OT: mechanical keyboards

[timwat]

Is anyone else here into mechanical keyboards? Not the pianos, electric pianos and clavs we all love - the thing that tethers us to our computers, the interwebz, this forum. I know many of us have other strange, niche hobbies besides music - curious if anyone else here, since some of us spend 10 hours a day / 6 days a week on our computer keebs, has gone down the mech keys rabbit hole as well.

 

I started down this journey about a year ago, when I got really dissatisfied with years of Apple keyboards. The laptop keys, as well as the wired / wireless "Magic" keyboards I accumulated from Apple all felt horribly dissatisfying to type on. I really loved typing on the old IBM keyboards we all used back in the olden days of pay phones and dial up modems.

 

So the first thing I bought was a Logitech G613 wireless gaming keyboard for the work office. What a revelation. There was some of the tactile feel I'd missed for so long. And I was typing faster and more accurately as a result.

 

This let to a Mistel Sleeker for the home office. Tactile MX brown switches, TKL (tenkey-less) format so my hands are spaced closer together naturally, oh how sweet that felt. Until the USB connection started going dodgy. Returned under warranty, they gave me a full refund as the unit was deemed irreparable.

 

I'm now typing on a Keychron K1 wireless - low profile, wireless, full RGB lighting. Lots to like about this keeb - it has native Mac key mapping, low profile means no wrist rest required. But I just don't like the feel of these Gateron low profile switches or these strangely flat keycaps.

 

So I have a Keychron K8 on order, which Keychron was nice enough to allow a retroactive return of the K1 if I really prefer the K8 feel.

 

And this has led me to a pre-order of some MT3 keycaps from Drop, and a pre-order of a GMMK Pro gasket-mount, hot-swap board.

 

I know - you only need one keyboard to type on, right? Well, one for the work office (whenever we return there) and one for the home office.

 

But then, on this forum, does anyone really believe all we need is one keyboard?

 

 

Tim

[ElmerJFudd]

Thanks for the interesting off topic. I do enjoy mechanical keyboards and prefer them to what we get these days. Especially the ones where you can both feel and hear the click. Very satisfying and much more precision, less typos!

[Docbop]

Apple's keyboards SUCK, it's their lets be different not to be better but to make using the real world stuff Windows and UNIX feel odd. Apple keyboard the keys are smaller and closer together. They also move some keys to different location just to throw people off. Apple handles backspace and delete more like UNIX because it's different from Windows. Apple doesn't do this because it's better they do it to addict their users and make rest of world feel odd. Same reason their OS and apps interfaces are a mirror image of where things are placed on Windows and Unix and other OSes. Apple is making you feel like a left handed person in a right handed world.

 

Yes, I'm a lefty actually I'm one of those that does some things left handed and other right handed, so I know what's it like to be a lefty.

[David Emm]

Hear hear! Those tiny, wretched things they call keyboards are for Japanese schoolgirls or people who think typing with a stylus in each hand is charming. I have octave-&-a-half, grand-piano-reach Mongo-hands that laugh when offered one. I stocked up on the old style keys once I saw where they were going. I reserve the right to be a Luddite in this case, so I can keep working without a new ergonomic battle to fight. Trying to write a letter on those micro-beds is like having a nun stand on both sides and whack you every time you miss a key. End of rant. For now.

[MAJUSCULE]

Yeah, I'm thinking of picking one up once I get more settled into my new space. Pleasantly surprised at some of the prices of the models you posted.

[timwat]

A good primer on what all this is about.

[jazzpiano88]

Amen! I just migrated to a new laptop for work and use it primarily as a desktop with external monitor, keyboard, mouse.

I have always hated the new Apple style keyboards but adapted and had forgotten how nice the IBM style keyboards felt.

 

I ordered a Logitech keyboard/mouse combo and ..... bliss

Such nice memories of grad school.

[The Real MC]

I keep an old IBM model M keyboard with 12 function keys and numeric keypad around for serious software or document development work. Easy on the hands and much fewer typos than the Apple keyboard. In fact they are still made for Mac systems:

 

Unicomp Keyboard

 

The worst is ANY laptop keyboard, I get WAY too many typos on them.

 

Years ago I did a lot of development on VAX mainframe keyboards. Those damn things gave me my one and only case of tendinitis, from then on I was VERY conscious of RSI prone keyboards.

