Deck Keyboards - TG3 is TERRIBLE

O

OregonGuy

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jun 9, 2007
Messages
139
I want to let everyone know NOT TO EVER purchase a Deck Keyboard from Deck Keyboards (TG3)

I purchased a Deck Legend ICE approximately 9-10 months ago.

about 8 months after having the keyboard it started to develop double keystroke typing.

I contacted Deck Support and explained my problem... they proceeded to talk down to me about modding my keyboard or damaging the board, I told them i have not modded my board and only problems would be normal wear and tear.... they still insisted that I had caused the problem and I had twist an arm to get them to issue an RMA... RMA only for Repair that is... after the warranty is up btw (1 year) for a 160$ keyboard they will charge you 60$ minimum for out of warranty support.

I am a busy person... as most of us are... I did not get to send the board in right away. I called about 30 days after the RMA number was given to me to make sure the number was still valid and to tell them I was sending it in. I said to the guy "Adam" Do you guys test the boards thoroughly because the problem doesnt occur all the time... and with varying keys... i f h s w... he said "you have the double key issue"....? This is prior to him digging up my account. They damn well knew about the problem and still gave me a hard time when i was first asking for the RMA.

here is there warranty disclaimer...

Please keep in mind that your Deck keyboard is a precision electronic device and should be treated like one. Please avoid spilling food, liquid, ashes, hair, or anything else into your Deck as this may void your warranty.

Final determination of warranty coverage to be made by TG3 Electronics.


With this disclaimer they can void your warranty for ANY reason... hence the word *anything* else into your deck.

I sent my keyboard in and 28 days later I receive the board with a letter in the box telling my Warranty has been voided because of *debris* in the board... hair, ashes, dust.

it might as well been dead skin that has fallen off my fingers...because that VOIDs your warranty if they so see fit...

I want everyone to know this! I feel terrible i spent the extra money on this board only to be treated like complete garbage by Adam @ Deck and TG3 in general.

Next step... BBB complaint and Small Claims Court Summons... Im already out 160$ plus shipping for this board... another 35$ for the court paperwork shouldnt matter.

I am also going to establish a blog for complaints against Deck and TG3 and will update this with that URL when it is up.

Please take my experience into careful consideration if you are looking at purchasing a Deck Keyboard.

Thanks for reading...
 
This is Adam from Deck Keyboards. I was directed to this post by a potential customer who was concerned about what has been posted here. I just wanted to clarify on this situation as it was a very isolated incident:

At the beginning it was reported to me that a problem was occuring with this person's keyboard. Given the nature of the issue I had no way to resolve the problem over the phone or via email so I suggested that they send it in for repairs under warranty (assuming they had used the board in a normal manner). Upon receiving the returned board it was discovered that there was quite a large amount of debris (mostly ashes from what I assume is smoking due to the overpowering smell) - this is not covered under warranty as our policies state very clearly on our website's warranty page:

Please keep in mind that your Deck keyboard is a precision electronic device and should be treated like one. Please avoid spilling food, liquid, ashes, hair, or anything else into your Deck as this may void your warranty.
Click to expand...

The line in our warranty that states "Final determination of warranty coverage to be made by TG3 Electronics." is only there for something that can't be imagined to include in the warranty statement (for example we are not going to cover repairs/replacement if aliens come down from outer space and fry it with their laser beams). We have had thousands of customers and I have personally overseen the returns since the beginning. I have only voided as many warranties as can be counted on one hand and they were all either due to liquid spill damage (good advice: don't dump Coke or Pepsi on your keyboard, they corrode copper like crazy) or ashes from smoking.

Regarding the "poor treatment": I am very sorry if you feel you were treated unfairly, I did not intend this to be the result nor do I believe that I actually treated you "like garbage" (in fact after re-reading my email history I believe quite the contrary). I did not come up with our policies - I just am put in the position to enact them and I feel that I have done so professionally and accurately in this situation.

