First name Hipyo, last name Tech... SAVE 5% ON IQUNIX WITH CODE HIPYO: iqunix.store/hipyo (AFFILIATE) Also I know for some of you its a budget thing, I'll have some giveaways soon I promise :)
4:00 Hipyo do you have any videos on Costar stabs and/or Costar OEM keyboards? I searched your channel for Costar and this was one of the ones that came up. I have a couple Costar OEM boards from the days when choices were very limited (think 10-15 years ago), and Costar was one of the better built boards. Back then the rattle didn't bother me but seeing what is available now, the key and stab rattle is just too pingy for me.
Also in IT and can also confirm. Didn’t think I’d need it, so I bought a NuPhy Air 75. Love it! But don’t love not having a numpad, so even though I’ll probably still keep it, the search continues!
@@CaseyHardman I have an Epomaker GK73XS which is VERY compact (323mm long, 118mm tall) but has a numpad. You do sacrifice quite a few keys in this form factor and can get used to it quite easily once you know where it is in the layers (customisable too), but some stuff is tough under this format when using modifiers to do actions with keys under layers. I'm inclined to suggest the new Epomaker TH96 or Keychron Q5 for a better experience with less of the compromise. The Epomaker only has proprietary software for customisation on the multi connectivity model, the wired one supporting QMK / VIA also, but the Keychron supports QMK in BT and Wireless! That said I use the 73 for home and work so I take it in and at 680g it's pretty light vs the TH96 (1180g). Also the TH96 is longer and taller as it has an F-Row and a more usable layout (388mm x 138mm). It is also chunkier at 38mm vs the 73's 29.9mm. Sadly the 73 is only Bluetooth and Wired (still good ngl) and has a fairly small battery (1900mAh - enough to get you through a working day even with LEDs on at lower brightness), but the TH96 has Bluetooth, wired and 2.4Ghz modes and a 6000mAh battery so should fare better. I picked up the 73 at $99 but it dropped to $60 though is now sold out on their own site. The TH96 is $149 for the multi connectivity model and $170 for the Wired only model (odd, but here we are). There are some aesthetic and potentially QC considerations at this price point vs some other brands, but all in all I've had a great time with the 73 and going back to bigger keyboards is tough. Glad I have a numpad!
depending on the field you work in having a full-sized keyboard changes your life, i could never give up my numberpad, i wish there were more fun full keyboards to sell "ready to use" like these, i'd love to see a video of the coming up Q5!!
Fun fact... you don't need to disasemble the housing to access the board and take it out. it becomes much easier when you just take the 8 screws out of the keydeck rather then taking the screws out from the sides.
I mean, yeah, cost is really the answer. Would I like to have a keyboard that sounds great and feels fantastic to type on? Absolutely. Can I afford to spend $300 or more on a custom keyboard when there's no functional difference? Absolutely not.
I mean there are cheaper options out there if you research (like the Tester84 and Tester68, both come with surprising features and mods preinstalled).... but I get the feeling this is the sort of hidden gem you'd usually have to be digging around the hobby a while before even coming across these - at least in my case. Factoring in shipping times and another £30 or so for some Akko switches (they have a 'factory lubed' lineup which is surprisingly affordable) and also some half decent PBT keycaps and its a surprisingly competent DIY item. They are cheap enough builds to make cool gifts for your loved ones. But then there's the other investment, for a decent DIY project time (especially if you decide to hand lube switches, fine tune stabilisers etc.)
@@naliboi93 what im doing is buying a mizar mz60 and nk creams, lubing the nk creams and putting the nk creams into the mz60 (its hotswap). ~$100 not including lube, including lube is ~$115 ish
@Shaggiel That sounds like a fair price compared to the amount I must have spent trying to figure out this hobby and achieve an ultimate endgame keyboard in my first build. Hope your build goes well and would love to hear an update! Just remember that initial investements easily runs the risk of blowing your budget during the first build. I was slightly lucky as I received a used Redragon K552 for free, but I still overspent on useless items due to trial and error and the pursuit of discovering my own "preferances": - 2 unused sets of cheapo Aliexpress shine-through PBT keycaps - 1 set of dye sub printed PBT artsy spacebar, enter, esc, backspace (wrong sizes on enter and backspace) - 3 sets of unused Redragon switches (red, blue, brown). - 3 sets of unused stabilisers - 2 unused (and unshielded!) aviator coil USB-C cables + a bunch of 4 pin and 5 pin connectors (completely hopeless as I just went for standard shielded usb C cable in the end). Of the stuff I actually did end up using, I still ended up with a bunch of spare parts. Here's the mods, materials and tools I eneded up using for my k552 project: - tape mod - Adafruit USB-C daughterboard for a detachable usb-c cable mod (I already had soldering equipment and crimping tools on hand from previously, so that helped). - x2 boxes of Akko CS lavender purples (which I lubed) - switch opener - keycap and switch pullers - tweezers and cutters - set of handheld single hole punch tool bits. - brushes and lube (tribosys 3203, krytox 205G0) - DIY clipped, lubed and holee moded stabilisers. - DIY PE foam mod (between the metal plate and PCB) - poron stickers under each switch. - foam switch films - coral sea PBT keycap set from Aliexpress (which actually had decent enough compatibility with UK ANSI layout) - DIY case dampening: combination of butyl rubber sheets, NOICO car dampening foam/putty sheets, and PE foam. - a KBD Fans TKL carry case. I'm delighted with my K552's endgame look, feel and sound, but there was so much time and unnecessary money spent. I learnt a LOT about keyboards, DIY, and electronics. I've also got loads of new tools and materials for future DIY projects (some came in clutch for other electronics and longboard projects). Sadly I doubt the more niche materials will find any use again, so there's lots of useless inventory. It took 2 months of intermittent progress after work and on weekends to complete, but also a lot of time was waiting on shipping. To use up some spare parts, I also built a GK21 numpad for myself and also a Tester86 as a gift for my brother. Its a cool hobby, but even "cheap" builds suffered from hidden costs of initial investments: new bespoke tools, consumables, and trial + error. I'm sure many of these costs were avoidable, but I've now got enough knowledge and resources for budget builds in the future. Doesn't change the fact that my first build ended up hella pricey (I don't want to calculate as it'll be mega depressing, lol).
Not only do I want a number pad, I want a real, fully separated one. I got a Q6 and I'm surprised how little competition Keychron has in that form factor. They could have settled for the C2 and K10, but no. They had to drop this absolute beast and leave no doubt. This thing could drop on my head and kill me. I love it.
Ooooh I just pulled the trigger and ordered a Q6 today. Please tell me your thoughts? Also WHY THE HELL DOES NOBODY ELSE MAKE THESE THINGS IT TOOK SO DAMN LONG
@@trousers2 I wanted to race to something close to endgame out of the box I could replace switches on and this is probably it. It's very heavy, so if you want any portability look elsewhere. My only gripe is the LEDs don't align with any pudding caps I can find, so get used to them shining b/w keys. But I swapped Glorious Pandas in and it feels nice.
The numpad never gets in my way tbh. Also, as someone who play games that uses a lot of hotkeys, a numpad is very essential. FFXIV, GTA4/5 modded, etc.
...do you reach your left hand all the way over or take your hand off of the mouse? I've never understood how anyone would ever use a numpad in a meaningful way quickly.
