25 ms·

Why the Amazon Basics Keyboard Is My Favorite Keyboard

• sonofgod 7y ago
  > Your rollover is the worst possible value you get. > With the Amazon Basics keyboard I’ve seen as high as a 6 key rollover when pressing spui<space>c "As high as" implies that you've also seen lower. Which isn't the rollover of the keyboard. My crappy two-key rollover (QWA fails) keyboard supports that specific keystroke combination.
  • the_jeremy 7y ago
    Unless he edited it in the last 10 minutes since your comment, it already says > Out of everything listed about this keyboard, its rollover is its biggest weakness as it only supports a 2 key rollover in the worst case.
    • nickjj 7y ago
      I didn't edit it. That was in the article when I originally posted it. He even quoted me in his quote with "> Your rollover is the worst possible value you get.".
• bakli 7y ago
  I don't even remember why scroll lock exists
  • eropple 7y ago
    At this point: Excel users.
  • danesparza 7y ago
    Thank baby jeebus for Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scroll_Lock https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scroll_Lock
  • jmkb 7y ago
    It's an early implementation of the same idea as the mouse scroll wheel. Engage scroll lock, and the arrow keys are used for scrolling the current text view instead of moving the cursor. The idea of also using it to pause scrolling console text, I think, originated in Linux.
    • bitwize 7y ago
      There was a PC Magazine utility from the 80s, WAITASEC.COM, that allowed you to use Scroll Lock to page through command output that had scrolled off the screen.
  • daguil68367 7y ago
    On fullsize keyboards, Num Lock is less useful than Scroll Lock.
    • equalunique 7y ago
      Numlock would make a lot more sense if fullsize keyboards both didn't have arrow keys at all and also split the 0 numpad key into numlock & 0, so that way it's easier/simpler/ergonomic to toggle. We could also do away with Page Up, Page Down, Home, End, Delete, and Insert, since they're already integrated into the numlock key.
      • pwg 7y ago
        The numlock key exists today because of the keyboard layout of the original IBM PC (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:IBM_Model_F_XT.png https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:IBM_Model_F_XT.png). That original keyboard did not have separate arrow and pgup/pgdown (cursor control) keys, and numlock was how one toggled between the calculator keypad being 'numbers' vs. cursor controls (see the image above). The current 'separated' cursor controls and number pad layout arrived sometime during the IBM AT era, and at that point the 'numlock' key started to make less sense. It was kept around for backwards compatibility with old software that used the state of the numlock key to change its behavior (and/or that relied on the exact scan codes output by the number keypad in combination with the state of the numlock bit).
        • equalunique 7y ago
          You see, my comment was made because I do believe that numlock makes sense. The ANSI layout is wider than it needs to be because of duplicate keys separating the main area from the numpad. Remove those keys, move the numpad further in, put numlock in a more ergonomic spot, and now they everyday keyboard has become more compact, ergonomic, and useful.
  • equalunique 7y ago
    On a Linux/Unix non-X system terminal, enabling Scroll Lock makes the Up and Down arrows function like a scroll wheel instead of iterating over command history like they usually would.
  • ISL 7y ago
    I knew, but had always wondered why anyone needed it. Then, one day, on a bare terminal, output was flying by that I needed to read. The lightbulb went on, and I pressed the key.
  • bitwize 7y ago
    I think only Lotus 1-2-3 actually used it, but Lotus 1-2-3 was literally the entire reason to use early PCs. With Scroll Lock active, in Lotus the movement keys would shift the whole spreadsheet, keeping the current cell highlight steady on the screen, rather than move the current cell highlight.
  • corobo 7y ago
    It's handy to lock your cursor on the right PC if you use Synergy [1] but aside from that I've never used it [1] https://symless.com/synergy https://symless.com/synergy
  • bt848 7y ago
    I map it to lock the screen which makes so much more sense!
• vladharbuz 7y ago
  > Jokes aside, I totally understand the appeal of mechanical keyboards. I’ve used them and it is satisfying to hear that clickity-click sound and the keys do feel amazing but that just doesn’t work for me due to being on so many pair programming calls and recording video courses. I don't like it when people equate mechanical keyboards to loudness. They don't have to be loud! My keyboard has MX Clear switches which are not loud in the slightest, and I personally think they feel miles better than any non-mechanical keyboard I've used.
  • pteraspidomorph 7y ago
    That's what I was thinking. Any decent mechanical keyboard has all of these features and more, and the sound the keys make depends on the switches, of which there are many different types. Some switches are designed to be loud (like the MX Blues) but you don't have to use them. I usually find that people who disparage mechanical keyboards do not actually know a lot about mechanical keyboards...
    • simonsarris 7y ago
      Which decent mechanical keyboard has the feature of being $14.50?
      • notus 7y ago
        Most engineers with jobs aren't making compromises on the price when their goal is comfort and usability.
        • whitehouse3 7y ago
          You're right. I bought a $250 Leopold FC660C to combat repetitive strain injury, because my doctor said to minimize the distance between the home row and my mouse pad. But most less-expensive 60% ("ten key-less") boards either lack arrow keys or have obnoxious, loud switches. These weren't feasible because I use arrow keys all the time for Visual Studio and I work in open-office hell. The Leopold has quiet Topre switches. I'd buy a $15 keyboard in a heartbeat if it wouldn't hurt my wrists. But for me, the Leopold is a medical device. I would have paid twice as much for it, which has nothing to do with the key switches at all. In fact, I did pay 2x for it because I bought one for my home system as well.
• SwetDrems 7y ago
  This is blatant advertising on the front-page of HN. How did a post about a generic keyboard rise so high in such a short period of time?
  • pyronite 7y ago
    What makes you believe the author of this article, who from what I can tell is a long-term active HN user, is advertising for Amazon? Skepticism is good, but you should also be skeptical of the first conclusion it leads you to.
    • egdod 7y ago
      Using an affiliate link without mentioning it is scammy.
      • nickjj 7y ago
        Yes, I have a few affiliate links on my site (on products and services I've used for ~20 years). And those are all super in depth articles. Such as a 4,000+ word post on monitors that I still get emails about years later saying it is the best resource they found on the internet for purchasing a monitor, etc.. I spent about 3,000 hours over 5 years writing the content on my site asking nothing in return. The affiliate sales on my site help pay for hosting and I don't think it's scammy to drop them in when it applies. I also think it would be a little weird if I started every article that has an affiliate link with a 5 paragraph disclaimer to justify why I am using that link, but maybe I should write a post about that and then drop a 1 liner link somewhere. Literally opening a lemonade stand as a grown man would be more profitable than what I make on affiliate sales on my site if you factor in hourly rates.
