Chronic Key Switching
Switching and staying between Keychron keyboards.
As someone who writes a lot, I pursue a good typing experience.
Good, meaning 'effortless' - like driving a well-engineered car that handles beautifully, allowing you to enjoy the cool breeze on your face during an open-air drive; I don't see the airy sensation as different from effortless typing.
So I like good keyboards. And I've purchased many.
In fact, I've funded keyboard releases on Kickstarter, experimented with the more programmable types (e.g. Vortex Poker keyboards), used less-common designs (e.g. the sleek, black Das keyboards); to the extent that I've a storage full of mechanical/non-mech keyboards (like Logitech's K580s and many others) stemming from use, disuse or the "someday I might need it" mentality.
Yet strangely, I wouldn't call myself a 'keyboard enthusiast' at all.
I don't partake in the pursuit of switches or keycaps or the more esoteric aspects of the 'hobby'; I don't maintain my keyboards at all. All I care for are great defaults.
So over time I've gravitated towards Keychron mechs. I like them; their factory settings require no tinkering; build-wise, they're solid/heavy and feel almost like fixtures when placed on a desk; they've never needed care or maintenance; and they aren't costly to buy or replace.
I've bought 3 Keychrons to date - a K8, K2, and a K12:
The big K8, with blues, used to be my main.
But over time, the smaller K2, with blues, became my main, because of how so compact its layout felt. (I wasn't much into the 75% form factor before; now I really am. Tastes change!)
I've never much used the smallest-sized K12, with browns - I thought it'd be great for portable work, but eventually it became a not-so-used office keyboard.
I do most of my heavy typing on my home machines.
Today I decided to mix things up: by enforcing the use of the K12 at home.
And I'm liking it! The feel of the browns on the K12 are different from the bluesy K2's clackiness; it took a bit of getting used to. But the change in tactile feedback, and the quieter sound profile? I like it.
I was earlier tempted to buy a K2 Pro, for the hotswappiness and the programmable keys. I haven't followed through yet - and I'm glad I didn't. After typing on this K12 for a while, I've decided to hold off on buying a new keyboard for now.
If I don't feel completely satisfied with this K12 setup in the long run, I might still get the K2 Pro later. But for now, I want to give this keyboard a fair chance and see how it performs for more intensive work.
Who knows, this browny K12 might even become my new main keyboard of choice! Just like the K2 has been up until now.