4 ms·

My number one requirement for a keyboard is that it be quiet and not outrageously expensive, this pretty much rules out mechanical keyboards entirely. The thin

My number one requirement for a keyboard is that it be quiet and not outrageously expensive, this pretty much rules out mechanical keyboards entirely. The thing that annoys me most, is there is almost no discussion about good membrane keyboards. It's the same blog spam of 5 promoted keyboards on every blog. I'm probably just going to get whatever is the most popular membrane keyboard sold at microcenter and call it a day.

tomtheelder 6y ago
There are tons of mechanical options that are reasonably priced and not particularly loud. Honestly as long as you’re not getting clicky switches it’s very unlikely to be an issue. If you get a board with silent switches then the volume is about the same as membrane.
lasagnaphil 6y ago
The ergonomic keyboards from Microsoft often get a wave of applause from HN.
- mypalmike 6y ago
  They have unfortunately discontinued the Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 model, and the replacement for it is garbage IMO.
- neogodless 6y ago
  I'm a Microsoft Ergonomic keyboard diehard, despite having generally terrible experiences with longevity. I went through quite a few Natural 4000 before switching to the chiclet style Sculpt Ergonomic. I wore out the L on one and the F5 on another. Like, they would work, but you had to press hard and intentionally, so they were basically dead. I very briefly tried a Logitech G910 Orion Spectrum, and realized it was loud as hell, and it was huge. Returned it. Just today I unboxed a Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard. I'm hoping for a Natural 4000 experience. So far, it's a learning curve going back from the chiclet experience, but the wrist rest is great, noise is very reasonable, and I'm learning well enough to type on it. Who knows, fatigue-wise, how I'll feel in a week. But it was just $40 from Amazon, so it isn't too much of a gamble.
s0rce 6y ago
I also found it difficult to find a nice quiet inexpensive membrane keyboard. I ended up just buying a $15 AmazonBasics model. Its nothing special but it works, could be a bit quieter. Still looking for something nice.
drewzero1 6y ago
My work keyboard has red (linear) switches which are slightly quieter than my neighboring coworker's membrane keyboard. I've been thinking about getting some O-rings so it can be basically silent. Honestly I think a good enough membrane keyboard is probably good enough. Above a certain baseline functionality, keyboards are all about preference. I like the ones that come with HP business desktops (model KU-0316), which tend to be pretty consistent. I've heard lots of good things about Logitech, but my only recent experience is with the MK320. It's decent for typing but has a weird nav key arrangement.
dheera 6y ago
My keyboard of choice right now is Logitech MX Keys. - High quality construction, nice and heavy, won't slide around on table - Almost no wobble in keys, and you can hit a key anywhere on the key including the corner, reliably - Keycaps can be rearranged to Dvorak if you are very careful - USB-C charging (as much as I HATE USB-C itself, most of my other devices are USB-C so it's reasonably convenient except for the occasional connector snapping but that happens with all my USB-C devices) - Illuminated - Battery life is at least a couple weeks if you turn off the illumination - Really nice typing feel if you like chiclet keyboards - Can be switched between 3 devices and works with either Logitech or Bluetooth protocols. I have one device as Bluetooth with my phone and one device as Logitech with my desktop. So if I want to type on my phone I just hit one key to switch to my phone and start typing. The biggest downside is Logitech receivers suck, and don't work if plugged into a USB3 port directly. You'll want to get a USB2 hub and plug the receiver into the USB2 hub. No big deal for desktops but could be annoying if you are trying to use this with a laptop. There's also a Logitech Craft keyboard which is basically the same thing with a configurable input dial. I didn't buy it because to be useful to me I need way more than 1 dial. If it had at least 5, maybe 10 dials at the top I'd definitely be interested.
- marlowe221 6y ago
  I second the MX Keys. It's what I use at work (software dev) and I love it.
brightball 6y ago
That was my requirement too and I ended up pretty happy with a low profile, quiet corsair. It's not perfectly quiet but it's definitely not loud.
marlowe221 6y ago
I can't stand mechanical keyboards and I'm a programmer. I've had a great experience with my Logitech MX Keys. It costs about $100 USD and is one of the best keyboards I've ever used. Great mechanical keyboard. At home I use the Logitech K360 which I paid less than $30 USD for. My desk is really small so I needed a smaller keyboard but wanted one that still had a num pad on it. This one fits the space I have and it types/codes just fine.
- MetaWhirledPeas 6y ago
  The K360 is a great board. I only wish it had a backlight.

