Hi everyone,
I'm reaching out because I'm about to request a Braille display through my local health service in Italy, and I need to indicate a preference, although the final decision will be theirs.
The two options on the table are the Focus 40 Blue (5th gen) and the Mantis Q40.
My previous Braille display, which I've been using for six years, was also a Focus 40 Blue 5th generation. My main use would be with a Windows laptop running JAWS and NVDA, though I might also use either display with my iPhone and VoiceOver.
For those of you who have used either of them, how has your experience been?
My previous Focus has had recurring issues with the cells, and it is currently being repaired. However, the repair costs are so high that the dealer suggested going through the process of requesting a new one instead.
Comments
Focus and Mantis
Well you already know probably everything there is to know about Focus. The Mantis is also nice and will have more connectivity features and onboard apps than the Focus. The Braille cells are HumanWare (or whoever they source from) and are generally as reliable as any cells. However, the Mantis suffers from a serious flaw: the keyboard and panning keys are low quality. I have used two displays, and others have reported similar experiences. SO I can't chalk it up to just one display's bad luck. I fear the issue is more in the quality of the components. SO if you are an active Braille reader for example, I'd give the panning bars about a year to 1.5 years of life expectancy. And for some reason the laptop style keyboard also tends to run into issues. Both are repairable but adds up quickly as well.