Recommend Me A Keyboard

I have been having issues with my Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse lately and after a ton of troubleshooting I have basically worn the issue down to being either a fault with the devices themselves or that there is just too much 2.4 GHz interference in our condos (I can pickup about 40 2.4 GHz wifi networks with my laptop).

So I am looking for a new wired keyboard and mouse (doesn't have to be a combo) that is nice, but doesn't break the bank either. I looked at some keyboards at Best Buy over the weekend and I found I like the feel of the Cherry MX Brown switches and similar switches like the Razer Orange ones, but overall I found the gaming keyboards to be obnoxious and way too expensive.

This keyboard will be used more for basic daily use/typing than gaming so RGB and gaming features are not desired. Full sized with numpad is a must as well. Less than $100US and even that is a bit more than I would like to spend. One of the maybes I found on Amazon is from a company called VELOCIFIRE that I have never heard of. Anyone have experience with them?

I have a Redragon K563 Surya but it is a gaming keyboard with rgb lights, You can turn off the lights though. I enjoy the design and the clicky keys. The way the keys are set makes it easier to clean than regular keyboards. And it is just $50.

If you can find a model of theirs you like, Ducky is pretty well-respected. The last time I was looking for keyboards, the local Micro Center had a whole stack of Duckys in different switch mechanisms, which let me try a bunch out.

I ended up settling on MX Blacks, but unfortunately, the Ducky keyboard firmware at the time was not compatible with my motherboard BIOS, as it presented as multiple devices. (necessary for more than 8-key rollover, a limitation of USB.) So I ended up having to return it, and ended up with a Corsair K70, a backlit-but-not-RGB keyboard with MX Reds. It has two sliders on the back panel, one for how many devices it appears to be, and one for how fast it scans for keypresses. Those allowed it to work with the relatively stupid motherboard BIOS I had at the time.

I ended up liking it a lot. Reds are a lot like Blacks, in that they're smooth and non-clicky. Reds are soft-strike, and Blacks are hard-strike, but they're the same otherwise. I think clicky keyboards are silly unless they need to click, like with the Model M. I particularly don't like MX clicky mechanisms because the click doesn't even happen at the point of actuation, it's just an entirely superfluous noise.

The downside to the Corsairs is that I think they're all over $100. The cheaper Ducky models should be comfortably within your budget, and probably any UEFI-capable motherboard will use them without a problem. And you should be able to get them with any MX mechanism you like, where I believe Corsair might still be Red-only. (I haven't looked in several years, as this keyboard has been fine.)

Thanks for the suggestion Malor. One of the computers I will be using it with is a pre-UEFI (it is a Gigabyte with Award BIOS) so I don't know if the N-Key Rollover thing would be an issue or not.

Wish we had a Micro Center or Fry's around here. Best we have is Best Buy and they suck. Have a road trip planned in about a month though.

I may end up getting the Velocifire one and returning it if it sucks. Tempted to just splurge and get a Das Keyboard 4 Pro.

Ended up getting a Logitech G413 because Amazon had them on sale last week and I am not impressed so it will be going back. The Windows key stopped working after installing the Logitech G Hub software. Started working again after I switched to a different USB port. Has two USB cables one of which is just for a pass-through port, but is not detachable or differentiated between the actual cable for the keyboard. The Romer-G Tactile switches definitely don't have that sweet little bump of the Cherry MX Brown that I like.

I also got a Logitech G403 Hero mouse and so far I like it. Seems like it will be a good replacement for my wireless Logitech mouse.

Oh, as far as N-key rollover goes... you can't get true N-key on a USB. Not possible. The USB spec allows for 8-key rollover, plus modifier keys, which is typically enough. The Corsair and Ducky keyboards present as being 3 devices (well, up to 3 for the Corsair, it can be set to just 1), which allows for 24-key rollover. This is enough for two people to be at the keyboard, each using all ten fingers, and a few more besides. It's not N-key, but it's such ridiculous overkill that it might as well be.

Or, you can get a PS/2 keyboard, which has no limitation on rollover. Any PS/2 limitations are in the keyboard, not in the interface. One really nice thing about PS/2: it can't be hacked. You can't have your keyboard infected with unremovable malware. All PS/2 keyboards can do is send keys, they can't masquerade as some other device and do all sorts of nefarious BS.

Of course, how much longer motherboards will have PS/2 ports is open to question.

