nice mechanical keyboards

[DiTBho]

From akkogear 
The alice plus one is *VERY* nice!

[SiliconWizard]

I've made my own.

Not sure I like those angled ergonomic keyboards, but why not.

I'm personally more looking for a new mouse. So far I haven't seen anything that would justify changing what I have.

[mapleLC]

Are there bigger ones? 

I had a Norgate years ago, I have never been able to repeat that keysnap on any keyboard I have ever used.

[james_s]

No number pad and no F keys, that's a non-starter for me. And for the price you can still find a decent IBM Model M.

[DiTBho]

No number pad and no F keys, that's a non-starter for me. And for the price you can still find a decent IBM Model M.

sure, brand new IBM Model M = 250 euro shipped

[SiliconWizard]

No number pad and no F keys, that's a non-starter for me. And for the price you can still find a decent IBM Model M.

No F keys is annoying.
But the numeric pad, you can absolutely do without it. I also thought it was non-negotiable until I switched to a "TKL" keyboard, which allows the mouse to be much closer to the center of the keyboard and thus much more comfortable to use. If you don't use a mouse (which would be odd these days), then sure it doesn't matter.

Using the top row for typing digits is really not a problem at all for most tasks. On AZERTY keyboards, I need to press SHIFT to get digits, but even that I don't mind much at all.
I have a separate numeric keypad for the occasional tasks of typing a lot of numbers, like in a spreadsheet. But I use it rarely.

[james_s]

I don't like num pads on laptops because if awkwardly offsets the main part of the keyboard, but when on a desktop I find I use it quite a bit. For example entering component values when laying out a circuit. Back when I was gaming I used it a lot as a directional pad too.

[mapleLC]

No number pad and no F keys, that's a non-starter for me. And for the price you can still find a decent IBM Model M.

sure, brand new IBM Model M = 250 euro shipped

You can't put a price on bucking springs.

[mapleLC]

I would like to have a nice heavy clicky keyboard again, but wow these are in demand.

Northgate Omni Key/102

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=Northgate+OMNIKEY

[themadhippy]

I'm personally more looking for a new mouse.

same here,sort of .If anyone can recommend a replacement for the original microsoft trackball im all ears,all the  current  models either have the ball offset ,the balls not captive or are wireless.

[DiTBho]

No number pad and no F keys, that's a non-starter for me. And for the price you can still find a decent IBM Model M.

sure, brand new IBM Model M = 250 euro shipped

You can't put a price on bucking springs.

He said for the price you can still find a decent second hand IBM Model M, but last time I checked NOS IBM Model M, it was 250 euro + S/H in the luckiest case.

So, I am not sure it's really an option

[mapleLC]

No number pad and no F keys, that's a non-starter for me. And for the price you can still find a decent IBM Model M.

sure, brand new IBM Model M = 250 euro shipped

You can't put a price on bucking springs.

He said for the price you can still find a decent second hand IBM Model M, but last time I checked NOS IBM Model M, it was 250 euro + S/H in the luckiest case.

So, I am not sure it's really an option

Its more of a joke, that's too much money for a keyboard.

That price does tell me the market still wants these kinds of keyboards.  I don't know why they focus so much on the sleek bullshit you can't type on.

[madires]

Cherry makes some nice old style keyboards (G80-3000 series, MX keys). A lot of gaming keyboard vendors use Cherry's MX keys. And if you prefer wired trackballs you could try Elecom. They have a few models in different variations (wired, wireless, for left handed). I got one of the EG-X series, the ball needs some wear-in, the additional key for low resolution is great for CAE, but possibly not suited for large hands.

[DiTBho]

Its more of a joke, that's too much money for a keyboard.

That price does tell me the market still wants these kinds of keyboards.  I don't know why they focus so much on the sleek bullshit you can't type on.

ehehe, in my option that's the perfect comment for the non-JP HHKB(1) 
(shocking price, and there are MANY on eBay and Amazon)


(1) I mention this because the arrow keys are missing

[themadhippy]

And if you prefer wired trackballs you could try Elecom.

Unfortunately they suffer from free balls

[madires]

My Elecom EG-X series trackball has a captive ball. For cleaning it needs to be pushed out via a hole in the bottom.

[themadhippy]

For cleaning it needs to be pushed out via a hole in the bottom.

But its only a friction fit,how does it stand up being dropped onto the floor? 

[madires]

It requires some force, feels more like snap-in. If you like to perform drop tests then get one yourself.

[themadhippy]

It requires some force, feels more like snap-in.

That sounds like it could be usable.Unlike the kensington i tried,if it wasnt 100% level the ball dropped out,spent more time searching under furniture for the ball than i did using the dam thing.

[IanB]

If I use a clicky keyboard everyone tells me it is too noisy in meetings. Keyboards often have a mute button for the speaker, but rarely (ever?) have a mute button for the microphone. I think keyboards need to get with the times.