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Cherry MX Mechanical Keyboard Switches Compared
crookedvulture writes "Keyboards with mechanical key switches are enjoying a renaissance of sorts. They're prized by gamers, coders, and writers alike, and Cherry's MX switches are the most popular on newer models. There are MX blue, brown, black, and red switches, each with a different tactile feel and audible note. This comparison of four otherwise identical Rosewill keyboards details how each switch type feels and sounds, complete with audio recordings of the various colors in action. Recommended reading for anyone considering a mechanical keyboard or one of the Rosewills, which cost about $100. Looks like the removable USB cord on these particular models is prone to breakage."
Sounds like an ad, but seriously I found the best advice there.
from the company that holds the original design patent from IBM for the Model M, and inhereted the process from Lexmark. The keyboard is still built and serviced in Lexington, Kentucky. They ship internationally. have a nice rennaissance.
http://www.pckeyboard.com/
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Hands down the best set of information have ever seen about mechanical keyboards was this forum post on the topic it has everything you want to know about the subject.
Except it's a PS/2 so I only use it with my beater PC.
Great for the user, horrible for anyone else within 300ft who hasn't yet punctured their own eardrums.
They all have too much travel distance and too high actuation force. I like quiet, springy, low-force, low-profile laptop-style keys. Oh, and the concave-trapezoid shape - none of that crappy Apple-esque flat/square key crap.
Does anyone make a Bluetooth keyboard with mechanical switches, or is it all just USB or PS/2? (And why would anyone want to use PS/2 in a new design, anyway?)
Kentucky is the home of the fark dot com, mortal enemy of the slashdot dot org. We have 2 traitors in our midst!
People like to swear by mechanical keyboards. However, mechanical keyboards make me start swearing. I find it hard to concentrate when suffering that cacophanous sound constantly and it ruins any semblance of a tranquil work environment for me.
To each their own, I guess
You need one of these: PS/2 to USB Adaptor
Support Right To Repair Legislation.
If you're going to spend $110 on a keyboard... then why not wait a little longer and spend $150 on the best one that best matches your requirements?
And one that doesn't have a cranky USB port either.
Personally I'm not a fan of the numeric keypad, I never use it myself and it gets in the way most of the time. However I do like having a full-size cursor key setup. I hate media keys. Rarely use function keys. What is the best mechanical keyboard for these requirements (UK layout, screw that tiny return key on US keyboards)?
Isn't any keyboard with moving parts, i.e., anything that's not touch sensitive a "mechanical keyboard"?
Why do nerds reserve this term for I'm-an-annoying-asshole-who-likes-everyone-to-know-how-fast-and-frantic-I-can-type style noisy keyboards?
I like mechanical keyboards, as in ones that move, but I don't like noisy ones.
I have no idea what the hell any of this is about. Mechanical keyboards?
So you have to start them up like a chainsaw or something?
Are they like the old C-64/VT100 keyboards. Cause you needed kung-fu death fingers to type on those.
Sig. Sig. Sputnik
Has anyone run across any ergonomic mechanical keyboards?
I currently use the Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboards and could never go back to non-ergo, but unfortunately have never seen any ergonomic mechanical ones.
Any recommendations ?
I have a DAS Keyboard with brown Cherry switches. They are 45g to activate, and not clicky. The keyboard is not silent, but it is certainly not noisy, either. This is the best feeling keyboard I own, and maybe the best feeling one I have ever owned. I have pounded the crap out of it for over a year and it still works, as one would expect. Every time I shop for a laptop, I just cringe when I feel the keys and I think about spending all day using it.
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No, thank you.
Meh, a thinkpad keyboard works just as well, costs about $50 from lenovo, and doesn't sound like a mechanical typewriter. Plus it doesn't come with a useless numeric keypad that serves only to uncenter my keyboard relative to my monitor.
Never understood the love affair with mechanical keyboards - I dumped mine a long time ago.
The Truly Ergonomic Keyboard is a smaller ergonomic keyboard that currently only comes with Cherry MX Brown switches.
There are other, larger, keybards like the Maltron or Kinesis that are ergonomic with mechanical switches, but they tend to be enormous, while the "Truly Ergonomic" is similar in size to the "Happy Hacker" keyboard.
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I'm sticking with my Topre and there's nothing that you can do about it!
Another advantage of my decades old model M is the keys don't stick. I have a POS dell mushboard at work and my biggest annoyance is you need to hit the keys, especially the larger keys, precisely up and down or they stick half way or slip-stick-slip-stick before they hit. So unconsciously the poor quality makes repetitive stress injuries more likely.
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Using a mini-B connector was a poor choice. The Mini-B was not designed for many plug-unplug cycles, Micro-B is designed for many more cycles, in addition, the portion that wears is the plug-end, not the soldered down jack.
These come in variants with the various Cherry keys, and also without the keypad, which is very good if (1) you don't use a keypad and (2) you're right handed and don't want the mouse too far away. Here - anyone tried them? I haven't. Tempted though.
"with their freedom lost all virtue lose" - Milton
http://www.trulyergonomic.com/
The layout is a bit funky, but if you can get used to it then it's a decent keyboard. I find it great for typing documents, not so good for coding.
for it to get back in fashion. Yay!