        • minimaxir 7y ago
          The operative phrase in the original comment was “without mentioning”.
          • 7y ago
• banachtarski 7y ago
  This article is an affront to everything I know and have experienced about keyboards, all to post a non-disclosed affiliate link.
  • GarrisonPrime 7y ago
    I have no problems with affiliate links not being disclosed. Why does it matter? If they're providing a useful link to someone, I don't care if Amazon gives them a few pennies as a reward. If their link is not useful, no one is harmed.
    • corobo 7y ago
      Because it may just be that the article is written around the links, rather than the links inserted into the article. Sure you might not bother buying the keyboard after clicking through but the affiliate link is tied to you for x days, so they'll get a bit of cash of anything you buy in that time. Why is it a problem if it doesn't cost you? It costs you the time to read it. Disclosing acknowledges this potential and explains what's going on in advance so you know you're not just reading trash someone wrote to make a quick buck.
      • Chirael 7y ago
        Also, if I'm researching a product or category and find several articles discussing it, knowing which ones have affiliate links allows me to weight them appropriately (i.e., discount the affiliate articles somewhat, and give more weight to articles without affiliate links).
      • nickjj 7y ago
        I don't think you can make that assessment just by looking for affiliate links or notices. What if you found a 2k to 5k word article on something you really wanted to know about and maybe buy. Also what if that person spent 5,000 hours over 5 years building up their site and only 5% of the posts on their site has an affiliate link for something. Would you discard that post as trash / scammy because they happened to drop an affiliate link into it because they personally used that product for years before writing about it? IMO you can't really gauge any of that just by looking for an affiliate notice or not.
• AhtiK 7y ago
  I wish they had a tenkeyless edition, so it would be worth a try :) Having mouse too far at the right side or adjust to using left hand for mouse does not seem to be a good tradeoff just to have a numpad, which gets close to zero use. filco ninja majestouch tenkeyless with silent red mx cherrys is definitely better at every aspect than this amazon basic kb (except the price).
• j-c-hewitt 7y ago
  He even picked the bad variant of the Amazon Basics keyboard.
  • toephu2 7y ago
    Which is the better one you recommend?
• meddlepal 7y ago
  My favorite keyboards is the Microsoft Sculpt Comfort. I can type for hours without any wrist pain compared to all my other keyboards.
  • neogodless 7y ago
    My previous favorite was the Natural 4000 Ergonomic, and now the Sculpt Ergonomic. In both cases, I have had keys wear out* and have gone through quite a few, but like them enough to put up with the trouble. Of course, I could get the 4000 for $20; I tend to have to spend closer to $60 to get the Sculpt! * The Natural 4000 space bar was the worst offender. On my Sculpt Ergonomic, I've lost an 'L' and 'F5'.
    • avisser 7y ago
      I've had mixed results with the 4000. I have a Natural 4000 from 1997. Every key still works great. I also bought one in 2016. That one had sticky keys (space) that never worked themselves out. It was by far inferior.
    • bt848 7y ago
      In the easy-to-clean category MS Natural wins easily. I never used the 4000 but my Elite (still work after more than 20 years) can be washed in the dishwasher.
      • neogodless 7y ago
        I washed one of my Natural in the dishwasher, and it still worked for a while, but as hard as I tried to make sure it dried afterward, the keys started to feel more "scratchy." It's possible this would all be in my head, but I feel like the water did do some level of damage.
        • tech2 7y ago
          It might be the heat you ran the wash at, what temp/setting was it?
• deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
• themaninthedark 7y ago
  >I’m sure you’ve seen keyboards where the lights of these keys are all grouped together near the top right of the keyboard instead of being on the key, such as what you see below: >This comes down to poor UI design or bad tech choices. You want related things to be together. If I have caps lock on by accident, I want to be able to look at the caps lock key and see the light. I don’t want to have to look on the other side of the keyboard. Completely disagree. I want to have all the status information in one easy and non-obstructed place. On my keyboard, when I have my hands on the home row, Cap Lock is obstructed by my pinky. Also, Cap lock is much further down from the top of the keyboard making the eye distance travel more to check it.
• deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
• deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
• brianpgordon 7y ago
  Maybe it's just because my keyboard is >15 times as expensive but I have an extremely hard time believing that the Amazon keyboard is in the same league. I can't help but feel like if the author unironically prefers a $15 keyboard (and believes that mechanical keyboards are all loud) then maybe he shouldn't be writing a blog post about keyboards because he doesn't really know what he's talking about.
  • criddell 7y ago
    The article is just expressing the authors opinion on his favorite keyboard. He can't really be wrong about that.
  • w0m 7y ago
    Re: 15x price - Price != performance, you pay for features you care about; brand itself being one of them. I say that typing on a 50% Ducky 3/4th the planet would consider as crap because i have no arrow keys (and think I'm insane as I paid more for the exclusion)
• daguil68367 7y ago
  These are just things that most generic keyboards already have. I see no reason why anyone should buy this keyboard over the one that probably came with their computer. Unique features, like doubleshot keycaps, N-key rollover, layers and macros, actuation that is seperated from the bottom-out, good build quality, and more can all be found on a decent mechanical keyboard. Also, mechanical keyboards don't have to be loud! Linear and tactile Matias switches, Cherry MX/Gateron silents, and Topre are all great keyswitches that are as quiet, if not more, than your standard rubber dome.
• visarga 7y ago
  I switched to Input Club WhiteFox with heavy buttons (Hako Trues) and after getting accustomed to it I find it the best keyboard I ever had. It's sturdy, small (tenkeyless) and I learned not to bottom out. That makes the typing experience smooth. The noise is OK with my colleagues. Hard to describe the feeling of these keys - it's as if you're floating on a bouncy and precise spring. Used to get tired after a full day in the beginning, but this problem disappeared in a few weeks. Now I miss it when I am travelling, that's how great it is.