99% of our customers never experience a problem and are quite satisfied, many of them making second or third purchases. Take a look at our forums and you can see that we are very dedicated to customer support:

http://www.deckkeyboards.com/forum

If anyone ever has any questions they should feel free to contact us for more information via [email protected] or by calling 262-652-2626 (yes you get to talk to a live person!) between 8am-5pm M-F CST. We are located in Kenosha, WI and assemble and provide support for all of our products right here in the US.
 
"Please avoid spilling food, liquid, ashes, hair, or anything else into your Deck as this may void your warranty."

I would agree on the food and liquid and i dont thank you can spill hair. But hair,dust,lint etc. can occur with just normal usage so your so called WARRANTY would pretty much be void just using the thing.Sorry but i dont thank you will win anybody over with that explanation.
 
If you actually read the full text of most warranties you'll find that they are very broad in terms of ensuring that the manufacturer's liability is limited. This company is no different.

I've been thinking about purchasing a deck keyboard because I like mechanical switch based keyboards. Membrane based keyboards suck.
 
Dan_D said:
If you actually read the full text of most warranties you'll find that they are very broad in terms of ensuring that the manufacturer's liability is limited. This company is no different.
Click to expand...

Agree,but where some companys go that extra mile to satisfy there customers and offer outstanding customer support is where i see the difference (Logitech for example)they have replaced a couple items that were out of the warranty period and never tryed to nit-pick the warranty .Companys like that will always get my dollars.
 
Hair and ashes?!!!! DAM may as well add dust to the list also,,LOL
The K/B and mouse take the most abuse, physically. If there k/b is that delicate I sure as hell wouldn't buy it or at least they could maybe sell it with a k/b skin,,,hehe
I have k/b's that look like they went through a war and function 100%
Like fx4bja said:
"where some company's go that extra mile to satisfy there customers and offer outstanding customer support is where i see the difference"
Is SO TRUE!

Just my 2 cents ;)
 
Even cigarette ashes won't damage a decent keyboard, especially not one of the kind of quality that Deck keyboards are supposed to have. Refusing to honour the warranty because of that when the issue is clearly caused by a defect is simply a low blow.
 
Zero82z said:
Even cigarette ashes won't damage a decent keyboard, especially not one of the kind of quality that Deck keyboards are supposed to have. Refusing to honour the warranty because of that when the issue is clearly caused by a defect is simply a low blow.
Click to expand...

This is not a defect - the Cherry mechanical keyswitches that are used are not completely sealed like a membrane keyboard and thus are more open to particles getting inside of them. Yes I agree that this is not perfect and if I could make it better I would. The one advantage you have with mechanical switches is that each key is repairable/replaceable where your membrane keyboard is not. You can also actually wash Deck keyboards and this may solve some issues if things stop working (don't try that with your membrane board, it will die).

Each style has their advantages and I'm not going to sit here and tell you that Deck boards are for everyone. If you like it great, if not we have a 30 day money back guarantee.

Also to clarify the issues about the warranty that everyone seems to have (and for good reason): yes the warranty is worded quite broadly but applied quite conservatively. Many times if I receive a returned product and it has ashes, hair, etc. inside I still fix it and don't think twice. In the case that started this thread there was ALOT of ashes, too many to say that the owner cared about it's well being, and thus a judgement call was made. Trust me when I say you would have to see some of the returned products to believe how bad they really are and that our decisions are made for good reason.
 
Very well. I suppose without knowing the full specifics I can't comment accurately on which side is in the right.
 
If cigarette ash can break this keyboard, what would happen in my house where we use a wood-stove to heat in the winter? Dust and ash are EVERYWHERE... if a neutral carbon based particle can trash this keyboard then it's not gonna stand up to everyday use in most environments.

Either the user is understating the condition, or this is a basic manufacturer defect and should have been taken care of by Deck. In any case, the customer service seems to be failing here.
 
