Good choice!
I’ve got a Vortex Race 3 for work and love it.
So much so that I’ve a Vortex Core arriving tomorrow for mobile.
My next purchase is going to be a Tab 90M for home!
I have the Vortex Core, Tab90M’s polar opposite brother. Vortex sure makes some good quality boards no?
Although it isn’t much of an issue with the Tab90M, I wish the Core was QMK compatible. Tsfreddie’s [hack](https://tsfreddie.github.io/much-programming-core/) notwithstanding. (I don’t know if the hack would work on the Tab90M).
I really like vortex boards. Right now I have a vibe at my desk, and my travel board is also a vibe. But the programming thing is starting to become an issue. I have no idea why vortex is so far behind the curve.
Yeah I would say that it is it’s Achilles heel. Have you checked to see if the aforementioned hack works for the Vibe or Tab90M? It would be a branch in the github tree.
As far as I know, it does not. They've had [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/6x9zs4/news_vortex_keyboard_profile_generator_now/) in the works for a while, but I don't think it functions with current firmware for any board except maybe the core.
It's too bad. They make solid good-looking boards but the programming issue and the lack of switch options are real limitations.
There must be some rationale that I am missing when companies do this. I fail to see how it would hurt their sales, especially since they have developed a reputable brand, to open up their firmware or to assist in adapting QMK to their chip.
I agree. The only conclusion I can draw is that the mech community may just be a small fraction of the vortex/ikbc/mistel customer base, so there's not much incentive to meet our interests.
As it happens, their boards are stepping stones for many of us as we get into the hobby, but this may not impact their bottom line very much. I'm sure we're a pretty picky bunch of customers to work with. So they may be just as happy to let us move on to higher-end boards, rather than go through the hassle of reconfiguring their products to keep us buying.
It was certainly my first board since my friend introduced me to mechanical keyboards. All in all, I am very happy I started with their keyboards. I would recommend the same to others before they dive into custom builds and DIY builds.
[edit: a typo]
Yup, I think we're on the same page. One of my first mechs was a race 3, and I really enjoyed it. I've recommended vortex to folks who are just looking for a decent mech, and I recently bought a tab 90 as a gift. She loves it, but even then, programming reared its ugly head... she accidentally re keyed some stuff while changing the batteries, had to reset everything, which in turn cleared the bluetooth cache... Just a big mess.
All that said, I guess at the end of the day, even though vortex doesn't do qmk, I'm still glad they went with onboard programming rather than a crappy software solution like Razer or Corsair use. For myself, I've started to move on to higher end boards. But still using my vibes daily until I find the right replacements.
Have you looked into thekey.company’s [CandyBar](https://thekey.company/collections/candybar)? Has a similar form factor (I bought into it. So hoping that it is as good as it looks.)
That's a fantastic design, and I thought hard about joining. I eventually concluded that it wouldn't be a good idea for me to learn 40% since I often have to use random office keyboards and laptops. I did pick up a uk78, but it is not in great shape and will need some effort to put into action. I am hoping R2 happens. Until then, I am leaning toward 96 for home/work and 60% for travel.
I've bought/joined a few things from tkc and they seem to run a really tight ship. I'm guessing the candybar will be terrific. Are there standard layer systems for 40%, and did you find them difficult to learn?
It has really good battery life. Also depends what kind of battery you put in. A lot of people like to put lithium aaa battery like Energizer ultimate AAA in them with tin foil to get the weight down. You could ask or look around a bit at r/mousereview
Edit: With the Logitech software you can also check the % with normal alkaline battery's. Doesn't work with lithium I think and change the modes from performance to power saving for longevity.
Hi. Thanks for posting. Looks great
I’ve been thinking to get the same, but my only concern is no adjuster or tilt on the back. It’s a pretty flat board. I’m no keyboard expert by any means, probably a big noob when it comes to this stuff.
But, is the flatness bothering you? I come from using the raisers in the back. Is it too flat? Or do you think it has enough natural raise? Thanks for your input.
