Pok3r (Poker 3) -- Brief Impressions
Posted: 27 Aug 2015, 22:47
Decided to give the Poker another try in its latest incarnation, the Pok3r (Poker 3 or Poker III). I ordered it through Massdrop, and it arrived yesterday. This is not a full review -- just some brief impressions.
Source and Packaging. The package from Massdrop arrived with the paper tape detached from the cardboard box so that the box was open. Fortunately, nothing was missing and despite the fact that the front edge of the inner Pok3r box was crushed, the keyboard was apparently not damaged.
Programming. The Pok3r has enhanced programming options compared to its predecessor, the Poker II. However, I have not tried out these options yet. I like to remap keyboards to a HHKB layout, and this was far easier for me to accomplish using ATNsoft Key Manager software than using the programming functions of the Pok3r.
Aluminum Case. Another difference between the Pok3r and the Poker II is that the former comes standard with an aluminum case. The aluminum case was slightly warped, so that the keyboard wobbled when placed on my desk. However, when in actual use, I place my key board and mouse on a large mouse mat, which negates the wobble. Like the Poker II, the case on the Pok3r lacks flip-out feet, so I added two self-adhesive silicone rubber feet to the bottom back edge of the case in order to elevate the board to a comfortable typing angle.
Switches. Cherry mx switches are my least favorite of any of the many types I have tried. I opted for browns as an all-around compromise among Cherry mx. Although browns are sometimes regarded as "dirty reds", I prefer the slight tactile bump of browns to the uninterrupted linearity of reds or blacks. Browns are a bit too light, but I find clears too heavy. Blues are about the right weight, but I dislike the artificial add-on click. Greens have the same annoying click as blues and they are too heavy.
Stabilizers. Like the Poker II, the Pok3r uses Cherry stabilizers. This makes it easy to change keycaps on stabilzed keys. Although I usually find Cherry stabilzers to give a mushy feeling to the stabilized keys, this effect is not as noticeable on the Pok3r as on other on keyboards that I have tried, including the Poker II.
Keycaps. The stock caps are brown PBT with yellow infilled lasered legends and OEM profile. The feel of PBT is good, but I don't like the color or appearance of the legends. I found that the dye-sublimated PBT keycaps from Leopold worked very well on the Pok3r. It seems that the aluminum case attenuates bottoming-out noise as well. Shown below is an image of the keyboard with the Leopold caps (white alphas with blue legends and blank mods).
Note that I have put a Fn key in the lower-right corner of the board, reflecting my remapping of the Right Ctrl to Fn using ATNsoft Key Manager.
Conclusions. Despite my lack of enthusiasm for Cherry mx switches, I find typing on the Pok3r with Cherry mx browns to be acceptable. I think that the typing experience is enhanced by the aluminum case and the Leopold PBT keycaps. Given that the Pok3r has substantially enhanced programming capabilities compared to the Poker II, I need to find the time to see if it will be possible to remap the board to a HHKB layout, including remapping the Right Ctrl as a Fn key -- if anyone knows if this is possible, please let me know.
Source and Packaging. The package from Massdrop arrived with the paper tape detached from the cardboard box so that the box was open. Fortunately, nothing was missing and despite the fact that the front edge of the inner Pok3r box was crushed, the keyboard was apparently not damaged.
Programming. The Pok3r has enhanced programming options compared to its predecessor, the Poker II. However, I have not tried out these options yet. I like to remap keyboards to a HHKB layout, and this was far easier for me to accomplish using ATNsoft Key Manager software than using the programming functions of the Pok3r.
Aluminum Case. Another difference between the Pok3r and the Poker II is that the former comes standard with an aluminum case. The aluminum case was slightly warped, so that the keyboard wobbled when placed on my desk. However, when in actual use, I place my key board and mouse on a large mouse mat, which negates the wobble. Like the Poker II, the case on the Pok3r lacks flip-out feet, so I added two self-adhesive silicone rubber feet to the bottom back edge of the case in order to elevate the board to a comfortable typing angle.
Switches. Cherry mx switches are my least favorite of any of the many types I have tried. I opted for browns as an all-around compromise among Cherry mx. Although browns are sometimes regarded as "dirty reds", I prefer the slight tactile bump of browns to the uninterrupted linearity of reds or blacks. Browns are a bit too light, but I find clears too heavy. Blues are about the right weight, but I dislike the artificial add-on click. Greens have the same annoying click as blues and they are too heavy.
Stabilizers. Like the Poker II, the Pok3r uses Cherry stabilizers. This makes it easy to change keycaps on stabilzed keys. Although I usually find Cherry stabilzers to give a mushy feeling to the stabilized keys, this effect is not as noticeable on the Pok3r as on other on keyboards that I have tried, including the Poker II.
Keycaps. The stock caps are brown PBT with yellow infilled lasered legends and OEM profile. The feel of PBT is good, but I don't like the color or appearance of the legends. I found that the dye-sublimated PBT keycaps from Leopold worked very well on the Pok3r. It seems that the aluminum case attenuates bottoming-out noise as well. Shown below is an image of the keyboard with the Leopold caps (white alphas with blue legends and blank mods).
- Pok3r_1.jpg (200.59 KiB) Viewed 2480 times
Conclusions. Despite my lack of enthusiasm for Cherry mx switches, I find typing on the Pok3r with Cherry mx browns to be acceptable. I think that the typing experience is enhanced by the aluminum case and the Leopold PBT keycaps. Given that the Pok3r has substantially enhanced programming capabilities compared to the Poker II, I need to find the time to see if it will be possible to remap the board to a HHKB layout, including remapping the Right Ctrl as a Fn key -- if anyone knows if this is possible, please let me know.