From what you say this keyboard is just going to be to fragile for any kind of everyday use. Your company might think about just fixing the problem you described and working on Quality control.
 
Mah I think Ill stick with Logitech. Not as great a typing experience but the customer service is amazing. My college roommate has a IBM Type-M at home and I like it a lot but the Deck is kinda expensive and if I dont know it is going to last (the Type-Ms are built like rocks) then it is probably not the best investment.
 
fx4baja said:
From what you say this keyboard is just going to be to fragile for any kind of everyday use. Your company might think about just fixing the problem you described and working on Quality control.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty rough with keyboards and my deck has held up well. My saitek tab key exploded from me having a bad habbit of pushing the tab key really hard to deal with an inch in my pinky.
 
deckguy adam said:
This is Adam from Deck Keyboards.

99% of our customers never experience a problem and are quite satisfied, many of them making second or third purchases. Take a look at our forums and you can see that we are very dedicated to customer support:

http://www.deckkeyboards.com/forum

If anyone ever has any questions they should feel free to contact us for more information via [email protected] or by calling 262-652-2626 (yes you get to talk to a live person!) between 8am-5pm M-F CST. We are located in Kenosha, WI and assemble and provide support for all of our products right here in the US.
Click to expand...

You remove the negative complaints from your forums, while telling your customers how "irresponsible" it is of them to post negatively there.

I doubt the customer service issue from deck is "isolated". Can you look any further down your nose at someone?


I didnt ever file the Small Claims court claim, every time I thought about the Deck Keyboard my blood boiled.

Its in the garage, I replaced it with a G15, I preferred the deck's keystrokes but oh well.

And still smokin! reliable and no issues!

one thing the deck is good for; its pretty damn heavy, if I ever have a home invasion it will be good to bash someone with. Thats pretty much how i feel about Deck.

Sorry to have to say that, but i have a lot of tech stuff and dealt with a lot of customer services, I had never been treated like that and shoved off. they got my money.
 
Obviously, without pictures of the keyboard, it’s one member’s word against another. However, given the warranty policies of other keyboard manufacturers and that Desk sells a “specialty” keyboard, Deck should consider reevaluating their warranty policies. People generally expect a little better service and/or return policy when spending a premium on a keyboard.
 
So they wouldn't fix your ashy keyboard, and this is cause to start some big anti-Deck smear campaign? "deckkeyboardssuck.blogspot", real mature. Overreact much? Or is this, say, the third Deck keyboard you've owned that they wouldn't fix?

I've been using an 82-key Deck for the past four years or so of gaming and coding and it has given me no problems whatsoever. When it got dust and crumbs and lint in it, I took off the cover and blew it out from the side with a can of air. (Strictly a housekeeping thing---it still performed fine with the crud in it.) If my keyboard started acting flaky, double keystrokes or whatever else, the first thing I would do would be to blow it out. And if that didn't work, then I would call about getting it serviced... so the Deck RMA people would never see crud in it because I had just cleaned it out...
 
rsquared said:
So they wouldn't fix your ashy keyboard, and this is cause to start some big anti-Deck smear campaign? "deckkeyboardssuck.blogspot", real mature. Overreact much? Or is this, say, the third Deck keyboard you've owned that they wouldn't fix?

I've been using an 82-key Deck for the past four years or so of gaming and coding and it has given me no problems whatsoever. When it got dust and crumbs and lint in it, I took off the cover and blew it out from the side with a can of air. (Strictly a housekeeping thing---it still performed fine with the crud in it.) If my keyboard started acting flaky, double keystrokes or whatever else, the first thing I would do would be to blow it out. And if that didn't work, then I would call about getting it serviced... so the Deck RMA people would never see crud in it because I had just cleaned it out...
Click to expand...

