Hi!
My name is Sam, and I want to get away from laptop chiclet keyboards at work!
I've been reading these forums for a while now, and whilst 96% of what is discussed goes right over my head (and wallet), I feel I need to take the big brave step to the next level!
I want a new keyboard for work. I work in an office as a software tester, so do alot of typing. My keyboard history so far has been rubber dome, although I have had a fw model M's in the dim and distant past (I used to live, when at my mums next to the big office park I currently work at, and used to go skip diving alot, and have had a fair few M's, which all got used, then disgarded, which makes me cry inside a bit now!). However, not having used one in anger makes me hesitant to shell out the money they go for in the UK just to try one.
What's my recent keyboard history?
Our office is fleeted out with these things
I did a year with one before hating every second of it, and bought one of these
Which was actually lovely, and I did enjoy using it. However I moved from having a desk to having a laptop and working wherever I was needed during the project I was on, so they keyboard got taken home and forgotten about a bit. I have had it out recently, and wrote a long how to post for my main hobby (a few tens of thousands of words) and TBH I don't like it anymore. The key travel is massive and the keys feel huge. The lettering on mine is worn off many keys totally, others are smooth and it just looks a state. So that's out!
For the past 4 years, I've used my laptop keyboard on my HP Probook, which TBH I did start liking, and got on well with, but it looks a bit of a state now
Plus it hurt my fingers after a while.
I am due new hardware soon, so my creaky old (well, it would be utterly fine if it wasnt for the horrible company ISO it's loaded with) laptop will be going. So I decided to have another go at a proper keyboard since I'm desk based again! The laptop went up on a stand, and I got given 2 1990's IBM keyboards from someone from a car forum frequent!
One is an IBM kb-7993 with wrist rest. Lots of cool buttons, but none that work with Windows 7 (or windws 10), and no way around that. Plus it's huge!
The other is an IBM KB-9910, which I am currently using and typing this on now. I even cleaned it up
It's nice, but I've found the keys take a fair bit of pressure to push, resulting in my typing getting noticably heavier. Plus the spacebar wobbles and clacks as I push it on the LH side with my thumb, I'm not a touch typist, one of those people that uses 7 fingers very fast...
So why am I here? Well I've been googling really, lots of googling, and I want to try a mechanical keyboard. I'm not a gamer, 0 gaming done here or at home, this board will be used for typing/looking cool/showing off! I've already had people come over to my IBM and exclaim how retro it looks, and type on the keys and go 'wow, that's loud', so that's the caliber of my colleagues, bar the bloke who sits next to me who thinks it's a good idea!
What have I found so far?
Well, Corsair K70 is interesting me, especially the RGB one but TBH that's not needed, but I'd happily rock one if it came to it! It has a built in wrist rest too. Cherry Blue's in that apparently.
Logitech G19's are very cheap, and I could have email notifications come up on the screen for when I'm immersed, and even see if I can hook it into Jira or Basecamp or similar (no need to show system stats here!) It's not mechanical though.
There's a Razer BlackWidow on ebay for £29 atm
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Razer-BlackWidow-Chroma-Mechanical-Gaming-Keyboard/122798968725?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649A Dell AT102W currently at £29, but imagine that will shoot up with 3 days left
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dell-AT-VINTAGE-RETRO-PS-2-UK-Mechanical-Keyboard-AT102W-FULLY-WORKING/222706177018?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649Something called a Fnactic Gear Rush Pro with cherry reds
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fnatic-Gear-Rush-Pro-Gaming-Keyboard-Red-MX-Cherry-Switches/332412647416?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649etc
So, (I'm rambling now), anyone got any suggestions for a nice, good to type on mechanical board? Won't be buying it until next month (will have cleared my credit card down alot so will be a crimbo pressie to myself that 'er indoors won't know about) so plenty of time!
Or, is there anything to avoid?
Thanks
Sam