Best non-mechanical keyboard?

[SOROBORU88]

Hello everyone, I have non-mechanical question for you.

My father recently threw his fifth keyboard to the dumpster. Says letters smears off very quickly, and the response isn't great. He used wired and wireless keyboards. But no keyboard last more than few months.

What is the best value, most durable and comfy to use keyboard? But has to be non-mechanical keyboard. I offered him my Keycool 87 and played him sounds of all the swithes, but he told me he hates the sound of my keyboard and the other switches are even worse I use black switches.

Thank you very much.

[rowdy]

Any keyboard with Topre switches?

[Grim Fandango]

If you do not mind spending money you could go Topre. Not "exactly" non-mechanical though.

[rowdy]

Capacitive rubber dome.

[RougeR]

he will like other switches....hes just being stubborn.

[SOROBORU88]

Thank you for your answers. Topre keyboards are super rare around here and it would be very expensive to buy them from outside my country. Plus, my father doesn't speak English, so he needs keyboard, which manufacturer supporst CS layout.

[Jesterfox]

Buy him a Cherry G80 with MX Clear and don't tell him its mechanical ;-) or just try a G86 (or G83) from Cherry.

[SpAmRaY]

If I had to use a non-mechanical I would definitely go with Logitech K750, it is a scissor switch and feature wireless connection and is solar powered.

[Lupizza]

Screen keyboardd 

[Carter]

Sidewinder X4

[SOROBORU88]

Screen keyboard? My father refuses to buy smartphone and I would force to use whole compouter with touchscreen I would rather teach Miley Cyrus to sing than this

Scissor switch? Never heard of it. I believe it is something notebook keyboards usually use?

[Xenderwind]

Screen keyboard? My father refuses to buy smartphone and I would force to use whole compouter with touchscreen I would rather teach Miley Cyrus to sing than this

Scissor switch? Never heard of it. I believe it is something notebook keyboards usually use?

Yep, scissor switches are what laptop keyboards use.

[TimIsABat]

Scissor switches aren't that bad. I just don't like how small the caps are and sometimes it feels like you are repeatedly tapping your finger on a desk which can be a bit stressful on your fingers. If you get good at using one, you can type pretty damn fast on them.

[CPTBadAss]

Microsoft Ergonomic 4000

[SOROBORU88]

I like microsoft comfort 3000, it looks good and feels sturdy and comfy (my cousin has it). But both comfort 3000 and 4000 are curved. Dad doesn't like curved (keyboards). I don't think scissor switches would be fine, since my father writes only with his two pointing fingers. Therefore he smashes the keyboard, hard.

[Lastpilot]

I've tried a couple spring loaded rubber domes and those were pretty good. I forget the brand name though...

[microsoft windows]

The old Dell Quietkey keyboards were pretty good.

[SOROBORU88]

I saw some of those http://www.czc.cz/dell-kb212-b-quietkey/95364/produkt in my father's job. What are they? I use to have Dell Vostro 1310 and it didn't perform well

[brialona]

I saw some of those http://www.czc.cz/dell-kb212-b-quietkey/95364/produkt in my father's job. What are they? I use to have Dell Vostro 1310 and it didn't perform well

i dont think he was referring to that quietkey.

i think he was referring to this one

http://s3.amazonaws.com/kpsurplus_images/e9e51be7ff0814b9202fd59d2ed01a3b17909851.jpg

[MOZ]

[lazerpointer]

E8HKG-0917 (made by Chicony)

We have white and black versions of these at work (the white ones are wired, black ones are wireless with USB dongle.) --- I took the key caps from one of either type and swapped them. The outcome is sexy, and they aren't bad for rubber dome boards.

Not TKL, but the closest I could get with rubber domes around here.

[smknjoe]

If you do not mind spending money you could go Topre. Not "exactly" non-mechanical though.

Technically, all rubber domes are mechanical. They just use rubber as the mechanism, but for the sake of GeekHack they are not referred to as mechanical.

[SOROBORU88]

Well, all your suggestions are very helpful. I would buy them for myself. But I have to work out the keyboard, which has czech letters. What about the dell I've already posted?

[Leslieann]

Personally, one of the best non-mechanical to me, is the Logitech Illuminated.

