35 ms·

You mean the 70s/80s IBM keyboard typewriter/console/keyboard - very good quality but with a noise factor. For me the 90s keyboard/mice quality would be enough

by frik 12y ago

You mean the 70s/80s IBM keyboard typewriter/console/keyboard - very good quality but with a noise factor. For me the 90s keyboard/mice quality would be enough - as known from the old Microsoft Hardware department, the old Switzerland based Logitech company and IBM Thinkpad keyboards. The 90s/early 2000s hardware has a MTTF of about 10 years. The current 2010s hardware don't fit my needs at all, are overpriced (gaming devices) and have a very low product quality in general. [Edit: ...product quality of Microsoft/Logitech/Lenovo devices]

eertami 12y ago
Very low product quality? I have a Filco Majestouch that I'm pretty sure is going to outlast every peripheral and piece of tech at my desk and survive longer than 10 years. The switches are rated for 50m actuation and the body is fantastically sturdy. I'd even say it is of a higher overall quality than the IBM Model M. Sure, there are lot of shitty overpriced gaming keyboards but if you avoid those brands and get a Filco, Ducky, Das or Leopold for instance, you're getting quality. And most switches except for Blues will be quieter than the 70s/80s IBM era. I'd hate to have to go back to 90s Microsoft keyboards to be completely honest, long lasting maybe but not a nice experience.
- michaelcampbell 12y ago
  I had a Model M until quite recently (and still have some buckling spring Unicomps), and have switched to blues at work. They're quieter than the M, but not by a lot. A couple guys at work are big mech KB fans too and one bought a Topre based KB - I'm thinking of switching to that. It's nice and worth checking out, even if you end up not liking it.
scholia 12y ago
Please define overpriced. Maybe you earn your living with a keyboard and use it for 8+ hours a day. How much is that worth? Maybe you spend $1,000 a year on a mobile phone + contract when you could get something that does the same job for half the price or less. Maybe you spend $1,000 a year on Starbucks ;-) Is a $100 to $200 mechanical keyboard actually overpriced if it works well for 5 to 10 years or even more?
- frik 12y ago
  > Please define overpriced. I wrote "overpriced (gaming devices)". If I need a 90s/2000s style traditional office PC mouse (and keyboard) one has more or less resort to what's called PC gaming mouse/keyboard or keyboard with IBM/Cherry springs. The former is usually overpriced and often even of low quality (short life time) than the older generation of products. Example: a gaming mouse that costs $100 and has a crappy mouse-wheel and has a short lifetime of 2 years is of course worse than a good old Microsoft IntelliMouse or Logitech MX518 that used to cost $30 and has a lifetime of up to 10 years. Also it's incredible hard to find a new notebook with non-soft-keys keyboard. If I would like to replace my Lenovo Thinkpad T410/T420, there is simply non from Lenovo, HP or Apple. I would pay up to $1000 more if Lenovo/HP/Apple would produce a new T4xx series with a good keyboard and case again.
  - scholia 12y ago
    There are plenty of good keyboards around from companies such as Cherry, and they're aimed at the professional market, not at gamers..... http://www.cherry.de/cid/corded_keyboards.htm?rdeLocationAttr=DE&rdeLocaleAttr=en&switch=true http://www.cherry.de/cid/corded_keyboards.htm?rdeLocationAtt... Sadly, there are no good keyboards on laptops anymore because keyboard quality is one of the things you sacrifice for thinness (as well as performance, ports, expandability and so on). Thinkpad keyboards have been in decline for a long time. The one on my 240X was brilliant and the X31 etc were good. The X220 was the last good one, with the new style arriving with the X230, I think. I'm not familiar with the T range but I assume parallel numbers apply. The solution that works for some is to buy two external keyboards, one for home and one for the office. You can put the laptop on a stand and this improves the ergonomics....
peeters 12y ago
As far as the noise factor goes, the type of Cherry MX switches you get makes a big difference. Blues have the most tactile feedback but are loud. But I use Browns at work and they have good feedback while not being much louder than a "normal" keyboard. I use the Ultimate (no key labels) of this DAS model: http://www.daskeyboard.com/daskeyboard-4-professional/ http://www.daskeyboard.com/daskeyboard-4-professional/. It's a fantastic keyboard, but yes it's more expensive. I found it was easily worth the price.

