How long does a keyboard really last? Post your Real Experiences!

[berserkfan]

OK folks, this is the thread I have been wanting to post for a long, long time.

It is crunch time. NO excuses.

Don't post adjectival crap about your keyboard being a tank, a shield or a machinegun. Let's see some real numbers here.


1) name of keyboard. make, model, etc.
Describe the modwork done so that we can discount appropriately. EG if you changed your Filco switches but never touched the cable, then we should not blame Filco for switch failure but can still blame them if the USB cable dies

2) age in calendar years

3) age in real usage (eg if used intermittently and rotated with 12 other keyboards, then age after 1 calendar year is 1 month. If used intensively all day in a workplace where there are 3 shifts, then after 1 calendar year it is 3 years)

4) time taken before minor problems show up, and describe the problem(s)

5) time taken before major problems show up, and describe the problem(s)

6) time before death or problems so serious that you don't want to use it or perform minor repair work anymore

[cephelix]

Does an LED death qualify? If so, then here I go

1. Name of Keyboard: Razer Blackwidow Ultimate, Cherry MX Blue switches(2011 model, pre-Kailh switches), everything else is stock
2. Calendar Age: 3 years
3. Age in Real Usage: 3 years but not a heavy user. Mainly used in games and normal PC use
4. Time Taken before Minor Problems Occur: 2.5 years give or take 1 month. LED on the "K" button doesn't light up, but before that various other keys wouldn't light up
5. Time Taken before Major Problems Occur: N.A.
6. Time before Death: N.A. Still usable.

[berserkfan]

I will start off with my own Razer experience. My experiences include a few friends who are not geekhackers. Razer is big in Singapore and many people just prefer them

1) name of keyboard. make, model, etc.
Describe the modwork done so that we can discount appropriately. EG if you changed your Filco switches but never touched the cable, then we should not blame Filco for switch failure but can still blame them if the USB cable dies

Various Razer models, including the rubber dome ones such as Lycosa, Anansi.

2) age in calendar years

Various. One friend has always used Razer. Is it 8 years by now? I gotta ask him when I next meet him.

3) age in real usage (eg if used intermittently and rotated with 12 other keyboards, then age after 1 calendar year is 1 month. If used intensively all day in a workplace where there are 3 shifts, then after 1 calendar year it is 3 years)

For Gutz, under 6 months. For some friends, many years. They are happy with Razer.

4) time taken before minor problems show up, and describe the problem(s)

One big fat friend (actually underweight and trim by USA standards) broke two stabilizers on a Razer within 4 weeks.

No reports ever of LED failure.

Someone's keycap broke because he dropped something into his Razer and couldn't fish it out.

Scratches are very common especially for the friends who did LAN party. I don't remember any cases breaking.

Everybody has lost rubber feet. Sometimes within a few days, because someone will move his keyboard and the rubber gets caught. Razer is VERY bad at this. I don't understand why after so many years they haven't improved their design.

Another grouse is the cheapo headphone connector. These die fast. Period. Now nobody I know will put his headphones into a Razer jack.



5) time taken before major problems show up, and describe the problem(s)

None ever reported. NO keyboard failure, no switch failure, no firmware crashes.

6) time before death or problems so serious that you don't want to use it or perform minor repair work anymore

None. One friend is still intensively using his multi-year old Razers at home and work. Anyone who bought a blackwidow is still using it unless he sold it. Nobody ever had a serious problem within the warranty period so our experience is limited to complaining about the rubber feet or the keycap (Razer will send you replacements for free.)

Gutz's conclusion

I am absolutely not a Razer fanboy. But as you all can see, I have no reason to think that Razers will just die on me. I believe that most of Razer's bad rep comes from their overpricing, their appeal to shallow gamer kids, and the fact that they skimp on external things unlike Cooler Master. (EG Razer casing and legs/ rubber feet are among the worst in the industry).

When it comes to the crunch, I think Razers can hold up as well as any iOne built keyboard. Why not? They are (were) still using the same Cherry switches and costar stabs. I won't recommend anybody buy Razer at full price, but they have big discounts periodically, and I am not such a snooty person that I'd discourage people from buying then.