For Mac users, check out the Matias "Tactile Pro" keyboard. All the Model M clickiness you can stand, but with all the Mac symbols printed on the keyboard. I've got one myself, and it's a real pleasure.
http://matias.ca/tactilepro/
You can get foam "landing pads" which eliminate the bottoming-out clackiness of all the cherry-type keyboards. That makes all but the blue switches almost entirely silent.
http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=access,slpads
when you can just buy good old Cherry-G80s? They have the same switches, you can also chose which one you want, and cost you 60€ at most ...
The new C64x from Commodore USA uses the Cherry BLUE switches..
I wish I could get a buckling spring design without the numpad. (or with the numpad on the left) Who has room for that? Looks like you can get a keyboard with those CherryMX switches without the numpad (for substantial cost) but I've never actually tried one of those before. I wish I could give it a shot first.
"Here Lies Philip J. Fry, named for his uncle, to carry on his spirit"
Few years old, but still contains lots of interesting stuff
http://www.overclock.net/t/491752/mechanical-keyboard-guide
Ive been using the same IBM model M keyboard for just shy of 20 years
If it was a car it could wear antique-car plates. So why would I care about a warranty for a product that is *that* durable?
Wouldn't the design patent have expired over a decade ago?
BTW I had one of the Model M's but left it behind in a move some years ago. It was much better than the el cheepo keyboards that ship with computers these days, but it was very heavy and the key action was worse than some of $80-120 keyboards made today.
I can't believe no one mentioned WASD keyboards:
http://www.wasdkeyboards.com
You can fully customize the keyboard, from what is printed on each key (and what font is used) and what color the key is, to what type of switches they use.
They don't cost much more than other mechanical boards.
I highly recommend them!
I wubs me mechanical keyboards
Best bet would be the filco majestouch tenkeyless - one of the rare UK Patten mechanical keyboards - as already suggested ;)
http://www.keyboardco.com/keyboard_search.asp?SG=10037
Available with cherry browns, blues or blacks depending on what tactile response you want. Ps2 native with usb adapter if needed.
I have the cherry brown filco at home (I type and game on it) and it's the best keyboard I've ever owned - and that includes my old IBM death spring model m. The filco leather wrist wrest is also worth investing in.
Blues are best for typing (I have a cheaper cherry blue g80-3000 at the office), blacks are better for gaming, but I've found browns to be a good compromise for general purpose use - and since they're non clicky, I'm less likely to be murdered by the missus.
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Does any manufacturer make a good keyboard for Linux/UNIX use where the ctrl key is next to the 'A" where it's supposed to be?
I know it can be remapped in SW on Windows/Linux etc but it's a pain when you're working on new systems and you haven't gotten to the point where you can do that yet.
I looked at several keyboards using Cherry switches and after price comparisons, I could buy a full blown Cherry Keyboard similar to the IBM Model M for the same cost as the damn Rosewill crap on Newegg. You have to go to CDW.com for them but better build quality and such is the advantage and that's where my next keyboard is coming from.
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figured id chime in again and mention that yes, the warranty is absolutely valid. I had a 101 classic shipped with keys that were DOA (ctrl, alt, and numlock) and the turnaround from Lexington to Los Angeles was 3 days. The packaging was very well done, and the entire keyboard had been replaced for free along with an apology from an actual carbon lifeform over the phone.
my spacesaver 104 with the windows keys feels a bit tighter than the 101 for keyclicks, but its not a bad thing. after 2 years of heavy use and the occasional spill, the spacebar died on the spacesaver. Out of warranty, I shipped the keyboard back in its original box and for $30 it was fixed.
Unlike the latest plastic-key abortion to fall off a chinese freighter, you can easily repair the spacesaver and the 101 yourself, as there are plenty of worthwhile tutorials online. Im just a lazy nerd.
The reason i keep buying Unicomp is the lettering has got to be the quality and the warranty. Compared to laptop keyboards or anything else (most desktop keyboards are rapidly devolving into detached laptop keyboards out of manufacturing cost alone) I feel like i can work on a unicomp confidently and comfortably for hours on end. Coworkers detest the sound until they realize its an american keyboard with two decades of history, and the sound serves as a reminder to anyone dragging me into a conference call to keep it short.
Good people go to bed earlier.
A Model F keyboard with a custom USB converter.
Have gnu, will travel.
particularly the ones with Cherry switches (browns and blues). I was surprised how much I liked the Cherry blues.
In the end I decided to start with something cheap and bought a used Dell AT101, which uses Alps black mechanical switches, and I'm quite pleased. It has just the right amount of click and clack, and the actuation point feels much more definite than the Cherry Browns.
The only thing I would change about the keys on the Dell is the amount of wobble they have (its mediocre in this respect). The main thing I would change about the keyboard as a whole is to make it a compact or 'tenkeyless' layout instead of the bog standard one. The keyboard also doesn't look funny like a lot of the Asian branded mech keyboards (Filco, et al); even though I want compactness, having a bit of a border around the whole thing makes it nicer to look at. The Dell extends backward about 3 in. which I like a lot.