My wife got a Nixeus mechanical keyboard that she was pretty happy with. No RGB, reasonably priced. There not Cherry keys, some other brand, but they're legit - I use it when I'm working from her desk too and it's nice.

EDIT - and very competitively priced for a mechanical keyboard at $70

Just go with the tried and true. I've had various versions on my desk for over 20 years.

IMAGE(https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/7332/7332059_sa.jpg)

Currently test driving an iKBC CD108 with Cherry MX Browns and I think it might be a keeper.

LeapingGnome wrote:

Just go with the tried and true. I've had various versions on my desk for over 20 years.

IMAGE(https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/7332/7332059_sa.jpg)

I've use these for the last decade, but after the latest wore out I decided I wanted something that would last longer than a year. So I picked up a Kinesis Freestyle Edge RGB. It was ridiculously expensive and they charge extra for the addon to allow you to tent it. The lack of a numpad on the right and the addition of some macro keys on the left has taken some getting used to, but overall I love it. It took me a day of trying different positions and tenting angles to get something similar to what I've gotten used to with the MS keyboards, and spent probably another day getting used to my left hand being so far in from the edge of the keyboard.

I could do without the RGB lighting, and looked into doing so (this is a work keyboard, though I wouldn't choose RGB lighting for home either), but the reviews were pretty consistent that there was no reason to get the slightly cheaper Freestyle2 when the Edge RGB was on the market due to a variety of reasons -- the biggest one for me being the apparent quality of the wristpad.

Wow bill, what is wearing out in a year for you? In 20 years I think I've had three, and my latest one is at least five years old at this point.

The wrist pads. Also, presumably because I live in this hellhole (Hawaii), the usb connectors rust.

I owned three different Kinesis Ergos. Loved the keyboard, hated the build quality. After $700+ in broken keyboards, I gave up on them.

Constrast that with this ~$120 Corsair K70, which hasn't given me a lick of trouble. Knock on wood, but every single key is operationg perfectly after, hmm, must be four years now?

Malor wrote:

I owned three different Kinesis Ergos. Loved the keyboard, hated the build quality. After $700+ in broken keyboards, I gave up on them.

Dammit. Well, at least work bought this (your tax dollars at work!). Looking around, though, there aren't a lot of ergonomic keyboards with mechanical switches.

Malor wrote:

I owned three different Kinesis Ergos. Loved the keyboard, hated the build quality. After $700+ in broken keyboards, I gave up on them.

Constrast that with this ~$120 Corsair K70, which hasn't given me a lick of trouble. Knock on wood, but every single key is operationg perfectly after, hmm, must be four years now?

I loved my K70 except for the clanky rattling spacebar key.

If you're looking for recommendations outside of GWJ, this just popped up on Polygon

The best gaming and media keyboards, according to Polygon staffers

EvilDead wrote:
Malor wrote:

I owned three different Kinesis Ergos. Loved the keyboard, hated the build quality. After $700+ in broken keyboards, I gave up on them.

Constrast that with this ~$120 Corsair K70, which hasn't given me a lick of trouble. Knock on wood, but every single key is operationg perfectly after, hmm, must be four years now?

I loved my K70 except for the clanky rattling spacebar key.

I'd call this one clanky, probably, but the fit seems tight, and it doesn't rattle. It's louder than any of the other keys, but I had never noticed or thought about it in any way until you said something.

Well, I did notice that it was ABS instead of the nicer PBT, but PBT is expensive and hard to make good spacebars with, because it warps. Even expensive keyboards will sometimes have PBT keys and an ABS spacebar.

(This one's all ABS, it's not a pricey model.)

edit: in retrospect, in looking at my own quote, I find the misspelling of "operating" to be slightly amusing. The keys work fine, but the operator, not so much.

Malor wrote:
EvilDead wrote:
Malor wrote:

I owned three different Kinesis Ergos. Loved the keyboard, hated the build quality. After $700+ in broken keyboards, I gave up on them.

Constrast that with this ~$120 Corsair K70, which hasn't given me a lick of trouble. Knock on wood, but every single key is operationg perfectly after, hmm, must be four years now?

I loved my K70 except for the clanky rattling spacebar key.

I'd call this one clanky, probably, but the fit seems tight, and it doesn't rattle. It's louder than any of the other keys, but I had never noticed or thought about it in any way until you said something.

Now you won't be able to not hear it!

