LukeK

I know this is going to be personal taste but I would love to know your views on the best keyboard.

I am not really into flashy boards with lights and a load of extras, but more a "typing" keyboard, if you know what I mean.

I am not a fan of the spongy boards out there, and ive tried a ton and lost money !

Anyone have any ideas about the best typing keyboard available, cost isnt an issue, I plan on keeping it for 5 years so ill spend whatever it takes to get the best.

Zardon

If money is no object then there is only one that I know fits the bill and springs to mind.

The Steelseries 7G Play.com (UK) : SteelSeries 7G Professional Gaming Keyboard : Computing - Free Delivery

Reminds of of the old IBM boards for key quality, warranted to 60 million keystrokes...... costs a small fortune however.

craig5320

You might want to check out our latest review as well: http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews.php?reviewid=639

Enermax Aurora keyboard, Stuart gave it the gold award and it's quite a bit cheaper than the SteelSeries.

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Zardon

also quite a bit spongier too. This is the problem with recommending a keyboard, its all personal taste. I mean stuart recommended the razer keyboards and I dont like any of them as the keys dont feel right to me.

If you have a local store that stocks a lot of the keyboards go in and have a look around first hand.

GigaWatt

i like the old keyboards, the IBM and Compaq ones, they where the best, not too expencive, not too cheap, not too flashy, not many extra buttons on them (i really get lost with these new keyboards... so many extra buttons), and they have a verry rough exterior (you can drop it, smash it, bash it, and it sill works... no keys fallen from it or nitin'... ). the new keyboards, as Zardon said, their keys are too spongy, don't fell right, as if i was typing on a mattress, not a keyboard...

about 7 eyars ago, i found this Genius K7000 keyboard, it had almost the same "taste" as the old keboards, the key strokes where really nice, and, best of all, it had the long backspace button, most of the new keyboards don't have that (they have the small ones). i kinda got used to the long backspace button and the small enter (return) button. the first keyboard i ever used had that kind of buttons (it was a Compaq keyboard, can't remember the model at the moment), so i never wanted to change that kind of key arrangement.

i have been keeping this keboard "alive" and functional by cleaning and repairing it (changing cables, cleaning cigarette ash (yes, i'm a smoker), cleaning dust, oiling the keys when they get too rough, etc.), and i will keep doing this untill it's completely useless... it's still functional, i'm tying on it right now , and will in the future .

so, if you could find some old keyboard, and restevrate and repair it, that would be the best solution for you, since you don't like flashy keboards with lots of buttons . i actually found a really old keboard, don't know the brand or the model, but it's perfect for me (it doesn't even have the windows start button, it's that old... ), it's big, the keys are big and it has the small enter and big backspace button ... although it's kinda noisy (when you type it sounds like you are typing on an old typewriter... hahahah ), but it does the job... so i cleaned it and use it on my old PC .

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macbiter

I actually hate the new keyboards and I recently tried the Steelseries 7G and I thought it felt very like the old IBM keyboards.

Its an awesome typing keyboard and its actually the only one I would recommend of the new boards.

Very expensive but if you check out the research behind it I think it might be justified.

SteelSeries 7G sets new industry standards for gaming keyboards by allowing users to perform the most detailed and advanced key combinations to date. By utilizing the most powerful PS/2 buffer-system ever created for a gaming keyboard, SteelSeries 7G redefines “anti-ghosting" by supporting as many simultaneous key presses as there are keys on the keyboard. The keyboard features both PS/2 and USB connectors.


The use of PS/2 (combined with a gold-plated USB connector) and 18K gold-plated mechanical switches, means that SteelSeries 7G offers more Actions Per Minute than any other keyboard in the world, gaming grade response times and more than six times the durability of a traditional keyboard.

longhorn1000

I like hte logitech G15 but yeah I see what the thread starter means, its not great for typing as the keys dont give much response back. I dont think the shape is great either.

The keyboard on my sony Vaio laptop is pretty sexy. I like the look of that steelseries keyboard cause it looks like my dads old ibm keyboard but updated with the latest technology. It was a great keyboard to type on.

I think we have a severe shortage of high quality typing keyboards now. companies just slap "gaming" on them with a bunch of dials and useless crap. that saitek cyborg has more lights than our street at night time.

Judas

Alot of people insist on the logitech G15 keyboard (imo though i hate them.... very uncomfortable)

I really liked Microsofts All Natural Erganomic Keyboard.... very very good keyboard... but it's hard to come across (had 2 usb port hub but the keyboard is PS/2)

now the replacement for that keyboard is the Microsoft Erganomic 4000 USB keyboard which imo.. is one of the best and most comfortable keyboard i've EVER used and continue to use unitl something better arrives.

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Matth

My main annoyance with keyboards is losing the lettering.

Don't want to spend a fortune, so how low down the range can you find laser etching?

Looking for full AT layout (not compressed) with extra buttons for multimedia or gaming - I'd sure miss not having keyboard volume control buttons - about the only ones I make much use of.

System is black/silver.

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Zardon

The Saitek Eclipse II has laser etched keys. Not sure about anyone else but they made a bit of a deal of that when it was released.

dj_stick

for normal typing, I really like the new apple keyboards, nicel ow profile, almost no force required to rpess the button, really defines key"stroke"

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Liqourice

I just love my old Amiga 4000 keyboard. It's so much nicer than any other keyboard I've had.

I'm fairly happy with the Logitech Access I have now though, the only thing I don't like about it is having to press that F-key shift after every reboot. I wish I could make a setting so the F-keys was default, not the media keys.

Zardon

Really? the old apple boards I used in the mid 90s were my favourite. the new ones are much like a decent logitech now. I think most boards are mass produced now with much lower standards than say 10-15 years ago.

Lowfat

Agreed. I was wary at first @ spending $150 on a keyboard. However after using it for a few days it is hard imagining going back to regular membrane keyboard. Typing on the 7G is simply amazing.

The keyboard comes with no other bells and whistles though besides a few media keys. But if you are looking for backlighting, etc, this keyboard isn't for you.

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Zardon

Totally, I have used it once and I think ill end up getting one myself. It is exactly what I want from a keyboard. The strange thing is this modern day inherant focus on "gaming" and using the word with everything. The 7G imo is one of the finest TYPING keyboards out there, and apart from the ultra high build quality it doesnt really come loaded with a ton of stuff for gamers, such as lights, special macro keys and bloated software etc.

I think they should actually get some credit for the fact the product is actually a wonderful typists board! Perhaps im just extremely picky but ive around 15 keyboards here right now and I don't rate any of them for writing projects. Additionally the fact the steelseries chassis weighs over 3 kg and is made of metal means it doesnt move at all on a good desk. very impressed.

BlueMak

Anyone makes keyboards like the ones in Heart of the Tiger? Or was it Price of Freedom? The one the captain usied in his private accomodation with the keyboard being one piece but in two parts, each for one hand so further apart than current ergonomical split keyboards. Also they were a bit downwards like a pit. Hmm, you know how keyboards use the arm rest at same or higher height than the rest of the keyboard, well, think of it the other way where the keys part of the keyboard are on lower height than the "armrest". Excellent design IMO.

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rebel07

microsoft keyboards i think they are good

Edit: you should try to go to some computer store and try microsoft keyboards

Necrosis

Ordered one of the Steelseries keyboards. Very impressed w/ the quality & feel. Glad I can really use it now after finding how two of my 2GB Gskill sticks crapped out!!!