Any comments on mechanical keyboards?

I hate my current desktop keyboard with a fervent passion. I never should have bought it in the first place. I picked up a Razer Lycosa as a package deal with my (absolutely awesome) Raza Naga mouse. The keyboard is a steaming pile of excrement. One of the keys "sticks" (not physically) and makes the whole thing lock up and require a hot replug. Sometimes the touch-sensitive media keys just randomly actuate and starts playing music. Sometimes the backlit keys (super-cool, though) suddenly stop back-lighting. Razer support is HORRIBLE and won't replace the keyboard unless I send it to them WITH MY OWN MONEY (for their defective product) and wait around for them send me another one, all the while I have no keyboard.

So I'm looking at getting a mechanical keyboard akin to the old clickety-clackety keyboards from "back in the day." Specifically, I'm looking at Das Keyboard, but I'm a little put off by the price. They're almost twice as expensive as any other membrane keyboard, but from what I understand the quality and satisfaction are unrivaled. Does anybody else here have personal experience with this style of keyboard or any mechanical keyboards in general?

I had a original IBM AT03 keyboard for years and years.  I probably made more money with that keyboard than with many others combined.  It had the old DIN plug.  I miss that keyboard.  It sure was loud but it felt really good to type on.

This "DasKeyboard" you showed us looks great and I can only imaging that the German made switches are terrific and will last a long time.  If you are good with the noise I would say go for it.

Oh how I miss that old "IBM Selectric" feel!  Just looked at the keyboard you posted and I think I'd fall in love except that I don't think I could ever live with a keyboard cable again after having wireless.  The keyboard I'm typing on right now is a Ligitec MK300.  The feel is not exactly what you want, but it's pretty nice.  I definitely like some tactile feedback and a little travel on the keys.  This one is pretty good.  You might check it out.  Comes with a wireless mouse also.  If you've never had wireless, you don't know what you're missing.  That or your bench and desk have a lot less stuff on it than mine.

...Tiger

Interesting as I to years back LOST my favorite of ALL time, an IBM (black) Keyboard ... Which at the time cost me near $90

This keyboard (and I forget the model number) was a 15 year friend and the day I shorted it out by spilling coffee over it was a SAD day indeed

Agreed, we're certainly NO replacing the 'tactile feel' of those OLD keyboards with the CRAP offerings of today!

Thanks for all the feedback. I think I may end up picking this keyboard up, but I have to come up with a good reason to justify it, otherwise I'll feel guilty.  :

Before I bought the POS Razer keyboard I had a wireless Microsoft keyboard and mouse. They served me well (and still serve me well, I took the combo to work) but I really don't mind whether they're wired or not. Initially I went with wireless because my kitten ate through my last mouse cord. Now, I'd rather not worry about replacing batteries. Ever had the batteries die in the middle of an online game? Eesh.

It's NOT like the OLD days when our battery life was measured in hours ... Those days are gone!

... These days they are talking near a year before needing to replace the batteries for both wireless rodents and Keyboards.
There almost as efficient has teh typical remote control of our Tv's

My newest mouse the Logitech 325 is suggesting one year and even my older 310 it's life expectancy was measured in months. I only mention Logitech rodents because that's what I have thus I can verify the manufactures claim (even with manufactures exaggerated figures) are still pretty close. Regardless as with their Rodents the newest Logitech Keyboards are claiming ONE YEAR on non-rechargeables which IMO is just fantastic. FYI: It should be a given these figures are somewhat less with the less efficient NiMH (Low-loss cells, such as the Sanyo Eneloops or Sony CycleEnergy) rechargeable's

Yes battery efficiency has come along way from the early dayz when 'Battery LIFE' was measured in hours and a royal pain while 'gaming'. Although at this time I can ONLY speak for 'Logitech' but I would suggest other manufactures are NOT far behind or at least I see NO reason why they shouldn't be

I to do know what it's like to loose the mouse while gaming, LOL ... but these days the odds are certainly on our side

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I'm with you wOOd.  A battery once a year is a small price to pay for all the advantages.  If I was doing something really important like playing games, I'd just replace the battery every six months.  Anyway, I don't know if all these things do this, but my Ligitech warns me of the low battery long before it quits so I can finish what I'm doing. 

I do have to admit that the old technology devices did eat batteries.  I certainly had ones that would die without warning in a month.  That was a PITA even though I still did it.  The new stuff if much much better and much smarter.  I don't find them least bit inconvenient now.  I'm sure some guys avoid them now because of their memories of "the good old days". 

...Tiger

Yeah, I'm sure the battery technology has come quite a ways since I last looked at it. Especially since the capacity of batteries is constantly growing. (R/C and otherwise. I got into the hobby when 1400mAh "matched packs" were the battery to have.)