Edit: FWIW, I got the HyperX Alloy Elite to replace it mostly because I wanted brown instead of red and it was only $60 at the time. The HyperX space bar is much quieter. Keyboard doesn't look as slick though.

Naw, it still doesn't bother me, it's only just a scoche louder than the others even if I'm paying attention.

One of these days, I may try to find a board with MX Clears, which are like Reds and Blacks but with an extremely stiff spring, so the keys are about as hard to hit as they were back on the Model M. This can be really good for preventing wrist pain, as most keyboard repetitive injuries come from the muscles not being strong enough to take a full day's workload.

However, if you're already having wrist pain, you have to ease into the hard strike keyboards very, very slowly. You might only be able to use one for maybe a half-hour a day at first. The minute it starts to hurt, stop using it and go back to your light-touch keyboard. Eventually, you'll probably get to the point that you can use it full time, and at least with my occasional soreness, that will get rid of it completely after about six total weeks, and it will stay banished for several years, even if I go back to a light-touch keyboard again.

Interesting. Keyboards have never really bothered my wrists but mice have so I stick to semi-vertical ones.

**Also I just noticed the OP mentioned VELOCIFIRE . The blues strike way too hard and are loud as hell. It was headache inducing. However the brown modified with a cheap set of O-rings from Ebay has been my work keyboard and works great. No typing issues and the switches feel good.

Edit: Just realized Rykin's post was over a month ago and he already bought a keyboard.

EvilDead wrote:

Interesting. Keyboards have never really bothered my wrists but mice have so I stick to semi-vertical ones.

**Also I just noticed the OP mentioned VELOCIFIRE . The blues strike way too hard and are loud as hell. It was headache inducing. However the brown modified with a cheap set of O-rings from Ebay has been my work keyboard and works great. No typing issues and the switches feel good.

Edit: Just realized Rykin's post was over a month ago and he already bought a keyboard.

Technically I bought two Got to love that Amazon return policy. i am liking the iKBC one and will probably keep it. Might look into an o-ring mod though. The key action is nice but odd feeling after years of using membrane keyboards and still using them probably 80% of the time (at work and laptop).

Malor wrote:

One of these days, I may try to find a board with MX Clears, which are like Reds and Blacks but with an extremely stiff spring, so the keys are about as hard to hit as they were back on the Model M. This can be really good for preventing wrist pain, as most keyboard repetitive injuries come from the muscles not being strong enough to take a full day's workload.

In my own quest to replicate the feel of the Model M, I finally settled on the WASD CODE V3 with Cherry MX green switches. They make a version with each of the switch types (clear).

The keys are mounted on an actual steel backplate so the thing is heavy and doesn't warp at all when I'm banging away on it. The Cherry MX green is the stiffer version of the blue, which are the most tactile and loudest switches.

I originally got the one with the blue switches, then two more with the greens, replacing a Razer and other keyboards in the three office locations I typically work out of. I also got them via Amazon because free shipping.

Old thread but yeah I got the Corsair k70 like others a while back. Love it. Going to be using it a lot working from home the next few weeks

Rykin wrote:
EvilDead wrote:

Interesting. Keyboards have never really bothered my wrists but mice have so I stick to semi-vertical ones.

**Also I just noticed the OP mentioned VELOCIFIRE . The blues strike way too hard and are loud as hell. It was headache inducing. However the brown modified with a cheap set of O-rings from Ebay has been my work keyboard and works great. No typing issues and the switches feel good.

Edit: Just realized Rykin's post was over a month ago and he already bought a keyboard.

Technically I bought two Got to love that Amazon return policy. i am liking the iKBC one and will probably keep it. Might look into an o-ring mod though. The key action is nice but odd feeling after years of using membrane keyboards and still using them probably 80% of the time (at work and laptop).

O-rings will dampen the sound slightly as well as cushion the bottoming out. If you can wait a few weeks you can get a set for as low as $1 from Ebay or Alibaba.

My issue with the K70 spacebar was aggravated because it used a different mechanical setup then the other keys so O-rings didn't help. I remember there being metal hinges or springs in there. My office is one room away from the bedroom and it made it very difficult to type quietly (or scroll forum pages down down ) at night. That was with red switches too. In contrast I can press my current brown switch spacebar almost silently.

Loving my brand new EagleTec brown switch keyboard. It doesn't drive my wife crazy when we are both in our office at the same time and I am typing away.

edit: nevermind!