That's a good point, did you try cleaning it out?
I was planning on getting a new keyboard and mouse, my house is pretty dusty =(
 
rsquared said:
So they wouldn't fix your ashy keyboard, and this is cause to start some big anti-Deck smear campaign? "deckkeyboardssuck.blogspot", real mature. Overreact much? Or is this, say, the third Deck keyboard you've owned that they wouldn't fix?

I've been using an 82-key Deck for the past four years or so of gaming and coding and it has given me no problems whatsoever. When it got dust and crumbs and lint in it, I took off the cover and blew it out from the side with a can of air. (Strictly a housekeeping thing---it still performed fine with the crud in it.) If my keyboard started acting flaky, double keystrokes or whatever else, the first thing I would do would be to blow it out. And if that didn't work, then I would call about getting it serviced... so the Deck RMA people would never see crud in it because I had just cleaned it out...
Click to expand...


Whatever you say sucka, I'm not here to flame, I'm here to state my case and have my experience and opinion heard. nice try rsquarred.

If you think I didn't open the board to clean it out, well okay...

I followed these simple instructions.. ROFL....

kbd2.jpg


Its not just a double keystroke issue. I'll type a letter (letter input not recorded) and move on, then next time I type that letter it will input 2 or 3 times depending on how many previous strokes of that letter was "gathered" as I like to call it.

When I asked Deck (Adam) technical questions; IE "Does the keyboard have any physical memory?"

I was stonewalled and told to send the keyboard in.

It's 2008, you can't treat customers poorly without any repercussions, web or otherwise.

Have a good time with your keyboard.


------

There was very little "debris" in the board and to tell you the truth and stated before, other than smoking, I am a pretty damn clean person.

But here some some pics of the board in it's current state with the issue still. The boards plastic is speckled, that isn't cigarette ash LOL....! I do see some dust in there! dang dust...never going to work now.

Also one of my workspace... :p

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funniecow said:
That's a good point, did you try cleaning it out?
I was planning on getting a new keyboard and mouse, my house is pretty dusty =(
Click to expand...

Indeed the cleaning was done...

When the issue first started, I thought ahh there must be something in there.. opened her up and found nothing special... did a good cleaning.

Problem persisted and sent in to Deck.

Then, I read the letter in the box when Deck returned the board to me... I opened the board... I thought maybe I had made a mess... I expected to find tons of something for some reason... There was nothing out of the ordinary...

I would say less than a lot of folks boards. but oh well.
 
OregonLAN said:
Obviously, without pictures of the keyboard, it’s one member’s word against another. However, given the warranty policies of other keyboard manufacturers and that Desk sells a “specialty” keyboard, Deck should consider reevaluating their warranty policies. People generally expect a little better service and/or return policy when spending a premium on a keyboard.
Click to expand...

Exactly!

This will be the last post... cuz man I feel taken advantage of and just don't care anymore.

One of the major reasons I was interested in the Deck was they are in Kenosha Wisconsin.

I have customers there... I talk to them on a daily basis. They are always extremely nice and articulate.

I expected a top notch product and customer service.

I found otherwise.
 
OregonGuy said:
I'm not here to flame, I'm here to state my case and have my experience and opinion heard.
Click to expand...
Yes, you are here to flame. The subject of this thread is not "My experience with Deck Keyboards" or "Warranty problem with Deck Keyboards" or even "Bad experience with Deck Keyboards", but to call them "TERRIBLE". The blog you made for it is not "deckkeyboardissue.blogspot" or "mydeckexperience.blogspot" but "deckkeyboardssuck.blogspot". And I see you've added it to your signature, too, so you can flame Deck/TG3 in every [H] post you make.
 
Customer service, and warranty crap aside, how is typing on the Deck Keyboard? I'm wondering how it compares to the IBM Model M keyboard or Das Keyboard version 2. I'm either going to buy a Deck Legend or a Das Keyboard Professional. The price has me leaning to Das Keyboard but the backlit keys has me leaning to the Deck Legend.
 
