Tex Shinobi
Shares rank 8 of 13 mechanical keyboards by recommenders
People recommend it for its built-in trackpoint. The most common caveat is cost, limited availability and large size.
People recommend it for its built-in trackpoint. The most common caveat is cost, limited availability and large size.
7 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 6
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 86%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 6 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 6 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Built-in trackpoint
“one my favorite examples is this Shonibi by Tex mechanical keyboard which even has a trackpoint”
Comment from 19 Jan 2026 in “Spirit of ThinkPad” Owners say they like it
“I have a Shinobi, and like it”
Comment from 16 May 2026 in “Ploopy Bean: a trackpoint for every computer” Chosen by a buyer after searching
“I just gave up and bought a nice Tex Shinobi.”
Comment from 18 Jan 2026 in “Spirit of ThinkPad”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Costly
“But it is costly, not easily available, and looks huge, compared to a compact TKL mechanical keyboard.”
Comment from 25 May 2026 in “Key, in sight [Creative uses of keyboard shortcuts and macros]” Not easily available
“But it is costly, not easily available, and looks huge, compared to a compact TKL mechanical keyboard.”
Comment from 25 May 2026 in “Key, in sight [Creative uses of keyboard shortcuts and macros]” Looks large next to compact keyboards
“But it is costly, not easily available, and looks huge, compared to a compact TKL mechanical keyboard.”
Comment from 25 May 2026 in “Key, in sight [Creative uses of keyboard shortcuts and macros]”
Other mechanical keyboards people recommend
The four most recommended other mechanical keyboards, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magic Keyboard mechanical keyboard | 55 | 11 | 83% | 3 | — | — |
| IBM Model M keyboard | 39 | 10 | 80% | 8 | 18 yrs7 owners | Approved |
| Keychron keyboard | 29 | 18 | 62% | 8 | — | — |
| Filco Majestouch TKL | 15 | 2 | 88% | 3 | 15 yrs5 owners | — |
| Tex ShinobiThis page | 6 | 1 | 86% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
5 of the 7 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“But it is costly, not easily available, and looks huge, compared to a compact TKL mechanical keyboard.”
“I have a Shinobi, and like it”
“one my favorite examples is this Shonibi by Tex mechanical keyboard which even has a trackpoint”
“I just gave up and bought a nice Tex Shinobi.”
“This [0] is pretty close.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.