Confession: I use a laptop all the time. I use my laptops a LOT. If you watch my live stream on Twitch, you may know that I use three laptops to assemble and present that content. It’s a lot of work, and my hands have been in laptop keyboards, and laptop keyboards only for the last 5-6 years. I haven’t used a desktop machine as a daily-driver, or even an external keyboard on a regular basis in that time.
I’ve learned to deal with all of the nonsense with “Fn” keys and the function keys on laptops not immediately accessible. As a programmer who is always using the function keys and the arrow keys, its really annoying to have to use an extra keystroke to access these keys that I use on a regular basis. These are the keyboards that I was using regularly:
![](https://jeffreyfritz.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/20180418_225046519_iOS-1024x768.jpg)
Lenovo Yoga 910
![](https://jeffreyfritz.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/20180418_225037194_iOS-1024x768.jpg)
Macbook Air 13
![](https://jeffreyfritz.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/20180418_225027113_iOS-1024x768.jpg)
SurfaceBook 2 15
… and they’re all flat and I have those stupid Fn keys in order to use the F1-F12 keys, which I use regularly as a developer.
Enter the Vortex Race 3
I stepped up to the plate, and got the Vortex Race 3 with Cherry Blue switches and a USB connection. Yes, link to Amazon attached to the pic:
![](//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B072JD9BCL&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=csharpfritz-20)
![](https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=csharpfritz-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B072JD9BCL)
Ok, Cherry Blue is a nice full click sound and just feels like the right amount of pressure to type. I love the extra colored keys and the size of the keyboard is just perfect for me. I don’t need the numeric keypad and I love the location of the Page Up and Page Down buttons on the right.
Gratuitous Unboxing Pics
I was so happy when the Vortex Race 3 arrived, and took pictures of the entire process.
![](https://jeffreyfritz.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/20180417_162648465_iOS-e1530462126100-1024x768.jpg)
The unopened box
![Sliding open, and peeking out](https://jeffreyfritz.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/20180417_162806117_iOS-1024x768.jpg)
Sliding open, and peeking out
![The standard keyboard in the box](https://jeffreyfritz.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/20180417_162847831_iOS-1024x768.jpg)
The standard keyboard in the box
![More keyboard parts under here](https://jeffreyfritz.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/20180417_162908073_iOS-1024x768.jpg)
More keyboard parts under here
![Spare Colored Keys](https://jeffreyfritz.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/20180417_163013702_iOS-1024x768.jpg)
Spare Colored Keys
![Minor surgery, swapping out keys](https://jeffreyfritz.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/20180417_165111697_iOS-e1530462415480-1024x768.jpg)
Minor surgery, swapping out keys
![The finished look](https://jeffreyfritz.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/20180417_173555447_iOS-1024x768.jpg)
The finished look
Summary
I’ve been using the Race 3 all the time, and absolutely love the feel and the sound as I type. When I’m on the road and typing on the laptop keyboards, it just feels… non-responsive. I feel like I’m typing on a dead fish. I’ve also seen the communities out there that make custom key caps, and considered getting a few cool ones made. I’m thinking of replacing my C key with a C# logo key and the A key with an Azure logo key.
Are you using a mechanical keyboard? What has been your experience? What would you recommend for new folks looking to get something a little less ‘stock’?