by frik 12y ago

eertami 12y ago

Very low product quality? I have a Filco Majestouch that I'm pretty sure is going to outlast every peripheral and piece of tech at my desk and survive longer than 10 years. The switches are rated for 50m actuation and the body is fantastically sturdy. I'd even say it is of a higher overall quality than the IBM Model M. Sure, there are lot of shitty overpriced gaming keyboards but if you avoid those brands and get a Filco, Ducky, Das or Leopold for instance, you're getting quality. And most switches except for Blues will be quieter than the 70s/80s IBM era. I'd hate to have to go back to 90s Microsoft keyboards to be completely honest, long lasting maybe but not a nice experience.

michaelcampbell 12y ago
I had a Model M until quite recently (and still have some buckling spring Unicomps), and have switched to blues at work. They're quieter than the M, but not by a lot. A couple guys at work are big mech KB fans too and one bought a Topre based KB - I'm thinking of switching to that. It's nice and worth checking out, even if you end up not liking it.

scholia 12y ago

Please define overpriced. Maybe you earn your living with a keyboard and use it for 8+ hours a day. How much is that worth? Maybe you spend $1,000 a year on a mobile phone + contract when you could get something that does the same job for half the price or less. Maybe you spend $1,000 a year on Starbucks ;-) Is a $100 to $200 mechanical keyboard actually overpriced if it works well for 5 to 10 years or even more?

frik 12y ago
> Please define overpriced. I wrote "overpriced (gaming devices)". If I need a 90s/2000s style traditional office PC mouse (and keyboard) one has more or less resort to what's called PC gaming mouse/keyboard or keyboard with IBM/Cherry springs. The former is usually overpriced and often even of low quality (short life time) than the older generation of products. Example: a gaming mouse that costs $100 and has a crappy mouse-wheel and has a short lifetime of 2 years is of course worse than a good old Microsoft IntelliMouse or Logitech MX518 that used to cost $30 and has a lifetime of up to 10 years. Also it's incredible hard to find a new notebook with non-soft-keys keyboard. If I would like to replace my Lenovo Thinkpad T410/T420, there is simply non from Lenovo, HP or Apple. I would pay up to $1000 more if Lenovo/HP/Apple would produce a new T4xx series with a good keyboard and case again.
- scholia 12y ago
  There are plenty of good keyboards around from companies such as Cherry, and they're aimed at the professional market, not at gamers..... http://www.cherry.de/cid/corded_keyboards.htm?rdeLocationAttr=DE&rdeLocaleAttr=en&switch=true http://www.cherry.de/cid/corded_keyboards.htm?rdeLocationAtt... Sadly, there are no good keyboards on laptops anymore because keyboard quality is one of the things you sacrifice for thinness (as well as performance, ports, expandability and so on). Thinkpad keyboards have been in decline for a long time. The one on my 240X was brilliant and the X31 etc were good. The X220 was the last good one, with the new style arriving with the X230, I think. I'm not familiar with the T range but I assume parallel numbers apply. The solution that works for some is to buy two external keyboards, one for home and one for the office. You can put the laptop on a stand and this improves the ergonomics....

peeters 12y ago

As far as the noise factor goes, the type of Cherry MX switches you get makes a big difference. Blues have the most tactile feedback but are loud. But I use Browns at work and they have good feedback while not being much louder than a "normal" keyboard. I use the Ultimate (no key labels) of this DAS model: http://www.daskeyboard.com/daskeyboard-4-professional/ http://www.daskeyboard.com/daskeyboard-4-professional/. It's a fantastic keyboard, but yes it's more expensive. I found it was easily worth the price.