I need to get a keyboard for the office. At home I’ve been using a Logitech G915 TKL for 5 years or so. It’s fine. Heck, maybe it’s great? I have no idea. People passionately post poetic about their peripherals, and I don’t know why. Have I never used a great keyboard? Or am I not picky about that which I poke.
How the heck do you buy a keyboard these days?
- Thread starter Cool Modine
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You don't have to get the fancy keyboard if you don't want to. Though the G915 seems to be designed to be a fairly upper mid-range keyboard.
It's not like you're rocking a $15 Wal-Mart rubber dome special over there.
Buy what you like. People who do a lot of typing all day have preferences. If it's something you've never considered before, maybe it's worth thinking about?
Be careful though. Next thing you know you might be talking about hunting down different colored switches for certain keys on the custom base you've ordered and...
Then again, I have a Logitech keyboard too.
It's not like you're rocking a $15 Wal-Mart rubber dome special over there.
Buy what you like. People who do a lot of typing all day have preferences. If it's something you've never considered before, maybe it's worth thinking about?
Be careful though. Next thing you know you might be talking about hunting down different colored switches for certain keys on the custom base you've ordered and...
Then again, I have a Logitech keyboard too.
I used to not be picky, but as my body failed me more and more, I kinda had to become picky.
For me, I settled on Roccat Vulcans with optical switches. I own 3 - 2 full size ones hooked up to my work machines (one Linux, one Windows) when they are docked, and then a 65% Vulcan II mini on my gaming machine.
I also absolutely love the keyboard Framework shipped with: It's my favorite laptop keyboard. When I'm mobile, I no longer miss my Roccat keyboard.
For me, I settled on Roccat Vulcans with optical switches. I own 3 - 2 full size ones hooked up to my work machines (one Linux, one Windows) when they are docked, and then a 65% Vulcan II mini on my gaming machine.
I also absolutely love the keyboard Framework shipped with: It's my favorite laptop keyboard. When I'm mobile, I no longer miss my Roccat keyboard.
Exactly, that’s what I was thinking. I got the Logitech at the time because I wanted something TKL, wireless, and with a dedicated volume wheel. And I have to say, Logitech makes great things that spin. Actually, I got the brown/tactile version first, and hated it. It was like typing in mud, nothing tactile about it. I swapped for the red/linear version, and that was much better. Smooth, and bottom out with a light click seems much more tactile than the other one.
Well, I didn’t think I was going laptop shopping, but now maybe I am…
Now see, I love me my tactile bumps that a brown offers. I tried a liner switched keyboard first and hated it.
I've come to not care about wireless in my keyboards anymore. It'd be nice, but I don't need it as much as I do in a mouse.
I too prefer the feel of the brown keyswitches. I loved my IBM Model M but it used to give me incipient RSI symptoms in my wrists and forearms. Since I moved to a less....robust keyswitch, those symptoms have disappeared. Also, it was loud as f**k.
One of my boys has a red clicky 'board and he really likes it, I find the noise irritating. Ultimately a keyboard is just a way of translating your thoughts into the computer so as long as it doesn't cause you pain and / or irritate you (or those around you), then it's all good as far as I'm concerned.
If you're bothered about the look of your desk then sure, try and pick one that looks nice. My desk is a bit....busy, so there's no point worrying about whether or not my red-LED only K70 complements the fung xuai of the room.
One of my boys has a red clicky 'board and he really likes it, I find the noise irritating. Ultimately a keyboard is just a way of translating your thoughts into the computer so as long as it doesn't cause you pain and / or irritate you (or those around you), then it's all good as far as I'm concerned.
If you're bothered about the look of your desk then sure, try and pick one that looks nice. My desk is a bit....busy, so there's no point worrying about whether or not my red-LED only K70 complements the fung xuai of the room.
I would love it if a Microcenter was in easy driving distance. The closest is about a 13 hour drive.
I’m tempted to try out a Unicomp Model M, as I remember them fondly. But I haven’t touched an M in 20+ years so that might be more about nostalgia than anything.
I ended up selling mine, I couldn't use it due to aforementioned RSI and it was literally sat in a box doing nothing. Think I got about £100 for it in the end. It was one of the last batch made up in Greenock before they closed the factory ![:\](https://cdn.arstechnica.net/civis/data/assets/smilies/slash-1x.png "Slash :\")
It's a bit nuts to me to like these now because when I first started buying good keyboards and mice it was absolutely not Logitech, but Microsoft. Now I'd rather not use anything but the MX Keys, and for the mouse the MX Master 3 or even the 2. Haven't tried the new 4.It's very simple IMNSHO
Logitech MX Keys S. The one to rule them all.
