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Comment by miloshadzic | Hacker News Reader

I fail to see how this keyboard improves on other mechanical keyboards in any significant way.

It's already sold out but it was the only backlit mechanical keyboard with Cherry MX Clear switches on the market.

Unless you don't mind soldering and/or building a custom keyboard from scratch that's a huge selling point.

If you need a backlit keyboard it means that you (1.) are working in an environment that's way to dimly lit to be healthy and (2.) really need to learn touch typing.

Yes and no. There are a lot of people who are into keyboards and they buy a backlit one because they want to not because they need to.

Source: I'm mechanical keyboard enthusiast :)

This. My day to day keyboard is a DAS Keyboard (with blank key caps). And I just bought a backlit KBT Pure Pro. Not because I need to look down (I use colemack anyway) but because it looks shiny ;)

"Because that's the only reason I would want one, and obviously anyone who thinks differently from me is wrong."

Someone who comes up with reasons for things but doesn't think they're good is automatically narrow minded?

Do you have better ones?

He missed the obvious (3.) you like backlit keyboards.

You can't argue with the aesthetics of backlit keyboards, though.

Well I don't know about you, but I use my eyes to figure out where to put my fingers before I start typing, even though I can then carry on with my eyes closed ;) - backlit keyboards are great for this. Particularly handy as it starts to become dark, or if you're working in a shaded area.

(Positioning your hands by sight may not be that uncommon among people who learned to type before the F and J markers became commonplace on computers. I was in my late teens before I first encountered them, and I had to have their purpose explained to me.)

Or you (3.) derive utility from the appearance of backlit keyboards.

I actually have yet to meet someone who genuinely prefers Cherry MX Clears. I love ergo-clears which use the lighter springs from any of red, blue, or brown Cherry MX switches.

Just because it's a new solid board outside of the custom market doesn't make it a selling point.

Are you in the Melbourne area by any chance?

I've used a MX Brown at work for 6 months (45g) and it was too soft. Nice feel but just too soft. I use a MX Black at home (60g) which I enjoy, and for the past 4 or so months, I've been using a MX Clear (55g) at work, and it's my favourite typing keyboard to date. The increased activation force (55g) and even higher bottoming-out force(65g) is why I bought it. I love this keyboard and it looks amazing too ;) http://mrinterface.com/sites/default/files/styles/mywatermar...

Me neither. I've been using a Das Keyboard for years now (was surprised that a fan of the Model M didn't mention it) and see nothing here to compel me to give the CODE keyboard a go.

Well I personally like the fact that it's backlit and the media keys are more intelligently placed in my opinion. With that said, I wish you could choose the cherry mx switches. I prefer blue.

So, yeah, definitely not enough to make me replace a mechanical keyboard I already have, but perhaps enough to make me consider getting it over my current one (das) if I didn't already own one.

This is a good point I should have mentioned in the original post. If you're the kind of person who already has a mechanical keyboard and are happy with it then there's probably no reason for you to switch.

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