Hello and thanks for making me find the perfect keyboard

[ksio89]

Hello, everyone. I found out Deskthority community last week, and browsing it last weekend, I found the Dell KB522 multimedia keyboard, which was exactly the one I was looking for. I'm not kidding when I say I've been searching for ages for a full-size multimedia keyboard with lots of media keys. When I spotted the volume knob and previous/next keys on the images, I was instantly sold. The two USB ports and palm rest are great additions too.

I bought this keyboard on Dell online store for an affordable price, which I did not really expect, as Dell accessories are overpriced as hell in my country. It has great user reviews on Amazon and pretty much every review website, and knowing that it's manufactured by Logitech assures me that it's a quality product. Every single Logitech device that I've bought is still working just fine, such as mice, keyboard, controller and joystick.

I'm not fond of mechanical keyboards and (and their price tags even less), all I wanted was a decent membrane multimedia keyboard with lots of media keys. Unfortunately, multimedia keyboards are a dying species nowadays. It seems all the research and marketing from manufacturers are directed towards mechanical gaming keyboards, where the money is. Fortunately, Deskthority wiki came to assist me with the task of finding the ideal keyboard.

Anyway, just posting this to introduce myself and thank Deskthority website and wiki authors for letting me find the ideal keyboard. I would never have find this keyboard if I hadn't read it. By the way, there is a lot of useful information on the Wiki, such as the article about blocking, ghostind and key rollover, which is excellent. Not only the wiki,but the boards are also a great knowledge source about mice and keyboards.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

That's my keyboard — I found it to be stiff and mushy; the non-multimedia KB1421 equivalent (from an unknown OEM) was so much nicer to type on. Maybe I should start grading keyboards. I'd like to have five tiers, but I'm not sure quite how off-hand.

1. beam spring (based on what people say about it; I've never used beam spring or CBS)
2. Cherry MX, Alps SKCL/SKCM, MBS etc. (no-one would allow anything to be rated as high a beam spring!)
3. better rubber dome (Dell KB1421, BTC etc)
4. lousy rubber dome (Dell KB522, knackered BTC)
5. truly awful stuff

Maybe "U" (ungraded) for the stuff where, if he had a swear box, Chyros would be able to fund a family of four to visit the Bahamas for a month. Stuff like the Smith-Corona abomination.

Could be interesting to see how differently others divide up A-E.

[seebart]

Maybe I should start grading keyboards. I'd like to have five tiers, but I'm not sure quite how off-hand.

Yes, but C. should include Topre and you forgot various exotic birds that blow away anythig in category B. such as Fujitsu Leaf Spring and Oki Gourd Spring leaving out the real vintage stuff like Micro Switch SW and SD Series, I'm sure that the Czechoslovakia Bezkont is no less impressive. And what about RAFI, you know those.

[y11971alex]

To echo what has been said, I don't think you'd refuse a mechanical keyboard, going by the most common definition here, if a good alternative to a membrane keyboard can be found for a good price and with the same functionality. Unfortunately, most of the highly praised switches have gone out of production before multimedia functions keys became common, so for out-of-the-box solutions we're still looking at a modern mechanical keyboard.

Beam springs might actually have a chance to satisfy your requirements, since the excellent functionality of the xwhatsit's replacement controller encompasses many media functions, which could further be assigned to several layers to suit the relatively space saving layout of most beam spring keyboards.

[seebart]

Beam springs might actually have a chance to satisfy your requirements, since the excellent functionality of the xwhatsit's replacement controller encompasses many media functions, which could further be assigned to several layers to suit the relatively space saving layout of most beam spring keyboards.

Beamspring is a super-exotic recommendation for an average user! Start with something practical like a Model M and see if you like that. But since ksio89 isn't even fond of mechanical keyboards all this is relative.

[y11971alex]

Beam springs might actually have a chance to satisfy your requirements, since the excellent functionality of the xwhatsit's replacement controller encompasses many media functions, which could further be assigned to several layers to suit the relatively space saving layout of most beam spring keyboards.

Beamspring is a super-exotic recommendation for an average user! Start with something practical like a Model M and see if you like that. But since ksio89 isn't even fond of mechanical keyboards all this is relative.

I was mostly echoing what Daniel said

Lately, I've been so enthralled by this primitive switch that I am starting to retard my typing pace just to savour the switch.

[seebart]

Lately, I've been so enthralled by this primitive switch that I am starting to retard my typing pace just to savour the switch.

Your not the first to be "enchanted by the brilliance" of it. There is a reason why many before us here argued that the IBM switch ladder is progressive from IBM membrane buckling spring to capacitive buckling spring to Beamspring. The "sensitivity" of the fly plate in that mechansim is brilliant in feel and sound and absurd in terms of the construction.

