mechanical (or not) keyboard more silent than the typical Mac flat keyboard

[danny_m]

Dear all,

this may seem a weird question, but I am trying to replace the keyboard I have at the office (one of these hateful Mac keyboards that comes with the iMac) and since I share an open space with quite some people I need it to be as silent as the Mac keyboard (or only slightly noisier).

The excuse I have for replacing it is that right now I have spanish layout and I need US layout since I do quite some coding, and I hope that I can manage to get something other than just a Mac keyboard with US layout (company policy is that all hardware is Mac by default), since I absolutely hate this flat keyboard and right now I would kill for anything with more key travel (and also for throwing the iMac through the window and getting some Linux workstation, but that's another story). I looked into the new cherry MX silent switches but probably these are still quite louder, and I don't want my colleagues to hate me (otherwise I would just bring my CM Quickfire with MX blues from home  ) ), so I hope that you can give some advice.

So probably the question would be: can I get that with a real mechanical keyboard or should I just get a rubber dome and be happy with it?

PS: budget should not be a problem, as long as it's findable within the eurozone.

Thanks guys!

[Riverman]

If you want to keep a Mac layout and have a mechanical keyboard, I think the two best options are the Varmilo VA108Mac with QMX Clips or the Matias Quiet Pro.  If you're in Europe, getting QMX Clips should be much easier than it is for us in the US.  GMK charges a horrendous amount to ship those little things here.  There was a brief thread on the VA108Mac here a little while ago.  It's a completely standard Mac layout, except for the missing = key on the numeric keypad.  Personally, I wish it was available in something other than all white, since the iMac is silver and black, but that's the way Mac peripherals seem to go.  That's currently my Mac keyboard at home.  The Matias Quiet Pro isn't quite as quiet as a Varmilo with QMX Clips, but it's still very quiet and has a decent feel.  It's also available in black and silver so it actually matches the current iMacs.  It even has the Mac style numeric keypad with an = key.

[Findecanor]

If the company Mac has a "Magic Keyboard"  (wedge-shaped enclosure, square function keys) then it would be a slight upgrade just to use the previous generation of "Apple Wireless Keyboard" (A1255 or A1314) or full-size wired (A1243). (A compact wired keyboard (A1242) also exists but was on the market for a limited time so is rare).
The previous generation has a little more key travel. The even older rubber domes are mushy and horrible.

If you are going mechanical:
* Keyboards with "floating keys" are often louder than those with a border around the keys, in my experience.
* Good rubber feet and desk mat help with sound.
* Thicker keycaps help reduce sound.
* Uniqey does not ship QMX-Clips to all of Europe, only to UK and German-speaking countries but they do ship to USA and Canada. You would have to use a proxy to get it anywhere else.
(They used to ship to a few more countries, and now I can't even find how to check out on their web site...)

BTW, You should be able to switch to US layout in MacOS without using a US-layout keyboard. Many symbols on the keys won't match of course.

[SamirD]

Worse case if you can't find a good mechanical one.  I ended up with a almost 20 of the older rubberdome like these:

[Riverman]

I always hated those old white keyboards with the clear plastic frame.  I gave one to my mother-in-law when I gave her my old white iMac.  They're mushy as anything, and they show any little crumbs or hairs that drop in them.

[danny_m]

Many thanks for the answers!

I forgot to mention that actually I will need a PC keyboard since I will most likely install Linux, so no need for keeping the Mac layout, I just want standard PC US-ansi. The point of comparing to the Mac keyboard is just for having some reference of how noisy (or silent) I want the new keyboard to be. The exact model we all have at the office right now is this one:

https://www.amazon.es/Apple-MB110Y-Teclado-QWERTY-espa%C3%B1ol/dp/B005GI8BPW

[zutroy]

I looked into the new cherry MX silent switches but probably these are still quite louder, and I don't want my colleagues to hate me (otherwise I would just bring my CM Quickfire with MX blues from home  ) ), so I hope that you can give some advice.

I just built a custom board with MX silent switches, and they are actually quieter than the standard Mac keyboard you're talking about. I know for a fact because my partner has an iMac with the stock keyboard and it's much louder when she types than when I do now (for the first time ever, haha). The silent reds are pretty easy to find on manufactured boards now, and I expect the blacks will follow suit soon, if you want something heavier and are willing to wait.

Otherwise, I can also vouch for the Matias Quiet Pro. I used one for quite some time and it's pretty quiet, although still not as quiet as my MX silent board. Despite the same kind of sound dampening mechanism in both Matias quiet switches and MX silent switches, I think the tactility in the Matias switches causes a bit of extra noise, whereas the MX silents are linear and smooth.

[SamirD]

I always hated those old white keyboards with the clear plastic frame.  I gave one to my mother-in-law when I gave her my old white iMac.  They're mushy as anything, and they show any little crumbs or hairs that drop in them.

Interesting.  I find them remarkably better than my wife's macbook built-in keyboard.  I'd say they're about half as good as a keytronic, if you've had a chance to use one of those.  I know a mechanical keyboard will be best, but if one of these is readily available in a US layout, I wouldn't hesitate to give it a try.

[Riverman]

That's not saying much about MacBook keyboards.  A computer surplus store near me in Seattle has a few NOS Keytronic keyboards with matching mice for about $3.50.  They seemed very nice to type on for what I'm assuming is a rubber dome keyboard.  It's weird seeing brand new beige/grey keyboards with mice that have actual balls in them still in the box.

[kmba]

A board with MX silent switches will be as quiet or quieter.  I don't have a board of them, but I do have a few samples here, and also a god aweful mac keyboard like yours. 

I reckon silenced topre will be quiet enough for you as well.. and topre boards kick ass. 

[danny_m]

Great, thanks for all the feedback. Now my problem is that I'm not able to find where to buy the cherry MX silent board in Europe (and the boards I find with these switches are these gaming things that don't seem too appropriate for the office).

On the other hand, the hardware retailer that usually works for my company just offered me a Logitech K120 (one of these standard rubber domes it seems), and I was wondering if maybe a Logitech K840 would be also a nice choice (tough I read on some reviews that the space bar is really loud).

[davkol]

Both CandyKeys and mykeyboard.eu sell Leopold FC750PD w/ MX Silent Red (as well as some other models).