Keyboard recommendation

[tinman_72]

Anyone know of a good keyboard that will last a while and doesn't have mushy keys? Everyone seems to go all googlie eyed over mechanical keys but I don't like the ones I have seen. The problem I have is that when typing, if my finger so much as brushes against a nearby key, they are both activated. I want one that is more "clicky". Harder to press at the beginning and/or does not send a signal until the button is pressed completely to it's extent.
I used to be able to go to the local Fry's and check out dozens of keyboard first-hand but now the only avenue is Best Buy or Wally World, both of which only have a few keyboards on display and I don't like any of them.

 

[rubydist]

I have had good luck with the Logitech brand, they are reliable and have good key feel.

 

[Roert42]

There are many different types of switches in mechanical keyboards.

Cherry MX Blue keyboards are known for having a heavy loud key. Probably what you want.

I think Cherry MX Red is the most common type of mechanical keyboard because they are light and don't take much pressure to press.


Here is a good article that explains the differences in switches. https://www.daskeyboard.com/blog/mechanical-keyboard-guide/

 

[Chapap]

I've recently been through a keyboard kick of sorts. regular, cheapie keyboards are membrane boards. there's a rubber mat with a molded dome under each key. there's a contact glued on the bottom of the dome and the other contact is on the circuit board underneath. the key collapses the dome and contacts touch. As it turns out I really don't like that. the actuation point doesn't consistently line up with the physical "breaking point" of the dome. There are variations on it but they're all basically the same.

The other option is mechanical keys. I have a hot-swapable keyboard so I could play with a couple brands of switches. A spring gives the resistance, so it's nice and consistant. There's linear (zero breaking point), clicky (same as linear but a loud click at the activation point), and tactile (physical break at activation). I like tactile. Gateron and Cherry are big switch makers. I got a Keychron keyboard that came with Gateron Brown switches, but didn't quite like them. I swapped them out for Glorious Pandas, lubed them and love it. If you get too far in the keyboard world, you'll spend more on a keyboard than you ever imagined. I've got like $150 in mine.

 

[tinman_72]

rubydist - Logitech is mostly what the local stores carry and I don't care for the mushy feel of the keys. Thanks for the input.

Roert42 - That is some good info, thanks for the link

Chapap - Tactile sounds like what I am looking for. I mentioned clicky before due to a lack of knowing the correct verbage. An actual loud clicky keyboard would be annoying. Anyone know of keyboards that come with tactile keys that I won't have to swap out?

I forgot to mention that I have a couple of Dell keyboards from maybe 10-20 years ago that have a perfect feel. The only problem is that when gaming, you can only use a couple of keys at a time, pressing three buttons at once doesn't always register.

 

[Chapap]

logitech makes a fine keyboard with some mechanical switches. not great feeling but better than anything else that's mainstream. Keychron comes with gateron switches that are a tad better. they're my first recommendation. if you get the hotswapable version, you can get some glorious pandas later if you so choose. those are my favorite switches. Can get them around $0.95 per switch. they're night and day better if you do allot of typing.

Those old keyboards have a buckling spring mechanism. Some really like that feel.

 

[sgtsandman]

I prefer the clacky keyboard myself. I like the feel better and I think they are built better and last longer. The one I'm using now has been great and seems to be holding up better than the "more modern" ones used at work and other places.

 

[SenorNoob]

It sounds like you prefer the old school buckling spring keyboards.

I felt the same way. It's just what I grew up with. Take a look at Cherry (Yes the same company that makes the mechanical keys) Point-Of-Sale keyboards. I bought one several years ago and have really liked it.

Cherry POS Keyboard

 

[funguy26]

I have a HyperX keyboard was like $50 for it. has RGB and can be turn off if you don't like it.

 

[dvdswan]

The Most Expensive Keyboards That May Be A Total Waste Of Money (slashgear.com)

don't mind the prices...

 

[Chapap]

Centerpiece is a mechanical keyboard with a high-res display beneath transparent keys

The Finalmouse Centerpiece keyboard features a technology called Laminated DisplayCircuit Glass Stack (LDGS) that's covered by multiple patents and backed by years of R&D. As best we...

www.techspot.com

Never would have thought to want one, but now I do.

 

[James Morse]

emachines

 

[Blmpkn]

My buddys a total PC gamer nerd who puts a ton of hours on his stuff and wears by razer.. razor? One or the other

 

[Roert42]

I've never used any of their stuff, so take this with a grain of salt. Razor stuff is expensive, and I always though you were paying more for the brand then anything. They sponsor a lot of gaming stuff and advertise a lot.

 

[Chapap]

There's quite a few specs that I don't care about, and never researched. Things like latency and rollover. I honestly don't see any benefit in reducing latency by a few ms, but that's a big thing apparently. If you're looking for a full size and/or (especially and) wireless keyboard, the options dwindle to nearly nil.