This keyboard is designed very similarly to my second generation DasKeyboard. In fact the internal shots are almost identical compared to the Das, even down to those stiff ribbon cables connecting the PCB switch board to the microchip board. One of the improvements they need to make is putting big strips of rubber on the bottom to prevent sliding on desks.
Probably so - since Cherry is one that make the keys - but this is first time I heard of them having actual keyboard.
Keep in mind, one thing these keyboards are not just for desktops, I use a DasKeyboard on my Lenovo Y50 notebook and love it. Most of time it connected to keyboard and have it connected to Samsung 4K monitor - I do use it as laptop but for this laptop that is rare.
I wish I had more of these keyboards - they are perfect for me. There also portable enough if I need to travel with it. I guess that is why they are call some laptops, desktop replacements
"but this is first time I heard of them having actual keyboard."
come on man
"This keyboard is an especially interesting item to review because rather than being a wholly new design, it's a new iteration on a classic design, following in the footsteps of the original iconic Cherry G80-3000 series keyboards that have been in circulation for decades."
Err no. I bought this DasKeyboard in 2005. Certainly the switches are Cherry MX Blue's but the design of the keyboard setup itself, where the control board is placed, where the cord exits the casing, and how the control board and the switch PCB board are connected, those are all design decisions.
Red would be easier on the eyes at night than white. I have a cheap Velocifire mechanical board and its blue-white is almost too much for night typing, which is exactly when it is lit up.
Exactly. I have an rgb keyboard on my clevo/sager but I keep it on red, for night vision, and I have a Reddragon mechanical keyboard. Not silent but red led, doesn't hurt eyes at night. Also thevreddragon was $31. And I've had it for a few years. Not to go off topic from the color red. But its a great economical keyboard. Redragon K552 KUMARA LED Backlit Mechanical Gaming Keyboard (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016MAK38U/ref=cm_sw_r_c...
I'd prefer white, especially if the intensity is configurable, which is what I have on my laptop. I have a red lit mechanical keyboard, which is ok though.
How did I update my classic Cherry keyboard? I cut the PS2 cord then disassembled a PS2 to USB adapter. Opened the Keyboard put it in! Voila - a brand new updated Cherry classic keyboard! Now I can use it for another 20 years!
If you look at the pictures, the F and J keys are "deep dish" keys. No nubs, but they have a deeper cut profile, so your fingers sit deeper in those keys than the others.
hmm they do look slightly different, i wonder how that feels and whether that would be identifiable easier by blind fingers than the raised nubs.... interesting.
Also replacement key caps are available for Cherry switches, both individually and as complete sets. I'd be surprised if there was nothing suitable with nubs.
Since Cherry uses ANSI-standard layouts, the hardest key to get might be the stepped caps lock. Full sets with a normal caps lock key are common and inexpensive, and typically have nubs on the home keys.
"I should, however, stress that you should not expect miracles here - the Cherry MX Black Silent switch is much quieter than its regular variant but that alone cannot make any keyboard entirely silent. The Cherry G80-3494 MX Board Silent is much quieter than typical mechanical keyboards but it will still be audible."
How does it compare with normal Cherry switches with orings installed? I have a keyboard with Red switches and installing o-rings reduced its noise to something tolerable; but still not as quiet as I'd have preferred.
The Cherry MX Silent switches silence the upstroke a bit also. There are also keyboards from other manufacturers with these Silent Red or Silent Black and with a more solidly built case.
I’d love to try a "silent" mechanical keyboard, but this is just yet another non-ergonomic keyboard with keys that are not placed accordingly to the fingers’ position. I don’t understand why keyboard makers keep releasing a couple new models a week of the same old broken keyboard layout…
Because those types of keyboards are and will always be niche products. They've been out in various flavors for 20 years, everyone who wanted to try one already has yet sales are...terrible.
I mean, if you REALLY want to try a silent switch, you could build an Ergodox, or buy an MX ergonomic keyboard, disassemble every switch and swap out the internals for the silent switch internals.
