Comment by recursivedoubts
3 days ago
Hi HN,
I know many of you are keyboard aficionados and I wanted to let you know that the Model F keyboard guy is making a 2nd generation of his Beam Spring keyboards. I got one and it is unlike any other keyboard I have ever used: the tactile feedback is precise like a buckle spring but louder and with a more pronounced break. Travel feels longer and obviously the keyboard sits very high compared to modern board. But it's a heck of a typing experience if you are interested.
I've you've never heard of beam spring keyboards, this was the IBM keyboard before buckle-springs (same guy, Richard Harris) took over. It uses a very different mechanism than buckle-spring:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFYoh5VcZvg
Very cool that someone is working to bring back these older key switches!
From the page:
> What is a Beam Spring Keyboard? Before the Model F keyboard was the Beam Spring keyboard, a keyboard that was designed to be like the IBM Selectric electric typewriters but made to work with IBM’s mainframe terminals. Originals regularly sell for over $1,000 to $2,000 but now you can get one in various “normal” modern layouts and various color options for a fraction of that cost. The new beam spring keyboards are also compatible with MX keycaps (see below for details).
"Like a Model F, but louder" is a heck of a pitch. I'm interested!
Are mechanical keyboards becoming a way to show off like the programmer equivalent of loud truck exhaust?
The sound is satisfying yes, but with other people in mind I am looking for the quietest mechanical keyboard I can find these days. I have become self conscious about typing quietly during phone calls or meetings in case I am unmuted.
I had to switch to low force choc couple years ago over tendon pain. Ended up on totem for day to day & bad wings for travel. 20g silent nocturnal switches. Silencing mechanism also gives bottom out a rubber feel, worth it just for that
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I have loud keyboards for selfish fun typing when no one is around, and a silent one for working near others.
I use a switch called Akko Penguins, but there are tons of silent switches out there that people like. Topre keyboards also have a strong following and I think are pretty quiet.
I think the "buy a solenoid and a hammer to slap the case everything you hit a key" think most definitely is, like the typists truck nuts of keyboard mods.
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In the gaming sphere these kinds of loud-ass mechanical keyboards are absolutely not in vogue anymore.
Many gamers are even migrating over to hall effect sensors over mechanical switches, since you have a full analog customizable setup for key actuation.
Maybe this is an unpopular opinion, but is the loudness of your keyboard really a big deal in office environments?
Like I get if where you work is as quiet as a library, but in most places people are on voice calls, talking to each other over your head, etc. Any one complaining about clicky keys in that kind of environment can get stuffed as far as I am concerned.
"straight pipes save lives" -> "key clicks don't need a fix"