@@colbyboucher6391 Maybe not Rubin, but some people, such as myself, use our mouse with our left hand, lol. I've realized over the years that it's honestly quite convenient for keyboard-use when playing games, or even for doing written work (use mouse left-handed and write with my right hand).
@@TheKatzeX3 Well, yeah, if you use a mouse left-handed, seems perfect huh! All the more reason for some ""left-handed"" numpads to be around. It's a relic from before computers were mouse-oriented.
not having a num pad is killer. I hate using the top row number keys and would much rather have a num pad instead. it's faster and more efficent with movement. it's not just an accounting thing and I don't know where this idea comes from.
I don't know about other people, but I learned 10 key in high school and I end up using the numpad semi often. Especially with the types of games I play. Then it also bleeds into being used for work and hobby stuff. It's just way more practical to use than the numkey row
As a music producer, it's important to use keyboard shortcuts because you want to use the mouse as minimally as possible. And the program I use (Pro Tools) uses the numb pad for shortcuts.
We like numpads because we hate using the alphapad for numbers. I have to hunt for the numbers on the alphapad, but the numpad is very intuitive. And if I'm hitting 1 number, then I'm probably hitting 9-12 number keys per entry.
Plus some games use both types of keys for different things. One game I play sometimes uses the row keys for item uses and the numpad for things like quick switch mounts, fishing, etc.
An answer to the title: Because I don't want to (I can't) spend $100+ USD on a custom keyboard and I actually want it to sound good, thocky, etc. (and below $100 USD I have also seen lube go for $8 for a small container)
I was attracted to see the video thinking that I was going to get advice for few budget options, but for my crappy job a keyboard investment above $200, no way Jose.
I have a crappy keyboard that came with an optiplex I bought a while ago, I also have an expensive custom built keyboard that sounds and feels great. But I still prefer the crappy one because it feels comfortable.
Actually though, I was rapidly disillusioned with the concept of thock at the first moment I had to type on one of those keyboards and it felt like a membrane keyboard made to tolerance. The whole modern mechanical keyboard space is such a far cry from the model M that spawned the industry, where the mechanical portion actually has purpose and the springs are physically sending your fingers flying to the next key.
@@davidy22 1000%. As cool as "thock" sounds, at this point we've come full circle to membranes again. You know what kind of board has the softest thock sound? Membrane. Membranes also have a very soft typing feel. I currently have a Roccat Vulkan 121 with brown mechanical switches. No mods. Sounds and feels amazing, because it doesn't sound and feel like a membrane. I actually really like the mechanical, metallic, springy sound and feel. Also never thought I'd love brown switches this much.
I mean.. that all depends on how often you actually use it. If you're literally typing all day as for example a programmer... I would seriously consider it.. unless you hate yourself
@@ruadeil_zabelin Considering I got decent keyboard I don't feel the need of buying another one like that. I kinda doubt they are that much better from branded ones
@@wadimek116Grabbed a thermaltake TT Level 20 for 60 Euros during Black Friday last year. Good stuff, typung feels so much nicer, especially the finger joints seem to love it. Never noticed how harsh the rubber domes were on them until I switched.
@@wadimek116Grabbed a thermaltake TT Level 20 for 60 Euros during Black Friday last year. Good stuff, typung feels so much nicer, especially the finger joints seem to love it. Never noticed how harsh the rubber domes were on them until I switched.
I got the iQuinix F97 Hitchhiker board a few weeks back and it’s fantastic. The only modding I did was to buy Gateron Box Ink Black switches and it sounds amazingly thick now. I use it with my Mac via Bluetooth and it works perfectly. I highly recommend it if you want to minimal modding and want a serious quality board. The Keycaps are excellent, PBT and ooze quality. They’re KDA profile and really comfortable to type on.
I've used normal full sized keyboards for so long that switching to anything smaller would just throw me off. Besides I have a g512 (on sale for $75) that I just pulled out and lubed the switches/stabilizers and replaced the keycaps with pudding keykcaps. Sounds really nice to me, looks beautiful, and only cost about $100 total.
I felt a little uncomfortable using my TKL keyboard. I really prefer of full-size regular layout keyboards, not even compact stuff like the Q5. It completely depends on what you actually use the keyboard for, though. I play a few games that heavily encourage having extra keys to bind stuff to. If you primarily play stuff like FPS games or MOBAs, a tiny baby keyboard could work great for you.
Just throwing this out there, you called these full size and they are not technically full sized. They are compact versions of full size (90%or something? I don't know the real name). Like I just started using the K10 pro and that is a real full sized keyboard and I love it.
As a screen reader user, I use the numpad as a controller for a secondary screen cursor. I also don't use a mouse at all and use the numpad to emulate mouse clicks on poorly-built interfaces. Also I use Excel. I could not do my work without a numpad. I even use the applications key.
I actually just built my own keyboard today with Kailh Box Whites, but specifically chose the Glorious GMNK v1 keyboard for the FULL SIZE numpad. These keyboards are not "full sized" as advertised (97 meaning 97% layout), being that the arrow keys bleed over into the numpad 0. This is extremely frustrating to me, as my laptop has this layout, as that left half is where my thumb rests to press said 0 key. I have tried to retrain my muscle memory to use my middle finger to press 0, but it feels incredibly awkward.
Yeah, your so much fun to watch. I've seen more than enough thocc-shots, but this never gets old. Thanks for the laughs! It's so nice to laugh out loud so often, on a single video no less. Have a wonderful day!
Reasons I need a numpad: - Work - Makes punching in dates, phone numbers, and credit card numbers a helluva lot easier - Useful for binding shortcuts/macros for games/applications
Not only do I work in accounts payable and need a numpad for 10 key entering (and therefore the preferred way of entering any numbers for any reason outside of work), but I also play PC games from my couch with my keyboard in my lap and my mouse to my right side (mousepad on a large wooden pizza cutting board on a pillow). The extra length on a 98% keyboard with a 10 key numpad means that it will sit across my lap better. Am I crazy for gaming this way? Possibly, but it’s as comfortable as console gaming.
I like full sized keyboards because I’m a 3D artist, and I need my numpad to not only enter numbers quickly, but also to navigate blender’s orthographic views. Maya doesn’t have this so I can use a TKL, but I cannot go without my numpad
0:08, that's how a keyboard is meant to sound dude. and to answer your tittle: because number pads are actually useful. I know that you keyboard based youtubers have a strange thing against 104 and 110 key keyboards. I don't know why. But sound (for me) is one of the ways I know I'm hitting keys right. What you're calling "thock" isn't it's a light plastic sounding plop or popcorn sound. Clack, and Thocc, are deep beefy, substantial sounds. You do keyboard based youtubing right? so ask Unicomp for a review sample, that's Thoc!
The devil you know vs the devil you do not yet know... I think the layout differences are just significant enough that I'll go with a Keychron Q6. I have a good history with Keychron boards, and they also come with HS sockets. The Q6 form factor is a little better for my desk, IMO. If it helps, I did buy a WOWstick...