Keys lasted a long time, especially for a backlit, feels nice, it's quiet... It uses scissor switches, which I like better than traditional rubber dome.

[SOROBORU88]

Problem is, that when I buy logitech illuminated, the czech letters are either non-backlit or poorly backlit, depending on the version a I don't have a possiblity to check this in the store. I have to order everything online. Support for czech language is very poor througout all the manufacturers. Even microsoft Sidewinder X4, which is backlit and my father seems to like it (on the picture), the reviews of the layout are horrible, since the czech letters are small and poorly backlit. The czech letters are made here, not in the factory with US keyboards. And my father smeared letters from all keyboards he had, except his toshiba laptop.

The genius luxemate 202 or so has similar keycaps like the toshiba A660 pro notebook. But I consider genius accesory as budget category.

[cactux]

What about something like this http://www.ebay.com/itm/Microsoft-Bluetooth-Mobile-Keyboard-6000-English-International-Czech-Characters-/370782149050?pt=UK_Computing_ComputerComponents_KeyboardsMice&hash=item56545699ba

[SOROBORU88]

Looks good Is it a good value concerning the quality and durability? And is bluetooth reliable? I thought it's only a laptop thing. But my father talks about buying AiO PC, so...

[davkol]

Cherry G81. Seriously. Cherry MY are supposed to be nice for hunt'n'peckers, and it's possible to get Czech keycaps (someone sold those at Deskthority a while ago).

Otherwise, I'd like to get rid of some KeyTronic and *old* Dell QuietKey keyboards, all of them have Czech lettering.

[Larken]

actually it sounds like your dad doesn't have a problem with the feel of the keyboards, but rather with the letters fading off after extended usage. This is going to keep happening with most keyboards (esp. since your dad appears to be going through them at one keyboard every three months). What you need is double shot, or dye subbed keycaps, which can be gotten - albeit not cheaply. The main problem would be the czech layout - which according to

http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=13693.0

is either extremely rare, or never produced at all.

laser etched or pad printed are eventually going to wear out, no matter what. What you might think about doing is to get a mechanical keyboard, and use relegendables - and print out your own labels for those czech layout specific keys. It's a very costly solution, but it would probably last you a lot longer than buying new keyboards again and again.

Just wondering about one thing: obviously your father has to either be using the keyboard almost 24 hours a day (or be sweating acid through his fingers) to wear through a keyboard that fast; does he really need those legends? I would imagine he could touch type if he'd been going through that many keyboards so far. If he didn't need the czech specific legends, I imagine a doubleshot keycap set would serve him quite nicely for a few years.

[SOROBORU88]

Yeah, my father can't touch type since he has very small hands due to illnes. And the smearing is parttly the problem of the cheapest boards he buys and partly by that he is RC modeller and has a PC next to his hobby room. Simetimes he types (looks for something on the internet quickly) with fingers covered with glues and chemicals And also he types like a cat, he bumps the keys with tips of his fingers and scratches the keys with fingernails.

When I type on my mechanical keyboard, I always wash my hands first

He is currently using laptop and the letters looks good so far. I had that notebook for three years and I used it nonstop for 18 hours a day (law faculty). But before he used Logitech K360 with which he was very satisfied, but sometimes he had problems with range so I thought I will buy him wired keyboard.

[davkol]

Laser etching without infill is fine.

[terrpn]

i don't know, but i am still pretty fond of my "dell quiet key" and "olivetti" i would think that the model m rubber dome is pretty good as well although i have never tried one

i did take my dell sometime ago apart, cleaned, blacked part of the face plate out and spruced it up some so it would not be so vanilla.

i like old boards, so i am sure i am in the minority

[Larken]

Ah I see. In that case, barring being able to find those specific doubleshots/dye subbed keys, you might just have to go for quantity over quality. The Dell Quietkeys mentioned by davkol are a favorite for a few geekhackers (though I never used one personally) when it comes to rubber domes, and should be a good buy, even if they're used.

Since they have czech lettering and your dad isn't really into the feel of the cherry switches, I imagine that it would make a nice match, and much more affordable to boot.

Otherwise, look into relegendables.