Show us your Mechanical Keyboards and Mods.

[Doodski]

I had a Logitech G413 and it broke in 3 places within ~3 years. 3 broken key retainer clips plus failing switch contacts. Logitech said this is normal wear and tear. I voted with my buying dollar on the present SteelSeries keyboard that I bought to replace the G413 and most likely will be doing so again when I buy a mouse to replace my Logitech G502 mouse when that day comes. I've been a Logitech buyer since ~early 2000's but after this Logitech Romer-G switch fiasco and the 3 breaking keys on the G413 and the "Normal wear and tear" stuff that leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth.

 

[Neddy]

Old school here. Unicomp's real buckling spring keyboard.
Unicomp is a spinoff of Lexmark, which was spun off from IBM with the original Model M tooling. Modernized versions also available.

https://www.pckeyboard.com/

Another 'learned to type on an actual typewriter' - not even electric, but only by a wee bit.

I could use some advice here from the kleyborg mavins:
I can't stand any wobble in the keycaps, and have gone through several of the 'best' boards, only to find them speed limited by key/cap wobble.

(I'm screaming fast but not terribly precise, so wobble hugely increases the miss and 'have to retype' rate...and it's getting worse as I age.)
(Turns out that if I can type accutately like 'stream of consciousness', the memory deficits from the stroke are minimized, but that's lost if I have to go back and correct every half dozen words.)

Currently using the Drop Entr, which is sturdy and well built, but has very very wobbly keys, so would like to upgrade, but REALLY don't want to waste another hundred++ on building up a kb library!
(Would the rubber band fixes help the Entr? But, also kind of hoping for the buckling spring ones?)

So, aside from non-wobbly keys, don't really care about clicky or not, but would like really good backlit legends (esp top row).
My favorite/best all time KB was the one Zenith sold with their card cage type PCs in the late 80s/early90s...never should have tossed it!
(An IBM clone or variation - better, I think.)

So, am looking for metal case (for stability), heavily molded/sculptured keycaps, fairly clicky, but absolutely stable keys and caps?
Oh, and probably need high Nkey rollover, and tend to prefer 101 key style, but not a must have. I have plenty of room for it.


Thoughts, suggestions, anyone?
Thanks appreciated!

 

[JanesJr1]

I have one, inclusive original IBM clear/smoke cover, plus i have the IBM PS/2 Model 30 PC and tiny VGA monitor that came with it. The keyboard is heavily yellowed and needs retro-brighting.

Does the PS/2 still light up? That's some antique! I started out with one of the two-floppy Compaq PC's, portable like a big, heavy sewing machine. I loved it, and wish I had saved it.

The PS/2 used the standard PC keyboard, didn't it? You may know all this, but the guy at clickykeyboards.com may be able to rehab the keyboard, if you want to use it. (I got my keyboard from him, and it seems flawless so far.) The 60-odd little melted-plastic rivets holding the standard keyboard mechanism onto the metal backboard may also give out over time with the aging plastic, causing spots on the keyboard with loosening key switches. This same guy will replace the plastic rivets with little metal bolts. (Supposedly there are different ways to handle the aging plastic rivets, and I've read that this fellow does it the way it will last by far the longest.)

 

[JanesJr1]

Old school here. Unicomp's real buckling spring keyboard.
Unicomp is a spinoff of Lexmark, which was spun off from IBM with the original Model M tooling. Modernized versions also available.

https://www.pckeyboard.com/

I like the white-on-black!

I am vastly ignorant about keyboard manufacturing, but remember reading some time ago that as the last manufacturer of the classic, buckling spring keyboards, Unicomp had keyboard machine tooling (what are they called: jigs? molds? whatever...) had been aging after several decades of use, with loosening tolerances, and that IBM-PC-style keyboard fans hoped they would dig up the capital to replace them. Do you know if they ever did so?

 

[TheBatsEar]

Does the PS/2 still light up?

It did after i replaced some caps and hardened oils in the floppy drive. But that was 10 years or so in the past, who knows.

The PS/2 used the standard PC keyboard, didn't it?

It did.

You may know all this, but the guy at clickykeyboards.com may be able to rehab the keyboard, if you want to use it.

Interesting, but nah. I may retrobrite it some day myself.

 

[hex168]

I like the white-on-black!

I am vastly ignorant about keyboard manufacturing, but remember reading some time ago that as the last manufacturer of the classic, buckling spring keyboards, Unicomp had keyboard machine tooling (what are they called: jigs? molds? whatever...) had been aging after several decades of use, with loosening tolerances, and that IBM-PC-style keyboard fans hoped they would dig up the capital to replace them. Do you know if they ever did so?

