geekhack
geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Conditioned on Sat, 13 June 2026, 15:06:41
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I'm on my way to buy a new keyboard as my old one is starting to fail. What I'm basically looking for is something that's really nice to use and will last me a long long time. I both game and work with this (work ofc more important) and it struck me - I have only ever seen claims HE last longer, but have they been out long enough to have been tested if they actually do?
BTW I'm choosing between the wooting 80 and lemokeys p1 he. Currently leaning towards the Wooting due to better support and better software, especially that you can download their software for offline use. Then I realized I will probably only use it to disable rbg and set some macro for whichever key is missing (End/Home). I know the Wooting is proprietary, but isnt the lemokey as well?
Anyway, thoughts would be greatly appreciated!
I'm looking for :
TKL
Comfy/Good feel (sound not that important)
No issues with lag/virus etc
ISO (A lot of the more populare HE boards seem to be ansi only). Most of thise can't be gotten here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSsjTA29tUSQDgT_FWmvX2nHg17RLzCXdZnBV2pdAWO2SqJmzeNl9EQNc2Yw2Cy4kHjIBcDVVCUgErC/pub
I don't mind corded only.
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I'm on my way to buy a new keyboard as my old one is starting to fail. What I'm basically looking for is something that's really nice to use and will last me a long long time. I both game and work with this (work ofc more important) and it struck me - I have only ever seen claims HE last longer, but have they been out long enough to have been tested if they actually do?
How long do you expect a keyboard to last?
I have Model M's that are 30+ years old, others have 40 year old models. I have multiple 15-25 year old MX switched, it didn't matter if it was tens of dollars or several hundred. Of all my keyboards I have owned (many passed on to family and friends) I think only one is kinda iffy and that's due to a electrical spike. What are the odds you will still be using it 10 years from now? 20 years? 30?
Buy the one you like, by the time it wears out, you will probably have long ago moved on to something else.
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Tp4 has calculated, mechanically the user will die before he wears out a switch.
The only time the switch wears out is sandy dirt+ friction..
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Well I had a Model-M (or a clone, Keytronics iirc?) which died within a few years. That was pretty well used before I got it. I have a tendency to bash my keys (not in anger, just used to get stressed out) while gaming, and it's improved lately. But yea, if I die before the keyboard I will be happy.
I have decided to not go with the Lemokeys P1 HE. Primarily because you can only use certain gateron switches, secondly because the support seems pretty weak. They haven't updated the firmware for a year despite there being evidence the firmware has some bugs (like keys stop working until firmware reset). I have to say the HE market is still pretty narrow imho.
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From a purely technical standpoint, yes—Hall Effect switches theoretically last longer because they use magnets and sensors instead of degrading metal leaf contacts. There’s no physical contact to wear out or oxidize.
But honestly, the irony is that many cheap, mass-produced membrane keyboards can easily last over a decade without breaking, while expensive custom mechanical and high-tech keyboards are often more prone to firmware bugs, PCB failures, or software glitches. 😂