As a campus white-collar worker (a free labor force for my advisor) who deals with computers all day long, the keyboard and mouse can be said to be the two most frequently used tools every day. I recently bought a new mechanical keyboard and mouse, and I am very satisfied with them. I can't help but want to write an article to show off a bit.
Keyboard#
The keyboard I used before was the Leopold FC660M (gray-blue keyboard in the picture) purchased in mid-2019, with Cherry MX Red switches. I have to say that Leopold's keycaps are indeed solidly made, stable, and balance the smooth feeling of the linear switches. In 2021, I desoldered all the Cherry MX Red switches and replaced them with the noble TTC Gold Dust switches. The Gold Dust switches should be the lightest switches available on the market. After the modification, the keyboard feels lighter and faster to use. The fingers only need to exert a small amount of force to press the keys, but the sound is not small. It is also a bit prone to accidental presses because it is a linear switch and lacks the "confirmation feeling" when a key is pressed.
Since I use it in the laboratory, although there is usually only me in the laboratory (I enjoy the treatment of "independent office at the level of college leaders"), when my boss or senior colleagues come to my laboratory for meetings or discussions, I dare not type on my keyboard forcefully and quickly, for fear of disturbing them. So I had the idea of changing to a new silent mechanical keyboard or assembling one.
Then it's time for Taobao and Xianyu to play their roles.
- Kit: NJ 80, 350 RMB. I think I need the F1-F12 keys, although I rarely use them. The rightmost keys include DEL, PAGEUP, PAGEDOWN, and an additional volume control knob. But since my computer has no audio output devices, I haven't used them.
- Switches: TTC Tea Silent V2, 221 RMB for 90 switches, averaging 2.5 RMB per switch. It's still a bit expensive, but compared to the Gold Dust switches, it's relatively cheaper. The Tea Silent switches have a slightly higher actuation force than the Gold Dust switches and have a tactile feel. After having the tactile feel, it seems that the fingers and the brain can coordinate more closely for continuous typing. Knowing the degree to which the previous key is pressed, you can start pressing the next key. The Tea Silent switches are indeed very quiet. My senior brother once thought it was an electrostatic capacitive keyboard. The trade-off is that it is not as smooth as the Gold Dust switches, and the sound of rubbing and popping is not as crisp as the clicking sound of the Gold Dust switches.
- Keycaps: Pink translucent PBT keycaps, 219 RMB. I have been eyeing this gradient keycap for a long time and finally chose this one among many colorful keycaps on Taobao. After receiving it, I found that it had some flaws, such as uneven stroke thickness on some keycaps. But I don't really mind.
- There is also a separate decorative keycap. I pre-ordered it during the Chinese New Year when I was bored at home. It cost 198 RMB and was delivered in mid-April. It is a resin-encased Phoenix King from the Pokémon series. Although I don't know the Phoenix King, in fact, I don't know many Pokémon. At that time, I just wanted to try out the pre-order activity of transparent keycaps. After receiving it, I found it to be exquisite, and the Phoenix King's movements are vivid. Now there are several listings on Xianyu for over 350 RMB. I don't know if they can be sold. I don't want to make a profit from the price difference. Even if I want to, I probably can't. It's good to install it on my own keyboard and occasionally appreciate it.
Mouse#
Actually, the Logitech G304 I used before was already very good. It can better support my palm compared to the smaller mouse I used earlier. But considering that I have been using it intensively for 3 years, it's not excessive to update it, right?
The newly purchased mouse is Logitech's MX Anywhere, which is even smaller than the G304. I originally wanted to buy the MX Master series, but I felt that although it had rich buttons and complete functions, it was a bit bulky and I would never use the side horizontal scroll wheel in my lifetime.
Anywhere, like Master, also uses an electromagnetic scroll wheel design. When the fingers touch the scroll wheel, there is electromagnetic drive to rotate the wheel. Not only can it scroll normally, but it also requires much less force to overcome the resistance of the tactile feel compared to the G304. And as long as you "slide" your finger, the scroll wheel will continue to rotate for about 4-5 seconds, which is especially useful when you want to quickly return to the top or bottom of a page. After getting used to the Anywhere's scroll wheel, using the G304 again always feels a bit uncomfortable.
Although the Anywhere is smaller than the G304, and my hands are relatively large, so it took some time to get used to it at first. Coincidentally, when I was struggling whether to buy the Anywhere or Razer's Pro Click, my labmate Xiao Liu recommended the Anywhere 2 that he had been using for two years. So I made the decision at that time.
In addition, I also bought a pink one of the same model for my pet bird, Gu Gu.
Family Photo#
This is how they all look together:
