Two months with a Matias Mini Quiet Pro
Posted: 20 Oct 2013, 06:15
Many people write reviews when they first get their boards and the rush of enthusiasm is still with them. I thought it would be useful to give my impressions after taking a while to become accustomed to this one.
I'm still struck by how solid it feels. It is heavier than you would expect, I guess because of a metal plate in there. There is no flex to the case and it sounds pretty solid when knocked.
I don't care for the current trend in glossy hardware cases and expected to dislike the look of the Matias, but it turned out to be a non-issue. The plastic case is truly black and I've found that I don't notice the gloss. Something that does bother me, though, is the seam around the outside edge. Since the board is small, I reposition it often, and every time I feel the sharp edges of that seam. I keep meaning to apply some sandpaper to it.
As for the "quiet" part, it is, sort of. It is well-damped at both the bottom and top of the stroke. I would say that those aspects of the key action are as quiet as with a typical membrane board but not as quiet as a scissor-switch. However, overall it is not nearly as quiet as a scissor-switch board, because the keycaps clatter as loudly as on any other mechanical keyboard I have tried.
The modifier keys are very good, stable, well-damped, and without any sticking. The space bar in particular deserves special mention. I'm sure it is the best space bar I have ever encountered on any keyboard. It is extremely well damped and stable, with a perfect stroke. It does absolutely nothing to draw attention to itself. I have to make an effort to notice it.
I like that the lettering on the keycaps is in the lower left, because I feel the letters less that way. However, I really do not like the feel of the switches. The problem is that the travel is too rough and the tactile bump is too slight. If I press slowly and at just the right angle, I can feel the tactile bump, but never at typing speed. Also, the rough travel means that I feel some resistance at random stages of the travel that have no relation to the activation point. This issue, combined with the light action, causes me to have frequent unintended strikes in the center and missed strikes at the outside. I find my typing on this board is much, much slower than on any other board I have.
The layout of the board is mostly standard, but I have discovered that even a few rearranged keys can really slow me down. I am constantly hitting "page up" when I want "delete" and "fn" when I want "up". I've decided that for any board I get in the future, every key that it does have must be standard in placement and function. Everything else can be in a function layer.
I wanted a small, quiet board with a standard layout. I looked at every 60% and 70% alternative, and I don't think anything currently available would be better. It's not at my main workstation, so while I don't like this board enough that I would get it again, I don't dislike it enough to go to the effort of replacing it. I think I'm waiting for Realforce to make a 60% with 55g Topres, a properly damped space bar, and no bubble keys.
I'm still struck by how solid it feels. It is heavier than you would expect, I guess because of a metal plate in there. There is no flex to the case and it sounds pretty solid when knocked.
I don't care for the current trend in glossy hardware cases and expected to dislike the look of the Matias, but it turned out to be a non-issue. The plastic case is truly black and I've found that I don't notice the gloss. Something that does bother me, though, is the seam around the outside edge. Since the board is small, I reposition it often, and every time I feel the sharp edges of that seam. I keep meaning to apply some sandpaper to it.
As for the "quiet" part, it is, sort of. It is well-damped at both the bottom and top of the stroke. I would say that those aspects of the key action are as quiet as with a typical membrane board but not as quiet as a scissor-switch. However, overall it is not nearly as quiet as a scissor-switch board, because the keycaps clatter as loudly as on any other mechanical keyboard I have tried.
The modifier keys are very good, stable, well-damped, and without any sticking. The space bar in particular deserves special mention. I'm sure it is the best space bar I have ever encountered on any keyboard. It is extremely well damped and stable, with a perfect stroke. It does absolutely nothing to draw attention to itself. I have to make an effort to notice it.
I like that the lettering on the keycaps is in the lower left, because I feel the letters less that way. However, I really do not like the feel of the switches. The problem is that the travel is too rough and the tactile bump is too slight. If I press slowly and at just the right angle, I can feel the tactile bump, but never at typing speed. Also, the rough travel means that I feel some resistance at random stages of the travel that have no relation to the activation point. This issue, combined with the light action, causes me to have frequent unintended strikes in the center and missed strikes at the outside. I find my typing on this board is much, much slower than on any other board I have.
The layout of the board is mostly standard, but I have discovered that even a few rearranged keys can really slow me down. I am constantly hitting "page up" when I want "delete" and "fn" when I want "up". I've decided that for any board I get in the future, every key that it does have must be standard in placement and function. Everything else can be in a function layer.
I wanted a small, quiet board with a standard layout. I looked at every 60% and 70% alternative, and I don't think anything currently available would be better. It's not at my main workstation, so while I don't like this board enough that I would get it again, I don't dislike it enough to go to the effort of replacing it. I think I'm waiting for Realforce to make a 60% with 55g Topres, a properly damped space bar, and no bubble keys.