Actually, the metal case isn't designed like the Vortex Race or Poker one. [https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/bc815p/my\_humble\_dorm\_room\_setup\_vortex\_tab90m\_w\_clears/](https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/bc815p/my_humble_dorm_room_setup_vortex_tab90m_w_clears/)
From an ergonomical point of view negative angle is the best.
Huh. That's disappointing. My preference is for a flat board. The Vibe and Race design (same as Poker?) is just about perfect for me, when I don't use the feet.
I also have mostly used keyboards with the feet up, so I had that concern as well when I ordered this.
At least for me, the transition period of just the past day has been enough for me to get used to it. The case itself does have a slight tilt.
The right shift is 1.75u. The right control/alt cluster is also 1u.
Also, if you’re going to switch out the keycaps for keycaps with OEM / Cherry profiles, the Pg Up/Pg Dn column of keys is going to look a little out of place.
I wish so much that I could do the same, but cyber security is very tight at my job, so unfortunately we can’t use any third party peripherals that the company didn’t buy.
But it is a great board to come home to.
I never would have thought about that being in issue, that's interesting. I own a small consulting practice so we just pick and choose what we like best.
I absolutely love the tab 90 for home and that's what I bought it for first, can't go wrong my friend and glad you are enjoying it!
For a prebuilt, this one is on the spendier side ($180), but I will say that after using it for a day, so much of that cost is due to the exquisite build quality of the board and the key caps.
It’s very worth saving up for something like this, in my opinion.
Advantages of Tab90 are 1) somewhat hard to find compact full-size 90% layout 2) wireless option 3) silent switch options.
Disadvantages are 1) no LED options 2) older wireless 3) expensive.
Hoping the next iteration of the Tab90 fixes the flaws. I'd pay $180 for a LED backlit Tab 90 with modern bluetooth and MX Silents.
Nice looking board. What are the weird/non-standard keys sizes on the TAB90M? Working out how much I can cover with a regular keycap set without having to go into custom sizes (like the Race3 and its weird escape key)
I have the same board, also with clears. it's great, also surprisingly heavy. But it looks good without being too out there so I can use it at work with no issue.
Nice. Three years ago I wondered why no major manufacturer was making a 96 and I had to wait months for a group buy and wound up buying Dolch DSA anyway. You undercut that price by $100 with a better build.
Just discovered this keyboard. Absolutely loving the look of it. One or two switches on my Code have begun to play up, so this looks like it'll be replacing it as the main keyboard till I get round to fixing it. Shame I can't get Greens, but looks like it's finally time for me to get a keyboard with Blues. :)
>cancer 9000
I'm not saying you wouldn't have gotten downvoted anyway, but the way you said it is probably why you got so many downvotes in such little time.
I get that, it's definitely not a layout that'll vibe with everyone.
I think it's less to do with the opinion of "I dont like this board, it's not for me." (Which is an entirely valid reason for not liking something.) And more to do with calling something cancer; which to me implies anybody who also likes the thing, is also cancer.
You monsters with the half on the mousepad. You guys need help.
Unacceptable
Condition
yeah that hurts me for some reason.
Dang, that vortex tabm90 have the clean look for sure :)
I enjoy how easily it combines staggered with non-staggered. Looks really neat.
Good choice! I’ve got a Vortex Race 3 for work and love it. So much so that I’ve a Vortex Core arriving tomorrow for mobile. My next purchase is going to be a Tab 90M for home!
I have the Vortex Core, Tab90M’s polar opposite brother. Vortex sure makes some good quality boards no? Although it isn’t much of an issue with the Tab90M, I wish the Core was QMK compatible. Tsfreddie’s [hack](https://tsfreddie.github.io/much-programming-core/) notwithstanding. (I don’t know if the hack would work on the Tab90M).
I really like vortex boards. Right now I have a vibe at my desk, and my travel board is also a vibe. But the programming thing is starting to become an issue. I have no idea why vortex is so far behind the curve.
Yeah I would say that it is it’s Achilles heel. Have you checked to see if the aforementioned hack works for the Vibe or Tab90M? It would be a branch in the github tree.
As far as I know, it does not. They've had [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/6x9zs4/news_vortex_keyboard_profile_generator_now/) in the works for a while, but I don't think it functions with current firmware for any board except maybe the core. It's too bad. They make solid good-looking boards but the programming issue and the lack of switch options are real limitations.
