5 ms·
There are a number of Chinese keyboards (with "Cherry-like" switches) for about $40 (e.g. [1]). As others pointed out, the switches are the more expensive part,
by mhd 10y ago
There are a number of Chinese keyboards (with "Cherry-like" switches) for about $40 (e.g. [1]). As others pointed out, the switches are the more expensive part, especially now that only few manufactures make them (Cherry, mostly). But it seems that the market amongst gamers has grown large enough that there's some competition coming on. Regarding their quality, I'll doubt they'll outlive Model M buckling springs, but shouldn't fare worse than modern laptop/Apple scissor switches. (This being a gamer thing, styling is often not that great, either. The "tenkeyless" ones are minimalistic enough to be okay, and you don't have to turn on the "Tokyo by Night" mode)
[1]: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016MAK38U https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016MAK38U
I'd disagree with the pricing though. Even a good non-mech one should cost more than that, it's just that keyboards have been getting crappier as people don't use them anymore.
- fizixer 10y agoThe keyboard you mentioned, I'll buy it in a heartbeat if it didn't have red coloring (instead, white-on-black markings), backlight. I mean look at the typeface on the keys. Couldn't they stick to standard keyboard [1] typefaces? [1] https://www.google.com/search?q=standard+keyboard https://www.google.com/search?q=standard+keyboard
- mhd 10y agoYeah, stuff sold to gamers tends to be styled horribly, so you sometimes pay a premium just for some restraint. Try getting a half way decent tower case these days that doesn't look like a Tie Fighter crossed with an Amsterdam brothel window. But at least it widens the options a bit and after searching around in that space one might get something half way decent. At least some gamers seem to prefer smaller keyboards, so you can get "tenkeyless" mechanical ones. Just a while ago, every gamer keyboard looked like Rick Wakeman designed it. Them using cherry switch copys, getting replacement keycaps could be an option, but I haven't found a good deal on those yet.