• lewisflude 7y ago
  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 experience by building a custom keyboard, it would cost easily $300+ and take a lot of time/research/etc. Even though keyboards is one of my biggest hobbies, I still have a lot of respect for OEM keyboards that maintain a good typing feel at a relatively low cost. I especially like the Apple Magic Keyboard, although many of my mechanical keyboard-using friends may not agree with me. Anyone interested in typing, I strongly encourage to check out /r/MechanicalKeyboards on reddit. You can customise anything! - Switch feel/tactility/sound - Case material, colour, size - Keycaps, feel, sound, look, legends - Custom software, macro keys - Talk to friendly people who love keyboards
  • daguil68367 7y ago
    I've heard keyboards that use dome with slider designs, like Packard Bell keyboards, are about as cheap as generic non-mechanical keyboards, but avoid the mushy bottom-out, making the typing experience infinitely better.
    • lewisflude 7y ago
      Something like the Topre Realforce keyboards are nice if you want something a bit softer but still high-end. Most of the reasons we end up with bad feeling keyboards is companies looking to cut costs. I highly encourage other developers/typists to find an opportunity to give a good mechanical keyboard a try.
      • DanTheManPR 7y ago
        Topre Realforce keyboards are expensive, but very good quality, and pleasant to use. A pair of them have been my daily drivers at home and at work for the last 8 years. I think the OP's article is quite a good rundown on basic usability features that are perplexingly missing on many keyboards. The Realforce ticks the boxes - except for extra media keys, which YMMV on. I also appreciate the ability to swap the CTRL and CAPS LOCK key on the keyboard by flipping a dip switch, which allows my preferred layout (it even includes the extra replacement caps lock key, and it actually has an LED under where the old CTRL is, so you keep your caps indicator).
• veidr 7y ago
  The striking thing to me about this is that is is purportedly a "mechanical keyboard" and yet it failed after only 5 years. I have purchased, or somehow gotten, at least 15 mechanical keyboards (and 10+ membrane-or-whatever keyboards) over the past 25 years. Most of the cheap rubber-membrane-or-whatever keyboards failed within a few years, although there are some that kept on working. But none of the mechanical ones did: Apple Extended Keyboard II (two of them) lasted 20+ years, IBM Model M, Unicomp Model M clone, Das Keyboard somethin something with Cherry MX blue/brown, 3 or 4 chinese knockoffs with cherry knockoff switches, two or three Mattias mechanical keyboards, 4 Filcos, 3 Code Keyboards (the WASM + Jeff Atwood venture) a couple Japanese hackety hacker boards... plus like 5-10 more at least. None of them ever failed. I gave them away or whatever eventually but probably the average time span of which I was aware of them being in use is 15+ years. So what Amazon may have innovated here is a mechanical keyboard that can fail as fast as the new rubber membrane inferior crap that came later?
  • daguil68367 7y ago
    Nothing in the article indicated that this is a mechanical keyboard. This is some generic rubber-dome over membrane keyboard.
    • veidr 7y ago
      Oops, you are right! I re-read it, and... not sure where I got that impression from. So, Amazon made a status quo membrane keyboard. OK, uh, then yeah I guess I'll just move on then.
• CoolGuySteve 7y ago
  The responses from the keyboard enthusiasts here are a real life example of this phenomenon: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZK8Z8hulFg https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZK8Z8hulFg The guy just likes this cheap keyboard. I use those aluminum Mac keyboards for most of the same reasons: I like (somewhat) low key travel, they’re cheap and easy to find, and last reasonably well. Edit: Actually it looks like the $50 keyboard I’m talking about got replaced by the “Magic” keyboard that’s considerably more expensive. Too bad.
  • IE6 7y ago
    The keyboard enthusiast community online is pretty notorious for gatekeeping and people often conflate something being objectively bad with their subjective opinion. In reality it's all about preference and what feels right to the individual.
  • test1235 7y ago
    It's just bloody obnoxious. I've always used crappy keyboards for work and they're all fine - my work isn't affected and I don't get RSI.
  • anewguy9000 7y ago
    no, this guy is just selling his cheap keyboard via amazon referal link. and "if they ever stopped making it, i'd buy a few if them!"
    • nickjj 7y ago
      You're quoting things out of context. I only said that because it was something I did almost 20 years ago with the Logitech Wingman mouse when it was officially labeled as no longer being produced.
      • anewguy9000 7y ago
        thank you for adding the disclosure note to your post. it reads much better and more transparently now.
  • 7y ago
• kenforthewin 7y ago
  It's a pretty generic/bad keyboard, but congrats on getting that sweet sweet Amazon affiliate $$.
• freetonik 7y ago
  I've tried many mechanical and on-mechanical keyboards, but always come back to Apple's magic keyboard, simply because it's the thinnest of all. It's virtually flush with the desk, and I can't for the love of god get used to anything else. Mechanical keyboards are often quite thick. Palm pads don't help, I'd still feel my hands are uncomfortably elevated.
  • busyant 7y ago
    > can't for the love of god get used to anything else. Mechanical keyboards are often quite thick. Palm pads don't help, I'd still feel my hands are uncomfortably elevated. I've had a similar problem (although I'm using Windows). I bought a surface keyboard for its thinness, but my wrists were still at a semi-painful angle when typing. I looked at many wrist pads, but they're all "mushy" and not "wide" enough to support my forearms. So, to deal with the wrist issue, I "built" this (https://imgur.com/a/cYBksBO https://imgur.com/a/cYBksBO) from my kids' Legos. YMMV, but it has worked tremendously well for my wrists and forearms.
  • MaconBacon 7y ago
    I love the full sized apple magic keyboard. Seems especially silly then how terrible their newfangled MacBook keyboards are.
  • PascLeRasc 7y ago
    The wired older Mac keyboard and the Magic Keyboard 2 are really good, it's my favorite non-mech keyboard by far and the only keyboard (mechs included) where I can really type and manipulate stuff without thinking at all. I really wish Apple would put their PBT keycaps on Macbook keyboards, they feel so much nicer.