[kbdfr]

I find it amazing that DT, while being explicitly dedicated to mechanical keyboards,
is able to help people find their perfect keyboard which is rubberdome.

And I find it amazing that such people feel the need to register here just in order to express their thanks.
Welcome, ksio89!

Spoiler:

signed: not always so grumpy chocolate bar

[seebart]

But this is highly productive, he found his keyboard he's happy what more could one ask for?

[kbdfr]

That's exactly what I meant

[fohat]

[*]Cherry MX, Alps SKCL/SKCM, MBS etc. (no-one would allow anything to be rated as high a beam spring!)

There seems to be a large spectrum compressed into an impossibly narrow ribbon here.

But, before I re-discovered mechanical keyboards, I used a very nice media keyboard, the Compaq SK-2800, for several years.

[ksio89]

Just to clear things, when I meant I did not like mechanical keyboards, I meant specifically modern gaming keyboards, which I personally consider a bit of gimmick. It's not like rubber dome keyboards instantly became garbage with the rise of mechanical gaming keyboards. People played games with them just fine before, and they can be durable, it all depends on the quality.

I actually like okd school mechanical-switch and buckling spring keyboards such as the iconic IBM Model F/M series. For typing and general office use, due to tactile feedback, I can see why you would invest in such type of keyboard. I would probably get a modern one with USB connection, too bad they're so expensive and are not available in my country.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

It's not like rubber dome keyboards instantly became garbage with the rise of mechanical gaming keyboards …

You've got this the wrong way around. Rubber domes are cost-cutting replacement to quality keyboards from the 60s onwards. Garbage rubber domes were garbage from new and will remain that way until someone kills them with fire. Modern keyboards are slowly rescuing people from the slump we fell into when decent keyboards were largely written off by the industry. I don't mind some bling (backlit is nice) but gamer keyboards are just overkill in every way possible.

Actually, what really happens with rubber domes is that some of them are tolerable from new, but the rubber degrades with time and either turns to mush or hardens, and you either have no feeling left in the keys, or they require substantial effort to press them. For all the praise of BTC keyboards, mine's hardened to the point that it's too awkward to use as I miss too many keystrokes from not smacking the keys with enough force. I was getting sick of rubbish keyboards long, long before the resurgence of quality keyboards — it just so happened that I discovered modern mechanical keyboards at the exact time that Filco was coming to Europe.

That Logitech just felt awful from new — it's far worse than the non-multimedia equivalent, which felt clean and smooth and tactile (maybe even better than Topre if you want a sharper tactile peak) but yet cheap and light, and the letters do wear off. (I forget if that was the type where someone had replaced all the missing letters (which was most of them) with correction fluid! What a mess.)

There seems to be a large spectrum compressed into an impossibly narrow ribbon here.

It depends on what you feel is the limit on being able to judge something — some people stop at 4 (e.g. Roger Ebert), some at 5, and some go all the way to 10. The Japanese stop at 3 (pine, bamboo, plum). I wasn't wholly serious about giving beam spring it own slot at A. I was bordering on trolling.

[fohat]

I was bordering on trolling.

I recognized that. It was like:

1. Rolls-Royce
2. All other cars except Trabant
3. Trabant

[pixelheresy]

What's fun is that the deeper you go down this rabbithole, the more complicated and nuanced everything becomes. It's a curse, really.

Honestly, unless you spend significant amount of time typing (in particular) it doesn't make a massive difference. That being said, if you do, and you discover the broad plethora of options (and if you are a thrift store/old tech/eBay-hunter type, God help you) relatively accessible.

There is no best. There are generally accepted "better" and broadly understood "shit by any standard". Some people like sports cars and other like smooth luxury cars. That being said, this community is great for discussion and makes me want to try the clickier Alps (only ever tried the ones is classic Apple boards) and clicky Matias switches. Also, want to find a Model F for a good price... grew up with a Model M (and actually used it freshman year of college, since it was my favorite board at home... damn, wonder if it's still in my parent's basement) but that was not really any better than a solidly constructed modern mechanical board.

[belowgeek]

There are some people who want something out of nostalgia. I think that the Threadstarter is kind of like that. But, it doesn't mean anything's wrong with what he wants. It is just that his ideal keyboard is not supported in this day and age anymore. I am glad that you were still able to purchase one, though.

[ideus]

It's not like rubber dome keyboards instantly became garbage with the rise of mechanical gaming keyboards.

What actually happened was the opposite, mechanical keyboards became garbage with the rise of rubber dome keyboards.