Ergonomic keyboards suck. I suppose it varies on the individual. I like to be productive so I prefer a standard keyboard. Now, everything else is ergonomic. The keyboard tray, the chair (and it's arms), the monitor (on a arm).
I don't understand why keyboards don't put dedicated media controls on them anymore. The problem with keyboards now is that they try to condense them down. Being able to mute/turn volume up and down, skip tracks, etc is fantastic when doing other things in full screen apps.
The way they put them on keyboards now is very cheap way about it, not only that but because of it you have to disable some keys to make them work, and windows won't recognize the media keys to even use them! For example i like my CMstorm keyboard, but its media keys won't work with web based apps like google play music. Or it won't detect some windows borderless games.
However my old Logitech keyboard has no problem doing it. I mean come on, it can't cost much to put real media keys on keyboard, literally plenty of space to do so most mechanical keyboards have a huge height to them. You can put them on top/back and be easier to muscle memory remember location on top/back of them.
To clarify what i mean, if you are playing a game on my CMstorm for example, the F5-F11 keys are the media keys, but to use them you have to disable function button, then press them to use them. Being a gaming keyboard, people use those keys for other things in games. So its cumbersome to have to reach for two keytrokes back and forth to keep enabling/disabling them for each time you want to skip track, pause, etc.
Given how many people play games with music you get how its annoying.
Personally I'm glad the trend for media keys and replacing F keys' default function with media controls is on the wane. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one. Gaming and media are both still vastly well catered for anyway. There's more choice than ever before, it's just that the rest of us are now less often forced to deal with keyboards that are half broken by default.
I wouldn't really say that having dedicated media controls is a gamer keyboard thing, it is a convenience thing. Having the keys for things like media controls or calculator is just convenient.
If you don't like these keys you don't need to use them but if they aren't there then the keyboard is missing something.
Manufacturers have not settled on one consistent mapping on F-keys. They each have their own or sometimes a different mapping per keyboard model even.
Personally, I use programs that put Skip<, Skip> and Play/Pause on PrtSrc, Scroll Lock and Pause. Those keys are on all keyboards and pretty much useless anyway.
Good for what it is I guess, I think once you've laid your hands on a Topre switch keyboard, anything Cherry just feels terrible and chintzy by comparison.
First time on a Cherry I dropped almost $200 for a das keyboard only to realize it was basically unusable. I mean really. It maybe that DAS keyboards are garbage but everything felt loose, and the sound, feel, and smoothness of the switches & my Topre were instantly missed. I often lug my Topre to and from the office and bench the Das it's that bad. I don't think I'll ever buy another switch.
[X] Many pages of non-silence related critique [X] Detailed discussion of interior design of 'silent' keyboard [ ] Noise output measured on 'silent' keyboard ... -.- ...
I love my G80-3000 keyboard. So much so that I have two. They have MX Blue switches and the noise doesn't bother me. That being said, I would to test drive one in person. I'm a minimalist. That is I love not having all the extra crap on my keyboard. Simple and reliable.
" What frustrated us is the extensive dead space inside the keyboard’s plastic body, which, in an example of just how far technology has progressed in the last couple of decades, is enough space to fit an entire modern low-power PC. "
When did the first Cherry mechanical keyboard cone out? Was it before the original buckling spring patent was filed on Aug 30, 1977? The Model F keyboard was made from 1981 through 1984 (?), so I'm not sure who invented what in the mechanics keyboard world.
-- Was it before the original buckling spring patent was filed on Aug 30, 1977?
if you check the Wiki, you'll see that the IBM keyboard is not a mechanical switch keyboard, but a membrane keyboard with a novel actuation. nothing in common with Cherry or any other mechanical switch.
The 1977 patent covers the switch design in the Model F, which has a buckling spring switch that uses capacitative sensing of a pivoting plate on a circuit board. The Model M has membranes. What constitutes "mechanical" can be, and has been, debated endlessly. I would say that "catastrophic buckling" combined with the pivot of the foot is a basic mechanism.
Would be interesting, if it had illumination. Cherry has always had quite an aversion against illuminated keys, except on their relatively new "gaming" models. Sad!