In contrast I have often seen people list expensive Korean customs with notes like 'one key not working' or 'one led died after one week' or '$200 metal casing has a dent'. So I am not convinced that these are so superior.

[dorkvader]

Y'know other than the quickly remedied "left alt issue" on my original QFR, I don't think I've ever had a KB break or die on me.

I'll have to let you know when one does so I can give data.

[demik]

my keyboard is 2 years old, i've owned it for maybe a year and it's still awesome.

but hhkb is literally the only keyboard worth buying, ever.

LITERALLY.

EVER.

[ithinkimkorean]

Sold my razer blackwidow tkl to a friend and he broke the q key like two times because he plays that damn osu game. Complained to me about some lack of clicking too.

[FoxWolf1]

1.
Ducky 1008XM; no mods.
Used continuously during its life.
Time before minor problems: 0; case wobble and ping out of the box. A few days for keycap lettering to start to wear off.
Time before major problems: A little bit before two months, some keys started to drop keystrokes.
Time before death: Two months, after which backspace ceased to function entirely. Opening the keyboard revealed that the traces had started to pull free of the PCB, leading to loss of functionality.

2.
Noppoo TANK; no mods.
Used continuously for 1 year, then occasionally for another year.
Time before minor problems: After a little bit over a year, some chatter began to develop, especially on the "i" key. Unfortunately, unlike many Noppoo products, the TANK model does not feature tremble control.
Time before major problems: After around a year and a half, the chatter on "i" worsened to the point where it started to be rather annoying.
Time before death: After two years, the chatter got to the point where I no longer bothered to use the keyboard.

3.
Model M; no mods.
Bought used, and has been used only rarely since then. Have owned for ~2.5 years.
Time before minor problems: Keyboard arrived unacceptably dirty. Cleaning solved this issue, but also resulted in a dead Num Lock LED, a non-clicky F9 key, decreased clickiness on backspace, and increased general inconsistency.
Time before major problems: After around 2 years, the keyboard developed a problem of sometimes going completely dead (temporarily) for no reason, other times losing the functionality of some keys (temporarily) for no reason, and other times responding very, very slowly (i.e. character takes a second or two before it gets sent to the system).
Time before death: It's still useable...barely. But the problems are sufficiently annoying that I don't take it out much.

4.
MicroConnectors D07-135TNG; no mods.
Had it for a few months, during which it was used continuously, before disassembling it.
Time before minor problems: After a couple of months, one of the little stick-on anti-skid feet fell off. It probably could have just been pressed back on, but I couldn't find it.
Time before major problems: N/A.
Time before death: Well, it was a Mac keyboard, and I switched to Windows, and at the same time got the (much fancier) Noppoo, so I no longer needed the D07-135. So I took it apart in the hopes of making something out of its parts and the remnants of the Ducky. The attempt was unsuccessful due to the severity of the existing damage to the Ducky, and the fact that I suck at soldering and at making things in general.

5.
I-Rocks KR-6260
Couldn't have been more than a few months, during which it was used continuously.
Time before minor problems: N/A
Time before major problems: There was something kinda...not right about this keyboard. It loved to drop certain characters during fast typing, no matter how hard the keys were pressed...for instance, "keyboard" almost always came out "keyboad." And what good is a keyboard that you can't even write things about keyboards with?
Time before death: So when I got the 1008XM, a "real" mechanical, I figured I no longer needed the I-Rocks anymore. So I tried to convert it to spring over dome for superior keyfeel, using bits of a random non-functional old keyboard that I found in a thrift shop. Naturally, the attempt failed miserably, due to my aforementioned suckiness at making things (though I should point out that this was not an impossible project...the spring-over-dome modules were actually sized such that someone with tools and skills (i.e. not me) could have spliced them into the slider plate of the I-Rocks. Of course, it probably still wouldn't have been able to type the word "keyboard", or many other words, because the mod wouldn't change any of the electronic components.)

6.
Das Keyboard Ultimate; no mods.
Bought used at a thrift shop, clean, but with some cosmetic damage to the case. I've had it for around a year and a half now, during which it has been used continuously.
Time before minor problems: N/A.
Time before major problems: N/A.
Time before death: N/A; still going strong.