Don't know. Mine are fine, but I bought the last one about ten years ago.

 

[Doodski]

Another 'learned to type on an actual typewriter' - not even electric, but only by a wee bit.

I could use some advice here from the kleyborg mavins:
I can't stand any wobble in the keycaps, and have gone through several of the 'best' boards, only to find them speed limited by key/cap wobble.

(I'm screaming fast but not terribly precise, so wobble hugely increases the miss and 'have to retype' rate...and it's getting worse as I age.)
(Turns out that if I can type accutately like 'stream of consciousness', the memory deficits from the stroke are minimized, but that's lost if I have to go back and correct every half dozen words.)

Currently using the Drop Entr, which is sturdy and well built, but has very very wobbly keys, so would like to upgrade, but REALLY don't want to waste another hundred++ on building up a kb library!
(Would the rubber band fixes help the Entr? But, also kind of hoping for the buckling spring ones?)

So, aside from non-wobbly keys, don't really care about clicky or not, but would like really good backlit legends (esp top row).
My favorite/best all time KB was the one Zenith sold with their card cage type PCs in the late 80s/early90s...never should have tossed it!
(An IBM clone or variation - better, I think.)

So, am looking for metal case (for stability), heavily molded/sculptured keycaps, fairly clicky, but absolutely stable keys and caps?
Oh, and probably need high Nkey rollover, and tend to prefer 101 key style, but not a must have. I have plenty of room for it.


Thoughts, suggestions, anyone?
Thanks appreciated!

I read a few e-mag reviews/sales articles about Corsair, Razer, Logitech some German made stuff and frankly I couldn't get much info about them other than the usual sales numbers stuff and box and packing pics. Seems mechanical is all the rage now and I don't see why after owning 3 different ones. One was a IBM original, another a Fujitsu mechanical and a Logitech G413 Romer-G switch layout. (The Romer-G switches in the G413 keyboard are apparently not good.) In all models I anticipated a low switch failure rate. None delivered the goods but they where fast feeling. So I returned to a membrane type keyboard with RGB backlighting on the keys and on the background of the keys too. It feels better than the mechanical switch models that I've owned. I ordered in a SteelSeries APEX 3 and I got lucky. It feels great, can be lightly typed on or with authority and it all feels good. The backlighting is great but the upper case characters are reversed on some of the key-tops. It's a very quiet keyboard and IP 32 water resistant with great visuals from the keys. The price for me was not what I was concerned with. My concerns where learning to use it and then not having it fail after I learn the feel of it, wanting good illumination, wanting a physical volume control, is fun to type on and water resistant is a bonus too. If you look at the pic you can see for example that the apostrophe and quotation key beside the RETURN key are upside down compared to other keyboards. I've never seen this before.

 

[garbulky]

I had a Logitech G413 and it broke in 3 places within ~3 years. 3 broken key retainer clips plus failing switch contacts. Logitech said this is normal wear and tear. I voted with my buying dollar on the present SteelSeries keyboard that I bought to replace the G413 and most likely will be doing so again when I buy a mouse to replace my Logitech G502 mouse when that day comes. I've been a Logitech buyer since ~early 2000's but after this Logitech Romer-G switch fiasco and the 3 breaking keys on the G413 and the "Normal wear and tear" stuff that leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth.

The logitech basic mice are so bad. I've gone through so many of them. But it's hard to find a reliable simple wireless mouse with just three buttons.

 

[garbulky]

Another 'learned to type on an actual typewriter' - not even electric, but only by a wee bit.

I could use some advice here from the kleyborg mavins:
I can't stand any wobble in the keycaps, and have gone through several of the 'best' boards, only to find them speed limited by key/cap wobble.

(I'm screaming fast but not terribly precise, so wobble hugely increases the miss and 'have to retype' rate...and it's getting worse as I age.)
(Turns out that if I can type accutately like 'stream of consciousness', the memory deficits from the stroke are minimized, but that's lost if I have to go back and correct every half dozen words.)

Currently using the Drop Entr, which is sturdy and well built, but has very very wobbly keys, so would like to upgrade, but REALLY don't want to waste another hundred++ on building up a kb library!
(Would the rubber band fixes help the Entr? But, also kind of hoping for the buckling spring ones?)