Other (in-stock!) compact options with numpads that hover more around $100+ are the Akko ACR 98 ($109 - I ADORE their Acrylic line), Akko 3098 series ($109), and a NEW ONE that I love is the YUNZII Keynovo IF98 ($149). Akko products in general are insanely quality and insanely cheap compared to competitors. I love them. Their switches are great stock and they're affordable, so you dont have to spend more on different switches. You dont even *have* to lube them, though I still prefer to. Lot of great options in color/size for every need you could have. *Highly recommend if you're getting into/wanna try custom and not break the bank* The IF98 is *gorgeous.* I'm biased to the jade green, but they have a plain white too, and it sounds pretty good stock. Just lube the switches and lube/replace the stabs if you wanna mod it and it's chef's kiss. They only have like black, white, and green rn, but more options coming in the future. Custom keyboards are an investment, but they don't have to run you broke
My main gripe with most of these custom higher end models is that they dont have a normal friggin numpad! I only want a full 104 key keyboard with a standard layout. None of these weird mismashes where they try to make the keyboard smaller by jamming the numpad further left like this one. I hate it. I am also left handed, so a numpad on the right isn't in my way at all. It literally doesn't matter how wide my keyboard is.
Can you please check out the Q5 and Q6 from Keychron in the future? Q5 is compact full size, and Q6 is FULL size custom keyboard, and both have knob options! I am very keen on the 6
I'd say the Q5 is the direct competitor while the Q6 is a more relaxed full-size layout...I'll build a Q6 sometime next month, if I can find one available.
Built my first PC 3 years ago and have been using a corsair gaming keyboard. Stumbled on your channel and and obsessed with keyboards now. Already looking into a good keyboard and mods. So first off thank you for sharing this new world with me and I love your content! You made me smile and laugh many times!
I have the F96 Coral Sea model. It was my first board that got me into the hobby. However, upon ordering it, they sold out and it was delayed. I wasn’t alerted til after I had to reach out to customer service, but they did keep me posted throughout the process. Shipping time was meh, but it doesn’t help that I live in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, which caused the shipping to take longer than intended, considering it comes from China and it has to go through customs and whatnot. Gotta say though that it was worth the hassle. Board quality is amazing and it feels awesome to use. I think I might get me the F97 since I can customize the switches compared to my F96 being a solder board. Anyway, long story short. Board good, shipping process meh, but me live in Pacific Ocean, so order at discretion. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk. Bye..
I need the full 100% because I enjoy inputing Alt codes. I frequently use Alt+Numpad 0151 for em dashes and sometimes Alt+Numpad 0148, when I can't normally close a quote, which tends to be after using 0151. Because of this I chose the Keychron C2 for my first venture into keyboard modding. I carefully lubed all 104 Gateron Brown switches with 205g0 to preserve tactility, filmed them, and glued down pieces of shelf liner to fit every crevice at the bottom of the case with elmer's glue. I also didn't forget to the clip the stabs and used dialectic grease to lube them. The only part I'm not fond of is the spacebar wire, which I can't seem to balance perfectly to eliminate the rattle completely. Lubing only temporarily mutes the rattle but it comes back noticable once the lube thins out. Otherwise, I'm really happy with it.
You can still get an otemu red hot swappable full size keyboard for less than 75 usd with usb c and or wireless. If you don’t need wireless, it would be much cheaper and you can use the difference to get an amazing set of pbt Keycaps. Check Tecware or havit keyboards to start from and go from there. If you still need more nicer feel, lube the switch and stabs. 250 usd for a keyboard is too much to spend unless the company you work for reimburses the cost.
4:45 put the floppy things on the wire first, and the wire on the keyboard in the position they will be in when the key is pressed down, then press down on the key.
Best prebuilts I have EVER used come from Varmilo. Hands down the best QC and factory amenities. Pre-lubed switches, case foam & filler, perfect stabs, tons of options and colorways, all major layouts, super high quality PBT keycaps with just the right amount of texture, wireless features, the works. My TKL from them felt like absolute perfection from the moment I took it out of the box up until now 5-6 years later. I have since built quite a few customs, but I still adore my Varmilo.
Sure if you have "scissors for fingers" I mean legs were great for getting to point a and B but then we discovered the horse and then the automobile. Its called progress my friend.
@@8bitsamurai6 cars and horses get you to your destination quicker and take less energy for you. Expensive keyboards sound and feel nice. There's a difference my friend
@@Ohandori Yea I agree but dont have to be expensive. There really good prebuilts or budget customs now. Just ment it as everything good enough until we try better. But differnt thing are important to different people.
To anyone who complains about not having a num pad, you can build one separately. This is great, you can move it anywhere! Not using it? Put it away! Doing cad work? Use it with your left hand so you can keep your right hand on your mouse! Using it normally? Put it right next to your keyboard as if it is a normal num pad!
people who insist on a built-in numpad in this day and age are cray-cray.... So, you like mechanical keyboards because you're into aesthetics and ergonomics? but you want to stick your mouse waaaay over to the right (unergonomic) and have your keyboard off centre (unaesthetic). OR you want to have your keyboard centred and your mouse in a normal position.... meaning that the centre of your alphanumerics is now way off to the left so your arms are permanently shifted off to the left while typing..... what's wrong with you ????
@@eliteneo_gta7035 iran as someone who is only used to 100% keyboards, imma be hoenst i reqlly love having my number pad and really dislike smaller boards. Its all a matter of taste lol
I bought a similar form factor keyboard for like 45 usd. granted it came with outemu reds, non wireless and the cable is not detachable, nothing like a bit of modding could fix.
My answer to the title is; I am Finnish. I am an ISO-Nordic guy living in an ANSI world. I can find a barebone keyboard (Keychron Q1, since that's the only one i could find that still has F-keys) and switches just fine, but keycaps are impossible. At least if you want anything more unique than gray. Also keycaps cost more than my current keyboard lol.
I always need a numpad on my keyboard. I'm so used to typing in numbers that way because of work, so I'm actually faster on that than the number row haha
@@TheFreakyGames it’s when you use a gummy O ring that is huge and fit it between the pcb and plate of your board. It then sit/ snug in the case and you don’t t use any screws or anything to anchor the pcb.
I've been wanting to enter these "custom" keyboards for a while but the lack of options for full size or close to full size keyboards was so low. I'm going to try to get into it with the Royal Kludge S98 and change the keycaps to this side print green.
Taking keycaps off costar stabilizers is as easy as sliding one side on 1st then taking a small screwdriver and I mean tiny and pushing outwards so around the other clip on the keycap. Takes 10 seconds
I work in Audio post with Pro tools. Im interested in a very quiet keyboard that feels great and has a num pad. The 80% low profile with num pad from Keychron looks promising but im worried it will be too loud
Nah .. I'd get the Keychron Q5. It's under $200 with a fully anodized high profile aluminum case, gaskets, South RGB, foam insert, lubed screw-in stabilizers, 5 pin hot swappable, etc.
Something that I discovered almost immediately after switching to TKL -- I rely on using my thumb to press the numpad enter key while my hand is on the mouse a LOT more than I'd realized. Going to try out both a 1x7 macropad immediately to the right of the keyboard & seeing whether or not it work just as well / better to get a mouse with an extra left button that I can just map to the Enter key.
It's nice that more custom keyboard makers are offering options that include a numpad but I'm not crazy about how they've made the zero smaller so they can cram it up against the arrow keys. Your thumb is supposed to rest on the zero like it does with the space bar and that doesn't work with this layout. Also, the cursor position buttons are across the top instead of between the numpad and the rest of the keyboard. Sorry, but I'm just used to the classic Model M layout, as that's what I've used since I learned to type in the early 90s. Trying to switch to anything else is a major pain. That's one of the reasons I hate using a laptop unless I can connect an external keyboard. I get that some people like having a more compact keyboard, but to me part of the point of a "custom" keyboard is that it should be comfortable to use and I don't understand why so many of them seem obsessed with squeezing everything into as little space as possible.
