What is the worst keyboard you've ever typed on

[rotovator]

I know you talk about "worst keyboards" but omit very cheap keyboards into the group. "El cheapo" keyboards are not supposed to be included in this thread as they would win for many people.

However, I must admit that one of those was so bad, that ended triggering the search for better keyboards in me. I bougth it for my daughters computer, beliveing it would be just fine. It was a wireless combo keyboard and mouse.

but the keys have to be pressed in the middle (and just in the middle for all keys) to get a keypress. feeling is horrible. I mean , horrible for a membrane cheap keyboard (most horrible among horribles). In the end it is unusable, It must have been designed to make people despair for a good keyboard (hence my moving into keyboard aficionados, and my presence here)


For sure, a good looking keyboard that you could give as a present to your worst enemy. Mouse does the work though.

[kyb]

I assume we talk about real keyboards here so I won't mention all that rubber dome and laptop crap.

The worst mechanical keyboard I typed on is the Leopold FC660M. The stock key caps somehow shorten the key travel distance considerably and it feels like I was typing on a clicky laptop. Totally disgusting.

[Oobly]

=

I was going to say the ZX81 until I saw that, I had both and the flex in the 400's keyboard made it worse than the ZX81, also had loads of problems with the Atari 400 that meant it spent more time being repaired than used 

Ah, but the ZX81 keyboard only really came into its own when coupled with a wobbly 16K RAM pack. There was no feeling quite like losing the entire program you spent the last hour typing in, just because you pressed one of those keys a little too hard.

Wow!.... that's just.... sigh.

Now that I think about it, I wasn't all that impressed with the keyboard on the Apple IIc. IIRC it had Alps style clicky switches, but the stabilisers sucked (keys jammed easily) and I wasn't a fan of the feel of the switches at all. Still managaed to write an indecent amount of Applesoft Basic code on it, though.

[johndavis33]

Any modern apple keyboard is ****, or any chiclet really.

For mechanical, anything lighter than blacks or clears I hate. **** blues.

[C5Allroad]

[PRISONER 24601]

worst? Fujitsu Peerless
I mean WHY put a spring on top of a perfectly good rubber dome? What were they thinking?

[Macsmasher]

It's a tie between the Microsoft Natural Ergonomic 4000 and the Logitech Wave. The Msft 4000 layout sucked beyond description, along with the problematic spacebar.

The Wave felt decent when new. But within a few months, the keys would stick on their posts if not struck in the center. Tab keys were horrendous. After six months, you found yourself hammering all keys just to ensure they actuated.

Sad thing is they still sell these skank boards.

[PRISONER 24601]

imo the only good microsoft ergo was the one with keytronic domes.

[kod]

Pfft, all these complaints about keyboards that are merely unpleasant to type on, try a really painful keyboard!

I used to have a cheap generic scissor switch keyboard that started randomly SHOCKING me due to poor grounding somewhere

[Comment]

Pfft, all these complaints about keyboards that are merely unpleasant to type on, try a really painful keyboard!

I used to have a cheap generic scissor switch keyboard that started randomly SHOCKING me due to poor grounding somewhere

That is terrifying... My worst was probably my Logitech G510 that got pepsi spilled in it. Wasn't sure if they were rubber domes or jelly domes. Bad news. 

[Snarfangel]

Okay, I will grant you the Atari 400 keyboard is worse, but this one was pretty darned bad:

[tricheboars]

HHKB lite 2

eeeew

I believe many have shared that pain.

i disagree about the hhkb lite 2. i think it is one of the nicest rubber domes out there. granted it is still rubber dome... but i had that keyboard as my htpc for years and didnt mind it too much.

as for worst keyboard. i dont even have to think about it. the Apple keyboard that came with iMacs a few years ago is without a doubt the absolute ****tiest board out there.

[ianxblog]

|he worst keyboard I typed on was a Genius Luxemate i220

I don't have anything against the brand, genius is one of the best price/quality membranes out there.
The keycaps are good, the printings are ok (never warn off a single key), the rubber domes are good or just fine, depending on the model.

But this keyboard is awfully designed. The keycaps are completely flat and square-ish. But not laptop-like flat, with rounded borders. No, they are completely flat and uncapable of touch typing, no matter how good you are.
The layout is horribly messed up too, on the home-end-ins-del part. The rubber feet sucked, and you can say that again for the height legs. This board would be a nice slider, though.

I bought it cheap, used it around 20 minutes and ragequited it.

And in second place is my GF's netbook keyboard that I'm using right now. The switches are scissors and are actually pretty good, but the layout it's COMPLETELY ruined and unusable without mini-rages. The keycaps are ok in shape but they are tiny and the modifiers are ridicously small. Caps Lock is about the same as a regular keycap. It's a ISO layout, so even if it was regular desktop keyboard the left shift would be smaller than the US layout, but in this board is even smaller than any letter keycap. Enter is about a 2x1 keycaps (vertical ISO) with a weir shape. Backspace is ****ing tiny. And the O letter doesn't has the scissor bump and has to be pressed somewhat harder.
Anyways it's a netbook, and they keyboard width is 23cm, so you can't ask much in that proportions. It's a shame though the scissor switchs are well made but maybe not so durable.

[YoungMichael88]

There is this public use computer at work all built into a podium-like stand with this metal scissor switch(?) keyboard and unless you type really slow, one key at a time, every key registers twice! It's annoying as hell. There are no function keys and as far as I can tell there is no function layer. It has it's own designated @ key on the Mod row AND it's also in the normal shift+2 spot as well! It's crazyness!!

[daetsid]

all those hp oem membrane crap..

[intelli78]

Tie between this and the white Apple keyboard that has already been posted numerous times.

[tricheboars]

Show Image

Tie between this and the white Apple keyboard that has already been posted numerous times.

i tired on of those laser keyboards like 10 years ago when i worked for the D.O.D.  It was awful. It more often than not selected a key from a column you didnt want.  it was different than the laser board pictured.  pretty bad. however it didnt feel like total garbage. it wasnt tiring. and for these reason i still think the white imac keyboard is worse.

[spuriousgeorge]

A Dell rubberdome my younger brother gummed up with popsicle syrup. It took like twenty keypresses to get the "w" and "x" keys to register.