2017, 23:14

While we're on the subject (and we should stay on the subject, for as long as possible), has anyone tried the early Sun keyboards? From what I could find, the Sun Type 3 and 4 were F&F, but I don't know about Type 1 and 2, were they also F&F? I think one might have been an OAK full travel membrane, not sure though.

Hypersphere · 04 Apr 2017, 23:20

Thanks, Chyros! Looking forward to the new F&F video. Never can get enough irony!

Up with F&F! (I do recall typing on one a long time ago that was quite reminiscent of Topre -- and I am very fond of Topre).

Typing this on a board (not F&F or Topre) that I am calling my (current) approach to end-game. Will be doing a separate post on it after getting pics and recordings.

taylorswiftttttt · 05 Apr 2017, 07:24

removed

//gainsborough · 05 Apr 2017, 08:32

seebart wrote: ↑OK, which keyboard did you try?

A KeyTronic KB-101 plus. To be fair, though, it was practically falling apart. I pulled a keycap and it straight up broke the little tabs on the cap clean off.

taylorswiftttttt wrote: ↑XT Zenith Z-150 (?)

Looks like it!

seebart · 05 Apr 2017, 10:26

//gainsborough wrote: ↑
seebart wrote: ↑OK, which keyboard did you try?
A KeyTronic KB-101 plus. To be fair, though, it was practically falling apart. I pulled a keycap and it straight up broke the little tabs on the cap clean off.

Right, I've only tried tactile BTC foam and foil and old Key Tronic foam and foil so I cannot really judge either but I believe all the feeback here and most people clearly dislike them.

ekeppel wrote: ↑"Hallowed are the Ori / F&F"

WOT?

Shihatsu · 05 Apr 2017, 11:14

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ori_(Stargate)

ekeppel · 05 Apr 2017, 11:57

seebart wrote: ↑WOT?

Yeah, it's a bit of an esoteric reference, I know. It just seemed to fit with the thread's recent turn towards worship of the F&F false gods.

I've only tried a handful of F&F boards, and I didn't really like any of them. That being said, I'm still looking forward to seeing what Chyros has to share with us in his upcoming F&F video.

Harshmallow · 05 Apr 2017, 14:56

Well, you guys lasted almost a whole thread page before bashing them again, so I guess that counts for something.

Edit: Can someone tell me anything about Sun keyboards before Type 4? T'was a serious question!