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Re:Industrial design files for Keychron keyboards and mice by pluskid on Friday April 10, 2026 @05:33PM (#47723917)
Yeah, this is a US issue. If you go to Tokyo or Taipei, you will find physical stores in cities with many different kind of mechanical keyboards.
Re:Industrial design files for Keychron keyboards and mice by intrasight on Friday April 10, 2026 @07:01PM (#47724877)
I would love to visit a Tokyo store with mechanical keyboards!

My solution is to buy a mech keyboard from some well respected vendor and try it out. I return the vast majority.

Re:Industrial design files for Keychron keyboards and mice by gregsadetsky on Friday April 10, 2026 @07:18PM (#47725055)
ok wow - https://maps.app.goo.gl/6mxrDe8H9e4u1ru38 (in Tokyo)

yeah, that's what'd I want!

Re:Industrial design files for Keychron keyboards and mice by canpan on Friday April 10, 2026 @07:34PM (#47725231)
The Keyboard Speciality shop you linked is great. It is always surprisingly crowded for such a niche topic. The have good test boards with different key switches.

Note that in the area are quite a few other good shops. Tsukumo has various hardware across many floors and also keyboards, in b1 they also have a razer store. Then there is a shop across the street Galleria or something, more targeting esports, if you are into that.

Re:Industrial design files for Keychron keyboards and mice by Teknoman117 on Friday April 10, 2026 @08:36PM (#47725805)
I went there last time I was sent on a business trip to Japan! It’s a fun little shop. Wasn’t so crowded at the end of October :)
Re:Industrial design files for Keychron keyboards and mice by RestartKernel on Saturday April 11, 2026 @12:15AM (#47727340)
I've been there, but it definitely felt like more of an enthusiast experience. Someone who's just looking into getting their first mechanical keyboard would do better at a larger shop stocked with cheaper keyboards and a greater variety of common switch types.

That being said, the shop is located in a surprisingly quiet area, surrounded by other small enthusiast shops. I especially liked "High Beam" a few stores down, which specialises in handheld PCs.

Re:Industrial design files for Keychron keyboards and mice by Charon77 on Saturday April 11, 2026 @09:11AM (#47730267)
They have a switch tester board where you can press individual keys and you can see which switch you just pressed on the screen
Re:Industrial design files for Keychron keyboards and mice by oezi on Saturday April 11, 2026 @12:29AM (#47727408)
Re:Industrial design files for Keychron keyboards and mice by LAC-Tech on Friday April 10, 2026 @08:02PM (#47725541)
Where in Taipei? I have been there a few times, so you can be specific.
Re:Industrial design files for Keychron keyboards and mice by pluskid on Saturday April 11, 2026 @12:48AM (#47727499)
I'm not sure if there are better shops, but I've been to Syntrend Creative Park and they have a floor with all kinds of gadgets, including various keyboards. There are mechanical keyboards to try out (IIRC there are for example ducky keyboards), and they are also selling some good keycap sets.
Re:Industrial design files for Keychron keyboards and mice by harrall on Friday April 10, 2026 @11:25PM (#47727033)
Not a US issue. A store near me has mechanical keyboards.

Definitely a some-areas-issue.

Re:Industrial design files for Keychron keyboards and mice by ricktdotorg on Friday April 10, 2026 @11:51PM (#47727182)
i would love to know more about this.

i live in the largest city on the west coast of the USA and the only stores i've found where i can press keyboards is Office Depot and the like, and at least in the stores that i have visited, they have not had mechanicals.

even when Frys was around, i don't remember them having keyboards out and about.

Re:Industrial design files for Keychron keyboards and mice by majormajor on Saturday April 11, 2026 @12:15AM (#47727341)
Microcenter is probably the most consistent place. Not a huge selection, but some of the maintstream ones, to get a feel for switches on Keychron and some of the other big brands. Depending on where exactly you are, it's likely +/- 30min of an hour drive, which is only sorta "far" in US terms.

Frys predated the "mainstream" mechanical keyboard boom. If they were still around I'm sure they'd have even more (they were always larger stores).

Re:Industrial design files for Keychron keyboards and mice by harrall on Saturday April 11, 2026 @12:39AM (#47727460)
Old Fry’s had a lot of keyboards.

The Fry’s that shut down was a shell of its former shelf.

If you’re in LA, Microcenter has mechanical keyboards.

They also have a whole rotating robotic wall of 3D filament that works like a physical jukebox.

Re:Industrial design files for Keychron keyboards and mice by ricktdotorg on Sunday April 12, 2026 @01:30PM (#47742242)
wow, i had no idea at all there was a Microcenter in Socal! not too far, i'll be visiting, thank you. i went to a Microcenter in Dallas decades ago and was blown away.
Re:Industrial design files for Keychron keyboards and mice by Roark66 on Saturday April 11, 2026 @05:37AM (#47729067)
Definitely not a US only issue

Central EU here. We order a bunch of switches. A "starter pack" of sorts. We try them and then choose the favourite.

Physical shops rarely stock keyboards with removable switches.

Re:Industrial design files for Keychron keyboards and mice by Mashimo on Saturday April 11, 2026 @06:19AM (#47729261)
Nah, in the bigger electronics stores you can test the more well known keyboards and switches just fine.
Re:Industrial design files for Keychron keyboards and mice by davkan on Saturday April 11, 2026 @05:48AM (#47729114)
Yup was touring some historical stuff in Tokyo and thought I’d look for an HHKB, checked their site and sure enough there was retailer a 10 minute walk away. Tiny shop in a more residential area a block or two off the main street.
Re:Industrial design files for Keychron keyboards and mice by bArray on Tuesday April 14, 2026 @08:27AM (#47764727)
I almost purchased a mechanical keyboard (with the wrong layout) from a Bic Camera [1] just because they offered in-store access to the keyboards.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bic_Camera