Recommend a keyboard (for a dev)

bobbytables

Hi, I'm in buying mode. I have a new work machine, multiple displays, and a piece of **** logitech keyboard that I swear to god has forced me to nearly break any/all good typing habbits I developed since I was a kid.

/shakes fist @mykeyboard

Anyway I am a developer, I work in Linux every day, and I spend 12+ hours per day doing this.

I love my Razer mouse, it's got lights, it's fast & it feels good. I want a keyboard that does the same. Razer keyboards were the natural choice, but the reviews present their fair share of problems. I mean space bars that don't work and keyboard events that fire without human intervention, although hallarious for some, not for bobby.

So where do I turn?. Also please No Das Keyboards!, they're cool, but FFS seriously

What do I like:

• I like lights on keyboards (backlit keys)
• I like the idea of non-slip (rubber) keys
• I need the audio volume control functions present on most keyboard
• One big gripe I had with my logitech is how close the keys were compared to most keyboards, maybe it's a logitech thing, but I do not like this.
• No ergonomic keyboards. As I said my typing speed has probably reduced by 20WPM because of my current keyboard. I want to hit the ground running, not start over.

With regards budget, I don't really have one. I would prefer a solid recommendation and then I'll worry about cost later. I need a good keyboard. If you write code for a living and hate everybody's keyboard except your own, I want to know what you have.

If you have a Razer keyboard and you can access the majority of its functions within Ubuntu/Linux, and have no complaints I'd like to hear that too.

Lucutus

I've always liked Cherry keyboards.

They're rock solid, perfect for little bobbytables.

bobbytables

Lucutus wrote: »

They're rock solid, perfect for little bobbytables.

Broke my poor mother's heart, I did!. But let that be the end of it

Many Thanks for your recommendation

Spunog UIE

I am curious which logitech keyboard you have I usually find them to be pretty good. I've had a few Razer keyboards and they have all had issues and in general not been very good. The last one I had was the Razer Lycosa and it was dreadful. Very short key travel, poor spacing between the keys, and weird problems like missing key presses. The touch screen yoke at the top for backlighting etc was dodgy as hell too and didn't really work. There is a big gap between Razer mice and their keyboards imo.

Logitech G15 second edition is my keyboard at home. Lovely keyboard to type and 3 levels of brightness of backlit keys. Think the new one lets you pick the colour if thats something your interested in. But really its just a top quality keyboard and one you should definitly checkout. The keys have an unsual feel to them, they are somewhere between rubbery and plastic. Volume controls + custom buttons a plenty. The key travel is a bit longer than some but its nice.

Work keyboard is a logitech mx3200. Pretty cheap wireless affair, takes pencil batteries but its not bad at all if a bit flat. Having used it for years I actually really like the non traditional layout for the home,end,pageup, page end keys. Find them much faster to use than the norm. The zoom strip on the left of the keyboard sucks tho.

I know you said no ergonomic keyboards but I am waiting for this the Microsoft Comfort 3000 keyboard to come out. Its bit different and pretty cheap too so might be worth a look for some people.


G15 Info
MX3200
Microsoft Comfort Curve Keyboard 3000

Sparks

bobbytables wrote: »

No ergonomic keyboards. As I said my typing speed has probably reduced by 20WPM because of my current keyboard. I want to hit the ground running, not start over.

Can't help you so, I'm a huge kinesis fan



I would say though, that if you can actually touch-type (and I mean actually touchtype, not fakecheattouchtype ), it takes about 20-30 minutes to get up to speed on the Kinesis, and about 6 hours to add 10-20% onto your original speed. No kidding. Plus, the lack of stabbing pain in your wrists and not having to ice them is a major bonus for me

stesh

qwerty, definitely qwerty.

onemorechance

stesh wrote: »

qwerty, definitely qwerty.

dvorak, definitely dvorak.

srsly78

Logitech g15 = rubber dome keyboard, same as a cheap e10 jobby. You are paying for the fancy screen etc.

Cherry keyboards etc = same as the DAS. All use the same switches. Very loud, but good to type on. Deck keyboard = like a DAS but backlit, probably the best, but expensive.

Scissor switch (like laptop) keyboards are good, but not durable. Logitech K800 = wireless, backlit, scissor switch. One spill and it it's finished tho.

So, get a DAS - FFS SRSLY. Everyone that tries it is instantly converted.

You could be unlucky and forced to use a **** keyboard like I am sometimes: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4436079/images/IMG_20110609_182106.jpg

Feckless Rogue

I'm a big fan of the Apple wired keyboard myself. Nice feel to it.

Have you seen the Coding Horror keyboard writeup?

fasty

I have a DAS in work, albeit the quieter one with text on the keys and it's pretty awesome.