7.
IBM KUM6323
Bought used, have owned for almost a few years, but rarely used. Basically, this is the backup keyboard for when all else fails; its longest period of use was for a few weeks after the Ducky died and before I got the D07-135TNG.
Time before minor problems: Well, it keeps increasing in stiff-mushiness as it ages, to the point where it's slow and uncomfortable to use. But of course, this is to be expected with an old dome, even if it's heavier-built than many mechanicals.
Time before major problems: N/A.
Time before death: N/A. Though, at this point, it's really not fit for use outside of desperate circumstances...

[Dihedral]

1.
Ducky 1008XM; no mods.
Used continuously during its life.
Time before minor problems: 0; case wobble and ping out of the box. A few days for keycap lettering to start to wear off.
Time before major problems: A little bit before two months, some keys started to drop keystrokes.
Time before death: Two months, after which backspace ceased to function entirely. Opening the keyboard revealed that the traces had started to pull free of the PCB, leading to loss of functionality.

2.
Noppoo TANK; no mods.
Used continuously for 1 year, then occasionally for another year.
Time before minor problems: After a little bit over a year, some chatter began to develop, especially on the "i" key. Unfortunately, unlike many Noppoo products, the TANK model does not feature tremble control.
Time before major problems: After around a year and a half, the chatter on "i" worsened to the point where it started to be rather annoying.
Time before death: After two years, the chatter got to the point where I no longer bothered to use the keyboard.

3.
Model M; no mods.
Bought used, and has been used only rarely since then. Have owned for ~2.5 years.
Time before minor problems: Keyboard arrived unacceptably dirty. Cleaning solved this issue, but also resulted in a dead Num Lock LED, a non-clicky F9 key, decreased clickiness on backspace, and increased general inconsistency.
Time before major problems: After around 2 years, the keyboard developed a problem of sometimes going completely dead (temporarily) for no reason, other times losing the functionality of some keys (temporarily) for no reason, and other times responding very, very slowly (i.e. character takes a second or two before it gets sent to the system).
Time before death: It's still useable...barely. But the problems are sufficiently annoying that I don't take it out much.

4.
MicroConnectors D07-135TNG; no mods.
Had it for a few months, during which it was used continuously, before disassembling it.
Time before minor problems: After a couple of months, one of the little stick-on anti-skid feet fell off. It probably could have just been pressed back on, but I couldn't find it.
Time before major problems: N/A.
Time before death: Well, it was a Mac keyboard, and I switched to Windows, and at the same time got the (much fancier) Noppoo, so I no longer needed the D07-135. So I took it apart in the hopes of making something out of its parts and the remnants of the Ducky. The attempt was unsuccessful due to the severity of the existing damage to the Ducky, and the fact that I suck at soldering and at making things in general.

5.
I-Rocks KR-6260
Couldn't have been more than a few months, during which it was used continuously.
Time before minor problems: N/A
Time before major problems: There was something kinda...not right about this keyboard. It loved to drop certain characters during fast typing, no matter how hard the keys were pressed...for instance, "keyboard" almost always came out "keyboad." And what good is a keyboard that you can't even write things about keyboards with?
Time before death: So when I got the 1008XM, a "real" mechanical, I figured I no longer needed the I-Rocks anymore. So I tried to convert it to spring over dome for superior keyfeel, using bits of a random non-functional old keyboard that I found in a thrift shop. Naturally, the attempt failed miserably, due to my aforementioned suckiness at making things (though I should point out that this was not an impossible project...the spring-over-dome modules were actually sized such that someone with tools and skills (i.e. not me) could have spliced them into the slider plate of the I-Rocks. Of course, it probably still wouldn't have been able to type the word "keyboard", or many other words, because the mod wouldn't change any of the electronic components.)

6.
Das Keyboard Ultimate; no mods.
Bought used at a thrift shop, clean, but with some cosmetic damage to the case. I've had it for around a year and a half now, during which it has been used continuously.
Time before minor problems: N/A.
Time before major problems: N/A.
Time before death: N/A; still going strong.

