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Comment by moonboots | Hacker News Reader

I like the minimal ideals of the happy hacking keyboard but I think it went a little overboard. I like having an arrow cluster and page up/down for applications that don't support emacs/vi bindings. I do like how the number pad is removed. It's too infrequently used and increases the distance between keyboard and mouse.

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> I do like how the number pad is removed. It's too infrequently used and increases the distance between keyboard and mouse.

Take a look at tenkeyless keyboards, then. They don't have the numpad, but keep everything else the same as a full-size (104 key) keyboard. For example, the Realforce 87U is a tenkeyless keyboard with Topre keyswitches (same as the HHKB): http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=topre_keyboards,r...

Or if you want Cherry (rather than Topre) switches, the Filco Majestouch 2 Tenkeyless is a good option: http://www.diatec.co.jp/en/det.php?prod_c=765

Or if you want to save a bit more space by pushing the keys at the far right and on the top row up against the main section of the keyboard, there's the Noppoo Choc Mini: http://www.amazon.com/Noppoo-Mechanical-Gaming-Keyboard-Swit...

Also Leopold 66 key keyboards are almost as austere as HHKB, but they have an arrow cluster with similar placement to laptops. I have the 66key touch mini, it isn't bad but I like the HHKB a little better and it's hard to go back and forth.

http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=leopold,compact

Ah, thanks for the pointer... I haven't yet come across any really worthy competitors to the HHKB until now (lots of stuff in the "small keyboard" and "nice feel" categories, but they always seem to screw something up...).

The Leopold looks like a worthy alternative to the HHKB, with a very similar vibe, especially as they allow you to swap Ctrl / CapsLock via a dip-switch (I wonder if they sell alternate keycaps with the labels swapped too). It seems to occupy a nice price middle-ground between the HHKB Lite (2) and the HHKB Pro, and has nicer switches than the HHKB Lite (to tell the truth, I don't mind the HHKB Lite's feel, but it's a little on the cheap-n-cheerful end)...

[The only significant difference in layout seems to be the "\" key.]

Yeah, the \ is swapped with the backspace key, which unfortunately I use a lot. The 66key has it in the normal place, but HHKB moved it south. HHKB has the ~ on the right top which is different as well.

> I wonder if they sell alternate keycaps with the labels swapped too

I was looking into this a few days and it doesn't look like Leopold doesn't sell extra single keycaps or sets. You can browse their site (Korean) to confirm http://leopold.co.kr/

I have to say the Topre tenkeyless is amazing. I was just killing time in a shop before traveling and fell in love with it. Two of my colleagues who i was pairing a lot with ended up buying the same keyboards. The only thing that took me some time to adjust to, was the missing enter key on the numpad. I would hit right arrow and then wait for a second before realizing. But it's very much worth it for the smaller travel to mouse.

The CM Storm Quickfire Rapid is also a good option (and personally my favorite, considering the price and build quality) with choice of blue, red, brown, and black cherry switches. http://www.amazon.com/Storm-QuickFire-Rapid-Tenkeyless-Mecha...

I've read that they're rebranded Filco keyboards. The worst thing about the CM Storm is the key cap font, which is just really ugly. And because they're printed on, my wasd keys are fading after 2 years of use.

> I've read that they're rebranded Filco keyboards.

This is definitely not true. Filco build quality is unmatched in terms of Cherry switch keyboards, although Ducky is getting close these days. The CM Storm keyboards are of noticeably poorer build quality, although you do save some money in return.

Personally, I would get the Filco, since a keyboard isn't something you have to regularly replace. It's worth spending the money on the best keyboard you can get. Same goes for your desk, chair, headphones, and laptop bag. People were shocked at first when I dropped a lot of money on these things, but I'm still using them 5+ years later, where many others have had to buy new ones (especially bags and headphones).

While they are not rebranded Filco keyboards they are definitely at or just below the same level of quality as a Filco. They are made by the same OEM, use the same (crappy) material for their keycaps, and are comparable in overall durability. Filco keyboards were semi-infamous for chattering (repeating keys randomly) when they were still sold by Elite Keyboards and there weren't as many other options for mechanical keyboards in the US.

The noppoo is quite low quality compared to most topre boards, and also it's worth noting the keys are smaller than a "normal" keyboard, which gets annoying quickly (I own both a hhkbp2, noppoo choc and a few other mechanical kbs).

I'm probably the only person who can't "touch-calculate" on the number pad to save their life, but still loves the thing for its big honkin' enter key. When I'm using a GUI application and a dialog box pops up, I can smash that sucker with the left side of my hand to close it way faster than I can click on the "OK" button or move my right hand to the traditional enter key. Tapping enter with my thumb on a laptop keyboard just isn't the same.

It's too infrequently used and increases the distance between keyboard and mouse.

That's why I just switched to using the mouse with my left hand, even though I am right handed.

It took me quite a while to get used to using the function key to access the arrows, and I'm still not entirely happy with that. If you get the Lite version that does have arrow keys, but the Lite is inferior to the Pro in every other way.

There are some new "66 key" keyboards [1] with a similar form factor and price as the happy hacking lite except with mechanical switches.

[1] http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=leopold,compact&p...

I couldn't live without Home and End. They're two of my most frequently used keys. Do you know of any other similar keyboards with the home/end/pg cluster intact?

Realforce 87u.

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