I like my deckboard a lot, but i will say the keys aren't quite as stiff as the IBM keyboards. I like how it feels and how there is a little play before the actual key is "typed." I find it the quickest typing keyboard i've owned.
 
Christobevii3 said:
I like my deckboard a lot, but i will say the keys aren't quite as stiff as the IBM keyboards. I like how it feels and how there is a little play before the actual key is "typed." I find it the quickest typing keyboard i've owned.
Click to expand...

Have you ever typed on the Das Keyboard (rev 2)? I found it to be a VERY close match to the IBM Model M. I'm just wondering which I'd like better.
 
Sorry to hear about your poor experience OP. My deck is still going strong since I bought it in January 2007. If anything happens to it I am going to miss it very much as it is such a damn fine typing keyboard. I had to call customer service as static electricity knocked out one of the LEDs. They sent me a pack of LEDs free of charge. Also I mentioned I didn't get a key remover with it they sent one free of charge as well.
 
cyanidebm said:
Sorry to hear about your poor experience OP. My deck is still going strong since I bought it in January 2007. If anything happens to it I am going to miss it very much as it is such a damn fine typing keyboard. I had to call customer service as static electricity knocked out one of the LEDs. They sent me a pack of LEDs free of charge. Also I mentioned I didn't get a key remover with it they sent one free of charge as well.
Click to expand...

I just ordered a Deck Legend ICE. We'll see how that goes. I miss the mechanical keyboards of old and hope this does the trick. I type alot so if I like the keyboard, I'll definitely feel like it was worth it.
 
Just an update for anyone keeping track of this thread. I received my Deck ICE Legend about a day earlier than I expected. I'm actually typing on it now as I speak. There were a few keys that felt too tight when I started typing on it. However they quickly losened up. The space bar is a little stiff, but it's getting better as well. It's just taking a bit of time.

Initial impressions: Solid build construction, great back light, no frills keyboard. The backlight has quite a few adjustment levels. Very nicely done, however the back lighting isn't uniform across the keys. The longer keys like Backspace and Shift are a dimmer on the ends of the labels. Otherwise the backlight is pretty good.

As soon as the spacebar gets loosened up the way I like it I think this will be the best keyboard I'll have used in years. It certainly trumps most of the mechanical keyboards I've used in the past. It's a different experience than the IBM Model M for anyone who remembers. The DAS keyboard replicated that feeling much more closely. This is kind of like the old IBM 84 keyboards and the old Macintosh keyboards. It's a smooth typing experience and the keys require little force in order to respond. The worst part like I said is the stiff spacebar but that's getting better as time goes on. So I'll report back in a few days or something.

Good keyboard. I can't comment on service or support just yet, as I haven't had the thing long enough to need that. We'll see how it goes over the next few weeks.
 
I had just clicked a Legend Ice in my cart, when I decided to read a few reviews, and I read 2. The first one was from a guy who likes clicky keyboards, and he said he hated it cause it's soft keystroke. The second review I read was this one.

About a year ago I wanted to replace my Adesso Blue EL backlit keyboard with a full stroke keyboard. I like to surf in the dark, so an illuminated keyboard is helpful. Don't game at all, get motion sickness. Anyways after a lot of research I ended up geting a Saitek Eclipse, whick works ok, and has great keystroke feel, but many of the keys are rubbed off now. I turn it over every month and shake out all the debris, and there is always lots of debris. Also the keys are a bit too dim, and brightness is all the way up.

After much searching for a replacement, I stumbled upon the Deck Legend Ice, and almost bought it, but I fear it will last only as long as any other keyboard I have used... I guess I will just get another Saitek Eclipse, because from what I have read here, no matter how bulletproof they say they are, keyboards are a consumable item, so must be purchased at a consumable price.