  • jacobolus 7y ago
    > feel my hands are uncomfortably elevated If you are bending your wrists to type, then you need to reposition or re-orient the keyboard, and/or change your posture or arm position, or you are setting yourself up for RSI. For most comfortable typing, neither arms, wrists, nor palms should rest on any surface. But the palms should definitely not be resting directly on the table, even with a low-profile keyboard. Generally it’s a good idea to have the keyboard close to the edge of the table, and oriented so that its surface is parallel to your forearms while typing. With the keyboard relatively close, the upper arms can remain close to the body with the shoulders relaxed, and the torso and head upright. Most office workers use a desk which is uncomfortably high for typing when sitting on their chair. So the most obvious first thing to try is lowering the desk, installing an under-desk keyboard tray, raising the chair, adding a booster seat above the existing chair, switching to a standing desk, or similar. If the furniture can’t be changed, then the keyboard must be tilted up at the back so that when the upper arms are kept close to the body, the keyboard surface sits parallel to the forearms. For many office furniture setups this tilt must be very aggressive (think mid-20th-century typewriter). Office workers often instead compensate for the high desk by pushing their keyboard far in on the desk, with their elbows either extending out to the side or far in front of the body, and either slouching or hunching their backs, and uncomfortably bending their necks. To take strain off their shoulders they rest elbows, forearms, or palms on the table or an armrest or palmrest. All of these workarounds are causing static muscle load and non-neutral joint positions for the back, neck, shoulders, etc. That’s fine for very short bursts for someone who frequently changes position (and better than having bent wrists), but pretty bad for long stretches for someone who sits in more or less the same position throughout the workday.
• jhallenworld 7y ago
  I like keyboards with built-in USB hubs. Some Lenovo keyboards have this. https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-73P2620-Enhanced-Performance-Keyboard/dp/B0002376KW https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-73P2620-Enhanced-Performance-K...
• maxaf 7y ago
  I’ve used many different keyboards. I can’t say I’m a keyboard connoisseur, but I’ve probably used every possible combination of “keys” arranged on a “board”. My takeaway from all this is that the switches matter a lot less than how keys are arranged. You see, human hands will become injured over a prolonged period of contortion into the shape needed to operate standard keyboards. For this reason I prefer ErgoDox. https://ergodox-ez.com/ https://ergodox-ez.com/
  • Spearchucker 7y ago
    Best keyboard I've ever used. And after all the horror stories about how long it takes to relearn I was back to normal speed after about a month.
    • alpaca128 7y ago
      Well, it is quite a bad experience in the first days. It's both learning a very new layout as well as getting used to the ortho alignment of the keys, where in the beginning I automatically used the wrong finger for a lot of keys. That said I'm glad I made the leap, because no standard keyboard can match that level of comfort. It's not that normal keyboards are bad, but it's a bit like going from cheap generic shoes to custom-tailored ones. I don't type much faster or accurately on it, but it feels much better, every single day.
  • hollerith 7y ago
    >You see, human hands will become injured over a prolonged period of contortion into the shape needed to operate standard keyboards. There is no significant contortion needed to operate a standard keyboard. Sadly, the standard keyboard does encourage a regrettable bending of the wrist, but I have found it straightforward to learn not to yield to that encouragement. (Boards such as the Amazon Basics or Apple's keyboards in which the top of every key cap is flat rather than cylindrical help because cylindricality encourages the typist to line the finger up with the axis of the cylinder.) I have learned to pay attention to the bend of my wrists (the bend in the vertical plane, that is). Once that became a habit, it has taken very little of my mental bandwidth to periodically bring my attention back to my wrists. I do lots of typing and have not had any RSI since about 2004 despite my having a chronic health problem that causes chronic inflammation, which in turn makes me more susceptible to RSI and despite my using membrane keyboards for the last 10 years or so. Specifically, I used 3 of the relatively expensive and fragile Logitech K750 (not recommended unless you are rich), then one cheap K120 (not recommended), then 3 Amazon Basics (recommended). The Amazon Basics is $13 incl shipping ($10 each if you buy ten) whereas the cheapest configuration (no tilt kit, no wing rests) of your board is $270. Advocates of mechanical keyboards will reply that the mechanical switches will last about 10 times longer than the membrane switches of the Amazon Basics, which I do not dispute, but if you keep your keyboard that long, you've got to clean it very well every year or 2 to keep the population of germs to reasonable levels. My personal experience with mechanical keyboards is that I never find the time to do the thorough cleaning maybe because of a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that even a thorough cleaning won't reduce the germ levels to anything nearly as low as the levels of a new keyboard. And by the time the mechanical board is 10 times older than the age at which the keys of a membrane board start to become mushy, you've probably had to do 1 or 2 repairs of electrical problems on the mechanical board. Case in point: for a few (not more than 4) years in the 1990s I used a Kinesis Advantage, which consists of about 10 PC boards internally. When one of these 10 boards failed somehow (rendering the board useless) the manufacturer told me it could be replaced by them for 50 bucks, back when a new board cost about 270. (I decided not to pay that because I had learned by then that I didn't like typing on that design of keyboard.) In summary, being able to afford to replace my keyboard every year or 2 saves me from tedious cleaning an repairing tasks, which I find worth the cost of my having slightly less attention to give to the cognitive content of whatever programming task or writing task I am engaged in when I am typing because I reserve a very small fraction of my attention to how bent my wrists are. Actually, the case for cheap keyboard is even strong than that. Here goes. When a typist switches from a standard keyboard to an ergonomic keyboard, the sheer unfamiliarity of the new keyboard basically forces the typists to pay much closer attention to the physical act of typing than he needed to pay while using the familiar keyboard. I believe it is this increase in paying of attention that is the cause of most of the reports of ameliorations of RSI after switching to an ergo keyboard, and that if the RSI sufferer had been familiar with an ergo board, then switching to a standard board would produce ameliorations at roughly the same rate and to the same degree! In particular, regardless of what kind of keyboard we are using, we should pay enough attention to the physical act of typing to ensure than (1) our wrists are in roughly neutral position, (2) at the moment the tip of our finger hits a key cap during a keystroke, the tip is moving faster than it would have been able to move if the tip were resting on the key cap at the start of the keystroke (3) at the moment of contact, the finger tip is moving roughly in the same direction that the key will travel. I am told that the reason (2) is important / desirable is that the human brain is better at striking accurately than it is at pushing accurately. I am also told that there is something about the "backswing", that is, the moving of the finger tip away from its target in preparation for a movement towards the target, that improves accuracy and consequently reduces the strains that lead to RSI. If they made a cheap keyboard that did not encourage the typist to bend his wrists and was otherwise as good as the Amazon Basics, I would switch to it. But no matter what board I use, to avoid RSI I have learned I needed to pay slight attention to ensure (2) and (3) above. Given that, it is very little additional trouble for me to ensure (1).
• deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
• JustSomeNobody 7y ago
  My keyboard of preference is the HP Wireless Elite Keyboard v2. I've been using them for a half dozen years. At first, I didn't care for it because there was some central flex. I fixed that with some rubber sticky feet and now it is very solid. The only other thing I would change is to add back lighting. The bundled mouse is rubbish. Don't get that unless there's a better deal on the bundle and then toss it.