[TommyRude]

Tim, you may want to check out one of these

 

[Docbop]

I keep an old IBM model M keyboard with 12 function keys and numeric keypad around for serious software or document development work. Easy on the hands and much fewer typos than the Apple keyboard. In fact they are still made for Mac systems:

 

 

I loved those original IBM PC keyboards, the click-clack they made didn't bother me the keytouch was great. I bought originals for spares when IBM changed their keyboard. I worked on a project with this woman who was real speed typist so I let her type everything not only because she was way faster than I could, but on one of those original IBM keyboards it sounded like a machine gun when she typed.

[jazzpiano88]

Never had one, but holy mother of Christ, Son, what an invention:

[video:youtube]

 

And then there were these. Jesus freaking Christ.... if you had some HP instruments with IEEE 488, this made you dangerous:

[video:youtube]

[Tom Williams]

Thanks, Tim, for raising my awareness!

 

For a while things were going well -- we got past the VT50 / VT52 keyboards that sounded like a drum solo (or like the old metal garbage cans being collected at the end of the sidewalk), and settled into the selectric-style sculptured keys on the VT100 and VT220 series. Life was good until IBM came out with the PC Junior, which sported an infrared, remote keyboard that they thought the world would love. But it had what was called "chicklet" keys, after a square chewing gum. That keyboard was universally panned, and the PC Jr. went down in flames. Everyone learned their lesson and did their best to provide good keyboards no matter how compact. Ironically, the last great effort at that was from IBM, with their "butterfly" keyboard, which expanded to full size when you opened the laptop lid.

 

Then the Macbook came along, and suddenly chiclet keys were okay. I now find it impossible to get sculptured keys in a laptop computer.

 

Funny timing -- last week at my work (public school IT) I came across a (new? Well, unused at least) full sized Dell desktop keyboard with actual sculptured keys, and fell in love with it. I'm now looking for a way to either obtain one, or embezzle that one. No one's looking during Covid shutdown anyway....

[232006]

You need one of these:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linotype_machine

 

Wicked keyboard layout.

[marino]

My first computer

 

[ElmerJFudd]

Never had one, but holy mother of Christ, Son, what an invention:

[video:youtube]

]

 

My pop brought one of these home from the office when they replaced them. Great job of building an interface the secretaries" fingers were trained for with but with an engine that could shoot a hole through space and time. Like power steering on cars. You could break Mavis Beacon high scores with this thing.

[TommyRude]

You need one of these:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linotype_machine

 

Wicked keyboard layout.

More...

[video:youtube]

[232006]

Thanks for that!

 

My Dad worked in newspaper printing and operated one of those for quite a few years.

 

The "Lino Room" was apparently nice and warm in Winter and boiling hot in Summer.

 

As a 5 year old he took me in to see what he did for work, which for a 5 year old, was a bit awe inspiring with the noise of about 10 of them, and hot!

Perhaps unsurprisingly I was allowed to make a "slug" of my name.

 

When they switched to "New Technology" in the '80s, he ended up using a "Qwerty" computer keyboard which took a bit of getting used to! Lol!

[Marzzz]

I have a late 2016 MBP, the one with the keyboard that fell apart. Mine eventually did, and I sent it in to Apple for warrantied repair last year (while I was on vacation). Basically got back a brand new machine, because they replaced almost everything except the display. But anyway, I never really had a problem with using the keyboard, the bigger issue is the track pad is so big you inadvertently touch it, causing the cursor to suddenly jump all over the place, next thing you know you are typing in the middle of three sentences ago. BUT ANYWAY, I have been using Dragon Dictate (Mac) for 95% of my keyboard input for years now.

 

FWIW, my journalist wife (who can touch type at greater than 150 wpm while simultaneously carrying on a conversation/interview) likes the Apple Magic Keyboard.

[RichieP_MechE]

Obviously, this is the best computer keyboard for KC members

 

[232006]

Might put drummers out of work though, especially when you use the computer keyboard and keep knocking the music board keys randomly........

[ProfD]

I learned to type on an IBM Selectric back in the early 80s. Believe I still have one around the house somewhere. I also remember the first IBM computer KBs. Awesome.