-RayBob
 
Well the keyystrokes feel exactly like the older IBM 84 key keyboards. The feel is good but I think many people who like real mechanical keyboards are actually looking for the IBM Model M 101 keyboard feel. The only one that even remotely replicated that feeling is the Das Keyboard (Professional or Ultimate.) I thought about those as well especially given that they are cheaper than the Deck Keyboard. However the deck is back lit and you can get new keycaps for it.

I liked the IBM 84 key keyboards and many keyboard manufacturers like TG3 (the parent company of Deck being one of them) continued to have real mechanical keyboards that were built without number pads for servers. The idea was to keep them narrow so they'd fit in the rack keyboard trays. This keyboard also feels much like the NMB Right Touch! keyboards found in the mid nineties. They were one of the last companies to make a mechanical keyboard.

The keystrokes are kind of soft, but they aren't a bad soft feeling. You'd have to try one to know what I am talking about. The nice thing is they have a great feel without the annoying click of the IBM Model M. While that noise isn't annoying to everyone I think it kind of was, but the feel of the keyboard made up for it. As for what was said about the keyboard being a consumable item and needing to be kept at a consumable price I could not disagree more.

My NMB keyboard is a real mechanical keyboard that I still use to this day. That keyboard was purchased from the local Microcenter for $50 which was even at that time outrageous for a keyboard. However it still works today with almost no visible signs of wear. The keypresses feel just like they did 10 years ago when I got it. The only reason I quit using it on my gaming rig is because it was beige in color and even if I paited the housing I'd still have to look at beige keys. So I switched to the G15 which was my first membrane keyboard. I quickly wore out the first one in that all the key caps have worn surfaces which are transparent and allow light to shine through the whole key. You can't read the lettering. Not that I need that a whole hell of a lot considering I touch type. I'd also like to point out that while that keyboard looks like shit cosmetically it does still work but not all the keys feel as good as they once did. It certainly doesn't hold up like a mechanical keyboard can.

Now my Deck Keyboard which I've been using now for a couple of days is a fully mechanical keyboard built very much like my older NMB keyboard but of course black and back lit. I expect this keyboard to last for years. Membrane keyboards suck balls. They wear out too quickly I can't stress that enough. I never would have owned any if it weren't for the fact that I couldn't stand looking at an expensive computer with black case, black and silver monitor etc. See for yourself. Go to Ebay and look at the IBM Model M keyboards. See what great shape many of them are in. All they need is some cleaning. Those keyboards also tend to use an engraving process on all the keycaps which never wears off. Not every membrane keyboard will have the letters wear off of the keys but they won't feel the same after a few months or a couple of years of hard use.

Try a Deck or Das Keyboard. You'll quickly understand why these keyboards are so expensive and why they are worth every penny you pay for them.
 
Well, if anything, the features I have read about the Deck Legend Ice fits my needs perfectly, but if anything, this thread does serve it's purpose of scaring off would be purchasers.

I don't smoke or drink around my keyboard, but I do graze on snacks, so debris does fall inside my keyboards. Here at work we use cherry industrial keyboards that are bulletproof. I love their feel and long keystroke throw. They last much longer than 10 years, running 24/7/365 in the factory. It's a cleanroom, so dust and debris is never an issue. If I could buy a black one with backlit keys for home use, that is just the looks and feel I am after.

I do not doubt the Deck looks and feels just as good, my only concern is in purchasing a keyboard for 5X the cost of a Saitek Eclipse, and have it last only as long because snips, snaps, and pops fell inside, and the 1 year warrantee was not honored.
For the same money, the Saitek Eclipse could be tossed out every 8 months, before the keys wore off, and the net life expectancy would be 5X.


So the bottom line is that it takes one AW $#!T on the web to wipe out a dozen ATTABOYS, and probably takes a dozen follow up ATTABOYS to restore confidence. I usually just treat everything as consumable and disposable nowadays, as general quality of all products worldwide has fallen in the past 20 years.