I’m very curious about these new silent switche, and want to try a silent mechanical keyboard. The "silent" version of the MX keys can make a different late at night. But the price is …. https://promopure.com/Electronics-Shop/l/P0OHDFJJD...
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Ninhalem - Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - link
This keyboard is designed very similarly to my second generation DasKeyboard. In fact the internal shots are almost identical compared to the Das, even down to those stiff ribbon cables connecting the PCB switch board to the microchip board. One of the improvements they need to make is putting big strips of rubber on the bottom to prevent sliding on desks.Gothmoth - Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - link
"his keyboard is designed very similarly to my second generation DasKeyboard"more the other way around...
HStewart - Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - link
Probably so - since Cherry is one that make the keys - but this is first time I heard of them having actual keyboard.Keep in mind, one thing these keyboards are not just for desktops, I use a DasKeyboard on my Lenovo Y50 notebook and love it. Most of time it connected to keyboard and have it connected to Samsung 4K monitor - I do use it as laptop but for this laptop that is rare.
I wish I had more of these keyboards - they are perfect for me. There also portable enough if I need to travel with it. I guess that is why they are call some laptops, desktop replacements
Wolfpup - Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - link
Yeah, I use keyboards with Cherry MX Browns on my notebooks.MamiyaOtaru - Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - link
"but this is first time I heard of them having actual keyboard."come on man
"This keyboard is an especially interesting item to review because rather than being a wholly new design, it's a new iteration on a classic design, following in the footsteps of the original iconic Cherry G80-3000 series keyboards that have been in circulation for decades."
the one they mention has been around since 1988 - https://deskthority.net/wiki/Cherry_G80-3000
Ninhalem - Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - link
Err no. I bought this DasKeyboard in 2005. Certainly the switches are Cherry MX Blue's but the design of the keyboard setup itself, where the control board is placed, where the cord exits the casing, and how the control board and the switch PCB board are connected, those are all design decisions.MamiyaOtaru - Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - link
and the older Cherry board this is based on came out in 1988 so...Alexvrb - Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - link
LOL this reminds me a little of arguing with an Apple fan about a "new" feature.Flunk - Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - link
1988 came before 2005? You don't say.bigboxes - Thursday, September 21, 2017 - link
You may as well stop while your behindGothmoth - Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - link
make on with illuminated keys (just white no RGB nonsense) and remove the in your face cherry logo.. and i would never ask for another keyboard again.kaidenshi - Friday, September 22, 2017 - link
Red would be easier on the eyes at night than white. I have a cheap Velocifire mechanical board and its blue-white is almost too much for night typing, which is exactly when it is lit up.SilthDraeth - Friday, September 22, 2017 - link
Exactly. I have an rgb keyboard on my clevo/sager but I keep it on red, for night vision, and I have a Reddragon mechanical keyboard. Not silent but red led, doesn't hurt eyes at night. Also thevreddragon was $31. And I've had it for a few years. Not to go off topic from the color red. But its a great economical keyboard. Redragon K552 KUMARA LED Backlit Mechanical Gaming Keyboard (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016MAK38U/ref=cm_sw_r_c...Silma - Wednesday, September 27, 2017 - link
I'd prefer white, especially if the intensity is configurable, which is what I have on my laptop.I have a red lit mechanical keyboard, which is ok though.
