Good quality "clickety" keyboards

BrianD3

I'm typing this on my lovely IBM Model M buckling spring keyboard. It's one of those "clickety" type keyboards with a very crisp feel when you press a key. These keyboards are also big, heavy, very solidly built and should last for decades

All modern keyboards even the fairly expensive ones from Microsoft and Logitech are rubbish in comparison. There's just no feel from the keys, they're soft and mushy and they're made entirely from nasty cheap plastic and cluttered up with finnicky sh1t like windows keys and internet navigation keys. Uugh.....

Luckily, you can still buy proper keyboards brand new. IBM no longer make the Model M but a company www.pckeyboard.com now owns the technology and produces exact clones of the old IBMs which they call "Customizer" They're identical to the IBM except for the logo. They're not cheap at $79 plus shipping for a 102 key UK English one, but it's worth it in my opinion.

However, there have been reports of the old IBMs not working properly with some pentium 4 motherboards. Don't know if this applies to the Customizer as well. Also, naturally enough, these keyboards don't offer wireless or USB connections, only PS/2.

So does anyone else here use one of these PROPER keyboards, if not what sort of keyboard do you use and just how sh1t is it?

BrianD3

Giblet

I use the Mircosoft internet keyboard and it's fine, real comfortable. But the old dell keyboards are my favourite. HUGE they were.

Stephen

I have an old IBM keyboard, came from one of their Intellistation workstations. Its black and compact, not clicky though. Has been serving me well for about 4/5 years now. No extra buttons or any of that sh1te.

i like it, pity the plastic clip-on wrist-rest thing that came with it is cracked.

BrianD3

But the old dell keyboards are my favourite. HUGE they were.

I have one of those Dells. Yeah they're huge compared to most keyboards. They're nearly the same size as the IBM model M except the IBM is about 3/4 inch wider. But the bad thing about the Dells is that they're not buckling spring. They still feel fairly clicky but the feel is more like that of the IBM EHQ (enhanced quiet touch) than that of the Model M.

BrianD3

Draupnir

I use a Gateway keyboard, bout 3 and a half years old, and its got that clicky feel too, I love this bad boy but gonna replace it soon, I might actually scavenge a Mac keyboard cos they look the business with all that see through plastic

sceptre

Ah that brings back memories. Those IBM clickety keyboards. Most old IBMs have a BIOS option to turn the clickyness on or off, assuming that the keyboard supports it. Those keyboards will outlive me (and some of them are probably heavier than I am)

Bob Cringely mentioned in Accidental Empires that the clickiness was added in by IBM at the last minute after a focus group with secretaries. The secertaries wanted the clicky keys of a typewriter, hence IBM gave them that.

Incidentally I use the keyboard that came with my deskpro (it's your typically generic 105-key thing). I've used a similar keyboard for the past six or seven years and I'm broadly happy with it. I've been tempted at times to get something nice with little email buttons and a volume control but I've never got around to switching. Besides, I have another Compaq keyboard in plastic in the spare room for when this one gets too clicky (which should be in about six months). I love the silence of a nice new keyboard - if I had money to throw away I'd get myself a new one every month (I don't so they usually last about 2 years). Sorry Brian, I'm worthless to the cause:)

Ryaner

I've currently got a gateway one. Lovely one it is. I've use of one of the old gateway2000 ones in work. It's got extra F buttons(F1,F2 etc) on the left handside it that old :P
I'm looking to upgrade so anyone know any good silver keyboards? Would like a multimedia one but hmmm. NO wireless though.

BrianD3

Those IBM clickety keyboards. Most old IBMs have a BIOS option to turn the clickyness on or off, assuming that the keyboard supports it.

Not quite sure what you mean by this. The click on the IBMs (well my one anyway) comes from the mechanical switch and spring that are under each key and can definitely not be disabled or turned off. You seem to be saying that the click is a "sound effect" produced by the PC - e.g. from the internal speaker. That's interesting but I've never heard of this before.

I love the silence of a nice new keyboard - if I had money to throw away I'd get myself a new one every month (I don't so they usually last about 2 years). Sorry Brian, I'm worthless to the cause

That's OK What I find with the silent keyboards is that I make loads of mistakes when typing because there is very little signal (aural or tactile) from the keyboard that a key has actually been pressed. So I find myself leaving out letters in words and having to correct them.

Anyhow, the IBM/Customizer is not the only decent keyboard on the market. There's another one called the Northgate Omnikey which is another famous keyboard. It's also a buckling spring design (not quite as clickety as the IBM though by all accounts) is heavy and built to last. An interesting feature of this one is it is programmable with remappable keys using dip switches and software. Northgate are no longer in business but another company CVT has taken over the manufacturing of the keyboards and are marketing them as the Avant Prime and Avant Stellar. But they're very expensive, around $150-$180 plus shipping.
http://cvtinc.com/kybdfeatures.htm

BrianD3