amuck-landowner

Need a new keyboard

raindog308

raindog308

vpsBoard Premium Member
Moderator
I use the Microsoft Natural as well...(lifts it up)...model 4000 at the moment.

I hate regular keyboards now - ergo for life.

I should probably get a Dvorak layout...I already type fast and wonder how much faster I could be.
 
A

AMDbuilder

Active Member
Verified Provider
I've also used the Microsoft Natural Keyboard 4000 in the past, and it's a great option.  My last one died prematurely - space bar stopped working - which I wouldn't call typical.  I ended up replacing it with a SteelSeries Apex Raw, which lights up and gives me a ton of hotkeys.

I would have gone with a Mechanical keyboard had one been available in town with hotkeys.
 
MannDude

MannDude

Just a dude
vpsBoard Founder
Moderator
Hmm, I decided on the Microsoft Natural Keyboard 4000 from Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000A6PPOK/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

It wasn't the highest reviewed option, though it has a ton more sales then the one or two keyboards I saw with higher ratings. It looks more comfortable than the others. Main complaints I see is that the letters wear off from the keys with heavy use. Meh. As long as 'F' and 'J' have that little raised edge on them I can live without seeing the letters.

Should be here Thursday. I'll report back once it arrives and let you know how it feels.

I'm going to be re-doing my home office soon. Probably going to build a desk because right now I am using two different sized desks that were from Goodwill. Cheap, crappy desks. Also need a proper office chair as this $70 chair I bought from Staples about 10 months ago is already literally falling a apart. I broke the back off of it partially by leaning back / stretching in it and I had a kitten living with my for a few months that decided it was the purrfect scratching post...

I'm gonna get comfortable at the computer eventually.
 
T

tonyg

New Member
Man, I guess when you pass a certain age, change comes at a slower pace.

The keyboards at my two workstations at the office:

IBM Model M circa 1984

Dell AT101W circa 1990

I like good feedback from a key press and these two, specially the IBM are tops.
 
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drmike

drmike

100% Tier-1 Gogent
I love the IBM Model M's :)  Was just tripping on one the other night in old gear pile of mine... might clean it up and get it wired up...  Crazy to see new-in-box ones listed for $600 on Ebay right now.

I tend to use el cheapo keyboards with center hump style and sculpted overall area... Nothing fancy...  They are throwaways / use and replace every couple years tops.

Using a mega cheap LARGE letter keyboard right now... I buy them, wear the keys and pitch them...  Can justify that with $10 keyboard....

Part of it is hygiene... Pretty nasty what lurks in folks keyboards.... and why I am not breaking out a small fortune for one ever...  Office policy for any new employee is if not a new computer, they always get a new mouse and keyboard.. others get thrown in storage for parts/crash carts/whatever....
 
drmike

drmike

100% Tier-1 Gogent
MannDude said:
Take a sticky note and slide it between the rows of keys if you truly want to be disgusted...
Click to expand...
Bahaha... heavy card stock works even better... useless business cards do quite well...

Years ago I used this method with a health company whining about my eccentricity on replacing gear for new employees....

Here watch this - swipe with biz card... Send that pile off to the lab for analysis.. Then I turned it over and beat the living hell out of the keyboard.. big ole pile of randomness on a white table swept it into a pile and into a bag... Had the medical director send it off to the lab... Needless to say owners/managers were grossed out by what they found and never questioned my insanity on that again...

I'd have notebooks/laptops come back in from the field with all sorts of human secretions unintentionally.. People are human, think no will notice.. Ehh I try not, jerky.

Input devices are simply NASTY.  Filth heaps of everything.  I'll stop now, making myself ill...  Thinking about people and their smartphones and lending said nasty things to one another for a quick use...  Still can't believe touchscreen is so prevalent, even especially in shared environments....  Restaurants come to mind.
 
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drmike

drmike

100% Tier-1 Gogent
DasKeyboards available with labels also?  How about a LED backlit?  Two features I just prefer if I could find them.

Thanks for making the parallel... :)
 
Aldryic C'boas

Aldryic C'boas

The Pony
Labels yes - the Professional model has marked keys.  Just the Ultimate model is blank.  I don't believe they have a backlit model - but I think @Dylan linked a similar keyboard that has the same keyswitches (tactile feedback), and is backlit.
 
Coastercraze

Coastercraze

Top Thrill
Verified Provider
I currently have a Logitech G105 CoD edition (got it cheap - about $35.) Took some time to get used to it, but it works. Had a Saitek Cyborg V.5 before this and that was better typing wise (BB clearance for $49). Both are backlit which was something I liked / had to have for some reason haha.

If I recall there is a company that makes waterproof keyboards which can be thrown into a dishwasher to be cleaned (no dry cycle of course).
 
Dylan

Dylan

Active Member
drmike said:
Corsair looks nifty. Now I just need need it metal - steel ideally. ;)
Click to expand...
The Corsair is aluminum. Very solid, heavy build.

If you like extra clicky keys a la the Model M make sure you're looking at the Cherry MX Blue version (the different switches have different levels of tactility).
 
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A

AMDbuilder

Active Member
Verified Provider
MannDude said:
Meh. As long as 'F' and 'J' have that little raised edge on them I can live without seeing the letters.
Click to expand...
Yes, and in the ~13 months I got out of my last one the keys didn't wear off that much.  Yes, my heavily used keys did show some wear and tear, but all remained visible.  If the spacebar didn't die on me (I haven't taken it apart to check why yet) I figure it would take another 1-2 years for the keys to be totally gone.

I've seen some NASTY keyboards over the years... as @drmike put it best, I'll avoid making myself sick... Changing them often is a great thing!
 
KS_Phillip

KS_Phillip

New Member
Verified Provider
drmike said:
I love the IBM Model M's :)  Was just tripping on one the other night in old gear pile of mine... might clean it up and get it wired up...  Crazy to see new-in-box ones listed for $600 on Ebay right now.

I tend to use el cheapo keyboards with center hump style and sculpted overall area... Nothing fancy...  They are throwaways / use and replace every couple years tops.

Using a mega cheap LARGE letter keyboard right now... I buy them, wear the keys and pitch them...  Can justify that with $10 keyboard....

Part of it is hygiene... Pretty nasty what lurks in folks keyboards.... and why I am not breaking out a small fortune for one ever...  Office policy for any new employee is if not a new computer, they always get a new mouse and keyboard.. others get thrown in storage for parts/crash carts/whatever....
Click to expand...
Some of us dismantle and clean our keyboards monthly :)
 
SPINIKR-RO

SPINIKR-RO

New Member
Verified Provider
I have had a das keyboard on the Amazon wish list but I have never gone through with it. Looks amazing, hard to justify the money.
 
MannDude

MannDude

Just a dude
vpsBoard Founder
Moderator
This is my first sentence typed on my new keyboard.... This is going to take a little while to get used to but it feels alright so far. :)
 
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