Hi. Do you have some pretty OK keycaps to recommend for the Keychron K8 Pro? Need to have/support Mac keys. I’m looking for other colors for my keyboard 😊 Cheers from Norway.
Is it normal for a spacebar to have a little back and forth movement? For example if you take your finger on the spacebar and move it towards the Z row and back towards you the spacebar can move a little? Bought a iQunix F97 with TTC Pink switches and am not sure if this is normal for a higher price keyboard or it it is unavoidable.
Which is better for typing? The Outemo silent gray or white? I bought an epomaker keyboard with their chocolate silver switches I guess those are speed switches? They are too sensitive for me I make lots of typos. Not sure to get the gray or white. The gray have 55g actuation force but 1.6mmpre travel and whites 45g actuation force but 2mm pre travel. Not sure what more important for less typos the actuation force or pre travel. Those Choco silvers have 45g actuation force and 1.1mm pre travel so sensitive.
i’m so in love with tenkey that i’m almost considering getting an 80% with a numpad to the right of my mouse. none of my friends believe in fun & convenience though and refuse to use a full size keyboard
I gave my dad my old gmmk and put some Akko ocean switches on it (yes I lubed everything) just because I couldn't stand seeing him use a crappy keyboard 8 hours a day
I am a big fan of the TKL / 75%. Keypad is great if I am going to use it for work too. Like the keyboard on my desk at work - it's a full keyboard because I am very often working in spreadsheets and with numbers. At home - TLK is fine or even a 60~65%.
Howdy hey Hipyo ! I recently discovered your channel and I'm loving it :) I think I'm ready to build my first keyboard, but as a french guy I'm used to azerty... Which seems to be hard to find in the custom keyboard world. Do you have any advice or shopping reference ? Thank you and keep it up ;)
My first mechanical was an F60 from about 5 years ago, it's amazing tbh. You just need to tape and foam mod(iqunix didn't include foam 5 years ago), and it will sound amazing.
Muscle memory at this point, Ive used full size boards since childhood so having to adjust to hitting a modifier key and developing new muscle memory for each key seems like a pain compared to spending a few extra bucks for the fully extended glory of a numpad. Also games, its basically a 10+ key free macro pad that I can map to whatever without having to use the bar up top and screw with my regular 1-9 hotbar that gets used for active things.
Is it purple? I would say if it were blue maybe the Fluid X was themed in the color scheme of heroic Gundams. They tend to be red white blue and yellow in color scheme.
I go for numpads because of blender. Yes I’m aware there’s a setting that enables numpad like control for normal numbers but shush. I also use it as macros when I’m not in blender
I love my numpad. I find it easier to use the nav cluster, I could swap it for the numbers on the fly. Which it's much easier to type the numbers on the numpad than having to reach the top. I don't get people who want to omit keypads outside of gaming.
I used to use a Logitech G pro sumthin keeb except now... I use a super lit keeb that i got from Hipyo himself on his moving day. (Thanks for the keeb btw. After using it for a bit I've come to the conclusion that its the best keeb I've ever had!) Edit: i also have an Epomaker K620T v2.0 and I like this new keyboard more than that one too.
With the original iMac, Apple shipped it with a 96% layout. I don’t know why they stopped making keyboards with that layout. It’s perfect for Mac because you don’t really need the home, end, page up, page down, insert, and print screen buttons that much, but the number pad is still super useful.
So I use my thumb for the 0 key on the numpad, which is annoying because pretty much every keyboard does this thing where the 0 key is only a normal key width instead of being double like they did in the good old days.
I bought the hitchhiker one back when it came out, also tape modded it and ripped the antenna off as well. Turns out the 2.4 Ghz wireless and Bluetooth still work on mine so.....maybe a fluke on mine that it still works? A friend of mine also put in and lubed NK creams for me to replace the stock switches (TTC gold pink cause I wanted to try them. Sounded good but too light for me). Good board to use in IT.
First name Hipyo, last name Tech...
SAVE 5% ON IQUNIX WITH CODE HIPYO: iqunix.store/hipyo (AFFILIATE)
Also I know for some of you its a budget thing, I'll have some giveaways soon I promise :)
Bet
@@nix996 ong
Purple one has megaton or maybe freeza vibes.
Please confirm what TTC switches did you get for each keyboard?
4:00 Hipyo do you have any videos on Costar stabs and/or Costar OEM keyboards? I searched your channel for Costar and this was one of the ones that came up.
I have a couple Costar OEM boards from the days when choices were very limited (think 10-15 years ago), and Costar was one of the better built boards. Back then the rattle didn't bother me but seeing what is available now, the key and stab rattle is just too pingy for me.
I work in IT and without a numpad doing even basic tasks like typing an IP address is a real pain so this actually looks really promising!
That and almost everything now requires two factor authentication where you have to enter the code
Also in IT and can also confirm. Didn’t think I’d need it, so I bought a NuPhy Air 75. Love it! But don’t love not having a numpad, so even though I’ll probably still keep it, the search continues!
Pretty much this.
Yeah the muscle memory of the numpad is difficult to change for the number row
@@CaseyHardman I have an Epomaker GK73XS which is VERY compact (323mm long, 118mm tall) but has a numpad. You do sacrifice quite a few keys in this form factor and can get used to it quite easily once you know where it is in the layers (customisable too), but some stuff is tough under this format when using modifiers to do actions with keys under layers. I'm inclined to suggest the new Epomaker TH96 or Keychron Q5 for a better experience with less of the compromise. The Epomaker only has proprietary software for customisation on the multi connectivity model, the wired one supporting QMK / VIA also, but the Keychron supports QMK in BT and Wireless!
That said I use the 73 for home and work so I take it in and at 680g it's pretty light vs the TH96 (1180g). Also the TH96 is longer and taller as it has an F-Row and a more usable layout (388mm x 138mm). It is also chunkier at 38mm vs the 73's 29.9mm.
Sadly the 73 is only Bluetooth and Wired (still good ngl) and has a fairly small battery (1900mAh - enough to get you through a working day even with LEDs on at lower brightness), but the TH96 has Bluetooth, wired and 2.4Ghz modes and a 6000mAh battery so should fare better.
I picked up the 73 at $99 but it dropped to $60 though is now sold out on their own site. The TH96 is $149 for the multi connectivity model and $170 for the Wired only model (odd, but here we are). There are some aesthetic and potentially QC considerations at this price point vs some other brands, but all in all I've had a great time with the 73 and going back to bigger keyboards is tough. Glad I have a numpad!
I mean, the difference between a 245$ keyboard and a 20$ one is about 225$.
👌🦄
Sherlock be like 🤦♂️
I mean if you use a keyboard 40hrs a week why use a $20 keyboard when a $200 one makes your working experience way better?
there are mechanical keyboards for 20$ out there, and you can make them sound good
@@sirenss 200 is budget keyboard
depending on the field you work in having a full-sized keyboard changes your life, i could never give up my numberpad, i wish there were more fun full keyboards to sell "ready to use" like these, i'd love to see a video of the coming up Q5!!
