Favorite keyboards you've used?

IBM Model M -- great for typing, stopping bullets, bashing heads, and doing bicep curls.

Old compact Compaq/Dell desktop keyboards made by NMB. They're a lot heavier than the newer ones, and despite having virtually the same rubbery dome key mechanism they feel a lot better.

Focus, Alps, Fujitsu and about anything with metal key switches. Some NMBs have this, too.

It seems the best keyboards don't have Windows keys.

Originally Posted by larrymoencurly

It seems the best keyboards don't have Windows keys.

Like Mac keyboards? Those things are awful to type on. Pretty, but useless.

Originally Posted by larrymoencurly

IBM Model M -- great for typing, stopping bullets, bashing heads, and doing bicep curls.

Old compact Compaq/Dell desktop keyboards made by NMB. They're a lot heavier than the newer ones, and despite having virtually the same rubbery dome key mechanism they feel a lot better.

Focus, Alps, Fujitsu and about anything with metal key switches. Some NMBs have this, too.

It seems the best keyboards don't have Windows keys.

Which, at least for me, makes them unusable. I use Winkey+D and other similar stuff way too often.

Has anyone ever used any of the Model M copycats that are anywhere near as good? I'd love to try one out.

right now I'm using the Razer Lycosa, it works pretty good. I mostly got it for the rubberish non-slip coating over the keys, but I really dig the blue backlighting too. Keys are perfect clickyness for me, though I'm coming from a macbook with external apple slim keybaord so most keyboards will feel a bit better. Easy to disable the windows button too.

I had used a Dell branded IBM model M for years, Yeah sure I could hear myself typing over loud music with headphones, or someone else using it in the next room, or in the case of my brothers IBM model M, in his room with two doors shut, but that shit was built for the long haul, I had to get rid of it because A, the N key wold randomly stick and I couldn't get it to stop no matter how much cleaning I did, and my keyboard tray on my old desk didnt allow me to have a model M AND a mouse, I wish I didn't throw that thing away, minus the N key, that thing probably would of outlasted my grand kids.

Right now I have a steady stream of cheap Dell Model L100 keyboards I get for free courtesy of a friend who works for a webhosting company, they don't care about em. I got 4 of these things new in the box, and I throw one out about every 4-6 month, whenever I notice any stickiness / difficulty pressing keys, IE the opposite end of the keyboard spectrum.

I've owned several low-end and middle-end keyboards, but my three favorites have all been from Microsoft, and my top two are both ergo (Natural Keyboard Elite, which is my current backup, and my Wireless Keyboard 6000 V.3, which I use now).

Having spent a LOT of time using computer keyboards (and also growing up with a major addiction to pinball machines) hand cramps and carpal-tunnel syndrome can indeed be a real bear. (Ever have your fingers literally "cramp up" just as you're going on a roll? And by "cramping up" I mean literally lock straight from tip to wrist!) Ergonomic keyboards (such as my pet NKE and the Wireless 6000) pretty much put such problems to rest, no matter how much time I spend whaling away. However, I'm also somewhat of a cheapskate; I won't overspend if avoidable. (I picked up two Wirelss 6000s at, of all places, TJMaxx, for less than the cost of one almost anywhere else.)

The same thinking applies to mice (both wired and wireless); I currently have the Logitech V220 Cordless Notebook Mouse (despite the "notebook" in the name, it's equally at home on desktops, which is where my V220 gets used). Amazingly, it can use either Logitech OR Microsoft's mouse software (I use IntelliPoint 7.0 with my V220 with zero issues). The only quibble I have with the V220 is that it tends to over-track in games (too sensitive, as opposed to not sensitive enough), which is not a quibble I expected to have with a wireless/cordless mouse (especially since most complaints with wireless mice are of a lack of sensitivity). However, the over-track problem can be compensated with (remember, I did call it a quibble) adjustments in the software; I'm more used to mechanical wired mice, as opposed to any sort of optical/laser mouse (the V220 is an optical/laser mouse, as opposed to mechanical/ball-type mouse, in addition to being wireless/cordless, and optical and laser mice are more sensitive than their mechanical counterparts).