This seems to be a godsend for fans of both mechanical keyboards and Thinkpad’s nipple: Shinobi | TEX Electronics
Different switches to choose from, optional bluetooth module and also available with ISO layout.
IIRC, it is even sold under official Thinkpad branding in some markets.
I am an OLD (ish) gamer and have used a great arrayof mech/non mech kb’s over the years.
I am massively surprised at the quality of this - EG Carbon
I picked it up a bit cheaper than this £27, and for a mech/rgb kb it is a bargain - hasn’t missed a beat in over a year now with regular use/hammering lol. frame is aluminium.
Best bit is the software is built in, so no extra rubbish running in the tray - sure you can’t make your own patterns, but there are plenty to choose from and they are all adjustable in speed etc.
I think that’s a different one. The Shinobi was just released AFAIK and the Lenovo model is several years old (using membrane / scissors keys like normal ThinkPad keyboard). Just search for “ThinkPad Compact Keyboard”.
PS: The Shinobi seems to be awesome, but too expensive. Even as a professional software developer I can’t write enough to justify it in addition to all my other mechanical keyboards. Also I love my trackballs and don’t need a trackpoint in a desktop keyboard.
I was thinking of Tex Yoda (standard 60% layout), but can’t find anything linking it to Lenovo. I could swear it was released on some official event a few years ago. 
Great topic! I am definitely looking for a new one! Any recommendations are coveted!
How much are you willing to spend?
I had a cherry with click from about 1993-2004, too bad It got someday replaced with a USB one instead converting it
I am sure it would have lasted longer than the 2 USB I had to trash so far
I’ve been happy with them (other than wishing they were still MORE tactile, but that’s the same with almost every switch) however I haven’t used some of the new boutique switches.
The complaints I’ve heard is that they aren’t the best with stem wobble and that some “scratchiness” is noticeable, maybe due to the reduced sound. More sound than feel from what I can understand.
To someone that isn’t completely obsessive like the Mech KB community they are quiet, just heavy enough (70g on mine IIRC) and have the softer bottom out I love about silent switches.
I bought a cheap (~€50) Royal Kludge RK61 to use until I built my Iris.
Iris rev. 2 with Zilent 67g v2 switches (lubed with Krytox 105) and Big Bang MDA keycaps, no LEDs.
I chose the silent switches for office use. For a future, home-use build I’ll go for really clicky switches with a lower actuation force.
Total part cost plus shipping was roughly €170.
It runs the open source QMK firmware
(the picture isn’t of mine, but it looks the same)
Wrist rests aren’t pictured.
For a deep dive into keyboards, including a deep dive into mechanical keyboards, look at “”Xah keyboard Blog”“:Xah Keyboard Guide (and ignore the grammar).
Thanks, that sounds great. I’m no switch snob by any means and it seems like we have similar preferences. Though I would probably go for the 80g variant. And those as you say boutique switches are too expensive, at least a buck a piece.
Currently I’m torn between Helix without bottom row, so 40, and column staggered such as your Iris, but in 40 so Corne (crkbd) is the most likely candidate. How do you like the layout in terms of ergonomics? The main reason I want an ortho split 40% is the idea of moving my fingers outside their home column as little as possible (as anyone else using similar keyboard, I guess). I have ran into that blog before, that guy Xah has bunch of boards originating from in one place.
Forgot to mention that apparently with both them and Zealios the heavier versions are supposed to feel even more tactile so if that’s the feel you want 80g would be a fantastic choice! :+1:
Unlike Qwerty, my fingers rest on the home row (in the center of each key) without any contortion. I’m still getting used to the left side (decades of Qwerty has you hitting the left bottom row with the wrong fingers) and the thumb cluster. Not having a full sized keyboard requires using layers, which will take some time to develop muscle memory for. I’m still deciding how to effectively get at all keys I need, I’m currently on three layers. I look at this as a multi-year project.
I would imagine that anything smaller than the Iris would require quite some layer-acrobatics - but you’re gonna look damn cool once you’ve got it down.