Id love one that would be as compact as the one in the video but kept the full size 0 and enter
Oh, i know one! Search for the “Machenike k500”
Fun fact... you don't need to disasemble the housing to access the board and take it out. it becomes much easier when you just take the 8 screws out of the keydeck rather then taking the screws out from the sides.
I mean, yeah, cost is really the answer. Would I like to have a keyboard that sounds great and feels fantastic to type on? Absolutely. Can I afford to spend $300 or more on a custom keyboard when there's no functional difference? Absolutely not.
I mean there are cheaper options out there if you research (like the Tester84 and Tester68, both come with surprising features and mods preinstalled).... but I get the feeling this is the sort of hidden gem you'd usually have to be digging around the hobby a while before even coming across these - at least in my case. Factoring in shipping times and another £30 or so for some Akko switches (they have a 'factory lubed' lineup which is surprisingly affordable) and also some half decent PBT keycaps and its a surprisingly competent DIY item. They are cheap enough builds to make cool gifts for your loved ones.
But then there's the other investment, for a decent DIY project time (especially if you decide to hand lube switches, fine tune stabilisers etc.)
@@eduardoanonimo3031 bro what
@@naliboi93 what im doing is buying a mizar mz60 and nk creams, lubing the nk creams and putting the nk creams into the mz60 (its hotswap). ~$100 not including lube, including lube is ~$115 ish
@Shaggiel
That sounds like a fair price compared to the amount I must have spent trying to figure out this hobby and achieve an ultimate endgame keyboard in my first build. Hope your build goes well and would love to hear an update!
Just remember that initial investements easily runs the risk of blowing your budget during the first build.
I was slightly lucky as I received a used Redragon K552 for free, but I still overspent on useless items due to trial and error and the pursuit of discovering my own "preferances":
- 2 unused sets of cheapo Aliexpress shine-through PBT keycaps
- 1 set of dye sub printed PBT artsy spacebar, enter, esc, backspace (wrong sizes on enter and backspace)
- 3 sets of unused Redragon switches (red, blue, brown).
- 3 sets of unused stabilisers
- 2 unused (and unshielded!) aviator coil USB-C cables + a bunch of 4 pin and 5 pin connectors (completely hopeless as I just went for standard shielded usb C cable in the end).
Of the stuff I actually did end up using, I still ended up with a bunch of spare parts. Here's the mods, materials and tools I eneded up using for my k552 project:
- tape mod
- Adafruit USB-C daughterboard for a detachable usb-c cable mod (I already had soldering equipment and crimping tools on hand from previously, so that helped).
- x2 boxes of Akko CS lavender purples (which I lubed)
- switch opener
- keycap and switch pullers
- tweezers and cutters
- set of handheld single hole punch tool bits.
- brushes and lube (tribosys 3203, krytox 205G0)
- DIY clipped, lubed and holee moded stabilisers.
- DIY PE foam mod (between the metal plate and PCB)
- poron stickers under each switch.
- foam switch films
- coral sea PBT keycap set from Aliexpress (which actually had decent enough compatibility with UK ANSI layout)
- DIY case dampening: combination of butyl rubber sheets, NOICO car dampening foam/putty sheets, and PE foam.
- a KBD Fans TKL carry case.
I'm delighted with my K552's endgame look, feel and sound, but there was so much time and unnecessary money spent. I learnt a LOT about keyboards, DIY, and electronics. I've also got loads of new tools and materials for future DIY projects (some came in clutch for other electronics and longboard projects). Sadly I doubt the more niche materials will find any use again, so there's lots of useless inventory.
It took 2 months of intermittent progress after work and on weekends to complete, but also a lot of time was waiting on shipping. To use up some spare parts, I also built a GK21 numpad for myself and also a Tester86 as a gift for my brother.
Its a cool hobby, but even "cheap" builds suffered from hidden costs of initial investments: new bespoke tools, consumables, and trial + error. I'm sure many of these costs were avoidable, but I've now got enough knowledge and resources for budget builds in the future. Doesn't change the fact that my first build ended up hella pricey (I don't want to calculate as it'll be mega depressing, lol).
@@naliboi93 yeah i think most of these people are looking for full sized stuff which tester 84/68 isn't
Not only do I want a number pad, I want a real, fully separated one. I got a Q6 and I'm surprised how little competition Keychron has in that form factor. They could have settled for the C2 and K10, but no. They had to drop this absolute beast and leave no doubt. This thing could drop on my head and kill me. I love it.
Ooooh I just pulled the trigger and ordered a Q6 today. Please tell me your thoughts? Also WHY THE HELL DOES NOBODY ELSE MAKE THESE THINGS IT TOOK SO DAMN LONG
@@trousers2 I wanted to race to something close to endgame out of the box I could replace switches on and this is probably it. It's very heavy, so if you want any portability look elsewhere. My only gripe is the LEDs don't align with any pudding caps I can find, so get used to them shining b/w keys. But I swapped Glorious Pandas in and it feels nice.
Agree and also have the Q6. Feel that nothing else out there compares.
I hate numpads
@@laughingvampire7555no one cares. Some of us actually want to use decent keebs for work 🙄
The numpad never gets in my way tbh. Also, as someone who play games that uses a lot of hotkeys, a numpad is very essential. FFXIV, GTA4/5 modded, etc.
...do you reach your left hand all the way over or take your hand off of the mouse? I've never understood how anyone would ever use a numpad in a meaningful way quickly.
@@colbyboucher6391 I use the numpad to play traditional roguelikes for eight directional movement, much better than using the vim keys.
@@AuroraAce. True. I usually love vim keys but for a roguelike where you need to move diagonally, yeah, not having a numpad sucks hard.
@@colbyboucher6391 Maybe not Rubin, but some people, such as myself, use our mouse with our left hand, lol. I've realized over the years that it's honestly quite convenient for keyboard-use when playing games, or even for doing written work (use mouse left-handed and write with my right hand).
@@TheKatzeX3 Well, yeah, if you use a mouse left-handed, seems perfect huh! All the more reason for some ""left-handed"" numpads to be around. It's a relic from before computers were mouse-oriented.
not having a num pad is killer. I hate using the top row number keys and would much rather have a num pad instead. it's faster and more efficent with movement. it's not just an accounting thing and I don't know where this idea comes from.
I don't know about other people, but I learned 10 key in high school and I end up using the numpad semi often. Especially with the types of games I play. Then it also bleeds into being used for work and hobby stuff. It's just way more practical to use than the numkey row
good thing i have considerable wealth in the form of multimillions to almost be able to afford real gmk and a 7v
Heyyyyy i know you…
As a music producer, it's important to use keyboard shortcuts because you want to use the mouse as minimally as possible. And the program I use (Pro Tools) uses the numb pad for shortcuts.
We like numpads because we hate using the alphapad for numbers. I have to hunt for the numbers on the alphapad, but the numpad is very intuitive. And if I'm hitting 1 number, then I'm probably hitting 9-12 number keys per entry.
Plus some games use both types of keys for different things.
One game I play sometimes uses the row keys for item uses and the numpad for things like quick switch mounts, fishing, etc.
An answer to the title: Because I don't want to (I can't) spend $100+ USD on a custom keyboard and I actually want it to sound good, thocky, etc. (and below $100 USD I have also seen lube go for $8 for a small container)
I was attracted to see the video thinking that I was going to get advice for few budget options, but for my crappy job a keyboard investment above $200, no way Jose.
if you weren’t grown up with a numpad, you don’t know what you’re missing 😢
I have a crappy keyboard that came with an optiplex I bought a while ago, I also have an expensive custom built keyboard that sounds and feels great. But I still prefer the crappy one because it feels comfortable.
