
Matias RGB Backlit Wired Aluminum Keyboard for Mac - tambourine_man
https://matias.ca/aluminum/mac-rgb/
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jes5199
I recently got fed up with my MacBook’s keyboard and bought a mechanical
keyboard with Cherry MX switches. I cannot believe how _pleasant_ I found it-
I haven’t used a mechanical keyboard in nearly 20 years but it feels like
coming home, almost like I’m a kid again

~~~
wodenokoto
I recently switched to and switched away from mechanical keyboards. They are
absolutely terrible. Super tall keyboards are painfull to use, the mechanical
switches have terrible feedback for when a keypress is registered. Never
again.

They sound good, though.

~~~
zapzupnz
Not all mechanical keyboards are made equal: there are the switches to
consider, the actual build of the keyboard, the design of the keycaps (there
are low profile Cherry MX-compatible keycaps, for instance).

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reneherse
For right-handed typists who don't do a lot with numbers, a 10-key pad just
forces your mouse or trackpad much farther to the right, causing ergonomic
problems. The number pad should really be viewed as more of a specialized
device, not universal. Besides that, it's a pretty cool keyboard.

~~~
robin_reala
They have a version available without the numpad as well it seems:
[https://matias.store/collections/slim-aluminum-
keyboards-1/p...](https://matias.store/collections/slim-aluminum-
keyboards-1/products/fk308lb)

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bounder
I bought one of these a couple of weeks ago to replace my old wired aluminum
Apple keyboard that got bent after traveling a couple of times in my suitcase.
After a couple of hours of typing, when looking at the keyboard, I found that
something was off. [https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D6wuM-
eXkAA_UGK.jpg:large](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D6wuM-eXkAA_UGK.jpg:large)

The Keyboard
Company([https://www.keyboardco.com](https://www.keyboardco.com)), offered
great support and immediately send the missing key with instructions on how to
replace the faulty one.

My overall impression of this keyboard after a few weeks of typing. Coming
from an Apple wired keyboard, it takes a while to get used to the firmness of
the keypress that is needed to get a keystroke out of it. In that respect, I
miss my old wired Apple keyboard. The colors are a nice addition, however,
what did it for me is the built-in USB hub, which makes it so I only need one
USB connection to have a stable keyboard and mice connected to my Mac.

~~~
PascLeRasc
I'm a mechanical keyboard fan, but the wired fullsize Mac keyboard is the best
dome/non-mech board I've ever used. It is really nice to type on and I believe
the keycaps are PBT, they feel great with the brushed aluminum case.

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codetrotter
Someone should make a ortholinear keyboard for MacBook Air. Maybe even make it
mechanical and then add protruding edges to the border of the screen so that
the higher buttons can fit.

I bought my MacBook Air for the long battery time, nice display and acceptable
price, and because macOS is a pretty good operating system and I can live with
not running Linux on my laptop.

I miss my ErgoDox EZ keyboard that I use at home a little bit but I am long
since done dragging an external keyboard with me wherever I go. So a
mechanical ortholinear keyboard for MacBook Air would be really nice.

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Separo
I've recently bought a split mechanical keyboard, the UHK. No backlight but
it's a productivity beast.
[http://ultimatehackingkeyboard.com/](http://ultimatehackingkeyboard.com/)

~~~
starbugs
Mac keyboard user here. I considered this one a while ago, but the fact that
it doesn't have an ESC key and also no function key row still holds me off.

What's your experience with that?

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Separo
So if you are switching keyboards all the time say from the UHK on your
desktop to your laptop keyboard then your muscle memory is going to get a bit
confused and keys aren't as easy to subconsciously hit. The mouse layer on the
UHK is incredible and I find I try to use it all the time on other keyboards
which obviously don't have it. Also function keys and escape haven't been as
big a problem as I thought they would. Your brain just adapts quickly. One
thing is that I do have trouble getting used to split mode because the halves
move around slightly and my muscle memory doesn't know exactly where keys are.
I tend to leave the halves together.

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matt-snider
I have two keyboards from KBParadise from 2016 with the Matias QC switches. I
really like them both, but they've had intermittent (but sometimes very
severe) key chatter issues. It's really too bad because they are great
keyboards and switches.

Anyways I heard it was a fairly common problem around the time I bought them,
but has since been fixed. Anyone have a more recent experience?