• pmiller2 7y ago
  I know it’s been mentioned already, but my favorite is the MS Sculpt Ergonomic keyboard. I picked it up when I was starting to have RSI issues in my wrist and forearm. Together with some wrist braces, I was able to eliminate all pain in a few weeks. When I was looking, my criteria were: comfort, usability (bonus points for a standard layout), and PC/Mac interoperability. The Ergo Sculpt met all of those well, although some individual units seem to not work properly with the Mac. The best thing is, it only cost $65! Not bad for a tool that’s probably the reason I’m still in the industry 2 years later.
  • stronglikedan 7y ago
    > bonus points for a standard layout...The Ergo Sculpt met all of those well My main problem with it is that it isn't a standard layout. For that reason, I went with the Surface Ergonomic instead, which, while still not standard, is more standard than the Sculpt.
    • pmiller2 7y ago
      What do you find nonstandard about it? I was able to start writing code on mine right away, and I’m a touch typist.
      • stronglikedan 7y ago
        The nav keys, right control key, and function keys are all in the wrong place, and IIRC, all the keys are a bit too small, so I was hitting two at a time sometimes. I also prefer a right hand super key so I can lock my workstation with one hand.
        • pmiller2 7y ago
          I guess I never really noticed about the nav keys and function keys because I don't use them much. I would like to have slightly bigger keys, but it's not enough of a downside to me to use a different keyboard. (Side note: why don't keyboards come in different sizes by default? Hands come in different sizes, so should keyboards.)
• icedchai 7y ago
  IMO, that keyboard feels terrible. There's a reason it's so cheap. I use it for some local servers where I rarely (almost never) need to be at the console.
• heroHACK17 7y ago
  Every machine at my alma-mater's CS many computer labs were outfitted with Amazon Basics keyboards... needless to say I share your sentiment. It too is my favorite!
• lol_jono 7y ago
  ignorance is bliss, i suppose
• linsomniac 7y ago
  FYI: The author of this is "not a home row typist", not mentioned in the article. YMMV if you touch type.
  • nickjj 7y ago
    Touch typing and home row typing are different things by the way. My hands aren't on the home row but I do type by touch. I don't look at the keyboard except for a few weird key combos.
    • linsomniac 7y ago
      Not according to my typing teacher. :-D
      • nickjj 7y ago
        Ask him / her if all hot tubs are jacuzzis.
• bluedino 7y ago
  Somewhere around 2009 or so, our Mac users wanted 'real' keyboards, and they almost universally started using the Dell OEM keyboard of the time. It wasn't anything fancy, but it worked. They were dirt cheap, like $7 on eBay, and we had piles of them from buying new PC's for teh rest of the office.
• tomc1985 7y ago
  I'm really surprised that ergonomic, split-key designs aren't more popular. Do you all enjoy unnaturally squishing your hands or something? Fans of RSI?
  • isbjorn16 7y ago
    Some of us just don't get that. I've been typing at around 120wpm since my Typing II course on an actual typewriter back in '98. With every other part of my body degrading far faster than I ever would have expected it to, my wrists and hands still feel right as rain while using a standard keyboard layout. At least so far, I've won that lottery. I'll take it.
• bluedino 7y ago
  >> Robust Wire / USB Cable This is one cost-cutting area that drives me nuts. As the PC price wars raged on, keyboards got cheaper and cheaper. Wires got thinner, and shorter. HP/Dell give you something like a 3 foot cable these days. You can't keep your PC on the floor or route around monitors anmymore. I liked the old days, where you got a 6+ feet long cord on your keyboard.
• war1025 7y ago
  My favorite keyboard is a silicone roll-up keyboard. I first got one probably fifteen years ago as a result of my brother getting in a fight with me and pulling the cord out of the keyboard we had. The Radio Shack in town only had this odd blue silicone roll up keyboard, so we bought it. Turns out it's basically silent to type on, which was very nice at the time because my dad would always wake up from the keyboard noise and get after us to go to sleep. Served the same useful purpose in college when I had roommates. The thing these days that I like most about it is that it's completely flat, which means I can rest my wrists on the desk and not get weird RSI issues from my wrists being out of alignment. The main complaint people have ever had about using it is that it forces you to learn how to hit the keys exactly on center because just hitting them on the edge will cause the silicone to buckle without hitting the switch. Really I think it's made me a better typist overall. They do tend to break maybe every five years or so. More often if you pick it up or attempt to at all take advantage of the "roll up" feature. Also it's sealed, so if something spills on it, you just needs to wipe it up and no harm done.
  • test1235 7y ago
    I vaguely recall using one once, ages ago, but don't the keys take quite a bit of force to press? Maybe it was just a cheap one I was on ...
    • war1025 7y ago
      I guess I don't really notice it being much different from say a laptop keyboard, but I suppose maybe it does take a bit more force to push the keys down. Not a metric that I ever really considered being important or not in a keyboard, I guess.
• qzx_pierri 7y ago
  "2 Key Rollover" Dropped.
• larrik 7y ago
  I really want a keyboard that is: 1) Backlit (soo addicted to this) 2) Quiet 3) Has media keys (volume/mute/play/pause/etc, and ideally calculator) There's not a ton of options out there. My Corsair K55 is good but flawed (stupid useless "programmable" macro keys that can't be rebound, wonky electronics don't let the computer boot properly the first time, doesn't actually store the config onboard). It's not all that quiet, either. I'd pay more for a better one, but I can't tell if they meet my needs since the descriptions are rarely aiming for what I'm looking for.
  • PascLeRasc 7y ago
    I used the V1 of this for about 6 months and really liked it [1]. It has a nice adjustable backlight, media keys, it wasn't too loud in an open office, and the switches felt pretty nice, especially for being ~$30. There's a Mac version as well, but I couldn't find it on Amazon. [1] https://www.amazon.com/VELOCIFIRE-TKL02-Mechanical-Copywriters-Programmers/dp/B07DFBKYT5 https://www.amazon.com/VELOCIFIRE-TKL02-Mechanical-Copywrite...
• paxys 7y ago
  I urge everyone to get an ergonomic keyboard. Your hands will thank you as you get older.
  • cr0sh 7y ago
    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-100, VT-220, and WYSE-320, 370, and 380... I have never had any RSI issues. Not saying it can't happen, but one would think something would've happened by now...