Zingam - Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - link
How did I update my classic Cherry keyboard? I cut the PS2 cord then disassembled a PS2 to USB adapter. Opened the Keyboard put it in! Voila - a brand new updated Cherry classic keyboard! Now I can use it for another 20 years!HStewart - Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - link
Interesting, It probably can be done on original IBM PC - but I would hate to alter such a collectors items. But then it just sits.JackNSally - Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - link
Or use a ps2<->usb adapter?SteelRing - Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - link
no nubs on J and F, according to a reviewer on amaz0n. that's a deal breaker for a blind typist like me.Inteli - Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - link
If you look at the pictures, the F and J keys are "deep dish" keys. No nubs, but they have a deeper cut profile, so your fingers sit deeper in those keys than the others.SteelRing - Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - link
hmm they do look slightly different, i wonder how that feels and whether that would be identifiable easier by blind fingers than the raised nubs.... interesting.blackworx - Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - link
Also replacement key caps are available for Cherry switches, both individually and as complete sets. I'd be surprised if there was nothing suitable with nubs.Inteli - Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - link
Since Cherry uses ANSI-standard layouts, the hardest key to get might be the stepped caps lock. Full sets with a normal caps lock key are common and inexpensive, and typically have nubs on the home keys.DanNeely - Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - link
"I should, however, stress that you should not expect miracles here - the Cherry MX Black Silent switch is much quieter than its regular variant but that alone cannot make any keyboard entirely silent. The Cherry G80-3494 MX Board Silent is much quieter than typical mechanical keyboards but it will still be audible."How does it compare with normal Cherry switches with orings installed? I have a keyboard with Red switches and installing o-rings reduced its noise to something tolerable; but still not as quiet as I'd have preferred.
Findecanor - Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - link
The Cherry MX Silent switches silence the upstroke a bit also.There are also keyboards from other manufacturers with these Silent Red or Silent Black and with a more solidly built case.
Robotire - Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - link
I’d love to try a "silent" mechanical keyboard, but this is just yet another non-ergonomic keyboard with keys that are not placed accordingly to the fingers’ position. I don’t understand why keyboard makers keep releasing a couple new models a week of the same old broken keyboard layout…ayabe - Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - link
Because those types of keyboards are and will always be niche products. They've been out in various flavors for 20 years, everyone who wanted to try one already has yet sales are...terrible.It's about the money.
dave_the_nerd - Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - link
Yup. Money makes the world go 'round.Same reason you can barely find a good ergonomic trackball.
Diji1 - Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - link
I realise they're following a classic design but damn, so much bezel if that's the correct word (it probably isn't).Inteli - Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - link
I mean, if you REALLY want to try a silent switch, you could build an Ergodox, or buy an MX ergonomic keyboard, disassemble every switch and swap out the internals for the silent switch internals.bigboxes - Thursday, September 21, 2017 - link
Ergonomic keyboards suck. I suppose it varies on the individual. I like to be productive so I prefer a standard keyboard. Now, everything else is ergonomic. The keyboard tray, the chair (and it's arms), the monitor (on a arm).imaheadcase - Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - link
I don't understand why keyboards don't put dedicated media controls on them anymore. The problem with keyboards now is that they try to condense them down. Being able to mute/turn volume up and down, skip tracks, etc is fantastic when doing other things in full screen apps.The way they put them on keyboards now is very cheap way about it, not only that but because of it you have to disable some keys to make them work, and windows won't recognize the media keys to even use them! For example i like my CMstorm keyboard, but its media keys won't work with web based apps like google play music. Or it won't detect some windows borderless games.
However my old Logitech keyboard has no problem doing it. I mean come on, it can't cost much to put real media keys on keyboard, literally plenty of space to do so most mechanical keyboards have a huge height to them. You can put them on top/back and be easier to muscle memory remember location on top/back of them.
Biggest pet peeve of mine with keyboards. :P
imaheadcase - Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - link
To clarify what i mean, if you are playing a game on my CMstorm for example, the F5-F11 keys are the media keys, but to use them you have to disable function button, then press them to use them. Being a gaming keyboard, people use those keys for other things in games. So its cumbersome to have to reach for two keytrokes back and forth to keep enabling/disabling them for each time you want to skip track, pause, etc.Given how many people play games with music you get how its annoying.
blackworx - Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - link
Personally I'm glad the trend for media keys and replacing F keys' default function with media controls is on the wane. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one. Gaming and media are both still vastly well catered for anyway. There's more choice than ever before, it's just that the rest of us are now less often forced to deal with keyboards that are half broken by default.jimbo2779 - Thursday, September 21, 2017 - link
I wouldn't really say that having dedicated media controls is a gamer keyboard thing, it is a convenience thing. Having the keys for things like media controls or calculator is just convenient.If you don't like these keys you don't need to use them but if they aren't there then the keyboard is missing something.