I’m well aware it’s all about efficient qmk layout map, apart from retraining muscles. And I won’t lie, I’m in it partialy for the cool factor. I enjoy people’s confused faces and questions when they realise my laptop has no desktop icons or start menu (i3wm user, tiling windows is the best invention after the internet), I guess 2 part keyboard with blank keycaps and oled screens looks pretty weird to the most of the people 
And there is this since I’m feeding a steretype.
My Keychron K4 with Gateron brown switches arrived today.
I was a bit apprehensive about the height of the keyboard, especially since I mostly use the very thin Apple Keyboard and Magic Keyboard, but I couldn’t find anything else with a 96% layout and good macOS out-of-the-box support within my price range. After a hours use the height hasn’t been a problem, but I’ll have to see how I go using it for a full day on Monday.
I’d be really interested to hear from any other macOS users with mechanical keyboards, especially anyone who has done a custom build. I know you don’t need a dedicated macOS keyboard, but I do like niceties like keycaps with macOS labels.
I have a feeling that K4 won’t be my last mechanical keyboard - I’m already having thoughts of trying blue switches, finding an old Apple Extended Keyboard with Alps switches and a locking caps lock, and maybe even a custom build with the number pad on the left.
I have a Keychron K6 with Gateron Brown switches.
Being used to Gateron Blue switches and Gateron Red switches I must say the Brown just seem rather unappealing to me so far. I feel better using the stabbing blue ones or the buttery red ones, yeah people praise the “browns” as being the best of both worlds, I cannot agree with that, it’s just a different feeling.
The fonts are ultra thin and ultra small fortunately so I can barely see any letter, without back light I have to say I can barely even see what letter is
what during daylight. Yeah I do not really look at the keyboard when I type, but instead of a quick glance to have all everything in my mind clearly when
typing now a quick glance pretty much does not do anything, rather strains my eyes.
Unfortunately during daylight the back lighting is so dim and combined with very thin letters it basically make no difference for my use, while my old Anne Pro 1 has some punch that they can be used even in daylight without no issues, especially important for the black keys.
Caps-lock takes a full second to cycle from white to red light to signal that it is pressed, which is well really slow, on both of my Anne PRO 1 they are
instant.
They USB-C cable they offer is as stiff as a cable can be, this is basically a joke, just cable you can’t even use.
The thickness of the K6 keyboard is too much for me, the Anne PRO 1 keyboards I have are much better.
The K6 does look to be molded with quality plastics that is for sure, appears as higher quality, which impresses quickly even with it’s rather rubber key tactile feeling, except letters are so thin on dark grey keys with such dim backlighting during the day is a big con for me.
Most of your issues with the K6 probably apply to the K4 as well, although I don’t have the caps lock issue. It’s definitely very tall, and based on the disassembly videos I’ve seen there’s no need for that. The USB cable is also very stiff, and as the port on on the right hand side of the keyboard it’s both a bigger issue and more difficult to find a suitable replacement.
I definitely don’t love the Keychron and I would hesitate to recommend it, but I knew what I was getting into.
Do you use the Anne Pro on macOS? If so, how do you find it?
i had an old server keyboard, each keystroke sounded like old typewriter, it was so old it had old type ps2 ports, and a trackball, i loved that thing, but i left it on a floor one day and my new puppy pissed on it, lol, had to throw away
I have managed to resurrect my rather old, but still treasured, IBM KB-9910 more than once after similar accidents involving liquids (although, I confess, not that liquid). Disassembly of the electronics followed by running the shell and keycaps through the dishwasher has fixed it at least twice so far in more than ten years’ continuous use.
I’ve yet to find a USB or bluetooth keyboard I really like by comparison.
I’ve still got the keyboard from my second or third computer —- an IBM AT, used with a USB adapter gadget.
It has the CTRL key left of the A key where God and WordStar intended it to be found.
I also use Kinesis Ergo keyboards to alleviate my carpal tunnel. They’re OK, but not clicky enough.