Bruh
you just gave r/mk an aneurysm. i love it
disgusting
Actually though, I was rapidly disillusioned with the concept of thock at the first moment I had to type on one of those keyboards and it felt like a membrane keyboard made to tolerance. The whole modern mechanical keyboard space is such a far cry from the model M that spawned the industry, where the mechanical portion actually has purpose and the springs are physically sending your fingers flying to the next key.
@@davidy22 1000%. As cool as "thock" sounds, at this point we've come full circle to membranes again. You know what kind of board has the softest thock sound? Membrane. Membranes also have a very soft typing feel. I currently have a Roccat Vulkan 121 with brown mechanical switches. No mods. Sounds and feels amazing, because it doesn't sound and feel like a membrane. I actually really like the mechanical, metallic, springy sound and feel. Also never thought I'd love brown switches this much.
"Why are YOU using bad keyboards in 2022??"
Cause i dont want to spend over two hundred dollars for a keyboard, jacob.
I mean.. that all depends on how often you actually use it. If you're literally typing all day as for example a programmer... I would seriously consider it.. unless you hate yourself
@@ruadeil_zabelin Considering I got decent keyboard I don't feel the need of buying another one like that. I kinda doubt they are that much better from branded ones
@@wadimek116Grabbed a thermaltake TT Level 20 for 60 Euros during Black Friday last year.
Good stuff, typung feels so much nicer, especially the finger joints seem to love it.
Never noticed how harsh the rubber domes were on them until I switched.
@@wadimek116Grabbed a thermaltake TT Level 20 for 60 Euros during Black Friday last year.
Good stuff, typung feels so much nicer, especially the finger joints seem to love it.
Never noticed how harsh the rubber domes were on them until I switched.
I got the iQuinix F97 Hitchhiker board a few weeks back and it’s fantastic. The only modding I did was to buy Gateron Box Ink Black switches and it sounds amazingly thick now. I use it with my Mac via Bluetooth and it works perfectly. I highly recommend it if you want to minimal modding and want a serious quality board. The Keycaps are excellent, PBT and ooze quality. They’re KDA profile and really comfortable to type on.
I've used normal full sized keyboards for so long that switching to anything smaller would just throw me off. Besides I have a g512 (on sale for $75) that I just pulled out and lubed the switches/stabilizers and replaced the keycaps with pudding keykcaps. Sounds really nice to me, looks beautiful, and only cost about $100 total.
Did you make the G512 hot swappable or did you just solder/desolder the switches?
Numpads are not only for accounting. Architects, 3D designers, CNC programmers and much much more. AND IT IS IMPORTANT!
as someone who works doing cad design this layout is great for productivity, ergonomics, and overall satisfaction!
Blender also has some key commands attached to the numpad such as center the selected object to the camera or switch between different angles quickly
I felt a little uncomfortable using my TKL keyboard. I really prefer of full-size regular layout keyboards, not even compact stuff like the Q5. It completely depends on what you actually use the keyboard for, though. I play a few games that heavily encourage having extra keys to bind stuff to. If you primarily play stuff like FPS games or MOBAs, a tiny baby keyboard could work great for you.
I going to get the Q5 Max rather than Q6 Max purely because the knob is a the top RHS where it belongs.
Just throwing this out there, you called these full size and they are not technically full sized. They are compact versions of full size (90%or something? I don't know the real name). Like I just started using the K10 pro and that is a real full sized keyboard and I love it.
As a screen reader user, I use the numpad as a controller for a secondary screen cursor. I also don't use a mouse at all and use the numpad to emulate mouse clicks on poorly-built interfaces. Also I use Excel. I could not do my work without a numpad. I even use the applications key.
I actually just built my own keyboard today with Kailh Box Whites, but specifically chose the Glorious GMNK v1 keyboard for the FULL SIZE numpad. These keyboards are not "full sized" as advertised (97 meaning 97% layout), being that the arrow keys bleed over into the numpad 0. This is extremely frustrating to me, as my laptop has this layout, as that left half is where my thumb rests to press said 0 key. I have tried to retrain my muscle memory to use my middle finger to press 0, but it feels incredibly awkward.
yeah those single sized 0 keys are not real numpads
Got my F97 last week and it truly feels like a very premium keyboard for a prebuild.
Yeah, your so much fun to watch. I've seen more than enough thocc-shots, but this never gets old. Thanks for the laughs! It's so nice to laugh out loud so often, on a single video no less. Have a wonderful day!
Reasons I need a numpad:
- Work
- Makes punching in dates, phone numbers, and credit card numbers a helluva lot easier
- Useful for binding shortcuts/macros for games/applications
Not only do I work in accounts payable and need a numpad for 10 key entering (and therefore the preferred way of entering any numbers for any reason outside of work), but I also play PC games from my couch with my keyboard in my lap and my mouse to my right side (mousepad on a large wooden pizza cutting board on a pillow). The extra length on a 98% keyboard with a 10 key numpad means that it will sit across my lap better. Am I crazy for gaming this way? Possibly, but it’s as comfortable as console gaming.
I like full sized keyboards because I’m a 3D artist, and I need my numpad to not only enter numbers quickly, but also to navigate blender’s orthographic views. Maya doesn’t have this so I can use a TKL, but I cannot go without my numpad
0:08, that's how a keyboard is meant to sound dude. and to answer your tittle: because number pads are actually useful. I know that you keyboard based youtubers have a strange thing against 104 and 110 key keyboards. I don't know why. But sound (for me) is one of the ways I know I'm hitting keys right. What you're calling "thock" isn't it's a light plastic sounding plop or popcorn sound. Clack, and Thocc, are deep beefy, substantial sounds. You do keyboard based youtubing right? so ask Unicomp for a review sample, that's Thoc!
The devil you know vs the devil you do not yet know... I think the layout differences are just significant enough that I'll go with a Keychron Q6. I have a good history with Keychron boards, and they also come with HS sockets. The Q6 form factor is a little better for my desk, IMO. If it helps, I did buy a WOWstick...
Other (in-stock!) compact options with numpads that hover more around $100+ are the Akko ACR 98 ($109 - I ADORE their Acrylic line), Akko 3098 series ($109), and a NEW ONE that I love is the YUNZII Keynovo IF98 ($149).
Akko products in general are insanely quality and insanely cheap compared to competitors. I love them. Their switches are great stock and they're affordable, so you dont have to spend more on different switches. You dont even *have* to lube them, though I still prefer to. Lot of great options in color/size for every need you could have. *Highly recommend if you're getting into/wanna try custom and not break the bank*
The IF98 is *gorgeous.* I'm biased to the jade green, but they have a plain white too, and it sounds pretty good stock. Just lube the switches and lube/replace the stabs if you wanna mod it and it's chef's kiss. They only have like black, white, and green rn, but more options coming in the future.
Custom keyboards are an investment, but they don't have to run you broke
wtf bot ? lol chinese bot.
Love Akko switches. I used (and lubed) Akko lavender purples in my heavily modded Redragon K552 and Skyloong GK21 numpad.
