Hi all, I’m looking for a keyboard for travel that will be quiet enough not to bother folks on a train. Ideally I’d like a mechanical keyboard, but I’m curious what experiences folks have with low-profile switches in a quiet environment. My current daily driver (silent switches, a fair bit of foam and lube, etcetc) is what I would consider office-quiet, but you can definitely hear when I get going and I feel like it’d be a little rude on a leisure train trip.
Right now I’m looking at the nuphy and keychron low-profile keyboards, but I’m open to other options. Currently for travel I use a foldable membrane keyboard so just about anything would be an upgrade.
Does anyone have experience with low-profile keyboards? Are there silent options? Thanks in advance for your help!
Edit: realize I should have specified that I prefer 65 and 60-key layouts for portability.
I use a Planck keyboard which weighs just under 300g with Kailh box switches and XDA keycaps. It’s labeled as a 40% keyboard so I was reluctant at first, coming from 65% myself. But since the keys are smaller, especially the space bar, it still has a relatively high number of total keys given the small form factor (there’s even space for arrow keys!) and having your layer switch keys right next to the space bar for your thumbs is very comfy IMO. I ended up liking it so much that I use it daily and now I’m wondering what to do with my main keeb. If you’re up to trying something new, you can have a look at some layouts. The keyboard looks inconveniently small but once you see the layer layouts, you’ll see it makes a lot of sense actually!
I have an ortholinear kit I built but it’s caseless so it’s not suuuper portable. Which Planck do you recommend? I’d be willing to give a 40% a try even if it’s not for this trip. I’m okay with soldering if it’s a kit and/or there’s decent instructions.
I’m a big fan of my OLKB kit. Hotswap, very solid case, and QMK compatible (which is a big deal for 40% boards), but the kit is a little expensive.
I don’t have one personally but the YMDK kit on AliExpress seems like a good option and is cheaper. Just know that it will take a month or two to ship from China if you’re in the US.
Looks nice! I’m working on a Lily58 but once I’m done burning my fingers on that I’ll definitely be looking into this.
I went the easy route and got a Planck EZ because of the plastic case design where the upper part of the case is the plate. It’s super lightweight which was my no. 1 priority. I got mine used but if you plan to buy new, it’ll be discontinued soon, just a heads-up. I’ve seen some Planck-style kits on Aliexpress, some with aluminium, some with plastic cases, but haven’t tried them myself.
I use a Drevo Joyeuse for travel because it’s very low profile and wired/wireless
Drevo is out of business though :(
I’m using keychron k7, which I carry into the office. I’ve bought the keychron low profile optical mint switches, and lubed them. The keeb is very silent, small and the feel is okay. Coworkers don’t even know that I drive a mechanical keyboard.
Edit: if you don’t like the layout, they have the same keyboard with different number of keys. Look into their low profile section.
Thanks for the recommendation! I’ve been putting off a travel keyboard for a while now, this time I’m actually planning ahead so I have plenty of time to mod. I’ll look into the mint switches and see what they’ve got in stock. (Ah, the classic struggle.)
No problem! I’ve also put some neoprene into the case, to mute it even further.
NuPhy Air 60 with Aloe switches should do the trick. NuPhy feels and sounds a lot better than Keychron in general, and Aloe switches are light linears that you’ll barely hear.
I know I’m late to the party, but I’ve just ordered the new lofree flow, a low profile keeb.
