Looking for a new Keyboard

[simoruler]

So, I'm transitioning from Laptops to a Desktop PC and therefore need a keyboard now.

I'll just say up-front that I have no real experience with keyboards, so I'm completely at your mercy.

 

Just going to specify what would be cool to have:

- Price shouldn't exceed 300 €

- Usable for gaming and programming

- A little ergonomic arm rest

- Not too noisy (No CLACK-CLACK-CLACK switches, I beggeth)

- Preferably Mechanic, so I have the nice feel of it.

- Something to adjust the Volume, Play / Pause buttons, for which I don't need 2 hands.

 

Thank you!

[GarlicDeliverySystem]

12 minutes ago, simoruler said:

- Price shouldn't exceed 300 €

That is already a pretty good budget, plenty of options out there.

 

Would you be willing to do some assembly, or should it come all finished right out of the box?

 

19 minutes ago, simoruler said:

- Usable for gaming and programming

I have to say I find the distinction between "for gaming" "typing" "programming" ridiculous, pure marketing. You can do all of that with almost any keyboard.

 

Any thoughts on layouts? Like, full-size, TKL, or tiny like 60%?

 

If you want a one-stop-solution, Keychron is my usual recommendation as you can just get everything in their store and stuff is usually in stock (by keyboard standards, anyway). I like the V-series, it is affordable, decent quality and easy to build on / mod it. K Pro might be a good option as well, since it has wireless capabilities and seems similar in construction to the V series, though I have seen no reviews yet nor do I have one. They do have arm rests, made of resin or wood.

 

https://www.keychron.com/products/keychron-v6-qmk-custom-mechanical-keyboard?variant=40320325451865

 

They have a knob option, which is standard configured for volume and play/pause. You also have four extra keys you can program, I believe (haven't actually tried that yet, I realize).

 

23 minutes ago, simoruler said:

- Not too noisy (No CLACK-CLACK-CLACK switches, I beggeth)

- Preferably Mechanic, so I have the nice feel of it.

Mechanic is probably the way to go here, though there are some nice membrane ones among the deluge of mush. But the word to look for here is "hotswap", as that means you can actually change the switches yourself and don't have to rely on whatever the manufacturer soldered in. Gives you a lot of options to change switches down the line.

 

I don't know how much you already know about keyboards/switches, but they come in basically three flavors:

• linear: smooth actuation, no feedback where the actuation point is. typicall sold as "gamer" option, though this also very well suitable for typing and a lot of people prefer it. Associated colors: red, yellow, black
• tactile: here you have a tactile bump around the actuation point of the switch. lots of variety, from very early, crisp bumps to switches that feel similar to membranes. Associated color: brown.
• clicky: tactile, but also with an audible feedback. What you would associate with loud keyboards, though tactiles and linears can also be loud in some keyboards.

Apart from these rough categories you can find tons and tons of switches from several manufacturers, all with fancy but meaningless names (what would you think is a "baby kangaroo" switch, compared to the "baby racoon"? Or holy Pandas vs Oil Kings).

 

Otherwise, shamelessly plugging from another thread, here are some recommendations for Youtube channels if you want to learn a bit more.:

On 7/23/2023 at 3:05 AM, 191x7 said:

A decent place to start would be:

Switch and click https://www.youtube.com/@SwitchandClickOfficial

Hypio tech https://www.youtube.com/@HipyoTech

Glarses https://www.youtube.com/@Glarses

Keybored https://www.youtube.com/@Keybored

 

[saintlouisbagels]

I'm a NuPhy fanboy, so they're always my first recommendation;

Field75 - 75% layout, so you're not giving up any essential keys, and it has macro keys (which is uncommon outside of gaming brands), and a knob

Halo75 - 75% layout, has a beautiful white option, and I love the keycap style. You can use FN + whatever F-key for media controls. I own this one.

Halo96 - same as above, but there's a NumPad if it's essential to your productivity

All of the options are hot-swappable, meaning you can just pop out the mechanical switch for a different style (no soldering necessary). Each keyboard comes with several extra keyswitches - 1 of each type - in case you want to sample different types.

They also sell wrist pads for better ergonomics and matching styles

 

If noise is a big issue for you - ALL mechanical keyboards are super loud, regardless if the actuation is silent - then you can use the hot-swap function to buy Silent switches with dampening features to silence the keystroke. Bottoming out keypresses is where the majority of the noise comes from.

NuPhy's YouTube page includes sound tests of their keyboards and in-house switches.

[SorryBella]

3 hours ago, GarlicDeliverySystem said:

though there are some nice membrane ones

Name some? The only membranes im ever happy to type on isnt even a membrane, its scissors. Apple Butterfly (before they broke down of course), MX Craft, Asus Zenbook keyboards, all of those are scissor based.

[GarlicDeliverySystem]

15 hours ago, SorryBella said:

Name some? The only membranes im ever happy to type on isnt even a membrane, its scissors.

Had a pretty decent cherry board (membrane, I checked at the time, but no idea about the model number) a several years back in the office where I worked.

 

And don't scissors also use membranes for switching? I know membranes are in a some switches usually not considered 'membrane', like Topre, but where is the line?