4 ms·

I am not a big fan of Cherry keyboards in terms of typing experience - on those I have used, I had to push the keys pretty hard, and there was little tactile or

by krylon 10y ago

I am not a big fan of Cherry keyboards in terms of typing experience - on those I have used, I had to push the keys pretty hard, and there was little tactile or acoustic feedback. It feels like dipping my fingers into cold honey. On the other hand, those things pretty much last forever, I have two of 'em still sitting on my shelf that must be 16 to 18 years old, and they worked perfectly the last time I used them. They are still PS/2, so I can no longer attach them to any of my machines, but something inside me refuses to throw away gear that still works.

TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago
PS/2 to USB adaptors aren't very expensive.
hibbelig 10y ago
My private machine is an MBP and I like the feeling of the keyboard. So I bought a Cherry Clean Desktop, and it's a pretty good approximation of that MBP feeling. Slightly more force is needed, but only slightly.
traverseda 10y ago
That seems... weird. What are you comparing them to in terms of feedback? Was it some bizarre switch like the cherry MX red?
- tinco 10y ago
  No, he's using Cherry keyboards from the 90's of early 2000's. Those are membrane so regular mushy keyboards. Cherry is famous for the mechanical keys it produces but it still caught the membrane wave so it could be relevant in the 90s.
  - krylon 10y ago
    Back then, Cherry sold "noiseless" keyboard that did not click (at least not very loudly) when typing on them. I have no idea if those were mechanical of not, but I did not like the way they felt (but like I said, they were extremely reliable). So I guess the more expensive Cherry keyboards are closer to, say, a Model M. Good to know, I will keep that in mind when shopping for a keyboard the next time.
    - ajsalminen 10y ago
      They still produce tactile clicky, tactile but fairly silent and linear (not clicky, not tactile) varieties of even mechanical switches. All of these varieties are quite different and you can get them with different kinds of springs. I don't know if all these varieties are available in keyboards straight from Cherry but multiple version of all of them are found in keyboards by other manufacturers that utilize Cherry switches.
    - michaelcampbell 10y ago
      There are lots of refurb Model M's around if you want one. Or if you want a 'new' one, you can get Unicomps (pckeyboard.com) that uses the same buckling spring tech.
      - krylon 10y ago
        I used to own a Model M. Must have been twenty years old, but it still was in great condition. Then I gave it to my parenty, hoping that such an old school keyboard would make them feel more at home when using the PC. Turned out they never used the damn thing and then - I hope you are sitting down! - threw it out. They're my parents, and I love them dearly. But that made me kind of sad.
tinco 10y ago
Take off the caps and throw the rest of the keyboard away, what you have are likely worthless membrane keyboards, not the mechanical ones Cherry is famous for. (When throwing away do of course break them open to see if there's actually a membrane there, if there's not then you might have Cherry blacks which some people do appreciate.)

by krylon 10y ago

TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago

PS/2 to USB adaptors aren't very expensive.

hibbelig 10y ago

My private machine is an MBP and I like the feeling of the keyboard. So I bought a Cherry Clean Desktop, and it's a pretty good approximation of that MBP feeling. Slightly more force is needed, but only slightly.

traverseda 10y ago

That seems... weird. What are you comparing them to in terms of feedback? Was it some bizarre switch like the cherry MX red?

tinco 10y ago
No, he's using Cherry keyboards from the 90's of early 2000's. Those are membrane so regular mushy keyboards. Cherry is famous for the mechanical keys it produces but it still caught the membrane wave so it could be relevant in the 90s.
- krylon 10y ago
  Back then, Cherry sold "noiseless" keyboard that did not click (at least not very loudly) when typing on them. I have no idea if those were mechanical of not, but I did not like the way they felt (but like I said, they were extremely reliable). So I guess the more expensive Cherry keyboards are closer to, say, a Model M. Good to know, I will keep that in mind when shopping for a keyboard the next time.
  - ajsalminen 10y ago
    They still produce tactile clicky, tactile but fairly silent and linear (not clicky, not tactile) varieties of even mechanical switches. All of these varieties are quite different and you can get them with different kinds of springs. I don't know if all these varieties are available in keyboards straight from Cherry but multiple version of all of them are found in keyboards by other manufacturers that utilize Cherry switches.
  - michaelcampbell 10y ago
    There are lots of refurb Model M's around if you want one. Or if you want a 'new' one, you can get Unicomps (pckeyboard.com) that uses the same buckling spring tech.
    - krylon 10y ago
      I used to own a Model M. Must have been twenty years old, but it still was in great condition. Then I gave it to my parenty, hoping that such an old school keyboard would make them feel more at home when using the PC. Turned out they never used the damn thing and then - I hope you are sitting down! - threw it out. They're my parents, and I love them dearly. But that made me kind of sad.

tinco 10y ago

Take off the caps and throw the rest of the keyboard away, what you have are likely worthless membrane keyboards, not the mechanical ones Cherry is famous for. (When throwing away do of course break them open to see if there's actually a membrane there, if there's not then you might have Cherry blacks which some people do appreciate.)