7.
IBM KUM6323
Bought used, have owned for almost a few years, but rarely used. Basically, this is the backup keyboard for when all else fails; its longest period of use was for a few weeks after the Ducky died and before I got the D07-135TNG.
Time before minor problems: Well, it keeps increasing in stiff-mushiness as it ages, to the point where it's slow and uncomfortable to use. But of course, this is to be expected with an old dome, even if it's heavier-built than many mechanicals.
Time before major problems: N/A.
Time before death: N/A. Though, at this point, it's really not fit for use outside of desperate circumstances...

Seems you've been quite unlucky.

[Oobly]

Never had a failure, but my keyboards don't have time to break, I keep modding them so they're constantly "renewed"

[berserkfan]

Never had a failure, but my keyboards don't have time to break, I keep modding them so they're constantly "renewed"

i have had minor issues, but nothing like failure too (t deliberately discussed Razer above to give a different perspective). All failures either came when the vintage keyboard arrived, or were a direct result of my modding.

[phx]

I switch boards constantly but here are my 2 most used:

DAS Ultimate (blank keys, brown switches)
bought in 2011, daily driver, lubbed the stabs a few times but it's still going strong, no defects at all
probably the most heavily used board, was my first, and gave it to my dad who uses it daily at work

Rosewill RK9000 (brown switches)
bought in 2013, daily driver at work, lubbed the stabs a few times but it's still going strong, no defects at all

[Jotokun]

I've only had one keyboard outright die on me, another has one intermittent key. Both are secondhand, so it makes it hard to say much about lifespans since I have no way of knowing previous usage.

1) SIIG 104-Key keyboard with White ALPS clones.
2) Unsure. I found it at a thrift store and there's no date code. The windows logo suggests no older than 2001, from some old store listings I suspect closer to 2006-ish.
3)Used daily for a few hours every day. The case was slim enough to throw it in a backpack, so it was my "portable" keyboard for use with my laptop.
4) N/A
5) About 6 months, a whole bunch of keys just stopped working. Among them the space bar, enter, home/end and an assortment of letters/numbers.
6)Stopped using it the instant problems showed up. Haven't been able to repair it. I don't think the switches themselves are at fault.

1) TG3 Data911
2) Sticker on bottom says OK as of May 2011. Might be older.
3) Was likely in heavy use in a cop car for most of its life. When I got it, it probably saw a couple hours a week intermittently.
4) Last month (a little over a year of ownership), the 7 key started working intermittently. Almost feels like the actuation point is deeper and the debounce isn't right, it won't always register with normal use but bottoming out on it will actuate it multiple times.
5) N/A
6) Not at this point yet. I don't use the key enough for it to be unusable, and swapping the switch out would probably fix it.

[hwood34]

How would a keyboard just outright die? Seems like the most common issue that arises after long periods of time is broken switches, a problem that's usually just a result of faulty soldering and is pretty easily fixable. Is there any situation where a PCB could be rendered unusable through normal usage (not by bad modding)?

[inanis]

I have never had a keyboard die on me. I had one very crappy rubber dome Logitech wireless keyboard that I used so much all the legends were worn off and the nail on my ring finger caused such an indentation on the S key the I thought it would eventually crack in half. I only replaced it because I finally brought a mechanical to work.

[fohat.digs]

I don't think that I have ever actually "worn out" a keyboard, but I have destroyed plenty of them in various ways!

It would be very informative to find the thread from years ago about the guy who claimed to have worn out a Model M. That included wearing out multiple key caps - ie: holes all the way through the plastic - and other problems.

And I needed an excuse to post this thing of beauty yet again:

[AlexK6]

CM Storm Quickfire XT (Cherry MX Browns). No mods, only changed key caps.
Age: 4 months. Only used this one.
Minor/major problem showed up after 3.5 months - 'W' switch is now broken and doesn't always register (only works when pressed at an exact angle).

I'm 99% sure that it's the same problem that some Quickfire Rapids had with broken Alt, which means I'd have to solder the switch.
I have warranty until August 2016, but I really can't be bothered with technical support in my country. RMA means me paying for the shipping and 1 month without the keyboard. Plus it's holidays soon, so that would extend it by another 2 weeks.