The MX Master 4 is fine, but I hated it for a bit after upgrading from 3. The buttons are super muted, and at first I thought they were mushy. The magnetic wheel is very muted (the 3 had a very pronounced thunk-on and thunk-off feel).
The haptic stuff is mostly a rip off and doesn’t exist, but when I accidentally trigger it, it’s thrilling even though it does nothing for me currently. There is a “wheel” of a dozen or so tiny icons, none of which mean anything to me. It sucks, but maybe it’ll stop sucking at some point. Also, who asked for a USB-C adapter?? PCs have trillions of unwanted low-speed USB-A ports on them, and very very few USB-C ports. Laptops (Mac) might have mostly C ports, but those also sport Bluetooth and if one were a sucker to buy the same-priced Mac version that shorts you the dongle, then it’s Bluetooth only. :-/
Anyway I got a 4 and it’s growing on me. I have MX Keys times two (work/home) and they’re great and I learnt my lesson I’m not upgrading them any time soon!
The haptic stuff is mostly a rip off and doesn’t exist, but when I accidentally trigger it, it’s thrilling even though it does nothing for me currently. There is a “wheel” of a dozen or so tiny icons, none of which mean anything to me. It sucks, but maybe it’ll stop sucking at some point. Also, who asked for a USB-C adapter?? PCs have trillions of unwanted low-speed USB-A ports on them, and very very few USB-C ports. Laptops (Mac) might have mostly C ports, but those also sport Bluetooth and if one were a sucker to buy the same-priced Mac version that shorts you the dongle, then it’s Bluetooth only. :-/
Anyway I got a 4 and it’s growing on me. I have MX Keys times two (work/home) and they’re great and I learnt my lesson I’m not upgrading them any time soon!
Have a giant gripe with Logitech never continuing with their Touchpad T650. I use it at work, use it at home, am hoarding the leftovers I find on eBay. And for beeing leftovers they are mighty expensive
I remember Microsoft having some incredible keyboards and mice in the 90's and early 2000's. I still have one of their first gen USB optical mice in a box somewhere and it works great, though I'm sure it's transitioned to an ugly yellow now.
YES, but the Mac version lacks a dongle entirely. This is the "windows" version. I need to test it and see if it works with the cheapie USB-A adapter I have, so I can keep my USB-C ports open and ready for more important IO!
IIRC most just use whatever's included with their pre-built systems?
OTOH, with so many mechanical keyboards available now, you can often get away for $40 or less-- a nice change from a few years ago when if you were picky about certain features you could easily pay $150-200-200+...
I'm one of those weirdos who prefer low-travel keyboards like the ones Thinkpads used to have. The Cherry Stream TKL uses scissor switches and is as close I've gotten recently. They're quiet, the keys are low-travel and don't wobble when you press them off-centre. There's also a full-size version if you need the numpad.
I get into key cap type fatigue.
I’m looking to replace my Logitech MX Keys, which I liked a lot (heavy and similar to my daily-driver laptop), but I miss my unicorn barf mechanical key Corsair which I put on my son’s PC.
At some point I will go to Best Buy to audition keyboards, hoping they have a few different examples. This is one reason I try to buy at least something from them with each PC build or when it’s Nintendo time, I don’t want them to go out of business!
I’m looking to replace my Logitech MX Keys, which I liked a lot (heavy and similar to my daily-driver laptop), but I miss my unicorn barf mechanical key Corsair which I put on my son’s PC.
At some point I will go to Best Buy to audition keyboards, hoping they have a few different examples. This is one reason I try to buy at least something from them with each PC build or when it’s Nintendo time, I don’t want them to go out of business!
Pocky Is God
Ars Legatus Legionis
Depending on where he is, he would have to fly to a Microcenter.
So I spent some time checking out the displays at Best Buy in addition to Microcenter. But the experience of trying a keyboard that’s bolted to a shelf remains unsatisfying.
I also impulsively grabbed a Unicomp M from eBay. There's something delightfully familiar about it, and I do like the feel. If I had to describe it in a word I would say “Crisp.”
If I were looking for a modern keyboard that had a crisp feel, what should I look into. At this point I pretty much feel like I just need to pick up a board and try it for a few days rather than a few minutes.
I also impulsively grabbed a Unicomp M from eBay. There's something delightfully familiar about it, and I do like the feel. If I had to describe it in a word I would say “Crisp.”
If I were looking for a modern keyboard that had a crisp feel, what should I look into. At this point I pretty much feel like I just need to pick up a board and try it for a few days rather than a few minutes.