~~~
zcam
I build/assemble keyboards using qc switches, I own boards with "old" qc and
some from this year (+ others with mx, kailh) . I can confirm they are _much_
better now. Current switches have way less wobble and are far more reliable
than a year ago, they feel like an entirely new switch. I personally find them
much better than the rest (mx, kailh, etc). I have surprised a few switch
nerds at meetups with these too.

~~~
matt-snider
Thank you! That's good to know. Maybe I'll give them another shot

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IronBacon
Wow, staggered rows and flat keys with probably a couple of millimeters
travel: hard pass for me.

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wmf
It's pretty sad that 2 mm of key travel is now considered generous.

~~~
marcolussetti
Yeah. It's weird because Lenovo's ThinkPads are at 1.8mm and 1.9mm (X1C and
T4XXs respectively) for their integrated keyboards. It's not bad, but I don't
think I'd pay money for an external keyboard that barely tops that personally.

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ta1234567890
Anyone knows of a good ergonomic keyboard? I really liked the Microsoft one,
but the newer versions are really bad quality and break in just a few months.

~~~
jandeboevrie
Check out the Ergodox EZ. Split keyboard with tilt and wrist rest so you can
adjust it any way you like. Including a thumb cluster so you use a powerful
finger for more than just space.

Other split options:
[https://raymii.org/s/articles/Split_keyboards_a_five_year_re...](https://raymii.org/s/articles/Split_keyboards_a_five_year_review_including_the_ErgoDox_EZ_Matias_Ergo_Pro_and_Kinesis_Freestyle_2.html)

~~~
Karunamon
It may be worth mentioning that going to the ergodox layout requires a not
insignificant learning curve. I can type at a fast speed (around 144 WPM
before losing accuracy) on a standard board, but trying to pick up the new
layout was really painful - I eventually ended up selling mine after a month
of trying to adapt.

Part of this is my weird typing style (I occasionally cross fingers over to
the other side of the board to type certain words at certain times - you can't
do this on a split board), and part of this are function keys and enter being
placed right around the spacebar area, in a zone where you normally can just
depress your thumb and not have to think about the positioning too much.

~~~
lewisf
I had the same weird typing style but really wanted to use the split
ortholinear keyboard layout due to some pain I was feeling in my forearm

Adapting to the layout was frustrating. It took me a week of standard use to
not have typos. About a month to lock down the location of modifier keys and
layer layouts.

Was it worth it? In my case, absolutely. The pain in my forearms disappeared.
I also type "properly" on standard staggered keyboards now.

It turns out that in my case, the weird typing style was part of why I was
feeling pain in my forearms in the first place.

~~~
zach43
out of curiosity, how wide apart do you place the two halves of your split
keyboard?

i recently got one, and been wondering if i should place them full shoulder
width apart or not.

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jmull
Boy, I miss my Matias keyboards. I had the clackity type with the big key caps
and mechanical switches. Unfortunately they just didn’t last that long.

This one looks like fun.

I like that it’s stealthy... it looks a lot like a regular Mac keyboard until
you turn the backlight on.

~~~
reaperducer
_Unfortunately they just didn’t last that long._

I bought one about two years ago and it wasn't everything it should have been.

I used it with an iMac, and about 10% of the time it would shut off while the
computer was asleep. So I'd have to wake the computer with the power button,
then get the old Apple keyboard out of the closet so I could enter the login
password, then re-pair the Matias keyboard.

It would occasionally un-pair itself while I was typing. And the letters
started rubbing off within a few months.

I ended up going back to Apple keyboards and have had zero problems.

~~~
improbable22
Anyone else used the wired ones like TFA, or the numerkeyless variant?
Presumably these are simpler to get right than bluetooth (which I presume
you're describing).