If I were to get a unit with Cherry keys, I would probably go with a Cherry branded one. Even though they are less solid than some of the Asian brands, I got the impression the keys are mounted and housed such that they at least sound better than the other brands with the "keys on a bare hunk of metal" construction. Otherwise, I'd choose a keyboard like this: http://trulyergonomic.com/
I was already well aware what IBM spring keyboards were like, having used them a lot back in the 90s - I like them but not for long periods of time due to the key resistance and the noise level.
Actually, USB HID devices (keyboards, mice, game controllers, etc) use the USB "INTERRUPT" transport mode. This mode allows the USB device to specify a scheduled update rate at which it will send button/etc updates without having to wait for a driver or application to request updates from it. This isn't *exactly* interrupt timing straight from the key/button press, but it can be close. The USB driver for the HID devices/keyboard may be choosing to poll instead of utilize the USB data arrival interrupt, but that is likely to be OS specific.
You are correct that *other* USB devices are polling based (ones using the BULK and ISO transports) and must wait for a driver to request data from them before transmitting.
Furthermore, there is not an inherent 4 or 6 "key at a time" limit in the USB HID descriptor reports.
1) The modifier keys are sent as a bitfield separate than the keyboard keys, so they wouldn't count toward the max number of keys pressed at a time. :
USB HID 1.1 spec :
"Since only one array element can be reported in each array field, modifier keys
should be reported as bitmap data (a group of 1-bit variable fields)."
2) While a given keyboard may choose to limit its HID report to only transmit an array of a few keys at a time, it is possible to transmit a much larger number of keys at a time (report sizes greater than 64 bytes can be spread over multiple USB transactions if desired).
HID Usage Tables 1.1 spec :
"N selections of a set. More than one selection (button) can be valid at a time. Multiple selections
can be returned to the system at one time in a multi-byte array. The “n selections of a set” form is
defined by a Main item with the Array flag set and the Report Count set to n, where n is the
number of selections that can be reported in a single report. An example is a keyboard."
HID 1.1 spec again :
Rather than returning a single bit for each button in the group, an array returns an index in each field that corresponds to the pressed button (like keyboard scan codes). An out-of range value in and array field is considered no controls asserted. Buttons or keys in an array that are simultaneously pressed need to be reported in multiple fields. Therefore, the number of fields in an array input item (Report Count) dictates the maximum number of simultaneous controls that can be reported. A keyboard could report up to three simultaneous keys using an array with three 8-bit fields (Report Size = 8, Report Count = 3). Logical Minimum specifies the lowest index value returned by the array and Logical Maximum specifies the largest. The number of elements in the
array can be deduced by examining the difference between Logical Minimum and Logical Maximum
(number of elements = Logical Maximum - Logical Minimum + 1).
I prefer PS/2 keyloggers; the stolen data has a much warmer, analog feel.
I've been ever eager to get back into mechanical keyboards, but I realize I'm already getting to the point where I'm suffering slight wrist issues, and I'm worried the increased tension and key stroke depth from mechanical keyboards would only exacerbate the problem. Am I correct in this assumption?
...IBM Model M.
Anyone have experience with this company? MaxKeyboard I've been looking for a new mechanical keyboard on-and-off for a while (so this post comes at a great time for me), and I think I've settled on the Cherry MX brown switch (which I was satisfied to see was so well reviewed in TFA). I'm looking for a bit more than just a plain keyboard, though, and I currently have my eyes on the Nighthawk X8. It's pricey and seems to be a bit difficult to find, though (out of stock most places I've looked), and I'm not familiar with the manufacturer, but it seems to be a pretty solid product. Anyone have personal experience with either this keyboard or the company itself?
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BUT....the USB interface is inferior to the old PS/2. USB drops keystrokes which is frustrating since I've a very fast typist. PS/2 never did this.
The Kinesis contoured keyboards are actually 1 1/2" less wide than a "full size" conventional keyboard.
I often place stuff that I am working on the middle of my Kinesis. It could be a notebook, a phone, etc. There are other users who place touchpads there and use that over a mouse. The space does not go to waste.
"We mustn't be caught by surprise by our own advancing technology" -- Aldous Huxley
Generally speaking the hardware and internal circuitry of the keyboard itself poses a much lower limit to simultaneous presses than the choice of USB vs PS/2.
Unfortunately, the Endura Pro pointing stick is more of a joystick... it might be a Trackpoint I or some clone... I had one for a long time, and it was useful for throwing the pointer at windows (reasonable under focus follows mouse), but I still had to keep a trackball around for fine operation (boo). Also, the buttons are cheap membrame switches, and my left button wore out after maybe 18 months. That wasn't too bad (I eventually had to remove the button plate and tap the membrane by hand) until it wore out and the left button was stuck on... ended up having to cut the trace at that point and not have pointer control... (and I emailed them, alas, you can't replace that part due to the way it's manufactured).
If only they would build a model with a Trackpoint IV. Come on Unicomp, license it already... until then, boo, living without a trackpoint it shall be. Life could be worse ;)
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2000, it was hot!