I am incredibly fussy about the computer keyboard that I use:
- The keys have to be "full travel" and have separation in 3D. (No low-profile Microsoft and other brand "Ergo" keyboards for me.)
- It has to be durable (it can't wear out in important ways.)
I originally purchased a Keytronic keyboard ("Lifetime" product line, "Designer P2", black for the PC I built a few years ago:
It has the attributes I described above with one important difference. The key faces are just printed on. As you may be able to make out from the photo, the paint has worn off of the most used keys.
Although it was not a show stopper, I want to mention that the Keytronic's keys do not click. I think the technology is some kind of membrane push switch. The feel of the keys bottoming out is nice. One quibble is that occasionally a couple of keys get stuck "down" from misalignment and mutual rubbing.
The Keytronic was about $35. I *think* Keytronic would replace the keyboard if it is defective, and their Lifetime line is marketed as its name implies - a "forever" solution - but I really wanted a keyboard that could stand up.
So it's not durable for my purposes. In low room light only the most-unused keys are readable. I can generally type (hunt and peck) by touch and memory but often I search for a "home" key. I want to be able to read the keys in all light levels.
We have Micro Center here and a couple of weeks ago I bought, and then returned, a gamer style keyboard with a very nice key layout. All the key legends illuminate (backlit.) The problem was that you have to be looking straight down at the keys to read them. I returned it - it was just annoying to use. (That one was $130 with tax, too much to keep something I don't really like that much.)
I finally zeroed in on two viable choices:
- The "Das Keyboard" with "Cherry" brand "Blue" keys, which click. (Cherry blue and Cherry brown seem to be the marks for nicer gamer and office keyboards.) This would be about $100-$120.
- Unicomp, described next.
For several years I have debated the following keyboard, which I finally wound up buying. It is made by an independent, US based vendor named Unicomp. Unicomp is based in Lexington, KY and acquired the IBM patents and manufacturing technology for the "clicky" keyboard that IBM manufactured in Lexington for a few decades.
Unicomp is a small vendor and is a bit difficult to get specific information from. Nobody seems to staff their phones, and they were unresponsive to support emails. Finally I used the web site's live chat feature and "summoned" a support person the other day to answer a few questions.
I wanted to know what ink or marking technology was used to imprint the key tops. The guy replied that their keys are baked with the imprinting. He said that the only way to wear the legends off is to sand the keys down. That satisfied me.
So I ordered the "Buckling spring 101 key classic", with a black case and black printed on white keys.
The deliberate intent is that it is supposed to look (form factor wise) exactly like the keyboards sold with the original IBM-PCs. And, of course, it feels like them, too.
I got a PS2 type interface. USB is available for all of their stuff. I preferred PS2 because most motherboards are more responsive to PS2 during BIOS boot than USB, and sometimes I go in and tinker with settings (with USB keyboards it can be difficult to wake the BIOS to the setup mode. ) If I ever need straight USB, there are cheap adapters available.
I suspect that this is one of my smartest investments ever in a home office. With ground shipping it was about $90. I got it in two days (I am only 100 mi. from Lexington.)
TRexx, resident mensch in all that is IBM, do you have one? I would think you at least gave this model a long, hard look.
It seems to be great.