deskthority

I have been researching 60% keyboards and narrowed the field to the Tex Beetle and the Poker II. Not being able to decide between them, I ordered both of them from MK.com. Today I received my new Tex Beetle and Poker II, each equipped with Cherry blue switches. I have posted my first impressions of each keyboard over on GH:

http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=465 ... #msg984114
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=46571.0

Overall, I prefer the Beetle for its solid build and elegant good looks right out of the box, although I like the Poker II for its adaptability stemming from the standard layout of its primary layer and its complete programmability. The lack of dedicated arrow keys makes the Poker II less usable for me, although the 1x size of the right shift key on the Beetle slows me down considerably.

Typing on either of these mini-boards is not as yet as natural for me as it is on my IBM Model M, IBM SSK, or Leopold FC660M, but the Beetle is such a beautiful piece of engineering, and it looks so great on my desk, I think that with some practice it could become my daily driver. To that end, I am typing on the Beetle now, and I have temporarily replaced the black 1x right shift key with a bright red S key from WASDkeyboards for visual orientation. More's the pity to put gaudy training wheels on such an inherently stylish board, but if it helps me to learn, I should be able to restore it to its original state before long, suitable for operation by adults with rewired kinesthetic memory.

Great reviews. I've never really looked at the Tex, but I do have a Poker II on the way right now. I'm very excited to start using it!

Yesterday, I went to the hardware store and bought some self-adhesive vinyl bumpers (3/4 inch wide x 5/16 inch tall) to serve as feet on my Poker II. It is now elevated to about the same slope as that of my IBM SSK, Leopold FC660M, and Tex Beetle for more comfortable typing.

Straight typing is enjoyable on the Poker II, but I find that I use the arrow keys much more than I had previously realized. Therefore, I am still adjusting to using the Fn layer to move the cursor around. In contrast, on the Beetle, the arrow keys are in the lower right-hand corner of the keyboard where I expect them to be, and I have just about adjusted to the small right-shift key.

shrapneL wrote:Great reviews. I've never really looked at the Tex, but I do have a Poker II on the way right now. I'm very excited to start using it!

Let us know how you like your new Poker II.

I have decided to give the Poker II another chance. I have been using it all day today, and I am warming up to it quite a bit. I am getting accustomed to accessing the arrow keys via Fn+WASD, and the remainder of the Fn layer is highly intuitive as well. Moreover, normal typing is completely straightforward owing to the standard sizes and layout of the keys. In addition, because of the standard key sizes, it is relatively easy to find replacement keycaps, and I am looking forward to customizing my board, although I like the feel of the stock PBT keycaps. Finally, although the stock case is adequate, I look forward to getting an aluminum case. Given the high popularity of the Poker II, I am surprised that there aren't off-the-shelf cases for it. I will be looking for the next group buy for aluminum Poker II cases. I would like to get a high-profile case if possible.