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Why the Amazon Basics Keyboard Is My Favorite Keyboard

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Re: Why the Amazon Basics Keyboard Is My Favorite Keyboard

#291

Post by lewisflude »

Havoc wrote: post #214
moron4hire wrote: post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think they'd get a better typing experience spending $25. The Amazon Basics keyboard is the worst keyboard I've ever used. This article is just forcefully contrarian.

>This article is just forcefully contrarian. I've been typing on some I like it in the it does the job sense & I can leave it on my desk if away for a month or three without worrying about someone damaging or stealing it.

Nothing wrong with logitech keyboards! It's a bit like high end audio, once you've tried it, it's hard to go back but it's certainly not something you absolutely need to do to get by.

I don't need to worry about someone stealing my current keyboard though, it weighs over 6kg!

Re: Why the Amazon Basics Keyboard Is My Favorite Keyboard

#292

Post by lewisflude »

moron4hire wrote: post #178
lewisflude wrote: post #33

I'm a keyboard enthusiast, I have a collection of ~15 mechanical keyboards with various switches, hand lubed, modded (spring swapped, stem swapped) various materials and sizes from the plastic HHKB to the monstrous TX1800 (fits the keys you'd find in a full size keyboard into the frame of a TKL). I'm happy the writer has found a keyboard that works for them. Although I think that they'd be able to get a better typing…

I think they'd get a better typing experience spending $25. The Amazon Basics keyboard is the worst keyboard I've ever used. This article is just forcefully contrarian.

If I had $25 to buy one keyboard, I'd probably get something from Logitech. The typing experience wouldn't be good by keyboard enthusiast standards, but more than good enough to actually get things done and not complain about how things feel.

Re: Why the Amazon Basics Keyboard Is My Favorite Keyboard

#293

Post by lewisflude »

bluedino wrote: post #100
lewisflude wrote: post #33

I'm a keyboard enthusiast, I have a collection of ~15 mechanical keyboards with various switches, hand lubed, modded (spring swapped, stem swapped) various materials and sizes from the plastic HHKB to the monstrous TX1800 (fits the keys you'd find in a full size keyboard into the frame of a TKL). I'm happy the writer has found a keyboard that works for them. Although I think that they'd be able to get a better typing…

You might collect Ferraris, which might all be objectively Robust Wire / USB Cable better than a Honda Civic, but you aren't going to drive one every day.

My logic is that it's good to invest in a good mattress cause you spend 8 hours a night in one, good shoes because you spend another 8 hours in them and a good keyboard as I'll typically spend a lot of my day typing.

Now, the main reason I've not just bought one good keyboard and continued is honestly because the custom mechanical keyboard community is so nice. People design their own keyboard cases, caps, parts and there's so many ways of putting your dream keyboard together.

Re: Why the Amazon Basics Keyboard Is My Favorite Keyboard

#294

Post by lewisflude »

justwalt wrote: post #191
cr0sh wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a Model M with the flow-thru option; keyboard is probably 30 years old or so. My mobo still has a PS/2 port, but I bought an adapter for USB when that time comes. Other than needing a really deep cleaning (something I really need to do) - it works flawlessly. And it doesn't have any of the "Windows Key" junk that happened in the 90s to distract from my *nix aesthetic. Only downside is that it is beige, while t…

There was a Linus tech tips video a while back about a new run of copycat Model M keyboards using some combination old tooling and new techniques (I don’t remember the specifics at the moment). Are you familiar with those boards at all?

IBM sold off their keyboard division to Lexmark, and eventually Lexmark decided to stop doing keyboards, so two Lexmark employees bought the tooling to make the very last model of the "Lexmark Model M" and still make them to this day under the Unicomp brand.

Re: Why the Amazon Basics Keyboard Is My Favorite Keyboard

#295

Post by dasKrokodil »

Havoc wrote: post #211
PascLeRasc wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't really blame him though, if you assume Amazon is the standard marketplace for everything all you'll find is Cherry blue and red switches, and Razer/Logitech's versions of those. It wasn't until I attended a mechanical keyboard conference that I found out about Zealios, by far my favorite switch but near-impossible to find in pre-built boards. Even Clears, which are really great and my favorite Cherry switch,…

So if I had to buy something off amazon, what would I be searching for? (Gamer & programmer, preference quiet keys)

Kinesis Edge

Re: Why the Amazon Basics Keyboard Is My Favorite Keyboard

#296

Post by stunt »

cr0sh wrote: post #169
paxys wrote: post #138

I urge everyone to get an ergonomic keyboard. Your hands will thank you as you get older.

