Your first non-gamer favorite keyboard

[andr01d]

When i was in my first years of college, I was first starting to use the computer lab on campus. The university got a new wave of computers and with these computers came new keyboards, and somehow i absolutely loved them! I was used to hating the keyboards in the labs (at the time I was using the early razer mechanical keyboard which I thought was a good keyboard) but these keyboards were amazing! After eventually getting into non-gamer mechanical keyboards, I looked back and did some research, finding I was using the DELL AT101 keyboard with alps switches. I now use a UniComp when i dont care about being loud - What was the first time you discovered that "gamer" keyboards are usually actually not the best and there was a huge range of other switch types?

P.S. be nice - this is my first post 

[el_murdoque]

Actually, when I got my first keyboard, it was a Cherry. That was way before gaming hardware existed. I used some other keyboards that came with the computers that followed my first one, but that keyboard stuck. It was just better than those rubberdomes.

[andr01d]

Actually, when I got my first keyboard, it was a Cherry. That was way before gaming hardware existed. I used some other keyboards that came with the computers that followed my first one, but that keyboard stuck. It was just better than those rubberdomes.

Dont get me wrong, Im a fan of cherry switches. I currently rotate between two keyboards - a unicomp endura pro using the buckling springs and a WASD custom v3 with cherry blacks - just depends on if Im feeling clicky or linear.

[fohat.digs]

I don't game, and never have, but besides the IBM Model F there was this:

[Sup]

Poker 2 with MX black was my first ever mechanical keyboard. And for gaming board some Roccat rubberdome that felt pretty good after the domes aged and where broken in. I used it for 2 years or something

[andr01d]

Poker 2 with MX black was my first ever mechanical keyboard. And for gaming board some Roccat rubberdome that felt pretty good after the domes aged and where broken in. I used it for 2 years or something

I recently picked up my WASD custom v3 with cherry blacks - these are such good switches!

[walie]

Every keyboard can be a gamer keyboard

[el_murdoque]

Dont get me wrong, Im a fan of cherry switches. I currently rotate between two keyboards - a unicomp endura pro using the buckling springs and a WASD custom v3 with cherry blacks - just depends on if Im feeling clicky or linear.

Now don't get ME wrong. Back then, there was the brief period where FPS games were played with the keyboard only (Doom, DoomII ... Duke Nukem 3d had mouse support that was so terrible that keyboard was still better, but the first Quake was played with mouse ), the key rollover actually mattered, and the Model M had some problems in that department, If I remember correctly.
I never thought in specific terms, rubberdomes and mechanical. I bought that Cherry back then because someone I trusted told me to pay a bit more to get that keyboard because it is better.

I just wanted to say that I, by accident, fell in love with mechanical  keyboards well before gaming hardware existed and well before my education on that topic allowed me to say why or what exactly a mechanical keyboard is.

[Maledicted]

Every keyboard can be a gamer keyboard

Agreed, and conversely, I still game with an unmodified Corsair K70 ... my first (to my knowledge anyway) "gaming" keyboard. I still buy used K65s and K70s to modify to boot. 

First non-gaming mechanical (that I'm aware of, many old beige keyboards were donated to Goodwill by force due to my parents) was an F XT, which lead me to an F AT which I actually ended up typing on (and still do).

[treeleaf64]

Every keyboard can be a gamer keyboard

Agreed, and conversely, I still game with an unmodified Corsair K70 ... my first (to my knowledge anyway) "gaming" keyboard. I still buy used K65s and K70s to modify to boot. 

First non-gaming mechanical (that I'm aware of, many old beige keyboards were donated to Goodwill by force due to my parents) was an F XT, which lead me to an F AT which I actually ended up typing on (and still do).

And now you are on your F77, I imagine? Real noice board.

My first non gamer board was some obscure vintage MX black keyboard that I found at a yard sale. The owner gave it to me for free. I was so excited. Great switches, real smooth, and the best sounding MX linear in my opinion.

[Maledicted]

Every keyboard can be a gamer keyboard

Agreed, and conversely, I still game with an unmodified Corsair K70 ... my first (to my knowledge anyway) "gaming" keyboard. I still buy used K65s and K70s to modify to boot. 

First non-gaming mechanical (that I'm aware of, many old beige keyboards were donated to Goodwill by force due to my parents) was an F XT, which lead me to an F AT which I actually ended up typing on (and still do).

And now you are on your F77, I imagine? Real noice board.

My first non gamer board was some obscure vintage MX black keyboard that I found at a yard sale. The owner gave it to me for free. I was so excited. Great switches, real smooth, and the best sounding MX linear in my opinion.

I am typing on my F77 at this very moment. I got lucky and found it on Ebay. The one I ordered through Ellipse is still in the interweb ether somewhere. It holds down the fort on my desk at the high school (replacing a Leading Edge DC-2014 for now), but I have an F AT at my desk at the middle school, and I rotate with random boards at home.

What about yourself in this regard?

That's a cool story. I would love to find an interesting vintage board at a rummage sale, if only just to buy it for a reasonable price, much less get it free. What kind of board is it? One of the mystery brand ones? AT, ANSI, etc layout?

I don't game, and never have, but besides the IBM Model F there was this:

Does that have white or blue alps?

[armani]

Eh, whenever I think of gamer keyboards, I think of the ones with fancy LEDs and stuff.

I don't like those, I just use regular layout, normal looking keyboards

[stupidheck]

My first non-gamer keyboard was a Steelseries with 6GV2 cherry mx blacks. I got it off of ebay for $20. It was disgusting and very well loved before hand, but i disassembled and cleaned everything. I used it for around a year before I finally had enough to get a new one.

[shine]

Mi first favorite keyboard was the IBM M2, lighter than the regular M i was using at school.

[abstractkb]

The first non-gamer mechanical keyboard I found was a Model M while I was working in IT, but the first one I actually owned is my BFO-9000.  Definitely got deep into the rabbit hole of DIY keyboards with that one.

[jamster_ii]

Does "gamer" mean LEDs? 'Cause non-gamer would then describe every board I've ever owned. First one would have been a Model M, but used to play Quake and Unreal Tournament on it.

[dabeshu]

Like others I’ve never owned a gaming keyboard per-se. One of the first that got me interested in the hobby was my full-sized Filco Majestouch with MX blues back in 2009 or so. Before that I’d seen some demonstrations of the hhkb on YouTube and picked up a Lite 2, and after the Filco I ended up getting a capacitive hhkb. I dabbled in pre-builds for a few years but never did I get something with LED rainbows and gamer looking design. I guess the closest thing I’ve owned would be the KBC Poker X, which I could really never get used to after daily-ing my pro 2 for some time. I had a few other boards with MX that were kinda purposes towards geeks and enthusiasts but never something like corsair or steelseries

[Maledicted]

Like others I’ve never owned a gaming keyboard per-se. One of the first that got me interested in the hobby was my full-sized Filco Majestouch with MX blues back in 2009 or so. Before that I’d seen some demonstrations of the hhkb on YouTube and picked up a Lite 2, and after the Filco I ended up getting a capacitive hhkb. I dabbled in pre-builds for a few years but never did I get something with LED rainbows and gamer looking design. I guess the closest thing I’ve owned would be the KBC Poker X, which I could really never get used to after daily-ing my pro 2 for some time. I had a few other boards with MX that were kinda purposes towards geeks and enthusiasts but never something like corsair or steelseries

I see RGB has a distinct advantage for LED-backlit boards because it is usually easier to desolder the switches. My Red LED K70s have in-switch LEDs, and that's always an extra hassle for swapping switches.