My main gripe with most of these custom higher end models is that they dont have a normal friggin numpad! I only want a full 104 key keyboard with a standard layout. None of these weird mismashes where they try to make the keyboard smaller by jamming the numpad further left like this one. I hate it. I am also left handed, so a numpad on the right isn't in my way at all. It literally doesn't matter how wide my keyboard is.
Can you please check out the Q5 and Q6 from Keychron in the future?
Q5 is compact full size, and Q6 is FULL size custom keyboard, and both have knob options! I am very keen on the 6
I'd say the Q5 is the direct competitor while the Q6 is a more relaxed full-size layout...I'll build a Q6 sometime next month, if I can find one available.
As someone who has used multiple of these 1800 layouts the new keychron with the exploded layout is so much more practical
Built my first PC 3 years ago and have been using a corsair gaming keyboard. Stumbled on your channel and and obsessed with keyboards now. Already looking into a good keyboard and mods. So first off thank you for sharing this new world with me and I love your content! You made me smile and laugh many times!
I have the F96 Coral Sea model. It was my first board that got me into the hobby. However, upon ordering it, they sold out and it was delayed. I wasn’t alerted til after I had to reach out to customer service, but they did keep me posted throughout the process. Shipping time was meh, but it doesn’t help that I live in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, which caused the shipping to take longer than intended, considering it comes from China and it has to go through customs and whatnot.
Gotta say though that it was worth the hassle. Board quality is amazing and it feels awesome to use. I think I might get me the F97 since I can customize the switches compared to my F96 being a solder board. Anyway, long story short. Board good, shipping process meh, but me live in Pacific Ocean, so order at discretion.
Thanks for coming to my Ted talk. Bye..
I need the full 100% because I enjoy inputing Alt codes. I frequently use Alt+Numpad 0151 for em dashes and sometimes Alt+Numpad 0148, when I can't normally close a quote, which tends to be after using 0151.
Because of this I chose the Keychron C2 for my first venture into keyboard modding. I carefully lubed all 104 Gateron Brown switches with 205g0 to preserve tactility, filmed them, and glued down pieces of shelf liner to fit every crevice at the bottom of the case with elmer's glue. I also didn't forget to the clip the stabs and used dialectic grease to lube them. The only part I'm not fond of is the spacebar wire, which I can't seem to balance perfectly to eliminate the rattle completely. Lubing only temporarily mutes the rattle but it comes back noticable once the lube thins out.
Otherwise, I'm really happy with it.
You can still get an otemu red hot swappable full size keyboard for less than 75 usd with usb c and or wireless. If you don’t need wireless, it would be much cheaper and you can use the difference to get an amazing set of pbt Keycaps. Check Tecware or havit keyboards to start from and go from there. If you still need more nicer feel, lube the switch and stabs. 250 usd for a keyboard is too much to spend unless the company you work for reimburses the cost.
Great vid as always, stream was awesome aswell, definitely looking forward to a Q5 review, or any of the new keychron boards
4:45 put the floppy things on the wire first, and the wire on the keyboard in the position they will be in when the key is pressed down, then press down on the key.
Anyone who uses alt codes for typing acrents also really appreciates having a numbrr pad!
Best prebuilts I have EVER used come from Varmilo. Hands down the best QC and factory amenities. Pre-lubed switches, case foam & filler, perfect stabs, tons of options and colorways, all major layouts, super high quality PBT keycaps with just the right amount of texture, wireless features, the works. My TKL from them felt like absolute perfection from the moment I took it out of the box up until now 5-6 years later. I have since built quite a few customs, but I still adore my Varmilo.
most people don't want to spend too much on keyboards a simple membrane keyboard like my old $20 dell one was good enough
Sure if you have "scissors for fingers" I mean legs were great for getting to point a and B but then we discovered the horse and then the automobile. Its called progress my friend.
@@8bitsamurai6 cars and horses get you to your destination quicker and take less energy for you. Expensive keyboards sound and feel nice. There's a difference my friend
@@Ohandori Yea I agree but dont have to be expensive. There really good prebuilts or budget customs now. Just ment it as everything good enough until we try better. But differnt thing are important to different people.
@@8bitsamurai6 the horse argument was so ridiculous, lol
yeah, until they get into the rabbit hole of youtube lmao. definitely not talking about myself.
To anyone who complains about not having a num pad, you can build one separately. This is great, you can move it anywhere! Not using it? Put it away! Doing cad work? Use it with your left hand so you can keep your right hand on your mouse! Using it normally? Put it right next to your keyboard as if it is a normal num pad!
Poggers
people who insist on a built-in numpad in this day and age are cray-cray.... So, you like mechanical keyboards because you're into aesthetics and ergonomics? but you want to stick your mouse waaaay over to the right (unergonomic) and have your keyboard off centre (unaesthetic). OR you want to have your keyboard centred and your mouse in a normal position.... meaning that the centre of your alphanumerics is now way off to the left so your arms are permanently shifted off to the left while typing..... what's wrong with you ????
@@eliteneo_gta7035 iran as someone who is only used to 100% keyboards, imma be hoenst i reqlly love having my number pad and really dislike smaller boards. Its all a matter of taste lol
@@eliteneo_gta7035What on earth is "cray-cray"?
people want numpad to fly helicopter in GTA.
I bought a similar form factor keyboard for like 45 usd. granted it came with outemu reds, non wireless and the cable is not detachable, nothing like a bit of modding could fix.
My answer to the title is; I am Finnish. I am an ISO-Nordic guy living in an ANSI world. I can find a barebone keyboard (Keychron Q1, since that's the only one i could find that still has F-keys) and switches just fine, but keycaps are impossible. At least if you want anything more unique than gray. Also keycaps cost more than my current keyboard lol.
I always need a numpad on my keyboard. I'm so used to typing in numbers that way because of work, so I'm actually faster on that than the number row haha
I just built a YMDK Melody96 Pro with the extra foam. If you want a good looking board with numpad, you should try it with an O-ring mod for mounting
I have a Melody96 Pro on order! What's a O-Ring mod?
@@TheFreakyGames it’s when you use a gummy O ring that is huge and fit it between the pcb and plate of your board. It then sit/ snug in the case and you don’t t use any screws or anything to anchor the pcb.
Is the Moon theme not just a typical DSA layout? The first style you looked at a appeared to be more Cherry or OEM profile, not sure which.
Moon version is either MDA or XVX profile... Which are my favorite profiles.
Imma have to start committing numerous felonies to be able to afford my keyboard addiction
oh no
Welp. Selling feet pics is not a felony. Maybe? 🤷♀️ ask a lawyer
HIPYO OH MY GOODNESS, 500k SUBS?!? I REMEMBER 30K! CONGRATS MATE! (Miss the livestreams)
I've been wanting to enter these "custom" keyboards for a while but the lack of options for full size or close to full size keyboards was so low. I'm going to try to get into it with the Royal Kludge S98 and change the keycaps to this side print green.
"Have you ever built a lego set?" is the closest anyone has ever come to convincing me that I should customize my keyboard.
heyy, what's that black thingy that you used to plug the usb at 10:43 ? looks very handy
I not not only would like to see a video on the Keuchron Q5 but also on the Q6
Some of us want a number pad and a standard layout not squished-together.
I ended up saying fuck it and bought a 1800 board. It's so awful how there's no good 100% keyboards in the market besides maybe keychron.