I still have an older Apple wired keyboard at home that I love typing on. It's the wired version of this:

srsly78

I have the quiet DAS, but it's still unbelievable loud. God only knows what the non-silent one is like :eek:

fasty

I always imagined it must sound like machine gun fire from an A-Team shoot out.

bobbytables

Interesting about the DAS, I thought the Ultimate edition was the only one. I did love the IBM Model M's during the early/mid 90s. Hmmm...

Fair few other recommendations there to think about also....cheers . I know some of you have suggested ergonomic ones, but I'm still not sure. In my early college days I lived with a guy who swore by them, but his hair was way too shiney for a dude, and he also had an unhealthy knowledge of VB4 and the Win32 API. We wanted to tell him, but his parents had money so we stayed quiet and listened to him intently while we drank the copious amounts of spirits he introduced to our humble student abode.

Good times

So Razer keyboards are a no go then?, Anyone have experience with the Razer Anansi or Black Widow Ultimate, etc. Upper end mechanical keyboards? or should I just turn by back on Razer altogether.

srsly78

I've heard the Razers are nice to type on, but tend to break.

It's quite funny having a DAS ultimate sometimes. Wheel it out during interviews "Oh... so you can't touch type?" (das ultimate is the one without keys printed)

And yes everyone that uses an ergo is a wierdo, not as bad as dvorak freaks tho.

Trojan

I love my Cherry keyboard.

Naikon

http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/cus101usenon.html

Don't be fooled, these keyboards as the successor to the IBM model M. Well worth the money.

NeverSayDie

As with most folks, I'm always on the hunt for a good keyboard, tried various models with varying degrees of success. Have a (wireless) Logitech Wave at home at the moment, works pretty nicely, though I don't type very large volumes on it. The key spacing may be a little wide (and that's coming from someone with large hands), but they keys themselves are pretty well placed (it's not a flowery ergonomic layout, but it does curve slightly) and respond well. Has a good built-in palm rest too, plus misc. extra media buttons and the like, and is generally a presentable-looking thing. See here:
http://www.trustedreviews.com/Logitech-Wave-Keyboard_Peripheral_review

For work, I was using my trusty Logitech MX wireless (from several years back), but that gave up the ghost recently, so I grabbed one of the spare bog-standard Dell keyboards we had laying around. Surprisingly, it's actually very good - their previous keyboards I usually found adequate but nothing special, but this one (their latest generation I think) is actually pretty great. It's fairly compact and has a flat low-profile design, but the keys have just about the right amount of travel and a nice light response (without feeling anything like a laptop), spacing is about right too. I'll probably stick to it for the foreseeable in fact. Far as I know it's just the standard-issue keyboard they ship with desktops these days, this may be the one (although they're normally black):
http://accessories.euro.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=ie&l=en&s=dhs&cs=iedhs1&sku=580-16495&~ck=dellSearch&baynote_bnrank=0&baynote_irrank=1

fergalr

http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/p/natural-ergonomic-keyboard-4000/B2M-00012

I use these exclusively (apart from on my laptop, obviously - sadly v hard to find curved keyboard on a laptop).
Great, cheap (you can buy 2 or 3, one of each desk you use), ergonomic, reliable.


My girlfriend really likes kinesis keyboards; key broke, they shipped us another for free to solder on; great keys, (made by the previously mentioned CHERRY) build quality, good customer support. Expensive, but not for a professional tool you use every day. Shape isn't for me, but some people love them.

fergalr

Oh, just realised you said:

bobbytables wrote: »

• No ergonomic keyboards. As I said my typing speed has probably reduced by 20WPM because of my current keyboard. I want to hit the ground running, not start over.

which I think is completely incompatible with:

bobbytables wrote: »

Anyway I am a developer, I work in Linux every day, and I spend 12+ hours per day doing this.

bobbytables wrote: »

I want to hit the ground running, not start over.

You say you type 12 hours a day, but you won't consider using a more ergonomic keyboard, because of the short term productivity hit?


It's a small change, and is completely compatible with occasionally using non-ergonomic keyboards - not talking about switching to dvorak.


Honestly advise against getting stuck in local optimum, if possible.

Kidchameleon

I use one of these:

srsly78

I don't bother with ergonomic keyboards... but it is VERY important to have a good chair + desk at right height. Palm rest + good posture.

I know a guy that has crippled himself because of bad posture. He can no longer use a computer sitting down because of back pain, he has to stand up or lie down!

Dean_Mc

Personally I use a Microsoft Reclusa Gaming keyboard.

Its backlight, great tactile feedback, huge keys and is as joy to type with. I don't use any of the gaming features of it but it does have a Razor powered macro editor if you are into that sort of thing.