I'm definitely not one of those who are super into keyboards, but I appreciate a decent mechanical. I've been wanting something more compact than a full-size, but I'm not prepared to give up my ten key. With the "Black Friday Sales" (which have morphed into "Sales sometime in the November-December timeframe it seems like) I finally compromised and pulled the trigger on a Keychron K17 Max, a 96% layout with low-profile keys.
"Crisp" may mean something different to me than you, but I actually really like the Jupiter Banana switches on my wife's new Keychron Q6 Max. They're a medium-heavy resistance tactile switch with a shorter overall travel distance (3.4mm vs the more standard 4mm) and they have the tactile bump right near the top of the keypress, which translates to a pretty crisp feel without a lot of linear give at the top of the keystroke, settling into a kind of muted thock at the end. Not to shill for Keychron, but they have a billion different layouts and combinations of materials/features so you can pretty easily dial in what you want in a prebuilt without having to get into crazy customizations, so it's become my generic recommendation. I'm not a fan of their OSA/KSA keycaps though.
Most of the non-Logitech/Razer/Corsair prebuilt market seems flooded by linear switches, which are not my cup of tea, but if your world of crisp can make space for those there's dozens of brands and models that review relatively highly, particularly if you don't mind a smaller 75% or 80% format. Some of them are also comparatively budget-friendly (thinking like the AULA 75 and larger series, EPOMAKER Galaxy something) or premium (Evo 75/80, Crush 80, Rainy 75, just rolling names off the top so this isn't exhaustive). They seem to have decent attention to sound profiles (gasket mounts and foams and not-rattling stabilizers) and may or may not come with wireless features. I bought an Evo75 for my son, which is sitting under my desk unopened so I can't give you my first-hand experience for another month other than to note its satisfying heft.
Hot take - other than people who have legitimate physical requirements, the whole keyboard "scene" is really mostly a hobby for people who like to get really into things. I say this as someone whose daily driver keyboard is a 48-key split ortholinear. I love it, it looks cool, and it is ever slightly more efficient for me. But I could go back to a standard full size keyboard with normal key caps without issue.
You don't need to get deep into this stuff. But you might enjoy it.
You don't need to get deep into this stuff. But you might enjoy it.
Not sure anyone ever argued that wading into the keyboard scene was ever anything but a hobby for most? The majority of normally-abled people can get by on a bog standard $10 membrane keyboard if they had to (and many do).
A good mechanical keyboard with switches that meet your personal wants can certainly have an impact on your typing speed and typo rate, though. The desire for a satisfying thock or click is just a personal bugbear of course, although eliminating the click and thock as much as possible can be a requirement to avoid the keyboard being turned into a bludgeoning instrument.
A good mechanical keyboard with switches that meet your personal wants can certainly have an impact on your typing speed and typo rate, though. The desire for a satisfying thock or click is just a personal bugbear of course, although eliminating the click and thock as much as possible can be a requirement to avoid the keyboard being turned into a bludgeoning instrument.
I never considered myself a keyboard snob. At work I’m usually happy enough with whatever Amazon Basics membrane keyboard IT gives me (key markings wear off every few years).
But I recently got an Alienware desktop at home (leave me be, I used to build most of our PC’s). The default keyboard it came with is so horrible (mushy?) I could not stand it. It was the worst keyboard I’ve ever experienced. Used Keychron (sold by Keychron) came to the rescue.
I see the keyboard rabbit hole or hobby but you don’t have to be a keyboard snob to want better.
But I recently got an Alienware desktop at home (leave me be, I used to build most of our PC’s). The default keyboard it came with is so horrible (mushy?) I could not stand it. It was the worst keyboard I’ve ever experienced. Used Keychron (sold by Keychron) came to the rescue.
I see the keyboard rabbit hole or hobby but you don’t have to be a keyboard snob to want better.
This has been an enlightening experience.
The Unicomp M came from eBay for a decent price. It's good. I like it.
The Hexgears M5 was next in the mail, with Kalih Box 3.0 clicky switches. I like this keyboard. The tactility and click feels good.
Then I got the Keychron K2 HE.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cF6yPdpaKKM
The Keychron has given me a bit of an epiphany. It is a gorgeous machine. Pulling it out of the box, holding it in hand, it's just quality. It's not heavy, per se, but it's got heft. It's solid. It doesn't flex, it doesn't rattle. It looks great. The keys are buttery smooth. The sound is subtle. I see what nice keyboards are about.