    • drivers99 7y ago
      What is flow-thru option? Google just brings me back to this thread. Wikipedia mentions "drainage holes to deter damage from spilled drinks" in the options. Is that what you're talking about?
    • postalrat 7y ago
      Not everyone gets it. I haven't. But I guess you never know and might be best to try avoiding it.
    • paxys 7y ago
      My dad smoked cigarettes for 50 years and never got cancer. Guess that is healthy as well.
    • stunt 7y ago
      Not everybody dies because of smoking! But, it is proven to increase the risk significantly.
• lcall 7y ago
  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 the job that bought it and now I don't remember the name), sprung for a couple of Kinesis freestyle ones that I loved (one at work, and one at home), then decided to make the leap and actually try the Kinesis Advantage2 (LF), and after rearranging some keys and about a month of use, it feels strange to go back to a "normal" keyboard again, even the Freestyle, though if I did go back it would only be because the keys seem to require a very little more force than the Freestyle. (No other connection to the company.) There was another interesting split keyboard ("SafeType") on Amazon that moves the keys to a vertical position, each hand basically facing the other, that is on my someday list to try if I ever get enough desire to spend more money. Now I see that the freestyle can do that too, but I would want some way to rest the forearms during intermittent use.
  • adventured 7y ago
    It's always interesting how different what is comfortable can be from one person to the next. I can't type performantly on non-ergonomic non-split non-tilted keyboards any longer, after ~20 years of typing on split ergo keyboards. The way that straight keyboards orient my wrists causes discomfort within an hour or two of use. In my case the Microsoft battleship keyboard, the 4000, is the only thing I find comfortable. I can type on it all day with zero stress on my wrists or hands. Anything else and I suffer noticeable hand & wrist stress after a full day of work. The base of my hand / wrist area also likes the subtle padding on the 4000, it's just enough to provide some additional comfort without being annoying.
  • smacktoward 7y ago
    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 Sculpt Ergonomic keyboard, which mated the mushy keyswitches with skinny laptop-style keycaps (ugh), and merged the function keys and media keys into a single row of keys that you have to use a switch to move from one mode to the other. If Microsoft were to bring back the original Natural keyboard today and just replace the PS/2 connector with a USB one, it'd single-handedly improve the line more than 20 years of redesigns have managed to.
• bobloblaw45 7y ago
  This is pretty funny because I got an Amazon Basics Keyboard a few years ago and remembered thinking "This isn't half bad. Pretty dang good for the price." and bought 3 more for backup.
• r00nb00m 7y ago
  I was very specific about my keyboard needs: I wanted basically a keyboard layout from a notebook (mac) so i don't have to adjust to layout, it had to be wired because bootcamp and bluetooth are not working good together, ISO layout (which is TERRIBLY hard to find), full size keys but compact design (think magic keyboard). In the end i settled with penclic, which had the added brilliant advantage of having those media keys right next to fn key, so you can adjust volume with one hand. Stil prefer logitech k780 feedback and feel, but couldnt handle the extra length. Once you go TKL it's hard to go back
• whycombagator 7y ago
  I'm all for being frugal, but from my few interactions with Nick's blog, he appears to like to nickel and dime almost everything (building his own standup desk[0], cheap linux laptop[1]), so the Amazon Basics keyboard (and him loving it) is no surprise. IIRC he also has a course where he teaches you to build a SaaS app with flask, but you don't build it from scratch - he starts with a fully built app and walks you through it/has you implement parts of it. It's a project he used for clients, and instead of investing time to reimplement it from scratch he just made a course based on the existing app (which is fine and better than no course, but an example of his frugality) [0] https://nickjanetakis.com/blog/build-a-home-made-standing-desk-for-50-dollars-in-10-easy-steps https://nickjanetakis.com/blog/build-a-home-made-standing-de... [1] https://nickjanetakis.com/blog/transform-a-toshiba-chromebook-cb35-into-a-linux-development-environment-with-galliumos https://nickjanetakis.com/blog/transform-a-toshiba-chromeboo...
  • nickjj 7y ago
    > I'm all for being frugal, but from my few interactions with Nick's blog, he appears to like to nickel and dime almost everything I don't think those are fair comparisons but if you did buy my course, thanks for the support (it really helps). Now for the fun stuff, let's break down those posts you linked! I built the standing desk because it fits my exact use case for what I want in a standing desk and I have the ability to build it, so I built it. Price wasn't even a factor, it just so happens you can build something cool for $50 so I did it. I wanted a 3 tier desk: A top tier for my 2 monitors A middle tier for my keyboard and mouse to fit exactly at the height where my posture is perfect And finally a bottom tier for my regular desk with enough room where I can use a laptop and do other "desk things" without the standing portion getting in the way. I also happened to have this regular desk beforehand and think it's a great size for my office. I had no reason to switch it. Very shortly after building it, I built a 4th tier where I now have a stylus / drawing pad hovering over my keyboard on a ledge and it doesn't get in the way so I can draw live slides in my courses. You can see a picture in another blog post you missed where I built an 8x4 whiteboard for $15[0] (:D). Oh and my mic's boom arm latches on from the side now where it doesn't get in my way at all and minimizes keyboard rumble. There's no standing desk at any price point that accomplishes all of the above in a way that works for me. To me what I built is the perfect desk because it addresses everything I need it to address. The fact it was only $50 (well $60 now due to adding that 4th tier) is just a nice side effect. [0]: https://nickjanetakis.com/blog/build-your-own-8x4-foot-whiteboard-for-15-dollars-instead-of-200 https://nickjanetakis.com/blog/build-your-own-8x4-foot-white... --- As for the Toshiba Chromebook. After dozens of hours of research and a few recommendations I picked it up because it's an amazing piece of hardware. A 1080p display, IPS panel, good keyboard, good trackpad, upgradeable SSD, weighs less than 3 pounds, SD card, USB ports, 3.5" jack (!), decent battery life and it runs native Linux. Why wouldn't I use it? Sure it costs $350 (fairly cheap in price) but why would I purposely spend more money for something equal or worse just for the sake of it? I still use it all the time 3+ years later and it's working fine for what I use it for (a portable computing device where I can do on the road dev work or comfortably read outside or in bed). If you squint you can see that Toshiba getting some usage when I went to Cloud Field Day last year. I'm in the back left: http://nickjanetakis.com/assets/blog/cards/coming-back-to-cloud-field-day-for-the-second-time.jpg http://nickjanetakis.com/assets/blog/cards/coming-back-to-cl... > IIRC he also has a course where he teaches you to build a SaaS app with flask, but you don't build it from scratch - he starts with a fully built app and walks you through it/has you implement parts of it. It's a project he used for clients, and