[berserkfan]

Quite interesting. So far nobody has come forward to say that his Razer died on him, fell apart, exploded or did whatever Razers are reputed to do. But someone's TG3 has been having problems (and I used to buy TG3/Deck) and CM Storm is also faulty.

And Fohat, now that rotwyrm is no longer active/ I haven't seen him around, let me admit that I didn't really think he could have worn out a model M with normal usage over the 10 or so years he claimed to have done. If he claimed his Model M 1985 died after 29 years of service, I would find that believable.

Just that I remember rotwyrm was pretty energetic in his views and I didn't want to quarrel with him.

[mougrim]

Quite interesting. So far nobody has come forward to say that his Razer died on him, fell apart, exploded or did whatever Razers are reputed to do. But someone's TG3 has been having problems (and I used to buy TG3/Deck) and CM Storm is also faulty.

And Fohat, now that rotwyrm is no longer active/ I haven't seen him around, let me admit that I didn't really think he could have worn out a model M with normal usage over the 10 or so years he claimed to have done. If he claimed his Model M 1985 died after 29 years of service, I would find that believable.

Just that I remember rotwyrm was pretty energetic in his views and I didn't want to quarrel with him.

Used BlackWidow with Cherry about 2 years (until I saw the light of BS). Typed text on it every day. Still usable.

[gcb]

ignoring my growing collection of mechanicals (sigh...) my lot of workhorses microsoft naturals elite all came second hand to my possession, usually after a couple years of use in an office.

i acquired them around 2000~2001, but they mostly have been around since at least 1999.

one i have sawed off the numpad and rolled the flex board under the right side... still kicking. though i'm not using that one much as it is at my parents place.

the one i have at work, i replaced a few months ago with an ergo dox. Still kicking. albeit dirt as ****. it is brown instead of beige with darker marks everywhere.

the one i have at home, starting around a few months ago, the "1" key stopped working unless i press hard. this one was at work for some time before, and it was in 2007 the victim of a top level office burst pipe leaking from the dry wall(?) ceiling exactly on top of it for the entire night. this one receives regular cleaning on the outside differently from the office one, so it is much better looking. almost as new. and i will probably clean it inside soon to fix the 1 as soon as it really starts to bug me.

the two spare ones... i have no idea, still haven't needed them

so lets say they all lived at least 14years of continuous use or plain storage for some. and still counting! oh and the caps still are flawless. unless a few faded under the dirt spots on the office one and i can't notice it

---

now, let's talk a little about my ergo dox kit... on 3 weeks of use, the corner of the acrylic under the thumb cracked   three freaking weeks. and i did even looked it up the ideal torque for that acrylic thickness sandwich (<2~3nm) I added transparent tape to hold it over the cracks, and added rubber foam under the board now let's see how long it holds. i doubt it will be lasting too long since i did some of the SMD soldering way inebriated [11] and with a bad solder tip (the new ones were taking forever to arrive and i just had to try the board and now a few of the diodes are hold with a perfectly round blob of solder... sigh. the ugliest solder job i've done. man, never use a dead solder tip.... you can sand it to use for a while, but after 3 points you have to sand it again, and i didn't do it, obviously. that is too much work

---

Quite interesting. So far nobody has come forward to say that his Razer died on him, fell apart, exploded or did whatever Razers are reputed to do. But someone's TG3 has been having problems (and I used to buy TG3/Deck) and CM Storm is also faulty.

heh. the first razer keyboard is from what? 2008? if a mechanical keyboard fails before that...

[0100010]

1) Unicomp Model M purchased 10/7/12, replaced the case and all keys

2) 2 years 1 months 26 days old

3) Used daily, 5 days a week, 8 hours a day

4) No minor issues

5) No major issues

6) Still kicking
[/quote]

[jbondeson]

1) Das Keyboard II (totally stock)
2) 8.5 years (May '06)
3) 7.5 years (Stopped using as daily driver beginning of 2014)
4) N/A
5) N/A
6) N/A

Never a single issue while I used the Das as my daily driver at work for 7.5 years. Still works great on my server at home, but it doesn't see a whole lot of use.

