Author Topic: Keyboard for cubicle work (Read 5992 times)

benis · « **on:** Wed, 18 May 2011, 14:53:46 »

I was thinking about getting a mechanical keyboard for work, but it would have to be cheap... er inexpensive, I work in an open workplace and would't want it to get stolen. usually at home I prefer mini or tenkeyless boards, but id need a full size since i use the numpad for work alot. and just out of preference as long as the price is similar, id prefer a white/beige on grey board. and it would have to have browns since blue would piss people off. Built quality can be low since it would be for work. Anyone got any suggestions? Im thinking plu, cherry or adesso, unless there are any good value brands im missing?

bkforyou · « **Reply #1 on:** Wed, 18 May 2011, 15:01:48 »

you can also look at duckys.

david · « **Reply #2 on:** Wed, 18 May 2011, 15:05:02 »

Leopold from EliteKeyboards?

noodles256 · « **Reply #3 on:** Wed, 18 May 2011, 15:08:28 »

wlcm 2 gh

what exactly price is inexpensive to you?

benis · « **Reply #4 on:** Wed, 18 May 2011, 15:11:25 »

I was thinking like under 60us before shipping. I should also mention I live in Canada

noodles256 · « **Reply #5 on:** Wed, 18 May 2011, 15:23:34 »

wow, that takes a lot of options out.

I dont know any cherry brown for that low

good luck

False_Dmitry_II · « **Reply #6 on:** Wed, 18 May 2011, 15:30:33 »

Look in great finds, there are occasionally older boards from ebay posted about there. There is a cherry clear POS style board in there now that's at a good price. Way less than $60 shipped.

Oqsy · « **Reply #7 on:** Wed, 18 May 2011, 15:31:04 »

122 key Model F

You will get your own office and a foxy secretary within days. True story.

noodles256 · « **Reply #8 on:** Wed, 18 May 2011, 23:30:30 »

i agree with harrison. if you open your budget up to at least $100, you will definately be able to have more options

Ascaii · « **Reply #9 on:** Thu, 19 May 2011, 02:07:35 »

MY opinion would be this...buy a used Compaq 11801 board from ebay. (found one auction at the moment, more will pop up, guaranteed. http://global.ebay.com/Compaq-186591-406-PS2-Trackball-Keyboard-Rackmountable/160572050548/item). These boards use browns. If you cant adapt to this layout, you can easily swap switches between pcb mounted keyboards...meaning you can pick up the cheapest cherry pcb mounted mechanical you can find and swap the browns in from the 11801.
Feel free to pm me if you have any questions.

DesktopJinx · « **Reply #10 on:** Thu, 19 May 2011, 20:26:21 »

Most people have no idea that keyboards can be expensive. After all, every computer comes with one. Just don't get anything cool-looking. A Unicomp SpaceSaver M in beige for example. Heck, go even more low key and get the original-style Customizer 101 -- so big-boned nobody will want it.

Of course, people may hate you for the noise, and take your keyboard just to stop it, but that's a different problem.

No locked drawer in your cube? Can't put your keyboard away at night?

benis · « **Reply #11 on:** Thu, 19 May 2011, 20:39:42 »

I probably could lock it away but realistically I won't. I just want something besides crap domes at work, I don't need anything fancy. I think Ill go with leo, unless someone can suggest one in beige/grey at a similar price point?

IvanIvanovich · « **Reply #12 on:** Thu, 19 May 2011, 21:04:08 »

how about a cherry g80-3000? i got mine for $75 new from some office supply place online. ended up having blacks, but they're not that bad. can't seem to find the place, but there are a few selling them for under $85. its a pretty good no frills board, and would likely go completely unnoticed in your office.

DesktopJinx · « **Reply #13 on:** Fri, 20 May 2011, 00:18:32 »

Unicomp SpaceSaver 104 is $79US.

benis · « **Reply #14 on:** Fri, 20 May 2011, 13:47:00 »

aren't they loud? i dont think my coworkers would appreciate it.

drsauced · « **Reply #15 on:** Fri, 20 May 2011, 14:21:01 »

I like to play pranks on their printers. I love making the display read, "Insert Coin." and having them freak out because there isn't any place to put the coin. Delicious cake.

ricercar · « **Reply #16 on:** Fri, 20 May 2011, 15:14:00 »

Quote from: harrison;349064

sounds like someone doesn't know how to play nice with others

Took you 333 posts to determine ripster doesn't play nice?

On the other hand, I brought a Model M keyboard to work and my boss didn't complain for almost 15 months. Even then she waited until I was soliciting comments. Tough ****, as far as I'm concerned. If you're not honest enough to speak your mind about what bothers you, you deserve to live in discomfort.

keyboardlover · « **Reply #17 on:** Fri, 20 May 2011, 15:15:01 »

Is that how you lost your job?

ricercar · « **Reply #18 on:** Fri, 20 May 2011, 15:20:10 »

Quote from: keyboardlover;349097

Is that how you lost your job?

Nah, I was fired from that job while masochist-boss was literally out to lunch. I lost that job for playing MP3s from a hard drive I rescued from the trash and therefore was employing work resources for personal use. That and industrial espionage, but I'm completely innocent of those charges, which is why they prosecuted me on the hard drive thing.