I am an oldschool pre-mouse guy, so I have been using trackballs since the late '70's as preference. I have a Kensington Expert Mouse (trackball) that I picked up with my new 486SX/25 in 93, still running daily as it is my favorite pointing device. I also have a newer one that is 5 years old, fortunetaly still running fine, but the finish is wearing off. Those are built to a quality standard. It sounds like the Deck Legend is also built to a quality standard, but I just heard of them while searching recently, so I will researve judjement until I have read a few stories of longevity with these keyboards.
 
RayBob said:
Well, if anything, the features I have read about the Deck Legend Ice fits my needs perfectly, but if anything, this thread does serve it's purpose of scaring off would be purchasers.

I don't smoke or drink around my keyboard, but I do graze on snacks, so debris does fall inside my keyboards. Here at work we use cherry industrial keyboards that are bulletproof. I love their feel and long keystroke throw. They last much longer than 10 years, running 24/7/365 in the factory. It's a cleanroom, so dust and debris is never an issue. If I could buy a black one with backlit keys for home use, that is just the looks and feel I am after.

I do not doubt the Deck looks and feels just as good, my only concern is in purchasing a keyboard for 5X the cost of a Saitek Eclipse, and have it last only as long because snips, snaps, and pops fell inside, and the 1 year warrantee was not honored.
For the same money, the Saitek Eclipse could be tossed out every 8 months, before the keys wore off, and the net life expectancy would be 5X.


So the bottom line is that it takes one AW $#!T on the web to wipe out a dozen ATTABOYS, and probably takes a dozen follow up ATTABOYS to restore confidence. I usually just treat everything as consumable and disposable nowadays, as general quality of all products worldwide has fallen in the past 20 years.

I am an oldschool pre-mouse guy, so I have been using trackballs since the late '70's as preference. I have a Kensington Expert Mouse (trackball) that I picked up with my new 486SX/25 in 93, still running daily as it is my favorite pointing device. I also have a newer one that is 5 years old, fortunetaly still running fine, but the finish is wearing off. Those are built to a quality standard. It sounds like the Deck Legend is also built to a quality standard, but I just heard of them while searching recently, so I will researve judjement until I have read a few stories of longevity with these keyboards.
Click to expand...

So long as you clean the keyboard out periodically you should be fine. Even then I doubt snacks are going to kill it. I've been using keyboards like this for a long time and I snack near my machine. Though I try to keep things away from the keyboard. I don't think you'd have to worry about the Deck too much. They aren't spillproof but in my opinion no good keyboard is.

You may also want to look at the Das Keyboard Professional. I've typed on one before and the feel is amazing. Like the old IBM model M keyboards and built fairly tough though I think the Deck is sturdier.
 
Dan_D said:
Well the keyystrokes feel exactly like the older IBM 84 key keyboards. The feel is good but I think many people who like real mechanical keyboards are actually looking for the IBM Model M 101 keyboard feel. The only one that even remotely replicated that feeling is the Das Keyboard (Professional or Ultimate.) I thought about those as well especially given that they are cheaper than the Deck Keyboard. However the deck is back lit and you can get new keycaps for it.

I liked the IBM 84 key keyboards and many keyboard manufacturers like TG3 (the parent company of Deck being one of them) continued to have real mechanical keyboards that were built without number pads for servers. The idea was to keep them narrow so they'd fit in the rack keyboard trays. This keyboard also feels much like the NMB Right Touch! keyboards found in the mid nineties. They were one of the last companies to make a mechanical keyboard.

The keystrokes are kind of soft, but they aren't a bad soft feeling. You'd have to try one to know what I am talking about. The nice thing is they have a great feel without the annoying click of the IBM Model M. While that noise isn't annoying to everyone I think it kind of was, but the feel of the keyboard made up for it. As for what was said about the keyboard being a consumable item and needing to be kept at a consumable price I could not disagree more.

