Seeking Keyboard Advice

[Serge]

+1 for ducky, with blue switches for your purposes.

Other keyboards:
Ergodox (ergonomic, expensive, cusomisable, DIY)
KBC Poker (compact)
Noppoo Choc Mini (compact)
Torpe (not very tactile, expensive, but very smooth and great feeling keyboards)

I use Torpe at work and ducky (brown switch) at home.

I have an ergodox being shipped, with blue switches to replace my torpe at work.
Will probably get another with red switches for home.

Programmer and gamer.

I haven't read much about Torpe. When you say "smooth", are you referring to the texture of the keycaps or the feel of the action? I am curious.

Thank you for the other suggestions as well. I have quite a bit more reading to do before I make my decision, it looks like. =)

[Serge]

Hi everyone,

I have been a proud and happy user of IBM / Lexmark Model M keyboards for many years now. However, I've decided that it is time for me to join the modern era and get a keyboard that uses one of those newfangled USB interconnects and a Windows key. So I am soliciting suggestions for a new keyboard.

Second the CM Quickfire TK with Cherry Blue switches, although I believe that you can get them with Black or Brown ones.
They are a good balance of size and functionality, and feel very solid.

Of course, I can't imagine what one would use the Windows key for...

Regarding the Windows key: I used to be heavy on customizing everything about my software to be just the way I like it, but ultimately I've come to the decision that except in the most heaviest of use cases, I prefer to not customzie unnecessarily and leave things at defaults as much as I can, and with that in mind I am noticing that more and more default deployments of modern graphical software makes some use of the Windows key. For example, the Windows key appears to be very beneficial in the default config for GNOME Shell on Fedora 20. I can, of course, change all of that, but part of my interest in wanting to use Fedora with GNOME is because I want to experience what the Fedora GNOME packagers feel is a good default setup for a graphical environment, instead of just immediately jumping to my own presumptions about what a GUI should be and not giving conflicting opinions a chance.

[Serge]

If you like Model Ms, have you considered a Unicomp keyboard?

I have read extremely unflattering things about Unicomp-manufactured Model Ms. I am dubious.

[bridgman]

I am curious to see how you, as a satisfied user of Red switches, will feel about Blue switches, so for my own selfish reasons I hope you do not change your order. =)

No worries. Worst case I was going to end up with two KBs using red switches and one using blue -- definitely want to try using the two switches side-by-side.

In the end I decided to leave the order as-is, although I guess I may still live to regret it. I don't like the looks of the Razer BW TE as much as the other two -- the Corsair has a very slick art-deco look, the CM Rapid is clean & simple, but the BW seems a bit gaudy by comparison. That said, the Razer is well regarded except by the folks who damage the exposed USB connector coming out the back and I guess a few blinking LEDs will add some colour to the place.

I find I don't miss the numeric pad much at all, although it would be different if I worked on spreadsheets a lot. The biggest change for me was that I had gotten used to hammering the rightmost enter key at the end of paragraphs, sort of a "damn I'm glad that's finished" gesture. I work faster when I don't do that (since a TKL keyboard doesn't have that right hand enter key), but it was kind of satisfying

[entropy]

I have read extremely unflattering things about Unicomp-manufactured Model Ms. I am dubious.

I'm extremely happy with my Unicomp keyboards!

[tom.higgy]

I've been using a Dell SK-8115 for many years that was being thrown out from an old job. I'm not sure why as it seems solidly built, 'clicky' and never gone wrong for me yet. I use it mostly for programming and only occasionally for gaming. Recently picked up another for ?4, or around $6.

[efikkan]

Das Keyboard is good, but Filco is the best. It is worth every penny, and will outlast your computer (in fact 2-3 computers).

[bridgman]

Das Keyboard is good, but Filco is the best. It is worth every penny, and will outlast your computer (in fact 2-3 computers).

I hadn't heard about Filco until now... they do seem to be very well regarded.

Unfortunately the first hit when I searched was this :



Size is perfect... colour, not so much.

http://products.ncix.com/detail/filco-majestouch-2-limited-edition-32-74404.htm

[Serge]

No worries. Worst case I was going to end up with two KBs using red switches and one using blue -- definitely want to try using the two switches side-by-side.

In the end I decided to leave the order as-is, although I guess I may still live to regret it. I don't like the looks of the Razer BW TE as much as the other two -- the Corsair has a very slick art-deco look, the CM Rapid is clean & simple, but the BW seems a bit gaudy by comparison. That said, the Razer is well regarded except by the folks who damage the exposed USB connector coming out the back and I guess a few blinking LEDs will add some colour to the place.

I find I don't miss the numeric pad much at all, although it would be different if I worked on spreadsheets a lot. The biggest change for me was that I had gotten used to hammering the rightmost enter key at the end of paragraphs, sort of a "damn I'm glad that's finished" gesture. I work faster when I don't do that (since a TKL keyboard doesn't have that right hand enter key), but it was kind of satisfying

I agree that the keypad is of limited utility to the vast majority of use cases. I've repurposed mine and it's become a part of my standard workflow. However, the more I think about it, the more I realize I don't need dedicated keys for the kind of functionality I am seeking and can instead just replicate it via longer multi-key combos.

If you have some time to use your new keyboards and get a rough feel for how you like them, I would appreciate it if you could add your thoughts to this thread. I am leaving town in several days and don't want the keyboard arriving when I am not home, so I'm probably going to wait until a week into March to place my order, which I hope will be enough time for you to form some opinions on how the switches compare.

[Serge]

Das Keyboard is good, but Filco is the best. It is worth every penny, and will outlast your computer (in fact 2-3 computers).

Thank you for the endorsement. Yours is the second mention of Filco in this thread, so I will definitely be keeping them in mind as well.

About durability: yeah, that's nice. I get a kick out of flipping over one of my Model Ms and see the year on the bottom is 1983. A friend of mine, who first turned me on to Model Ms, also uses a Model F and those I believe haven't been manufactured since the 70s.