11–20 of 104 posts
I have Das Keyboard mechanical keyboards on all of my home systems. I have spinal nerve damage that reduces sensation in some of my fingers. The positive tactile feel of the switches and the clicky sounds are very helpful in compensating for the reduced feeling in my fingers.
I love my HHKB Pro 2. Pricey but worth it. http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=pfu_keyboards,hhk...
Corsair Vengeance K95 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823816...
Note, it is $150 now, but when I bought it it was $130 and newegg pretty regularly has 5% or 10% discounts.
You can get them for significantly cheaper, here is one at $70:
CM Storm QuickFire TK CHERRY MX Brown http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823129...
Regarding the keyboard I got specifically, it has a metal frame and thus both is study as hell and looks/feels really high-end. It has brilliant backlighting and 18! programmable keys which should be interesting.
Getting down to the mechanical aspect itself, I've never been a snob about keyboards, I've been perfectly content with the cheap keyboard that came with my boxed computer, but I kept hearing gamers rave about mechanical keyboeards, so I figured it must be worth trying.
It is amazing. It really surprises me just how enjoyable it makes typing.
If you do a lot of work with computers (I guess that would be almost everyone here) or programming, I think it is one of the better investments you can make.
Someone already posted a link to a subreddit covering the topic, and it is important that you realize that different colored switches have different characteristics and some prefer one to the other, but reds seem to be the most popular.
http://www.reddit.com/r/buildapcsales
is a good place to keep an eye out for sales if you don't want to take the plunge immediately.
Unicomp Keyboards @: http://www.pckeyboard.com/
(Though I guess "lots of cash" is subjective...)
Mechanical keyboards are awesome. Model Ms are cool, but if you want something a bit more modern (with media keys, a slightly smaller footprint, and slightly quieter keys), look into any keyboard that advertises having Cherry MX switches. You can get a great keyboard for only ~$80 (look at the CM Storm QuickFire line - ignore the goofy "pro gamer" marketing, they're wonderful for hacking too!). If you're interested,…
Mechanical keyboards are awesome. Model Ms are cool, but if you want something a bit more modern (with media keys, a slightly smaller footprint, and slightly quieter keys), look into any keyboard that advertises having Cherry MX switches. You can get a great keyboard for only ~$80 (look at the CM Storm QuickFire line - ignore the goofy "pro gamer" marketing, they're wonderful for hacking too!). If you're interested,…
I got a Cooler Master Quickfire Rapid (Rapid is the most "barebones" version of the keyboard; other versions: TK = has a numpad; Stealth = keys printed on the side; Pro = has backlighting) with Cherry MX Blue switches (my favorites for typing; if you're interested I recommend reading up on the switches: http://www.keyboardco.com/blog/index.php/2012/12/an-introduc...)
Before that I had been using a bluetooth Apple keyboard for years; but I felt that I typed sloppily on it and that it hurt my wrists. Changing to mechanical has been great for that; if you're not a touch typist, it'll definitely encourage you to lean that way.
And finally, the amazing things with Cherry MX caps is that you can buy custom caps online (or 3D print your own!). So now my keyboard looks like this, which I find lovely :) http://i.imgur.com/j1jZN1a.jpg
Finally, if you're working in tech, you probably have a crazy hacker friend who owns a Happy Hacking Keyboard and talks about it all the time. Those use Topre switches, which have a different feel than Cherry MX, and are super expensive (300$ when you include shipping and tax); but damn, they look good, are super portable, and quite comfortable (available in black/white and printed/non printed and ansi/mac layouts). However, they're really meant for UNIX usage- if you don't spend 90%+ of your time in terminal applications of some form, then it's not for you. They have a mac layout that makes things a bit easier if you use a mac, but it's still very much hacker oriented. Also, avoid the Lite version- while it is much cheaper, it uses rubber dome switches (the kind of switches in traditional cheap keyboards) and is just not worth it.
The hacker keyboard rabbit hole is a deep one (for example, there are people who swear only by Japanese keyboards because they have a smaller space bar and thus have more meta keys/are more compact). It may seem a little superficial and silly, but hey- you're spending dozens of hours a week on your keyboard. Having something that you feel is comfortable and looks nice can make your computing experience significantly better :)
Mechanical keyboards are awesome. Model Ms are cool, but if you want something a bit more modern (with media keys, a slightly smaller footprint, and slightly quieter keys), look into any keyboard that advertises having Cherry MX switches. You can get a great keyboard for only ~$80 (look at the CM Storm QuickFire line - ignore the goofy "pro gamer" marketing, they're wonderful for hacking too!). If you're interested,…
Nice, compact, great key action. I initially balked at the idea of spending $105 on a keyboard (now $89). After having one, I will never again have a problem justifying a purchase that makes my day-in day-out coding more comfortable and enjoyable.
Don't skimp on your keyboard or your chair. You don't have to go all-out Realforce and Aeron, but don't cheap out either.
I just got a mechanical keyboard over the weekend, specifically: Corsair Vengeance K95 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823816... Note, it is $150 now, but when I bought it it was $130 and newegg pretty regularly has 5% or 10% discounts. You can get them for significantly cheaper, here is one at $70: CM Storm QuickFire TK CHERRY MX Brown http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1682312…
