T3nguThat makes sense, not everyone is an expert touch-typist.
People often don't like backlighting, even though it can usually be turned off, is because it's another point of failure. I've seen people return/exchange their Code Keyboard several times because a single LED wasn't working. Desoldering a switch just to replace the LED isn't fun.
Another thing is that the LED could (sometimes) limit your keycap choices. LEDs may be too big, and some manufacturers will put the switches upside down to have the LED at the top. This can cause problems when using Zealencios/QMX silencing caps plus low-profile keycaps.
So for people who wouldn't use the backlighting anyway, it's preferred to not have it.
skabeiI can see many of those as important reasons for some folk. I personally have no problem with soldering so replacing a LED is no big issue. But that's just me. I do hope the people who get this board like it. It's just missing a feature I need.
T3ngufeeling comfortable soldering when you have a mech kb is a *must* imo.
i've had my tactile pro 3 for 6 years and 2 years ago, one of the switches started getting debounce issues and losing its click. i bought a pack of 10 new switches and an hour later (most of which spent cleaning the inside) everything was working fine again.
i'm actually needing to replace both of my alt keys, left super, my numpad 0 key, and possibly a couple of alphas (debounce is intermittent, and click still works fine, so they probably have some life left) atm, but i'm putting it off because i don't want to detangle my keyboard cable at the back of my computer haha.
but either way, i sure wouldn't want to have to buy a whole new mech kb to fix those switches.. that was part of the hell of membranes for me :) by now, my mech kb has paid for itself compared to buying a new keyboard every time a switch dies, after all.
but yeah, the new switches are rated 50k compared to the board's original (i think?) 10k.. so hopefully it should be 20 years instead of 5 before they need replaced again. but this race3 is the first keyboard that's really captured my imagination since then, so i might grab it.. i've been wanting to try cherries for a while too.