instead of investing time to reimplement it from scratch he just made a course based on the existing app (which is fine and better than no course, but an example of his frugality) We don't build it from scratch because it's a very involved app. It has 4,000+ lines of just Flask code. You can't make a video course and code something like that up line by line from scratch. It would be an unreasonable amount of video (possibly even approaching 100 hours of video), and when I asked thousands of people if they would rather have an 80+ hour course or a ~10 hour course they all picked 10 hours. This is also made aware on the course description's FAQ at https://buildasaasappwithflask.com https://buildasaasappwithflask.com (near the bottom, 2nd FAQ item down from the top) so I'm not trying to hide it and we also do cover every single line of the code and you get to see it all come together from 1 file to the final app in stages, and you have git diffs to see what changed between each section. There's also 50 to 100 hours worth of coding exercises to add features into the app to get experience building specific things. That decision wasn't due to frugality. It was out of necessity and user feedback. It also took me almost half a year of full time work to make the course. If anything it would have been faster to do it live from scratch because then I wouldn't have had to break things up so carefully into sections. The course is based on -some- existing production code I used in the past, but that's not a negative thing. It just means I used well tested code in the course instead of building some untested toy example for the sake of the course. --- Lastly, just to wrap up, you skipped commenting on my audio / video set up. I spent close to $1,000 on everything and the reason I spent that much is because I felt it made a big enough difference in the quality of my audio to warrant spending that amount. I could have just bought a Blue Yeti for $100 bucks and called it a day (I actually did this in the past, which I didn't factor into the above cost since I don't use it anymore) but I didn't stick with it because I believe the set up I use now produces better audio than my older videos. Basically I spend money when I feel like it makes a positive difference. If there were a $100 keyboard that's better than the one I'm using now in every way shape and form with zero compromises I would instantly buy it, but I don't feel like typing is my bottleneck and I haven't found such a keyboard.
• modzu 7y ago
  this is an ad. notice the referal link at the bottom. if a keyboard actually matters to you, please look for unbiased information. a couple of suggestions that aren't just meant to net me a few bucks: - tenkeyless reduce wrist strain (a full size keyboard forces your hands further apart than is natural). if you need a numpad you can always add one. - consider a backlit if you work at night. - mechanical keyboards tend to last forever and they are easy to clean because all the keys come off. - non mechanical are quieter happy coding!
  • modzu 7y ago
    edit: the author has since added a disclosure to the top of the post. thank you!
• moron4hire 7y ago
  I just can't imagine how this person can say that this particular keyboard is their favorite. I get not liking the click of mechanical switches. I mean, I like the click, but I understand it is well in the realm of personal preference. But the Amazon Basics keyboard is legitimately trash. It doesn't adhere to keyboard HID profiles, so there are systems on which it just doesn't work (like the Raspberry Pi). I have very little room in my life for basic IO devices that don't work reliably on all of my systems. But also, the build quality is terrible. It feels like a $14 keyboard. Thin, plasticy, sharp edges. I have used a lot of keyboards and this one is legitimately the most painful and unpleasant one I've ever used. This just comes off as intentionally contrarian navel gazing.
  • nickjj 7y ago
    Sharp edges in what way? I've never been stabbed by it and the corners are all rounded. The long edge running across the bottom under the spacebar is the only thing that could maybe be described as sharp but it's nothing like the edge of a piece of wood or anything sharp. I wouldn't have even noticed it after years of usage without you mentioning it. I've also never once hit it with my hands. I also used the device on Debian without issues. It just worked out of the box. No idea about a Raspberry Pi but Google mentions others are using it without problems. Maybe you had an older model of this keyboard?
• cr0sh 7y ago
  I might have to try that keyboard - it looks nice, and maybe it might feel as "ok" as the keyboard on the MBP I use at my job (older 2014 edition). But nothing could really replace my keyboard at home. I just can't get away from my Lexmark Model M - I love the buckling spring sound and feel, I love the "heft", I like the fact it has a built in "pen holder" ridge at the top, I love that it's almost 30 years old and going strong. I love that it still uses the PS/2 connector. I love that it's beige in a world that's forgotten what computers used to look like. I love that it doesn't have any "microsoft logo" keys. Dunno if I could ever really replace it. I have a backup Model M if I ever need to. Plus a Unicomp USB classic in black. Then an old SGI keyboard (that needs an adapter/converter box or something built for it to be usable - another project for another day). But this Amazon keyboard does look intriguing on it's own, so maybe I throw down the bit of money and try it. Might be worthwhile for those times I need or want a quieter keyboard...
• leshow 7y ago
  I got into custom DIY keyboards. Specifically split ortholinear. A bonus to using these boards is they are flashable with the wonderful QMK firmware, they can have multiple layers, dual function keys, mouse emulation, almost anything you can think of on a keyboard. I could never go back to having a 'normal' keyboard after I've enjoyed writing my own layouts. I use normal qwerty for the alpha keys, but almost everything else is changed. Should also note, mechanical doesn't necessarily mean clicky or loud. I have 7 or 8 mech keyboards and some of them have silent switches and are basically noiseless, others make a little bit of sound but not much. I don't like 'clicky' switches.
• jamisteven 7y ago
  Is this really worth writing about.
• firethief 7y ago
  > Yes, but I'm not a home row typist so it's very hard to me to adjust to a wavy or split design keyboard. So... It's a surprisingly serviceable keyboard for $14, as long as you don't know how to type
• 3b18 7y ago
  The happy hacking keyboard is my favorite and is made for programming https://hhkeyboard.us/ https://hhkeyboard.us/ It has a pretty different compact layout and very nice keys that arent loud.
• nickjj 7y ago
  Author here. A lot of people commented here saying it's questionable not to mention I happened to use an affiliate link. I want to thank those people for bringing that up. My intent wasn't to deceive anyone and I hope my HN comment history (98% of what I post here are comments on other people's stuff) separate me from yet another affiliate blog spammer. I just pushed an update to my site that now includes a little snippet of text at the top of every post that has 1 or more affiliate links. If anyone is curious about the numbers. I have 243 public posts about a whole bunch of developer focused topics at the time of writing this comment and 15 of those posts had affiliate links, and of those 15 posts most of them are 2,000 to 5,000 word articles evaluating and talking about a product or service I really enjoy using and have used successfully for months or years before even writing about it.
