Professional Mechanical Keyboard Comparison Review

[Olle P]

I use a $250 Vidamic Ergonomics Technokey at work. The key feature is to have a full size keyboard with minimalistic outer dimensions, and it's pretty slim too.
It feels like fairly high quality, but I don't know what kind of electromechanics is used.

At home I use a cheapish Logitech keyboard that I bought when there was a temporary 80% price reduction some time ago. Cost me some $3.50.

Cheers
Olle

[David Ramsey]

Hm. The web site's in Swedish, but the basic keyboard looks like an standard laptop mechanism (flat, low-travel, rubber dome keys) in a very slim shell. In fact it looks very similar to this $79 Apple keyboard:



Wonder why the high price? I don't even see anything "ergonomic" about it other than the admittedly handy separate numeric pad.

[Hasan Niyazi]

Kudos on the great article. I myself may have used a mechanical keyboard on an Apple rig at school when I was about 9.

Nowdays I use the logitech ultra flat as it fits perfectly in the smallish space my desk has left for a keyboard. The worst keyboard I've ever used was the original MS Media Center keyboard - it looked interesting but boy was it a pile of crap. I only paid $15 for it - $15 too much IMO...!

H

[David Ramsey]

You probably did. Apple used mechanical keyboards for years, starting with the keyboard built into the Apple ][ computers and going up through the Lisa and original Mac and Mac II computers. Apple used Alps key switches in the Mac II keyboards, although they weren't "clicky" (they were similar to the current Cherry "linear" switches as used in the Deck I reviewed). The last Apple mechanical keyboard was, I think, the giant "Apple Extended Keyboard":



...which cost over $200 new and was known internally by the code name "Saratoga", after the aircraft carrier, because of its size.

[Hasan Niyazi]

That is a whopper of a keyboard!

What do you think of the idea of putting pc components in the keyboard, like the Eee Keyboard PC. Has that type of thing been done before ?

Im guessing it would be waterproof, otherwise the consequences of spilling a beverage on it would be quiet expensive....

H

[Olle P]

Originally Posted by David Ramsey

Wonder why the high price? I don't even see anything "ergonomic" about it ...

The high price is probably due to a small production volume. (Combined with the general pricing of their products.)
The ergonomic parts of it is that you don't need a wrist raiser to keep the hands fairly flat while typing and the ability to use it in/on cramped spaces where otherwise a mini keyboard would be required.

I ordered this one keyboard to have any interested colleague see if it fitted their needs. In the end it was only I that even wanted to test it, but I love it! The only downside, apart from the price, is that it use the USB 1.1 standard instead of 2.0.

Cheers
Olle

[Olle P]

Originally Posted by Hasan Niyazi

What do you think of the idea of putting pc components in the keyboard, like the Eee Keyboard PC. Has that type of thing been done before ?

Most, if not all, of the first generation home computers had the keyboard mounted directly onto the computer case. Many second generation computers continued the tradition:
Vic-20, Vic-64, Sinclair Z-80, Sinclair Spectrum, Lambda 800, Amiga 1000, Amiga 500, Atari 520, ABC80, ABC800, ...

Cheers
Olle

[Hasan Niyazi]

Originally Posted by Olle P

Most, if not all, of the first generation home computers had the keyboard mounted directly onto the computer case

Cheers
Olle

Yes! ... I had a C64 and Amiga 500 - and yet couldnt link the two time periods together in my head. Old age is spoiling my mind hehe

Astro

[Dole0]

I use the Realforce 103U and have found it to be better than any other keyboard I have used. The varying force of the Topre electrostatic capacitive switches make for an amazing typing experience. It's essentially a hybrid of mechanical and dome.

I'm surprised other keyboards geared towards being high quality w/ mechanical switches such as ones from Filco, Unicomp, ABS M1, Raptor Gaming K1 or the Gigabyte GK-K8000 weren't reviewed in the roundup. Rather it seems they were chosen more at random.

[David Ramsey]

The Unicomp keyboard was reviewed-- see "Unicomp Customizer 104". Several of the other keyboards you mention, like the Filco and the Gigabyte, use the ubiquitous Cherry MX mechanical key switches and thus would have performed similarly to the other Cherry-based keyboards reviewed. I'd never heard of the Realforce keyboard but its switch mechanism looks interesting.

Keyboard preference is something everyone has to judge for themselves; I tried to cover a representative sample of the more commonly available mechanical keyboards.