So, aside from non-wobbly keys, don't really care about clicky or not, but would like really good backlit legends (esp top row).
My favorite/best all time KB was the one Zenith sold with their card cage type PCs in the late 80s/early90s...never should have tossed it!
(An IBM clone or variation - better, I think.)

So, am looking for metal case (for stability), heavily molded/sculptured keycaps, fairly clicky, but absolutely stable keys and caps?
Oh, and probably need high Nkey rollover, and tend to prefer 101 key style, but not a must have. I have plenty of room for it.


Thoughts, suggestions, anyone?
Thanks appreciated!

I use O-ring dampeners on my velocifire and I found it reduced the wobble. I have two o-rings on every key. It took a looong time to do.

 

[Doodski]

The logitech basic mice are so bad. I've gone through so many of them. But it's hard to find a reliable simple wireless mouse with just three buttons.

I have not delved into the wonderful wide world of wireless mice yet. I swore off those pesky batteries for mice and keyboard.

 

[garbulky]

I have not delved into the wonderful wide world of wireless mice yet. I swore off those pesky batteries for mice and keyboard.

My PC is in my living room and I operate it from my recliner 8-10 feet away, hence the need... I used to have wired keyboard and mice but the wires were a real trip hazard

 

[Doodski]

My PC is in my living room and I operate it from my recliner 8-10 feet away, hence the need... I used to have wired keyboard and mice but the wires were a real trip hazard

I'm still @ the desktop for pooder stuff. A gaming PC with a notebook accompaniment. Some people think I'm nutters for battery'less peripherals and yeah the wires are a daily part of it. I've never had wireless peripherals before so I maybe don't know what I am missing. From driver issues, wireless login issues and battery replacement I am totally unaware and maybe in bliss.

 

[TheBatsEar]

I have not delved into the wonderful wide world of wireless mice yet. I swore off those pesky batteries for mice and keyboard.

Well. Hold on.

An alkaline does the job for half a year. If you used it for 3 month only, you could recharge it (yes), and repeat that 6 times before it dies, stretching the lifetime to 1.5 years. If you used a battery powered mouse for 60 years, you would use up 30 batteries. An alkaline costs 30 cents, so a lifetime of batteries would cost 9€.

 

[Blumlein 88]

The logitech basic mice are so bad. I've gone through so many of them. But it's hard to find a reliable simple wireless mouse with just three buttons.

Yeah Logitech mouses became disposable. I just buy cheapo gaming mice. They have extra buttons I don't use, but have nice heft, good dpi and seem to last a long time. Or at least I've not replaced any in 4 years.

 

[Djsedaw]

I have the Omen!

 

[ZolaIII]

The logitech basic mice are so bad. I've gone through so many of them. But it's hard to find a reliable simple wireless mouse with just three buttons.

Thinking of getting one of this (for some 80$) and say goodbye to G305:

ASUS ROG Gladius III Wireless Review

The ASUS ROG Gladius III Wireless is a right-handed, wireless gaming mouse with two buttons on its left side. It's suitable for most hand sizes, but small hands ...

www.rtings.com

Only thing stopping me is their software.

 

[garbulky]

Yeah Logitech mouses became disposable. I just buy cheapo gaming mice. They have extra buttons I don't use, but have nice heft, good dpi and seem to last a long time. Or at least I've not replaced any in 4 years.

I hate the feel of extra buttons.

 

[dasdoing]

if I needed to be fast I would learn steno

 

[Blumlein 88]

I hate the feel of extra buttons.

Depends upon the mouse. I settled on one, which unfortunately isn't made now, where they are smoothly integrated and you pretty much never feel them. The only one I sometimes feel is one I found useful. It switches between 4 levels of DPI just behind the scroll wheel. Handy for doing photo edits and audio edits in a DAW. It was one made by the Havit Magic Eagle mouse line. Even some of theirs with extra buttons keep them pretty much out of the way, but one they made a few years ago had them all tucked away from where your hand normally falls. Of course they dropped it because gamers didn't like that.

Logitechs and other cheap mice got to where the scroll wheel would wear down on me and become unreliable in less than a year. The Magic Eagles I've had don't have that problem. I'm guessing they use optical detection of the scroll wheel.

 

[ZolaIII]

@Blumlein 88 meh new Logitech is like that, old Logitech plain simple mauses and keyboards had a three year warranty and lasted and lasted. I like the rthings approach with a 3D model and grip estimates. Would never use "MMO" mouse, bought a "compact" keyboard (not really a TKL as it's around 80%) with deticated macros (which I also use rarely). I am left handed so it's ambidextrous and not much buttons for me.