My NMB keyboard is a real mechanical keyboard that I still use to this day. That keyboard was purchased from the local Microcenter for $50 which was even at that time outrageous for a keyboard. However it still works today with almost no visible signs of wear. The keypresses feel just like they did 10 years ago when I got it. The only reason I quit using it on my gaming rig is because it was beige in color and even if I paited the housing I'd still have to look at beige keys. So I switched to the G15 which was my first membrane keyboard. I quickly wore out the first one in that all the key caps have worn surfaces which are transparent and allow light to shine through the whole key. You can't read the lettering. Not that I need that a whole hell of a lot considering I touch type. I'd also like to point out that while that keyboard looks like shit cosmetically it does still work but not all the keys feel as good as they once did. It certainly doesn't hold up like a mechanical keyboard can.

Now my Deck Keyboard which I've been using now for a couple of days is a fully mechanical keyboard built very much like my older NMB keyboard but of course black and back lit. I expect this keyboard to last for years. Membrane keyboards suck balls. They wear out too quickly I can't stress that enough. I never would have owned any if it weren't for the fact that I couldn't stand looking at an expensive computer with black case, black and silver monitor etc. See for yourself. Go to Ebay and look at the IBM Model M keyboards. See what great shape many of them are in. All they need is some cleaning. Those keyboards also tend to use an engraving process on all the keycaps which never wears off. Not every membrane keyboard will have the letters wear off of the keys but they won't feel the same after a few months or a couple of years of hard use.

Try a Deck or Das Keyboard. You'll quickly understand why these keyboards are so expensive and why they are worth every penny you pay for them.
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hey dan not to make you worry or anything but you just said "keyystrokes". double key?
 
Syndicated_Death said:
hey dan not to make you worry or anything but you just said "keyystrokes". double key?
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I've done a ton of typing on this keyboard since I got it. I haven't had the double key problem. I think I just hit the y key twice or I held it down longer than I should have. I'm going to go with human error on this one for now.
 
Dan_D said:
I've done a ton of typing on this keyboard since I got it. I haven't had the double key problem. I think I just hit the y key twice or I held it down longer than I should have. I'm going to go with human error on this one for now.
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LOL sounds like a plan.
 
The keyboard is really sensitive. While I can type much faster on this than I can on my G15, I do tend to miss-key more frequently. I think I just need more time to get used to typing on this keyboard.
 
Dan_D said:
The keyboard is really sensitive. While I can type much faster on this than I can on my G15, I do tend to miss-key more frequently. I think I just need more time to get used to typing on this keyboard.
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I find typing much quicker on my g15 than the IBM M style that I have at work. really the only reason I keep the ibm around is due to nostalgia.

Also as a side note people are often talking about IBMs being good for bludgeoning someone to death. this is true but by the same token if you went up against someone with a bloomberg keyboard the Ibm would have a losing battle on it's hands http://zerberus.dynup.net/wiki/?plugin=ref&page=memo/Bloomberg Keyboard&src=CTB100.jpg. that thing weighs at least 10 pounds I swear. I have one at home for the novelty.
 
Syndicated_Death said:
I find typing much quicker on my g15 than the IBM M style that I have at work. really the only reason I keep the ibm around is due to nostalgia.

Also as a side note people are often talking about IBMs being good for bludgeoning someone to death. this is true but by the same token if you went up against someone with a bloomberg keyboard the Ibm would have a losing battle on it's hands http://zerberus.dynup.net/wiki/?plugin=ref&page=memo/Bloomberg Keyboard&src=CTB100.jpg. that thing weighs at least 10 pounds I swear. I have one at home for the novelty.
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IBM also had an 84 key keyboard with a metal backplate. That bitch was heavy. Also the 124 key keyboard was a beast as well too.
 
I've got a bunch of old Compaq keyboards with steel frames inside. They weigh quite a bit and are extremely sturdy. They also feel great. If I didn't have my Logitech Elite I'd definitely be using one of those.
 
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