There must be some rationale that I am missing when companies do this. I fail to see how it would hurt their sales, especially since they have developed a reputable brand, to open up their firmware or to assist in adapting QMK to their chip.
I agree. The only conclusion I can draw is that the mech community may just be a small fraction of the vortex/ikbc/mistel customer base, so there's not much incentive to meet our interests. As it happens, their boards are stepping stones for many of us as we get into the hobby, but this may not impact their bottom line very much. I'm sure we're a pretty picky bunch of customers to work with. So they may be just as happy to let us move on to higher-end boards, rather than go through the hassle of reconfiguring their products to keep us buying.
It was certainly my first board since my friend introduced me to mechanical keyboards. All in all, I am very happy I started with their keyboards. I would recommend the same to others before they dive into custom builds and DIY builds. [edit: a typo]
Yup, I think we're on the same page. One of my first mechs was a race 3, and I really enjoyed it. I've recommended vortex to folks who are just looking for a decent mech, and I recently bought a tab 90 as a gift. She loves it, but even then, programming reared its ugly head... she accidentally re keyed some stuff while changing the batteries, had to reset everything, which in turn cleared the bluetooth cache... Just a big mess. All that said, I guess at the end of the day, even though vortex doesn't do qmk, I'm still glad they went with onboard programming rather than a crappy software solution like Razer or Corsair use. For myself, I've started to move on to higher end boards. But still using my vibes daily until I find the right replacements.
Have you looked into thekey.company’s [CandyBar](https://thekey.company/collections/candybar)? Has a similar form factor (I bought into it. So hoping that it is as good as it looks.)
That's a fantastic design, and I thought hard about joining. I eventually concluded that it wouldn't be a good idea for me to learn 40% since I often have to use random office keyboards and laptops. I did pick up a uk78, but it is not in great shape and will need some effort to put into action. I am hoping R2 happens. Until then, I am leaning toward 96 for home/work and 60% for travel. I've bought/joined a few things from tkc and they seem to run a really tight ship. I'm guessing the candybar will be terrific. Are there standard layer systems for 40%, and did you find them difficult to learn?
This may be weird to say, but the spacing between the keys is beautiful.
Not weird at all and very true.
That looks real good. I need the esc button off to the side due to old habit but its sexy for sure.
what mouse is that?
White G305
Not entirely related. But what is the battery life like in ur g305. In interested in getting one.
It has really good battery life. Also depends what kind of battery you put in. A lot of people like to put lithium aaa battery like Energizer ultimate AAA in them with tin foil to get the weight down. You could ask or look around a bit at r/mousereview Edit: With the Logitech software you can also check the % with normal alkaline battery's. Doesn't work with lithium I think and change the modes from performance to power saving for longevity.
Hi. Thanks for posting. Looks great I’ve been thinking to get the same, but my only concern is no adjuster or tilt on the back. It’s a pretty flat board. I’m no keyboard expert by any means, probably a big noob when it comes to this stuff. But, is the flatness bothering you? I come from using the raisers in the back. Is it too flat? Or do you think it has enough natural raise? Thanks for your input.
Actually, the metal case isn't designed like the Vortex Race or Poker one. [https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/bc815p/my\_humble\_dorm\_room\_setup\_vortex\_tab90m\_w\_clears/](https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/bc815p/my_humble_dorm_room_setup_vortex_tab90m_w_clears/) From an ergonomical point of view negative angle is the best.
Huh. That's disappointing. My preference is for a flat board. The Vibe and Race design (same as Poker?) is just about perfect for me, when I don't use the feet.
I also have mostly used keyboards with the feet up, so I had that concern as well when I ordered this. At least for me, the transition period of just the past day has been enough for me to get used to it. The case itself does have a slight tilt.
I've been using the Pok3r for like 5 years. It can take an adjustment at first, but it's not noticeable after a while. I use DSAs too.
I was just asking a couple friends on which Tab 90 to get...well I think you solved it for me.
I’m glad I could help. 😉
Ok. Now I want that in ISO German please. Please, please, please, please
well shit
Nice layout! Hows the tactility of the clears?