tomtheelder 6y ago

There are tons of mechanical options that are reasonably priced and not particularly loud. Honestly as long as you’re not getting clicky switches it’s very unlikely to be an issue. If you get a board with silent switches then the volume is about the same as membrane.

lasagnaphil 6y ago

The ergonomic keyboards from Microsoft often get a wave of applause from HN.

mypalmike 6y ago
They have unfortunately discontinued the Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 model, and the replacement for it is garbage IMO.
neogodless 6y ago
I'm a Microsoft Ergonomic keyboard diehard, despite having generally terrible experiences with longevity. I went through quite a few Natural 4000 before switching to the chiclet style Sculpt Ergonomic. I wore out the L on one and the F5 on another. Like, they would work, but you had to press hard and intentionally, so they were basically dead. I very briefly tried a Logitech G910 Orion Spectrum, and realized it was loud as hell, and it was huge. Returned it. Just today I unboxed a Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard. I'm hoping for a Natural 4000 experience. So far, it's a learning curve going back from the chiclet experience, but the wrist rest is great, noise is very reasonable, and I'm learning well enough to type on it. Who knows, fatigue-wise, how I'll feel in a week. But it was just $40 from Amazon, so it isn't too much of a gamble.

s0rce 6y ago

I also found it difficult to find a nice quiet inexpensive membrane keyboard. I ended up just buying a $15 AmazonBasics model. Its nothing special but it works, could be a bit quieter. Still looking for something nice.

drewzero1 6y ago

My work keyboard has red (linear) switches which are slightly quieter than my neighboring coworker's membrane keyboard. I've been thinking about getting some O-rings so it can be basically silent. Honestly I think a good enough membrane keyboard is probably good enough. Above a certain baseline functionality, keyboards are all about preference. I like the ones that come with HP business desktops (model KU-0316), which tend to be pretty consistent. I've heard lots of good things about Logitech, but my only recent experience is with the MK320. It's decent for typing but has a weird nav key arrangement.

dheera 6y ago

My keyboard of choice right now is Logitech MX Keys. - High quality construction, nice and heavy, won't slide around on table - Almost no wobble in keys, and you can hit a key anywhere on the key including the corner, reliably - Keycaps can be rearranged to Dvorak if you are very careful - USB-C charging (as much as I HATE USB-C itself, most of my other devices are USB-C so it's reasonably convenient except for the occasional connector snapping but that happens with all my USB-C devices) - Illuminated - Battery life is at least a couple weeks if you turn off the illumination - Really nice typing feel if you like chiclet keyboards - Can be switched between 3 devices and works with either Logitech or Bluetooth protocols. I have one device as Bluetooth with my phone and one device as Logitech with my desktop. So if I want to type on my phone I just hit one key to switch to my phone and start typing. The biggest downside is Logitech receivers suck, and don't work if plugged into a USB3 port directly. You'll want to get a USB2 hub and plug the receiver into the USB2 hub. No big deal for desktops but could be annoying if you are trying to use this with a laptop. There's also a Logitech Craft keyboard which is basically the same thing with a configurable input dial. I didn't buy it because to be useful to me I need way more than 1 dial. If it had at least 5, maybe 10 dials at the top I'd definitely be interested.

marlowe221 6y ago
I second the MX Keys. It's what I use at work (software dev) and I love it.

brightball 6y ago

That was my requirement too and I ended up pretty happy with a low profile, quiet corsair. It's not perfectly quiet but it's definitely not loud.

marlowe221 6y ago

I can't stand mechanical keyboards and I'm a programmer. I've had a great experience with my Logitech MX Keys. It costs about $100 USD and is one of the best keyboards I've ever used. Great mechanical keyboard. At home I use the Logitech K360 which I paid less than $30 USD for. My desk is really small so I needed a smaller keyboard but wanted one that still had a num pad on it. This one fits the space I have and it types/codes just fine.

MetaWhirledPeas 6y ago
The K360 is a great board. I only wish it had a backlight.