How much older is older? I'm 46 years old, been programming a computer since I was 10 (TRS-80 Color Computer 2 - with the "melted" keyboard - not exactly ergo), and I currently use a classic Model M (not a Unicomp - a real one made by Lexmark, that inexplicably has the flow-thru option on it for some reason - bit of a unicorn from what I gather). I've used keyboards in my career of all types, including ones on a VT-1…

Not everybody dies because of smoking! But, it is proven to increase the risk significantly.

Re: Why the Amazon Basics Keyboard Is My Favorite Keyboard

#297

Post by nickjj »

jacobolus wrote: post #287
nickjj wrote: post #275

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly. And now 6+ hours and hundreds of comments later I went through the comments and I still haven't seen anyone post a single mechanical keyboard that matches my requirements at any price point. It's just dozens of posts about needing to be a keyboard surgeon and assembling a selection of carefully picked pieces without any end to end guides. For the most part I just want to plug it in, have it feel good and wri…

It’s not my personal cup of tea, but one keyboard that should meet your requirements (and is a whole lot nicer to type on than the Amazon keyboard, assuming you are willing to pay a lot more) is the Topre Realforce, http://www.realforce.co.jp/en/products/R2SA-US4-IV/index.htm... https://amzn.com/B07K9CH5WS

At a glance all I see is that it's missing a bunch of media keys and is $350 instead of $15.

But ignoring price, what improvements will I see vs my existing keyboard? At a non-competitive level, the human level is likely dictating how many WPM I can type. At 80 WPM, upgrading to this keyboard won't turn me into a 120 WPM typist. Maybe I'll gain a few WPM but that's not the bottleneck for delivering code on time.

Also how is your recommended keyboard different than a run of a mill $50 mechanical keyboard that I've tried in the past?

Re: Why the Amazon Basics Keyboard Is My Favorite Keyboard

#298

Post by cyberjunkie »

I use a Cherry MX Blue keyboard at home and I have the same model I bought 12 years ago for work too. I wanted to try out something quiet, affordable, with lesser travel and something that doesn't annoy people around me. The post makes me want to try out the AmazonBasics one and the Logitech K120.

Not too much to lose.

Re: Why the Amazon Basics Keyboard Is My Favorite Keyboard

#299

Post by jdhawk »

smacktoward wrote: post #183
lcall wrote: post #147

For what it may be worth to anyone, as someone who prefers an "ergonomic" split keyboard with a softer touch (so my hands and wrists don't get stiff; I also use a brace on the right hand just when typing), I have used several keyboards, and strongly disliking the Microsoft one (my hands hurt worse: some keys I use heavily like Alt and/or Space felt stiff), I tried a probably inexpensive one I really liked (but left t…

The Microsoft ergonomic keyboards have been on a long, slow decline since they first came out in the mid-'90s. The original Natural/Natural Elite/Natural Pro keyboards were fantastic, real tanks. Those eventually devolved into the Natural 4000/7000, which had the same good layout as the originals but soft, mushy keyswitches that would fail if you looked at them funny. And those eventually devolved into the modern Scu…

The Sculpt was really close to being a worthy successor in my mind, but they totally screwed up the FN keys.

They are a different size, height, and actuation. A real killer for people who actually use FN keys.

Re: Why the Amazon Basics Keyboard Is My Favorite Keyboard

#300

Post by PascLeRasc »

nickjj wrote: post #297
jacobolus wrote: post #287

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s not my personal cup of tea, but one keyboard that should meet your requirements (and is a whole lot nicer to type on than the Amazon keyboard, assuming you are willing to pay a lot more) is the Topre Realforce, http://www.realforce.co.jp/en/products/R2SA-US4-IV/index.htm... https://amzn.com/B07K9CH5WS

At a glance all I see is that it's missing a bunch of media keys and is $350 instead of $15. But ignoring price, what improvements will I see vs my existing keyboard? At a non-competitive level, the human level is likely dictating how many WPM I can type. At 80 WPM, upgrading to this keyboard won't turn me into a 120 WPM typist. Maybe I'll gain a few WPM but that's not the bottleneck for delivering code on time. Also…

I used to live with a roommate who listened to music at 2x speed. He said it was more efficient since he could hear more music in the same amount of time. A lot of these comments remind me of that mentality - mechanical keyboards are basically just a toy for typists or a piece of nice industrial design. It's something to enjoy, there's not much more to read into it.
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