 

Yesterday, I looked at a few wireless KBs to pair with my new laptop. So many choices and that's before considering the wired KBs. I've got an old PS/2 KB in a closet but of course I cannot use it.

[jazzpiano88]

Obviously, this is the best computer keyboard for KC members

 

 

Rock an Roll very simple...... One Two Three Four.....

[jazzpiano88]

Bonus: Gangstah Feech La Manna plays the keyboard with Tom

 

[video:youtube]

[Tom Williams]

it's not off-topic! (one of my all-time guilty-pleasure favorites)

 

[video:youtube]

[RABid]

Ironic. Someone started a thread about mechanical keyboards a few months ago on the yoyoexpert forums. I was shocked at the number of responses in that thread. Some people really know their keyboards. By the way, my top keyboard, and I have three of them, is the Logitech G910. It is hard to go back to a cheap keyboard, or some laptops.

[gliderproarc]

Sorry to resurrect a thread after it drifted off the first page of the forum. But I saw the thread title and wanted to share a bit about a mechanical keyboard I purchased recently.

 

I play music on the weekends and fly a desk at work. I was getting some pain in my wrists after banging away at my laptop"s little keys and decided a mechanical keyboard might help a bit. I never had any pain in my wrists even after long hours of scales and exercises at the piano l, so I was concerned about pain in my hand when typing. I was tempted at first to get a 'ergonomic keyboard'. I"m sure they are great but I ended up going with something a little smaller.

 

I live in Japan and I was surprised to learn one of the high end mechanical keyboard switch makers (Topre) is a Japanese company. Fujitsu makes a little 65% board that I got used for a good deal. It"s called a Happy hacking keyboard (HHKB). It"s not too incredible compared to other boards, but I did notice I have less pain in my hands these days, but not for the reasons I expected.

 

Having a nice keyboard got me to start practice my touch typing more, and I think typing properly is one of the biggest contributing factors. I didn"t notice how many bad habits I had formed till I started to get serious about typing on this thing. Kind in same way a nice keyboard might not make you okay better, but gets you to practice more, this board has been really nice.

 

It also has a Unix layout. Meaning the caps key is replaced with a control key. I use keyboard short cuts for more things as a result and I think reaching for the mouse less is helping with my wrist pain.

 

Having a keyboard with more travel also has me bottoming out my keypresses less. Banging on the keys less has made for less stress on my hands too and all on all I have to say I am very happy with it.

[232006]

The HHKs look excellent, I was a bit gobsmacked when I saw the UK price though!

[Polkahero]

I'm still struggling to find the perfect keyboard for my desktop setup. Can't find a wired keyboard with low profile keys, slim profile (not gaming), numerical keypad, and caps/numerical lock indicators for a decent price.

[timwat]

If you're thinking low profile with mechanical keys and full numpad, there's the Logitech G815, the HAVIT HV-KB395L and the Corsair K70. Coolermaster and Redragon also have some units in that configuration.

[Stokely]

Hah, some years back I had such a keyboard--not the well-known IBM one, but something similar. I brought it into the office and you could hear that thing rat-a-tat-tat WAY down the hall....I took it back home as I didn't want to be rude. Even back then I had several adapters to get it to work, it had the big midi-plug-looking connection.

 

I don't get too finicky these days. It takes a really bad keyboard for me to hate it--and Apple managed just that in 2016 with that butterfly monstrosity. My "b" key double enters and a couple of the others seem flaky. I'm currently using an apple wired keyboard, really flat keys but I don't really do that much typing on my music computer anyway.

 

I learned typing on a manual typewriter. We were in a room with maybe 60 9th graders learning typing on manual typewriters. I imagine the instructor must have incurred some hearing loss. The other end of the spectrum--my family's first computer was a TRS-80 with 16K of memory (we couldn't afford the 32K model) and it had a membrane keyboard. That may be the only keyboard that was worse than the Apple butterfly one.

 

edit: Marzz mentioned the biggest problem I have with the 2016 MBP--the trackpad. Maybe due to the way I type, but yeah I'd get the cursor randomly flying who-knows-where because I'd constantly brush the humongous trackpad. To make it worse, the trackpad wasn't very responsive and I was never sure if it registered the click. Clunker of a machine ergonomically, but is doing a great job for me sitting closed on my desk running Logic Pro!