Judith on 24/10/2017 at 11:37
I'm trying to buy a decent keyboard for my work-at-home needs, and I really can't find one that would be good enough. You see, I write tons of text every day. 2000-3000 words per day, and this is just work. Add forums, messengers, and the like, and you easily get double of that. That's why I need a keyboard that's as comfortable as possible. I had my go-to model once, it was (
http://media.ldlc.com/ld3/zoom/2003/LD0000448516.jpg) Logitech Ultra X, but it's no longer on the market. I was trying to get something similar, but without any luck, Right now I have shitty (
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Pb_yhxLUCGg/maxresdefault.jpg) Logitech K280e, but I need to change it as soon as possible, as my hands are getting tired pretty quick with this one. Please share your thoughts, similar experiences and recommendations here :)
Unna Oertdottir on 24/10/2017 at 15:44
Logitech K750. A good one, but it's wireless.
Nameless Voice on 25/10/2017 at 00:34
One piece of generic advice: get one that has all the keys in the right positions.
It amazes me how many keyboard are designed with keys in "weird" non-standard locations. Maybe that's just me and my stubbornness, but I'd rather get one with a normal layout and not have to spend time learning a new layout (especially if it's different than the ones I use in other places, e.g. at work.)
Main ones I see (when looking for UK keyboards) is small-sized enter keys, oddly-placed backslashes, and moving standard keys to make room for extra application buttons. Laptop keyboards tend to be even worse.
Another random thing, I really love the volume roller that some Logitech gaming keyboards come with. It just feels so nice and natural to use, compared to volume up/down keys.
Edit: Looking at that aforementioned K750, another thing I'd personally avoid is keyboards that remove the right-click key.
Judith on 25/10/2017 at 07:18
Yeah, I'm trying to get something as close to a "standard" keyboard as possible. The one I have right now has almost square Left Shift, which drives me mad. Also, the keys on most keyboards these days seem to have bigger spaces between them (or they're just smaller, it's hard to tell). That K280e keyboard has keys that feel like they have more space between them, and the key travel is too long/deep. It all contributes to hand fatigue. Wireless keyboard is fine, I just switched to a M570 wireless trackball (which is really comfortable for my wrist), so having a wireless keyboard to complement that would be okay too.
SubJeff on 25/10/2017 at 20:51
Get this. Seriously.
Weird at first but then great.
I'm on my second one.
heywood on 26/10/2017 at 12:15
I've never used the Logitech UltraX so I'm not sure what kind of keyboard you prefer. Do you like full-height keys with dished tops and long key travel like old school '80s/'90s keyboards, or flatter short-travel notebook-style keys, or something in between? Do you prefer any particular switch type? What kind of action, linear or tactile? Quiet or clicky? And do you prefer a softer keypress with less spring resistance, or a firmer keypress?
If you like old school full height keys, you're in luck because mechanical switch keyboards are currently very trendy and there are a variety of different switch types to choose from. You can search YouTube for tutorials and reviews of the different switch types. Probably the highest regarded switches come from Cherry MX, and they have at least a half-dozen different types, some linear, some tactile, some quiet, some not. If you know what switch type you prefer, then it's easy to find a keyboard with the layout and switch type you prefer.
Personally, I like slimmer/flatter keyboards, because I'm constantly switching back and forth between laptop and desktop at work and at home. With a flatter desktop keyboard, the wrist angle and finger positioning doesn't change as much when switching back and forth. For the same reason, I also prefer shorter key travel i.e. 2-2.5mm. And I like some tactile feel. So for me, scissor-switch keyboards are the way to go. The best I've found so far is the Dell KM713. It's built for Dell by Logitech, but there isn't any Logitech branded model that' quite the same.
If you're looking for something in the middle, with medium height keys and a medium stroke, then Logitech's PerfectStroke keys/switches are probably a safe choice. I used a DiNovo board with PerfectStroke keys for a few years and was pretty happy with it. When I wore it out, the closest thing I could find from Logitech in terms of key size and feel was the K740 wired illuminated board. I used that for a while and it's decent, but somewhat cheaper feeling. IMO, the quality control on Logitech boards has been on the decline. No two boards feel and sound quite the same.
Judith on 26/10/2017 at 15:19
I prefer laptop-style keyboards with as short key travel as possible. That Dell looks promising, but I'll have to check it out in a store first.
Judith on 1/11/2017 at 17:39
I bought Dell KM714, which is basically the KM713 + mouse and one receiver. I don't need the mouse, so I left it in the box, but the keyboard feels great. It's small, the keys are neatly packed and within reach, but they still managed to include num keys (which is important to me, as I use quite a few special characters at work). The key travel is identical to my laptop, which is exactly what I needed. Thanks, Heywood!
heywood on 1/11/2017 at 20:57
You're welcome, glad you like it.