Zet · « **Reply #19 on:** Fri, 20 May 2011, 16:31:37 »

there was a XArmor if I recall, with brown switches, no backlight, very simple for 70 or simillar price

keyboardlover · « **Reply #20 on:** Fri, 20 May 2011, 16:36:27 »

Damn the man!

nocturn4l3030 · « **Reply #21 on:** Fri, 20 May 2011, 17:59:23 »

if you dont mind the cash and jus want it to LOOK cheap

the cherry g80-3000s look like the standard keyboard...very light weight..you would never notice the dfference between them and a regular keyboard unless youre a GHer lol

youll probably have to purchase it from china though..taobao/obook.

its the sole reason im keeping my g80-3000 full sized reds- for when i get an office job....i doubt anyone would steal it..looks like a regular dell kb......outside the GH key lol

edit: if you really want to save money with the g80-3000...u can buy one with blacks..which are easy and way cheaper to find...and try to buy browns switches from here on GH..since theyre pcb mounted..theyre easy to replace the switches

Mr. Perfect · « **Reply #22 on:** Fri, 20 May 2011, 18:08:09 »

Yeah, do what some have suggested and just buy something used. There are used G80-8113s in the great finds section that are going for less then $30. Beige with white/grey keycaps, though it's got clear switches instead of browns.

Larry Dallas · « **Reply #23 on:** Fri, 20 May 2011, 18:21:54 »

Quote from: ripster;349060

Why do you care what your coworkers think? It's survival of the fittest.

Anyone who's ever had a bunch of coworkers come into his cube with bars of soap in pillow cases and home made shivs has said that at some point.

False_Dmitry_II · « **Reply #24 on:** Fri, 20 May 2011, 21:22:01 »

Quote from: Mr. Perfect;349196

Yeah, do what some have suggested and just buy something used. There are used G80-8113s in the great finds section that are going for less then $30. Beige with white/grey keycaps, though it's got clear switches instead of browns.

I don't know how used they are though. The one that I bothered to open seems pretty pristine. Besides the paint to cover the yellowing.

DesktopJinx · « **Reply #25 on:** Fri, 20 May 2011, 22:10:07 »

Quote from: benis;349058

aren't they loud? i dont think my coworkers would appreciate it.

Even a loud keyboard generates sound in a pretty narrow frequency range and in a pattern that quickly becomes "white noise," ignored with relative ease because your brain isn't constantly trying to decode and evaluate it. Not true of most other commonly-encountered cubicle-farm sounds, which tend to be indulged with little complaint.

People stand in the aisle and chit-chat about some dumb road-rage maneuver they pulled, or the latest UFC battle, or politics (same thing); supervisors walk by and pop in randomly to ask about TPS reports or dump some new emergency; adjacent cubicle-dwellers make personal calls and curse their malfunctioning computers...

Anybody who seriously complains about keyboard noise is almost certainly guilty of far greater levels of disruption than you and your keyboard. Rare is the cubicle environment where even a Model M on full report generates enough volume to truly drown out or be overheard in the business phone conversation in an adjacent cubicle -- and any other objection is just whining.

Put a rubberized placemat or similar under your keyboard to lessen the desk resonance if you're worried about it.

Or, find a friend nearby and sell them on a mechanical keyboard. It probably helps when you're not the only one in the neighborhood.

Mr. Perfect · « **Reply #26 on:** Sat, 21 May 2011, 01:59:21 »

Quote from: False_Dmitry_II;349270

I don't know how used they are though. The one that I bothered to open seems pretty pristine. Besides the paint to cover the yellowing.

Is that why they painted them? I bet some Retrobrite could fix it up.

False_Dmitry_II · « **Reply #27 on:** Sat, 21 May 2011, 03:59:02 »

I would think so. You can see some of it around the cherry logo and above the LED indicators where they weren't painted over.

To bother with deyellowing at this point you'd have to remove the paint too. It was a pretty good job of paining I'd say, so it seems like too much of a hassle.

pingbat · « **Reply #28 on:** Sat, 21 May 2011, 04:05:16 »

I picked up about 3 Apple Extended Keyboard II's for €1 on ebay. they are nice and quiet with damped complicated alps switches. The only problem is that you would either need to pick up a griffin imate or hack together an adaptor out of a teensy.

If you went down the teensy route it would only cost about $20-30 for the adaptor and $10 for the keyboard.
If you went for the imate it might take some time to find a cheap one but i got one for £25 in the UK.

ricercar · « **Reply #29 on:** Tue, 24 May 2011, 14:03:43 »

iMates are going for about $60 USD on eBay right now. You may wish to delay until they drop down to the circa $35 area again.

ricercar · « **Reply #30 on:** Wed, 25 May 2011, 10:28:40 »

Lack of demand. Read your own graph.

ricercar · « **Reply #31 on:** Wed, 25 May 2011, 11:01:14 »

Wait, posting that image is a bannable offense? Cool. Sign me up.

Fortunately my invulnerability will save me.

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Author Topic: Keyboard for cubicle work (Read 5992 times)