And the old Logitech G915 TKL which I've been using the past six years: It's pretty mediocre. The keys have a little wobble, it's a little rattly. Typing isn't as good as any of the others. Not terrible, just mediocre.
The Unicomp M came from eBay for a decent price. It's good. I like it.
The Hexgears M5 was next in the mail, with Kalih Box 3.0 clicky switches. I like this keyboard. The tactility and click feels good.
Then I got the Keychron K2 HE.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cF6yPdpaKKM
The Keychron has given me a bit of an epiphany. It is a gorgeous machine. Pulling it out of the box, holding it in hand, it's just quality. It's not heavy, per se, but it's got heft. It's solid. It doesn't flex, it doesn't rattle. It looks great. The keys are buttery smooth. The sound is subtle. I see what nice keyboards are about.
And the old Logitech G915 TKL which I've been using the past six years: It's pretty mediocre. The keys have a little wobble, it's a little rattly. Typing isn't as good as any of the others. Not terrible, just mediocre.
Yeah, Keychron just seems to make good stuff. Their in-house switches that they use on the lower-end boards aren't the greatest, but anything in the K Max-series or above (or the HE) just seems to be excellent all around. And if you don't go up to the Q-series, the prices are quite reasonable.
Dangit, there's a Unicomp M on eBay in the UK right now for a very reasonable price....
/I don't need any more keyboards, I don't need any more keyboards....
My son asked for a low profile but full size RGB keyboard for Christmas. He's been using a cheap (<£20 IIRC) 'board with blue mechanical switches. Definitely not mushy-membrane awful, but it's all a bit rattly and clicky. He's getting a Keychron K5 with "banana" switches. Hopefully he will not feel the need to dive any further into the rabbit hole!
/I don't need any more keyboards, I don't need any more keyboards....
My son asked for a low profile but full size RGB keyboard for Christmas. He's been using a cheap (<£20 IIRC) 'board with blue mechanical switches. Definitely not mushy-membrane awful, but it's all a bit rattly and clicky. He's getting a Keychron K5 with "banana" switches. Hopefully he will not feel the need to dive any further into the rabbit hole!
You pushed me over the edge. I've been thinking about the K8 HE for a few months and finally ordered one after I read your post.
I do the keyboard audition at MicroCenter. Last time was a fail in trying to find a Microsoft Natural or a good clone of it. The newer split designs by MS and Logitech sucked (for me). I found a good clone on Amazon by XPerformance and am on my second one of those. With the state of crap these days, I figure if a work kbd makes it more than 2-3 years I am winning.
At home I play to any whim and have a Unicomp Type M, because.
A Das Keyboard which is seeing less time but was nice and smooth.
I recently picked up a Satechi SM3 to go with the Mac Studio or PC. It has dual bluetooth, a USB receiver and a wired connection to support up to 4 machines.
At this point I am less religious about having a static/consistent keyboard experience and don't mind variation. It also is a reflection of some arthritis and less accuracy and precision with the fingers. My typing speed is probably down about 33%.
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Funny, my Microcenter basically only has major brand keyboards on the displays. Logitech, Corsair, Razor, etc…
And coincidentally my wife was also lamenting the original Microsoft ergo keyboard. She’s got a humped Kensington board right now, but it’s relatively flat compared to the M$. She told me the more tilt, the better.
So, yesterday I picked up a Keychron Q11 from Microcenter, as well as a numpad board. I’m going to set up some DIY tenting, so we can see if she really wants a keyboard at 45 degrees.
I also saw this numpad on Amazon, somehow I think it’s the cutest thing ever. https://a.co/d/3naEnPy
Yeah, I was scanning the standalone keypad devices at Amazon last week. I had mentioned I reprogrammed the CTRL to work as CMD on my Mac for cut/paste and someone mentioned they had a dedicated 3 key pad specifically for cut and paste. There are a ton of micro keypads on Amazon.
Keychon i guess is now the Entry level of quality customizable. Sound and buttery smooth is more in the switch selection. Which ones did it come with? I attempted the silent red they have however i had to switch them out after i figured out i torque and rest my hand really heavy and get random key presses.
Seen that one. Let us know if its proprietary app or if they released the QMK/VIA profile out also.
I like keychron in that they have their own VIA site. And also release the JSON files for you do to your own for most of the keyboards listed as such.
That sounds like a weapon in The Outer Worlds.
What's worse is when they don't put specs down. Like by spec chart alone i'd probably hate those keys. I had trouble with "Silent Red" class keys being too easy to activate. I've probably spent more on switches then the keyboard myself. So lucky that what it came with stock worked out for you.