[CPTBadAss]

It would be very informative to find the thread from years ago about the guy who claimed to have worn out a Model M. That included wearing out multiple key caps - ie: holes all the way through the plastic - and other problems.

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=23843.msg450603#msg450603

I think you're referring to the user rootwyrm? Google is a neat tool.

[gcb]

...list of dead keyboards...

man, i'm curious, how much do you score on those carnival things with the hammer?

[Data]

I could reasonably squeeze 2 years out of the rubber dome boards I used prior to switching to mech.  I'd usually wear the crappy, pad-printed legends off before they died.

I've only recently converted to mech, so... I'll have to let you know!

[faceyourfaces]

I never had a keyboard die on me but I did have two Ducky Shine 3s. The first one had LEDs dying after a month and the second had LEDs dying after three. I RMA'd the first one and killed the second one by plugging in the power cable backwards since I was working on it in the dark.

[YoungMichael88]

KBTalking RACE

1. Name of Keyboard: KBTalking RACE (Black with Black MX Switches)
2. Calendar Age: 2 years 3 months
3. Age in Real Usage: 1.5 years at the most, Moderate use for the first 6 months, very light use for 1 year
4. Time Taken before Minor Problems Occur: ~2 months. Sections of the white LEDs Flicker continuously and go brighter and dimmer at times
5. Time Taken before Major Problems Occur: Keyboard is still fully functional other than the above mentioned issue
6. Time before Death: TBD

Additional Notes: This keyboard has had only stock alpha caps and arrow caps for its entire life. The rest are novelties (vomit board)

[Puddsy]

QFR

age: 3 years old

actual use: 2 years

time taken before issues: i wore a hole through the stock spacebar after about 3 million keystrokes, which was like 5 months ago

no major issues, but i killed the winlock LED when i was soldering in new springs after i killed the spacebar

time before death: if this thing dies I'll be impressed

I use this thing more than anything else, and it's awful compared to the other boards I own

[SamirD]

1. Name of Keyboard: 20 or so IBM Ms of various years from 1984 to 1997
2. Calendar Age: 14-30 years
3. Age in Real Usage: 10 years+ as many were in commercial environments before I got them.  And I've been using at least one of them daily for 8-12hrs a day for the last 10 years after I got them.
4. Time Taken before Minor Problems Occur: Some minor key sticking because of something like the space stablizer bar coming unhooked or me sneezing some great snot in between the keys (ewwww!)
5. Time Taken before Major Problems Occur: Only when I've smashed the keyboard when something/someone has pissed me off.  I broke the space bar on one of my M's, but lucky was able to pull one off of one of my spares after buying one from Unicomp as a temp fix.
6. Time before Death: none have died so far, and I don't think they ever will.

[mr.squishy]

You guys MIGHT hate me for this, but SOMEONE has to do it, so here goes...

Dell OEM membrane keyboard circa~ 2002, Model SK-8110 (came with one of those Pentium 4's that everyone has)
If I'm doing my math right, it should be about 12 years old
Here's where it gets crazy. Used with a family computer with daily heavy usage from 4 users, I'm going to calculate an underestimated usage of about 30 years based on use rate/time and intensity per user throughout the day
No minor functional problems, although the rubber pads on the bottom are poorly placed and too small (due to being worn down) leading to the keyboard slowly sliding backwards as you type; years of this action have caused the plastic flip out feet to literally wear down a few millimeters, leading to a sometimes uneven typing experience due to uneven wear
No major problems
No death
Notes: "retired" about 2 months ago, currently just sits connected to my computer and blinks the scroll lock LED whenever I get a packet, waiting for some time (and money lol), experience, a Teensy, and some Blues to convert it to mechanical and further extend it's life; I'm going to make sure this thing never dies.
 

[fohat.digs]

You guys MIGHT hate me for this, but SOMEONE has to do it,

I think that Compaq keyboards from the late-1990s-early-2000s were great, rubber domes or no. Sturdy and good-feeling.