imaheadcase - Thursday, September 21, 2017 - link
Exactly, its silly spending as much for a one of these keyboards that is actually a regression in tech vs only membrane keyboards.Findecanor - Thursday, September 21, 2017 - link
Manufacturers have not settled on one consistent mapping on F-keys. They each have their own or sometimes a different mapping per keyboard model even.Personally, I use programs that put Skip<, Skip> and Play/Pause on PrtSrc, Scroll Lock and Pause. Those keys are on all keyboards and pretty much useless anyway.
ayabe - Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - link
Good for what it is I guess, I think once you've laid your hands on a Topre switch keyboard, anything Cherry just feels terrible and chintzy by comparison.achinhorn - Thursday, October 5, 2017 - link
First time on a Cherry I dropped almost $200 for a das keyboard only to realize it was basically unusable. I mean really. It maybe that DAS keyboards are garbage but everything felt loose, and the sound, feel, and smoothness of the switches & my Topre were instantly missed. I often lug my Topre to and from the office and bench the Das it's that bad. I don't think I'll ever buy another switch.ithehappy - Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - link
I'm all in for simple keyboards always, but without any backlight it's impossible for someone like me to consider :(grant3 - Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - link
[X] Many pages of non-silence related critique[X] Detailed discussion of interior design of 'silent' keyboard
[ ] Noise output measured on 'silent' keyboard
... -.- ...
bigboxes - Thursday, September 21, 2017 - link
I love my G80-3000 keyboard. So much so that I have two. They have MX Blue switches and the noise doesn't bother me. That being said, I would to test drive one in person. I'm a minimalist. That is I love not having all the extra crap on my keyboard. Simple and reliable.Lord of the Bored - Thursday, September 21, 2017 - link
" What frustrated us is the extensive dead space inside the keyboard’s plastic body, which, in an example of just how far technology has progressed in the last couple of decades, is enough space to fit an entire modern low-power PC. "Can anyone say "next project"?
preamp - Friday, November 17, 2017 - link
Been there, done that. http://preamp.org/mods/raspcherry-pi#englisherple2 - Thursday, September 21, 2017 - link
When did the first Cherry mechanical keyboard cone out? Was it before the original buckling spring patent was filed on Aug 30, 1977? The Model F keyboard was made from 1981 through 1984 (?), so I'm not sure who invented what in the mechanics keyboard world.Findecanor - Thursday, September 21, 2017 - link
Cherry made other mechanical key switches before 1977, yes.Cherry MX is from 1983 and is the successor to Cherry M9.
FunBunny2 - Thursday, September 21, 2017 - link
-- Was it before the original buckling spring patent was filed on Aug 30, 1977?if you check the Wiki, you'll see that the IBM keyboard is not a mechanical switch keyboard, but a membrane keyboard with a novel actuation. nothing in common with Cherry or any other mechanical switch.
Findecanor - Saturday, September 23, 2017 - link
The 1977 patent covers the switch design in the Model F, which has a buckling spring switch that uses capacitative sensing of a pivoting plate on a circuit board. The Model M has membranes.What constitutes "mechanical" can be, and has been, debated endlessly. I would say that "catastrophic buckling" combined with the pivot of the foot is a basic mechanism.
Beaver M. - Saturday, September 23, 2017 - link
Would be interesting, if it had illumination. Cherry has always had quite an aversion against illuminated keys, except on their relatively new "gaming" models.Sad!
Zim - Tuesday, September 26, 2017 - link
Problem: this looks like a $30 keyboard. Solution: add stupid looking back-lighting. Result: something that looks a $20 keyboard.Beaver M. - Thursday, September 28, 2017 - link
You seriously think back lighting is just for show?Ohhhhkaaaay.
Robbin3789 - Tuesday, October 10, 2017 - link
I’m very curious about these new silent switche, and want to try a silent mechanical keyboard. The "silent" version of the MX keys can make a different late at night. But the price is ….https://promopure.com/Electronics-Shop/l/P0OHDFJJD...