Keyboard-Fi
May 7, 2014 at 11:12 PM Post #1,516 of 2,073
  Has anyone here ever used a CM Storm Quickfire Stealth? I've been thinking about getting one with red switches for work 

 
I have a Quickfire Rapid that I carry with my laptop, and it's a good little board. Haven't used the Stealth, but CM's build quality is pretty good.
 
May 7, 2014 at 11:26 PM Post #1,517 of 2,073
I'd like a keyboard with a minimal footprint. I haven't seen or at least I'm not aware of any smaller footprint keyboards without taking tenkeyless. I would be open to suggestions however. 
 
May 8, 2014 at 1:09 AM Post #1,519 of 2,073
Working in IT i've had need to buy in replacement keyboards from time to time and i cant help noticing how cheap and flimsy regular keyboards have become these days.  I only need regular office grade items but most of them are so nasty even the users complain about them.  They either have a horridly vague action, squeak and rattle, or they are so light they try to run away and hide under the monitor as your typing.
 
Only solution i have found is to pay the premium for genuine HP keyboards, they seem to be the only OEM still making half decent ones.
 
May 8, 2014 at 2:26 AM Post #1,520 of 2,073
Love me a number pad, days as a cashier has made it not possible to live without one.
 
That being said the cm storm tk looks rather compact and still has a number pad along arrow and page keys which is neat.
 
If you want to go hardcore barely any keyboard check out the poker 2, 60% keyboards always struck me as cool to have but a bit impractical for my needs.
 
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May 8, 2014 at 2:34 AM Post #1,521 of 2,073
I have a TK - tried it for one evening and will be getting rid of it. For some reason they thought it clever to paint the plate a light colour (in the case of mine, white). All it does is make the LED light bounce up around the outside of the caps resulting in pretty awful glare.

Also have a Poker 2 for gaming. I thought it would be perfect, but I still find myself needing the function and arrow keys more than I realized. So that's being replaced with a Ducky TKL.

I agree about a tenkey pad. I use a Leopold FC660 and have a tenkeypad that sits out of the way. I hate using the number row, and this makes for a perfect setup (for me).
 
May 8, 2014 at 2:11 PM Post #1,522 of 2,073
CM Storms are great, haven't owned a quickfire stealth but my quickfire pro has worked great for years. You sure about getting a tenkeyless though?


I'll never get a TK again.
 
May 8, 2014 at 2:16 PM Post #1,523 of 2,073
I've gone for the MS Ergo 4000 for both home and office.
 
On a related note, does anyone use a walking desk, and (to keep this on topic) if so, what type of keyboard do you use/recommend?
 
//TB
 
May 8, 2014 at 9:02 PM Post #1,524 of 2,073
I was thinking using a tkl and having a number pad somewhere to the side would be cool but I'm thinking more of a minimalistic keyboard as that might work better since it is for work and I realized that I do use spread sheets and such a lot so a separate number pad might not be the best idea. Something like the CM QuickFire Stealth TK would have been nice but I don't see it available anywhere. The low end Ducky Zero DK2108 with the red switch is available at my local microcenter and seeing as it would be used mostly for work I don't need anything fancy or extra like progammable keys or backlit keys. A usb port would be nice but not necessary I guess.
 
May 8, 2014 at 10:20 PM Post #1,525 of 2,073
  I was thinking using a tkl and having a number pad somewhere to the side would be cool but I'm thinking more of a minimalistic keyboard as that might work better since it is for work and I realized that I do use spread sheets and such a lot so a separate number pad might not be the best idea. Something like the CM QuickFire Stealth TK would have been nice but I don't see it available anywhere. The low end Ducky Zero DK2108 with the red switch is available at my local microcenter and seeing as it would be used mostly for work I don't need anything fancy or extra like progammable keys or backlit keys. A usb port would be nice but not necessary I guess.

Yeah, you'll probably want a TKL at least for the dedicated arrow pad and editing/function keys, and you can always throw in an external keypad.  For ergonomics, I like to have the mouse in-between the TKL and the keypad for better ergonomics.  I've got a Quickfire Rapid (modified, of course) and it's a well build board and uses Costar stabilizers (recommended) and has the same OEM as Filco (and is essentially the non-stealth version of what you're looking for).  Microcenter should have the QFR or at least be able to get one in stock for you, I got mine on Amazon but I have seen them there.  The MX-Red Stealth is currently on Amazon for $90 but the Rapid can typically be had for a bit less.
 
May 8, 2014 at 11:53 PM Post #1,526 of 2,073
I was thinking using a tkl and having a number pad somewhere to the side would be cool but I'm thinking more of a minimalistic keyboard as that might work better since it is for work and I realized that I do use spread sheets and such a lot so a separate number pad might not be the best idea. Something like the CM QuickFire Stealth TK would have been nice but I don't see it available anywhere. The low end Ducky Zero DK2108 with the red switch is available at my local microcenter and seeing as it would be used mostly for work I don't need anything fancy or extra like progammable keys or backlit keys. A usb port would be nice but not necessary I guess.


I totally recommend you pursue that. I've that kind of setup and find it the best computer arrangement I've ever used. My keyboard keeps the arrow keys (with home etc. just modifiers of the arrow keys) but ditches the others. And the tenkey pad is great for spreadsheets and calculations but isn't in the way when I don't need it.






I've gone for the MS Ergo 4000 for both home and office.

On a related note, does anyone use a walking desk, and (to keep this on topic) if so, what type of keyboard do you use/recommend?

//TB



My wife uses a standing desk with MS Natural keyboard at work and likes it a lot. But as for walking desks; how the hell anyone can type while walking on a treadmill is beyond me. Besides raising the obvious metaphors of sweatshops and grindstones, doesn't it put stupid amounts of pressure and stress on your wrists?
 
May 9, 2014 at 5:19 PM Post #1,528 of 2,073
  I can tell I've been researching keyboard pianos and real pianos for way to long as I thought this thread was about those...haha. 

It would kind of make sense on this site 
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 crazier things have happened!
 
May 9, 2014 at 9:44 PM Post #1,529 of 2,073
I ended up not going for a tkl keyboard like originally planned but rather got the Ducky Zero DK2108 with the red switch. It's a plain looking keyboard with no real bells and whistles compared to the gaming keyboards out there. It's a pretty minimalistic keyboard that looks like an ordinary keyboard you get with a computer purchase but i think this will work out good for work. It comes with a calculator button which will be useful as I'm using that a lot. There's a lot of weight to it as it's a good amount heavier than my K70.
 
Either way for under $100 I can't complain too much. 
 

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