I put in at least 5 years of hard use on one, (the SK-2800) and stockpiled several backups before I re-discovered real keyboards around 2010.

[dorkvader]

3.
Model M; no mods.
Bought used, and has been used only rarely since then. Have owned for ~2.5 years.
Time before minor problems: Keyboard arrived unacceptably dirty. Cleaning solved this issue, but also resulted in a dead Num Lock LED, a non-clicky F9 key, decreased clickiness on backspace, and increased general inconsistency.
Time before major problems: After around 2 years, the keyboard developed a problem of sometimes going completely dead (temporarily) for no reason, other times losing the functionality of some keys (temporarily) for no reason, and other times responding very, very slowly (i.e. character takes a second or two before it gets sent to the system).
Time before death: It's still useable...barely. But the problems are sufficiently annoying that I don't take it out much.

numlock LED & non clicky F9 are likely easy fix. same with backspace. Other issues sound an awful lot like a bad PS/2 to USB adapter. Try a different one. If you are using via PS/2, Try using a PS/2 to USB adapter instead. I bet it's still usable.

[FoxWolf1]

3.
Model M; no mods.
Bought used, and has been used only rarely since then. Have owned for ~2.5 years.
Time before minor problems: Keyboard arrived unacceptably dirty. Cleaning solved this issue, but also resulted in a dead Num Lock LED, a non-clicky F9 key, decreased clickiness on backspace, and increased general inconsistency.
Time before major problems: After around 2 years, the keyboard developed a problem of sometimes going completely dead (temporarily) for no reason, other times losing the functionality of some keys (temporarily) for no reason, and other times responding very, very slowly (i.e. character takes a second or two before it gets sent to the system).
Time before death: It's still useable...barely. But the problems are sufficiently annoying that I don't take it out much.

numlock LED & non clicky F9 are likely easy fix. same with backspace. Other issues sound an awful lot like a bad PS/2 to USB adapter. Try a different one. If you are using via PS/2, Try using a PS/2 to USB adapter instead. I bet it's still usable.

One day, when I have the money for tools (like a dremel and a non-crappy soldering iron) and the space to use them (my only significant hard flat surface is my computer desk, which is also my dining table), I'll try to get the Model M into better condition.

I'll probably wind up destroying it, and possibly injuring myself in the process, but I'll try it anyway...eventually.

[BucklingSpring]

hum - here's my useless contribution.

No significant issues with any of my mechanical keyboards (see sig for details).

Except
   TVS Gold caps so thin they pop out of the stems by themselves. (Since new)
   XArmor connector issues. Keyboard works only when it feels like it. (Since new)
   CM QFR Green - Few keys not clicking on arrival - Was replaced under warranty after a long and painful replacement process

The only keyboards I managed to see the end of life were rubber dome based. Cheap ones within a year and high end ones after around 5 years.

Now that I have too many keyboards to play with. None of them sees enough work to lead to defects. But I still can tell they are not all born equal. Built quality varies a lot. When you put  a iOne or a Razer besides  a Filco or a Ducky it is no rocket science to predict earlier failure in the first two.

[Lain1911]

I have rubber domes that are over a decade old that still work, derp.

[ideus]

You guys MIGHT hate me for this, but SOMEONE has to do it, so here goes...

Dell OEM membrane keyboard circa~ 2002, Model SK-8110 (came with one of those Pentium 4's that everyone has)
If I'm doing my math right, it should be about 12 years old
Here's where it gets crazy. Used with a family computer with daily heavy usage from 4 users, I'm going to calculate an underestimated usage of about 30 years based on use rate/time and intensity per user throughout the day
No minor functional problems, although the rubber pads on the bottom are poorly placed and too small (due to being worn down) leading to the keyboard slowly sliding backwards as you type; years of this action have caused the plastic flip out feet to literally wear down a few millimeters, leading to a sometimes uneven typing experience due to uneven wear
No major problems
No death
Notes: "retired" about 2 months ago, currently just sits connected to my computer and blinks the scroll lock LED whenever I get a packet, waiting for some time (and money lol), experience, a Teensy, and some Blues to convert it to mechanical and further extend it's life; I'm going to make sure this thing never dies.
 