  • jakobegger 7y ago
    Do those affiliate links make enough to make it worthwhile?
    • nickjj 7y ago
      I wrote a 2,300 word blog post about affiliate links earlier today that I will be posting next week (and probably linking to that in that little snippet of text). It goes into the details. The TL;DR is no it's not worthwhile if you're factoring in time spent vs money earned. I put close to 5 years and 5,000 hours of my time into creating my site and supporting anyone who asks questions for free with zero expectations. I currently make about $50-75 a month from all affiliate links combined. But to be fair only 5% of the pages on my site have affiliate links because my site isn't about affiliate sales. It just so happens as a developer I sometimes find useful products and write about them. 95% of the posts are about some programming / developer topic.
      • kgwxd 7y ago
        If not profitable, it's at least tasteful. Even without the disclaimer (though I think it's best to disclose it), it's so much cleaner than the junk most sites have. If the review is honest, the affiliation is disclosed, and the link is presented in an unobtrusive way, I have no issue with the practice. I'd even like to see it done more. I actually used the link. I got a KVM today with a Scroll Lock hot key and, after 4 years, I'm just now realizing my basic Dell keyboard doesn't have that key :/ It came with a remote, but the place I want to keep it puts the IR receiver out of site. I'm currently using my old (Windows Vista era) Dell keyboard, but it's clanky AF. The Amazon Basics keyboard looks pretty close to what I'm used to.
• nwah1 7y ago
  I despise terrible laptop keyboards, even though I'm using one at this moment. This Amazon keyboard is very much like a laptop keyboard, and thus I know that I would hate it. I fundamentally don't like low profile keyboards where there is barely any perceptible pressing. I don't like cheap plastic. I want a solid, heavy, mechanical board with real keys. Also, I'm spoiled because I buy custom keyboards where all the labels and colors and configuration is up to me. Though, no matter how grippy the rubber and how heavy the board, my keyboards always slide. My solution was to buy 4 long angle brackets and double-sided adhesive, and this proved to be a perfect backstop. Doubleshot PBT keycaps would be the ideal way to ensure the labels never wear off.
• zzo38computer 7y ago
  I would want more key rollover. I like the Model F keyboard, with full n-key rollover; just, it doesn't have lights. Also, I would like to have a Fn key which can be used to send arbitrary scancodes and possibly other options (such as key repeat). If a key with Windows logo is added, I think that it should be changed so that it has text (perhaps "Super") instead of a logo.
  • reaperducer 7y ago
    I think that it should be changed so that it has text (perhaps "Super") instead of a logo. The Windows logo is on the Meta key. Super (and Hyper) are other keys.
    • zzo38computer 7y ago
      OK, although someone told me that it would be "Super"; maybe they were wrong.
• ltbarcly3 7y ago
  They gave me one of these at work and I gave it back. One of the worst keyboards I have ever used. Awful mushy chicklet keys, short key throw, the whole thing flexes with finger pressure. Its cheap rebranded junk.
• kristianp 7y ago
  It looks like the tops of the keys are completely flat. As someone who did a lot of typing on XT clone keyboards when they where common, this wouldn't be comfortable to me. I like some curve to the tops of the keys. Thinkpads have that feature for me.
  • nickjj 7y ago
    It's hard / impossible to tell from the images but there's the tiniest amount of rounded concave to the keys. When I look at it from the side you can see the keys sink towards the middle, but it's a lot less than other keyboards where this feature is more distinct. It's much less than the Thinkpads. Thanks for the tip though. As I was writing the post I was thinking about what other characteristics there were of keyboards and I never thought about that one.
• mark-r 7y ago
  I've always been a fan of mechanical keyboards, I just think I type faster and better with them. I had an old Zeos that I used for many years, until my wife insisted I remove it from our shared home office because it was too noisy. For a few years now I've been using a Microsoft 600 which seems very similar to the Amazon Basic, including the price range.
• LeifCarrotson 7y ago
  One of the major advantages of this keyboard, like several other cheap options such as the Microsoft or Logitech $15 offerings is the adherence to the IBM 105-key layout and standard key sizes. If you, like me at times, bounce around between various machines with mini keyboards, trackpad keyboards, laptops with various function keys, arrow key layouts, integrated/adjacent numpad and nav key clusters, etc: it can be a relief to find something where your fingers just know where to go. I request the Microsoft Wired Desktop 600 in all the mini server/dedicated function computers we build for this reason. My personal machines have a mechanical Rosewill keyboard. I like and quickly readjust to my old ThinkPad's 7-row layout for laptops, but don't always have that available.
  • AceyMan 7y ago
    > I like and quickly readjust to my old ThinkPad's 7-row layout for laptops, but don't always have that available. This is a hill I would die on: wth did Lenovo ruin the greatest laptop keyboard is beyond me. The lack of the 7th row mades many of my go-to shortcuts unwieldy (Winkey + Pause/Break) or impossible; e.g., ALT+codes for non-Latin characters. I shouldn't have to open charmap.exe to get a stinkin' em dash. /rant My workstation keyboard is a Ducky One with MX Browns and doubled bumper rings ... but I already have leds dying after two years <sadface>. fwiw, I'm interested in a Topre or Topre style key action for my next primary keyboard, whenever that happens. /aamof, I'm going now to comb the comments for any specific mention of those.../
• axaxs 7y ago
  I'd love to find a quiet keyboard that requires a lot of pressure and has tactile feedback. The only two keyboards I can comfortably use are the old IBM Buckling spring(or unicomp), or a keyboard with blue switches. Typing on say, red or black switches felt unnatural and gross to me. That said, both are quite loud. If anyone has any recommendations(reasonably priced, of course), feel free to shoot it my way.
• leonlag 7y ago
  The noise problem can be mitigated by using a proper directional microphone/headset. It's a worthwhile investment if you are recording videos or are in conference call.
• httpz 7y ago
  One of the great things about a mechanical keyboard is the repairability. When I spilled a drink on my keyboard and a few keys got sticky, I just ordered a few switches online and replaced them with some basic soldering. You probably won't be able to find any replacement parts for most keyboards. Also, while it's not best keyboard, it's fairly easy to find replacement key caps for Apple keyboards as well.
• paggle 7y ago
  Even if it's your favorite, a straight keyboard with no curve / separation to it is not good for your health.
• cyberjunkie 7y ago
  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.