It's crazy to me most keyboard enthusiasts get rid of the numpad, I absolutely cannot live without it
Taking keycaps off costar stabilizers is as easy as sliding one side on 1st then taking a small screwdriver and I mean tiny and pushing outwards so around the other clip on the keycap. Takes 10 seconds
I work in Audio post with Pro tools. Im interested in a very quiet keyboard that feels great and has a num pad. The 80% low profile with num pad from Keychron looks promising but im worried it will be too loud
Awesome video. This is the first review I've seen that I could also categorize as ASMR content.
Nah .. I'd get the Keychron Q5. It's under $200 with a fully anodized high profile aluminum case, gaskets, South RGB, foam insert, lubed screw-in stabilizers, 5 pin hot swappable, etc.
Something that I discovered almost immediately after switching to TKL -- I rely on using my thumb to press the numpad enter key while my hand is on the mouse a LOT more than I'd realized.
Going to try out both a 1x7 macropad immediately to the right of the keyboard & seeing whether or not it work just as well / better to get a mouse with an extra left button that I can just map to the Enter key.
is there any way to get the keycaps alone?? Loving the space design here
It's nice that more custom keyboard makers are offering options that include a numpad but I'm not crazy about how they've made the zero smaller so they can cram it up against the arrow keys. Your thumb is supposed to rest on the zero like it does with the space bar and that doesn't work with this layout. Also, the cursor position buttons are across the top instead of between the numpad and the rest of the keyboard. Sorry, but I'm just used to the classic Model M layout, as that's what I've used since I learned to type in the early 90s. Trying to switch to anything else is a major pain. That's one of the reasons I hate using a laptop unless I can connect an external keyboard. I get that some people like having a more compact keyboard, but to me part of the point of a "custom" keyboard is that it should be comfortable to use and I don't understand why so many of them seem obsessed with squeezing everything into as little space as possible.
DO you think we have the money for one of your "budget" Typing
board ?
Hi. Do you have some pretty OK keycaps to recommend for the Keychron K8 Pro? Need to have/support Mac keys. I’m looking for other colors for my keyboard 😊 Cheers from Norway.
Is it normal for a spacebar to have a little back and forth movement? For example if you take your finger on the spacebar and move it towards the Z row and back towards you the spacebar can move a little? Bought a iQunix F97 with TTC Pink switches and am not sure if this is normal for a higher price keyboard or it it is unavoidable.
Which is better for typing? The Outemo silent gray or white? I bought an epomaker keyboard with their chocolate silver switches I guess those are speed switches? They are too sensitive for me I make lots of typos. Not sure to get the gray or white. The gray have 55g actuation force but 1.6mmpre travel and whites 45g actuation force but 2mm pre travel. Not sure what more important for less typos the actuation force or pre travel. Those Choco silvers have 45g actuation force and 1.1mm pre travel so sensitive.
"also im sorry that you do accounting" thank you man, i appreciate it xD
Also i use a mountain everest with an attachable numpad :)
I think the Variable X is a reference to the XM-X1 Crossbone Gundam X-1, also known as the F97. The color theme fits too!
i’m so in love with tenkey that i’m almost considering getting an 80% with a numpad to the right of my mouse. none of my friends believe in fun & convenience though and refuse to use a full size keyboard
It's so nice to FINALLY see an "enthusiast keyboard" that's not the size of a stick of gum.
Hi Hipyo, could you tell me what you think about Nuphy Air 75? Did you test it?
Are there any low-profile mechanical keyboards worth recommending?
Just got the Keychron Q6 today actually. That's gonna be full-sized for sure when that gets here.
About time you mentioned the Q5, I’ve been asking if you were going to look at it since it came out last week lol
I gave my dad my old gmmk and put some Akko ocean switches on it (yes I lubed everything) just because I couldn't stand seeing him use a crappy keyboard 8 hours a day
I am a big fan of the TKL / 75%. Keypad is great if I am going to use it for work too. Like the keyboard on my desk at work - it's a full keyboard because I am very often working in spreadsheets and with numbers.
At home - TLK is fine or even a 60~65%.
Howdy hey Hipyo !
I recently discovered your channel and I'm loving it :) I think I'm ready to build my first keyboard, but as a french guy I'm used to azerty... Which seems to be hard to find in the custom keyboard world. Do you have any advice or shopping reference ?
Thank you and keep it up ;)
My first mechanical was an F60 from about 5 years ago, it's amazing tbh. You just need to tape and foam mod(iqunix didn't include foam 5 years ago), and it will sound amazing.
Muscle memory at this point, Ive used full size boards since childhood so having to adjust to hitting a modifier key and developing new muscle memory for each key seems like a pain compared to spending a few extra bucks for the fully extended glory of a numpad. Also games, its basically a 10+ key free macro pad that I can map to whatever without having to use the bar up top and screw with my regular 1-9 hotbar that gets used for active things.
I think my history working in retail has me naturally reaching for a numpad anytime I'm typing numbers.
If you want a numpad and hot swap, Akko offer a 1800 layout that is about $120ish.
I'm an intern med student and I always use the numpad when writing down measurements. I can't live without it
Is it purple? I would say if it were blue maybe the Fluid X was themed in the color scheme of heroic Gundams. They tend to be red white blue and yellow in color scheme.
I go for numpads because of blender. Yes I’m aware there’s a setting that enables numpad like control for normal numbers but shush.
I also use it as macros when I’m not in blender
Are the setting you're talking about is an inside blender setting or outside blender?
You ever planning to build a custom alps board? I feel like those types of switches needs more attention.
I love my numpad. I find it easier to use the nav cluster, I could swap it for the numbers on the fly. Which it's much easier to type the numbers on the numpad than having to reach the top. I don't get people who want to omit keypads outside of gaming.
I used to use a Logitech G pro sumthin keeb except now... I use a super lit keeb that i got from Hipyo himself on his moving day. (Thanks for the keeb btw. After using it for a bit I've come to the conclusion that its the best keeb I've ever had!)
Edit: i also have an Epomaker K620T v2.0 and I like this new keyboard more than that one too.
How did you manage to get a board from him? Did he sell it online or something?
@@JohnnyD-uk1mi i met him in person! Outside his house!
@@Anoki_S1 bro what
ayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
@@HipyoTech AYYYYY
With the original iMac, Apple shipped it with a 96% layout. I don’t know why they stopped making keyboards with that layout. It’s perfect for Mac because you don’t really need the home, end, page up, page down, insert, and print screen buttons that much, but the number pad is still super useful.
Whenever he calls the 1800 keyboard a full size just because it has a numpad I die inside
Thank you but those keyboards look so cramped, i cant imagine the pain after a day of work
Which switches did you get for the Hitchhiker one?
So I use my thumb for the 0 key on the numpad, which is annoying because pretty much every keyboard does this thing where the 0 key is only a normal key width instead of being double like they did in the good old days.
Do Gateron G Pro Milky Yellow And Cap V2 Milky Yellow Switches Have Interference On Northfacing LEDs on Cherry MX Keycaps?
I bought the hitchhiker one back when it came out, also tape modded it and ripped the antenna off as well. Turns out the 2.4 Ghz wireless and Bluetooth still work on mine so.....maybe a fluke on mine that it still works? A friend of mine also put in and lubed NK creams for me to replace the stock switches (TTC gold pink cause I wanted to try them. Sounded good but too light for me). Good board to use in IT.