Specifically though, I'm looking at a mechanical keyboard for that "click" feel. Lots of people love the feedback they give you and I'd like to experience it. Other keyboard companies (like Logitech) don't offer mechanical keyboards. I have nothing against them, they make great stuff, but not what I'm looking for.

Besides, how can you go wrong with Das Keyboard when they offer keys with Tux the Penguin on them to replace the Windows key?  8)

I got to thinking...  What were the best keyboards ever?  My instant answer was "Cherry"  They were absolutely the top of the line "back when".  So try this on Google:  "cherry keyboard click".

Here is the sound and feel you want right?  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JggEpECGXn8  Music to my ears!

Here is an ad with some user feedback on the G80 series. 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cherry-Quality-Action-Keyboard-G80-3000LSCGB-2/dp/B0041KJKAG

I'd go to the cherry site and see what your options really are.  http://www.cherrycorp.com/

I just entered "Cherry Keyboard" into Amazon.com and got a million choices.  What you're looking for is one with the Cherry switches.  Lots to pick from.  Hope this helps!

...Tiger

The Das Keyboard uses Cherry switches. 

The Professional and Ultimate use Cherry MX-Blue switches

The Professional Silent and Ultimate Silent use Cherry MX-Brown

For what it's worth the world record holder for words typed per minute broke the record on a Das Keyboard. I think I'm sold, it's just a matter of justifying the expense.

Nexus - Rule #1 for hobby decisions is never try to justify anything.  It just spoils it for what you're going to do anyway.

...Tiger

That goes along with what my brother told me a few months back. "It's just money. You'll make more of it."

Here's an update! A week ago I decided to take the plunge and pick up a Das Keyboard. I discovered that they sell refurbished units for about $110 as compared to the $135 for a new one. It made the decision a bit easier. (And I came really close to snapping my Razer keyboard in half the other day. It's that bad.) I picked up the "silent" Ultimate. Quieter key switches (Cherry Brown switches) and blank keys. It was waiting at my door for me today. I hooked it up and immediately found something to type. I was a bit hesitant about the blank keys, but they didn't have a refurbished model with the laser-etched letters.

For the love of science this is wonderful. The keys just feel perfect with your fingers resting on them and when you push them down there's this amazing tactile feel. It could all be placebo, but I feel like I'm already typing more efficiently. It's a bit noisier than I was expecting, but I think it'll be totally tolerable. This is awesome and I can't imagine why I wouldn't recommend this to anybody that wants a new keyboard. And for the record, I don't need letters on my keyboard. I can touch-type perfectly fine. It adds to the badass look, plus will likely make me an even better typist later.

I need to go type something else...

Congratulations!  Photos?

Your wish is my command. (Nothing too special, really. It's just a big black slab of buttons.)

Weird thing is, though, I can't seem to get the built-in USB hub to function. (While I typed that I had a revelation! It's possible that only one of the two USB leads is used to power the hub, and I have a PS/2 adapter on the "wrong one" ??? This will require further investigation.) Otherwise, it's completely awesome. I already dig the blank look.

Very cool looking keyboard.  Kudos for being a touch typist too.  I would miss the lettering on the keys.

I remembered this thread when I saw this the other day.  You may or may not remember the NeXT computer.  It was one of the coolest computers ever made.  This guy took one of those nice old "clicky" NeXT keyboards and modernized it.  It's a cool read.

http://learn.adafruit.com/usb-next-keyboard-with-arduino-micro

Via:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/12/12/08/2037201/usb-next-keyboard-with-an-arduino-micro

Wow. Although that's pretty neat it sure seems like a lot of work for something so "simple".

But, for what it's worth, since I've had my mechanical keyboard I've convinced one of my coworkers to buy two. One for herself and one for her husband. She loves them. 

I miss my IBM AT03 model computer's keyboard.  That was the best keyboard I ever had but it had a DIN connector so I suppose you would have to do something like these guys did to get it to work via USB.

Right now I'm using a Microsoft keyboard...I'm ashamed to say...but I love the volume knob instead of buttons that are so popular.  The volume knob is a feature I use a lot.  All the other buttons on this thing have been seldom or never used because I'm not a gamer plus I'm using Linux and they don't appear to be mapped to anything and I never was inspired to find a way to map them.  The other reason I got this keyboard is the backlighting.  It is not too bright but does make the keys identifiable in low lighting.

I have a set of 2.1 speakers from Logitech that I specifically bought because they have a volume control "hub" that rotates like a dial. There's something that's so satisfying to me about controlling stuff with dials and knobs. Well, and buttons. I love buttons. If I can push a button, you bet I will.