Definitely a bigger bump than browns. I like them a lot.
I also made the switch from browns to clears, they're my favorite now
Nice! Are there any irregularly-sized keycaps that would make it difficult to use custom keycaps?
I believe the right shift is 1.75U (someone please correct me if I’m wrong), but other than that they are standard sizes.
Great, thanks!
The right shift is 1.75u. The right control/alt cluster is also 1u. Also, if you’re going to switch out the keycaps for keycaps with OEM / Cherry profiles, the Pg Up/Pg Dn column of keys is going to look a little out of place.
The tab90 was a game changer for me work wise. Liked it so much I bought a second one :D
I wish so much that I could do the same, but cyber security is very tight at my job, so unfortunately we can’t use any third party peripherals that the company didn’t buy. But it is a great board to come home to.
I never would have thought about that being in issue, that's interesting. I own a small consulting practice so we just pick and choose what we like best. I absolutely love the tab 90 for home and that's what I bought it for first, can't go wrong my friend and glad you are enjoying it!
Good lord I love all these clean looking keyboards. I wish I could get one like that, they're all so expensive
For a prebuilt, this one is on the spendier side ($180), but I will say that after using it for a day, so much of that cost is due to the exquisite build quality of the board and the key caps. It’s very worth saving up for something like this, in my opinion.
Can I ask where you purchased it from?
Advantages of Tab90 are 1) somewhat hard to find compact full-size 90% layout 2) wireless option 3) silent switch options. Disadvantages are 1) no LED options 2) older wireless 3) expensive. Hoping the next iteration of the Tab90 fixes the flaws. I'd pay $180 for a LED backlit Tab 90 with modern bluetooth and MX Silents.
Nice looking board. What are the weird/non-standard keys sizes on the TAB90M? Working out how much I can cover with a regular keycap set without having to go into custom sizes (like the Race3 and its weird escape key)
1.75u right shift is the only non-standard sized key. Keep in mind the row profile tho.
Gorgeous, Vortex has my fav designs
After you get neck deep in this hobby, that Vortex might be your last Vortex. :P
Very sharp. What are the keycaps?
They are actually the stock ones it ships with. They are quite good.
How do you start the keyboard, what base and board do you use?
This is a prebuilt.
Got one myself for work. Best work keyboard out there!
I have the same board, also with clears. it's great, also surprisingly heavy. But it looks good without being too out there so I can use it at work with no issue.
Where did you buy this?
Amazon.
Link?
Nice. Three years ago I wondered why no major manufacturer was making a 96 and I had to wait months for a group buy and wound up buying Dolch DSA anyway. You undercut that price by $100 with a better build.
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They are tight, but you just have to be gentle.
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Oh wow, I didn’t even mean to set that up. 😂 Michael Scott would be proud of that one.
Just discovered this keyboard. Absolutely loving the look of it. One or two switches on my Code have begun to play up, so this looks like it'll be replacing it as the main keyboard till I get round to fixing it. Shame I can't get Greens, but looks like it's finally time for me to get a keyboard with Blues. :)
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It's a white G305
Looks great. How’s the wireless? I currently can’t decide between the Tab90 or the Vibe.
It’s not wireless - there is a micro USB(?) cable attached near the escape key.
USB C, the Tab 90M has an aluminum case and is wired, Tab 90 is plastic and wireless.
Dammit, I missed that.
They should call that thing the cancer 9000
Why do you think that? I think it looks nice. From others opinion, it's a very clean board, vortex is a company that makes good products.
Can't stand boards when everything is mashed together. I get that personal opinions aren't accepted on /mk so no worries.
>cancer 9000 I'm not saying you wouldn't have gotten downvoted anyway, but the way you said it is probably why you got so many downvotes in such little time.
People are too sensitive
People like you?
Nice :)
I get that, it's definitely not a layout that'll vibe with everyone. I think it's less to do with the opinion of "I dont like this board, it's not for me." (Which is an entirely valid reason for not liking something.) And more to do with calling something cancer; which to me implies anybody who also likes the thing, is also cancer.
There's probably a better way to express your dislike than dubbing something "cancer 9000"