Tag: mechanical

Categories
Keyboard

Keyboards: SA Profile Key Caps

As I slowly sink into the rabbit hole of the world of mechanical keyboards, I finally got my hands on my first set of SA Profile Key Caps from Domikeys [AliExpress].

left: kailh switch testers; right: Domikey ABS Doubleshot keycap set

For those that are not familiar with key cap profiles, here’s a quick primer on them. Key caps comes in various shapes and heights, most common of them are OEM and Cherry Profile which are on most of the pre-built mechanical keyboards.

SA profile as you can see is much higher and has a retro feel/look to it. I have been curious about it cause I think it has a type writer look which tickles my fancy.

I bought black and white because I realize that I didn’t have any basic sets like these. Coincidentally, this goes really well with my Black Drop CTRL keyboard that I’m currently using.

It feels distinctively different

I have tried OEM, Cherry, DSA, XDA keycaps before, but SA is a whole different beast altogether. The main difference for me is that the gaps between the keys are much wider than I’m used to and it feels like my fingers will always fall into the crevices when I’m not too careful with the way that I type.

The other difference is its weight. Because it’s so much taller than the other keys, there is obviously much more material to it, which makes it heavier. But because the keys is heavier, it makes typing feel lighter. It also feels sturdier because these are some thiccc bois.

I like it. The keyboard definitely has a nicer thock sound with SA key caps.

What’s next?

I have two GMK key caps set shipping in Oct and Dec. And I am extremely excited for them.

  • GMK Blue Samurai
  • GMK Mito Laser

My main motivation for getting this set is because I didn’t like how cheap the PBT key caps that came with the CTRL keyboard feels. I’ve swapped them out with another cheap set that I have but it only improved the feel ever so slightly.

Have also placed an order for the Keychron K6 (hot-swap version) which should be arriving this week as well. This would be purely for experimenting different switches and possibly be my portable keyboard when I feel like working outside.

Down and down the rabbit hole I go.

Categories
Reviews

Review: Filco Majestouch Ninja TKL

TLDR; this is my favourite mechanical keyboard of all time.

Rating: 4.5 / 5

The love story began roughly 3 years ago. At this point I’ve had experience with 3 different mechanical keyboards (all Cooler Masters) and have a pretty good idea what I am looking for next. It needed to be a no-frills keyboard aimed purely for typing. I did not care for any “gaming” features or RGB, I want it to be built like a tank.

Enter the Filco Majestouch Ninja Tenkeyless (cherry mx brown switches)

filco majestouch ninja tkl

It may not be the “best” or the most premium keyboard out there, but I have not regretted a single moment with it. This keyboard does not have lights, or macros, gaming features, or any multimedia key to speak of. What it has, is quality, starting with a solid construction, followed by tight keycaps that give little to no wobble at all. This keyboard is build like a tank and there is no flex to speak of. However I do listen to a lot of music, and the lack of multimedia keys that can be controlled by the fn key bothers me. The workaround is to use an autohotkey script to bind some keys for multimedia, this is the only reason why this keyboard didn’t get a 5/5 rating from me.

The reason why I like it so much is really the consistency, it feels like no matter what I throw at it, it will always continue to function the same as it did on the first day that I got it. I have tried a few more keyboards since, some of which subjectively felt better for me, but this has always held a special place in my heart.

After using it daily for 2-3 years, it has held up to my vigorous typing. The keys have started to wear out and shine a little, but overall, it is still going strong. However, the inner geek in me decided that it is time to finally give it a new life by switching it out with custom keycaps.

  • color theme works surprisingly well
  • I’ve grown to love the ninja print (aka. side print)

These double shot PBT keycaps feels amazing to the touch and it gives it a more premium feeling compared to normal ABS keycaps. I’ve also modded it by adding a dampening pad below the PCB to dampen the sound of the keys hitting the board. This brings downs the pitch of the keys, making it sound more muted and “solid”. I really like this simple mod as it changes the characteristic of the keyboard. I’ve decided to add the dampener because my Leopold keyboard comes with it, and I’ve been hooked to how it feels ever since.

In summary, this is a high quality mechanical keyboard that does only one thing, but it does it extremely well: type. If your usage consists mainly of typing and not gaming, I would whole heartedly recommend Filco keyboards. Their quality has really withstood the test of time and it is why it is pricier than those gaming RGB keyboards that has many gamer functions.