Good low profile keyboards?

Tephnos

Tephnos

Tephnos

Soldato
Joined
20 May 2011
Posts
6,025
Location
Aberdeen, Scotland
Hi all,

Been using a Magic keyboard for a few years because I love really low travel keyboards, I find them more enjoyable to type on full stop compared to the full size mechanicals I used to use. However, the magic 2 I think was almost too low, because the tactile feedback from the keys wasn't as good as the original full size wired keyboards Apple made a decade ago when they first switched to low profile, which is sad. Wish they'd just make more of those.

So I've been looking for a replacement. Tried the MX Keys Mini out over this week and I am already preferring the feedback on this one, but I am finding it has a weird hardware limitation(?) where the SHIFT key seems to register a press too long for my typing speed. SO sometimes I end up starting sentences with doubled capital letters, which is annoying. SHame, because otherwise it ticks all my boxes. @mrk you never noticed this at all on your MK Keys?

I've been looking at other options such as the Nuphy Air75 v2, the Keychron K3 Pro (smallest width keyboard preferred). Does anyone have experience using these long term, particularly wirelessly?

I also see Keychron are preparing to release an R1 which is basically a mechanical apple keyboard. THat one seems very promising.
 
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I had the same problem with my MX Keys Mini, thought it was faulty but the replacement did the same, perhaps I just got unlucky and had 2 faulty ones but either way I ended up returning it. Never had the problem with the MX Keys S (full size).

In the end I settled on a G915 TKL with tactile switches which is low-profile (although not as low profile as the MX Keys) and very nice to type on.
 
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Tephnos said:
SHIFT key seems to register a press too long for my typing speed. SO sometimes I end up starting sentences with doubled capital letters, which is annoying. SHame,
Click to expand...
On the MX Keys I sometimes see this too, not often enough to be annoying but if I type fast and without correct finger placement (index on F and J placement) then with how fast I type some words, the 2nd letter of a starting word might be capitalised too. This I don't think is a problem with the keyboard but just how long I/we depress the shift key. I use my pinky finger to press shift btw and when this does happen I do notice I've held shift a little longer than I should have which means the 2nd letter is often under shift depress as I lift off.

I have not yet found another KB low profile enough that has the same tactile and quiet feedback of the MX Keys though so unlikely to ever change from this.

I've also found due to my typing speed that some other words might swap around letters, ei instead of ie, for example.

But, if I type without looking at the keyboard then most of the time none of these issues are seen. So touch typing seems to be the fix for me. I am not 100% with touch typing yet though, but the more I practice, the better it is getting.
 
PaulM said:
I had the same problem with my MX Keys Mini, thought it was faulty but the replacement did the same, perhaps I just got unlucky and had 2 faulty ones but either way I ended up returning it. Never had the problem with the MX Keys S (full size).

In the end I settled on a G915 TKL with tactile switches which is low-profile (although not as low profile as the MX Keys) and very nice to type on.
Click to expand...

I've heard of a few people mention it, so it sounds like it is fairly commonplace. If you're a slow typer you probably just never trigger it. Interesting that you say the full size keyboard doesn't have the problem, give what mrk just said:

mrk said:
On the MX Keys I sometimes see this too, not often enough to be annoying but if I type fast and without correct finger placement (index on F and J placement) then with how fast I type some words, the 2nd letter of a starting word might be capitalised too. This I don't think is a problem with the keyboard but just how long I/we depress the shift key. I use my pinky finger to press shift btw and when this does happen I do notice I've held shift a little longer than I should have which means the 2nd letter is often under shift depress as I lift off.

I have not yet found another KB low profile enough that has the same tactile and quiet feedback of the MX Keys though so unlikely to ever change from this.

I've also found due to my typing speed that some other words might swap around letters, ei instead of ie, for example.

But, if I type without looking at the keyboard then most of the time none of these issues are seen. So touch typing seems to be the fix for me. I am not 100% with touch typing yet though, but the more I practice, the better it is getting.
Click to expand...

I'm a very fast typer, often reaching over 100wpm when I get in the zone, so that is probably why I'm encountering it more than I'd like. I'd definitely consider it a problem with this keyboard - it never happened to my Apple keyboard, it never happened to my previous Logi one before that (K780), nor any ones I can think of before that too.

Very disappointing, I must admit. I guess I'll just have to suck it up and use it until I can try something out like that Keychron R1, as it looks near perfect.

I don't like full sized keyboards since the numpad just gets in the way of my mouse movements. I'm not all that tall so wingspan is limited!
 
Tephnos said:
I don't like full sized keyboards since the numpad just gets in the way of my mouse movements. I'm not all that tall so wingspan is limited!
Click to expand...

I changed from a MX keys to an MX keys mini for the same reason. I don't miss the numpad, mostly because whenever I wanted to enter numbers the numlock was off.

I don't type quick enough to notice the double shift :o
 
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