Rubber may last forever, it is only it does not have the feeling mechanical kb does have. After all, topre is based on rubber cups.

[mr.squishy]

~snip~

Rubber may last forever, it is only it does not have the feeling mechanical kb does have. After all, topre is based on rubber cups.

I don't have a mech keyboard yet, so yeah.

[davkol]

and CM Storm is also faulty.

It was a bad batch and everyone was all over it.

[johndavis33]

My AEK 2 that I got a thrift shop was all gunky and dirty and horrible when I first got it. About 4-5 switches weren't functioning at all. All I had to do was open up the switches with two screw drivers, take the gunk out, and everything was working fine.

None of my keyboards have ever failed on me.

[GenKaan]

1) My oldest is a K65, replaced caps no other mods

2) +3 years

3) +1 year

4) non so far

5) non so far

6) non so far

[compgeke]

1) IBM Model M 1391401

2) 27 years (August 2somethingth 1987)

3) I've been using it for 3 years, before that it sat for around 7 with the previous owner. Previous to that I have no idea.

4) When I got it the SDL cable was missing, really easy fix.

5) None so far.

6) None so far.

[davkol]

Cherry G80-1861LPMDE
made in 2006, used 12 hours a day for 5 years in a business setting
some of the PBT keycaps are shiny, the case is yellowed, but the keyboard still works fine

[Touch_It]

I will let you know in 20 some years about my unicomp .  In all reality the longest I've had a keyboard was a few years (excluding RD).  Had a switch die a month ago on my Chicony 5981 with monteray blue switches.  It is over 25 years old.  Only keyboard issue I've seen.

[Sygaldry]

1) Dell Quietkey Rubber Dome

2) I've had mine since 2002 I believe...

3) Used this bad boy until my first mech two years ago.

4) ... Legends wore off?

5) None whatsoever

6) It's still alive... but it's collecting dust in my closet. Can't get myself to toss it out because I used it for a bit over 10 years and it has sentimental value to me!

[Daniel Beardsmore]

I wish I could have given you data on my Silitek-made QuietKey, but at the time I didn't even know what it was. I just know that it was conductive dome and that I had to keep cleaning the domes and the membrane until eventually I cleaned part of the membrane too rigorously and broke it, and a whole section of keys died. At the time I had no idea what had gone wrong (or even how it worked) and threw it away; I was sad, though, as it was—by my standards at the time—a pretty decent keyboard.

There are only two keyboards that I've used long enough to report on.

Home keyboard

• Filco Majestouch FKBN105MC/UKB unmodified
• Bought in January 2010: 4 years 11 months old
• 4 years 9–10 months old (it was in for repair)
• The 9 key started to chatter after a couple of years — turned out all it needed was some WD40 in the switch
• No major problems — this one has been good so far
• N/A

Former work keyboard

• Filco Majestouch FKBN105M/UKB
• Bought in February 2010: 4 years 10 months old
• I couldn't say, between time spent in repair and time spent trying out other keyboards
• See below
• I was sure it only went just over a year before it failed, but looking at my e-mails, it looks like just after two years of service as my work keyboard (and seeing a lot of typing) that the numeric keypad "-" key started chattering. After poking it, it suddenly snapped into place — it had been soldered without being correctly locked into the mounting plate, and I'd been typing entirely on its solder joint, which was starting to fail; once the key snapped into place, the joint failed completely.
  
  I had it repaired in April 2012, and it failed again a year later and went back for repair in April 2013. I had a new cable fitted as apparently keyboardco received it DOA, which is strange as it worked fine before, but the solder joint had failed again and they bypassed it entirely with a piece of wire.
  
• I rotated it out for a different keyboard (Matias Quiet Pro maybe, I forget) and when I came to use the Filco, I found that a whole bunch of switches had failed — they would alternate between dead and very chattery. If I typed on it for a bit they'd be mostly OK, and then be dead again next time, and require pounding to get from dead to chattery to usable This was sometime early this year, and at that point I just gave up with it entirely and shoved it under the desk; that looks to have been around March this year. Probably needs WD40 treatment.