First of all: I have to admit that I'm more or less a newbie when it comes to mechanical keyboards.
There are a lot of engineers who seems to favour this kind of keyboard over the others. A couple of weeks ago I tried one by myself and was kind of flashed. It feels so much better than the common Apple keyboards I'm usually hacking on. Therefore, I did some research and found the CODE keyboard which seems to be a nice fit.
Before buying one, I thought it might be a good idea to ask all of you: What keyboard do you feel most comfortable with?
Oldest comments (38)
This has @cassidoo and @maestromac written all over it!
Ah, thanks for the heads up! For posterity:
I have a Unicomp EnduraPro, which has a pointing stick that I'm dearly attached to
Cool, that looks pretty solid. Thanks for sharing!
I personally am both a gamer and a developer. I have Corsair's K70 RGB keyboard. It is more on the expensive side and I wouldn't recommend it if you are not a gamer yourself.
A co-worker of mine uses a Das keyboard(MX Brown) at work and I have used it before. It is pretty comfortable.
It all depends on your own personal preference though. If you found something you like, I'd go with it.
Thanks for your recommendation. Well, I'm not a gamer so I guess the the Corsair might be not a good fit then. "Das Keyboard" seems to be more like something I would use. I have to check it! Thanks!
I had this one: smile.amazon.com/CM-Storm-QuickFir...
It's a dream to type on however I use my left thumb for Apple's Command key and on the mechanical keyboard the button to the left of the space (which I naturally mapped to "Command") was too far to the left.
This made me have to tuck my thumb in if my hand is on the home row. It's just a few centimeters but combined with how often that key is used on macOS, I ironically ended up getting RSI.
I now just stick with the built-in Macbook Pro keyboard.
Just something to keep an eye out for.
Listen to your body.
Ah yes, I also considered that keyboard – It is funny that the keys are blank (what I really like!).
Thanks for your briefly field report and I'm sorry to hear that the keyboard caused RSI which is definitely an aspect that speaks against that keyboard.
I hope that you feel better now!
I ended up re-mapping the key layout in OSX for use with this KB. Muscle memory had set in so I kept hitting the wrong keys.
I still haven't found an external keyboard for the Mac that works for me, but I've used the CM Storm, and the very similar Filco Majestouch 2, with Linux and Windows for years, and love them both. IMHO, macOS just needs too many modifier keys to operate.
The best one I know is this one. Hard to beat.
Awesome, looks very clean. Have to check it. Thanks!
That's a great keyboard (I had it before I got the Vortex) if you don't need to travel.
If you want something more compact with the same keys check out the Vortex Race3. :)
I use the Das Keyboard 4 Professional (I think that's what it called). It's quite expensive but I absolutely love it. I don't really game but I spend a ton of time programming. I'd absolutely buy it again.
Love my Corsair Strafe RGB - Cherry MX Silent. Can't recommend it enough.
I can also recommend this keyboard. Mx Silent-switches are excellent if you want a mechanical keyboard while keeping the noise down.
Agreed, excellent keyboard. The best I've ever had. Also great for gaming.
+1 for Ducky. It's perhaps a bit less known outside of keyboard circles, but it's got a reputation for great reliability and quality. All of their features are implemented in hardware (LED controls and all) so they don't require any extra driver software whatsoever. Only downside to that is you may have to dig up the manual because remembering how to re-do some of the settings isn't always easy - but it's mostly a set it once and forget thing anyway.
I accidentally poured soda on my Shine4 and it still works just fine after drying :P
I have the Vortex Race3. It's a beautiful thing an absolute pleasure to use. It has got some flack from the hardcore mkb community beacause the esc key is 1.5u wide (harder to find custom replacements), but if you don't need to have a sculpted Hulk face for esc it is a non issue.
It comes with very high quality keycaps that feel amazing (with some coloured extras to make things more interesting). It has all they keys of a Tenkeyless but in a 70% package.
Nice, I'm considering buying one (although they're difficult to find in the UK). Everyone seems to love the Race 3.
I use a CODE keyboard w/ Cherry MX brown switches at work and love it. Not too loud and typing is very smooth. wasdkeyboards.com/index.php/produc...
Previously I used a Das Keyboard 3 Pro for Mac w/ Cherry MX blues. It is far too loud to use in an open office and the build quality of the CODE keyboard is much better.
At home, I use a Rosewill with blues that is oddly not as loud as the Das Keyboard and also seems to have a better build quality, even though it's half the price: amazon.com/Rosewill-Mechanical-Key...
I'm a weird one... I have an infinity ergodox, cherry brown switches with DSA caps and a colemak layout and I love it! Most comfortable board I've ever typed on.
I am a huge fan of ergonomic keyboards. Therefore I highly recommend the ErgoDox EZ: ergodox-ez.com/
It's highly customizable and you can either build it yourself or have it built for you.
I recommend getting a mechanical key test board like this: amazon.com/Akwox-Cherry-Switch-key...
Here is a reference for how the various switches work: i.warosu.org/data/g/img/0591/43/14...
HHKB.
I've tried a Corsair K65 with Cherry MX blues for a while and didn't really jive with it. I've used a Logitech G710+ at home for gaming for many years and just decided to get another one of those for the office. I prefer the Cherry MX browns since they're lower noise and don't have that clacky tactile feel that the Cherry red and blue switches do but that's just my preference.
amazon.com/dp/B009C98NPY
I'm currently using Logitech G610 Orion Brown which has cherry mx brown switches. Nothing fancy, just a basic black keyboard with great switches. It was hard to find a mech keyboard with nordic layout at reasonable price so that was one major factor when I chose it. I also installed O-rings to the keys for dampening. That's a winning combination for me browns + O-rings.