One thing I rarely see discussed in any detail in mechanical keyboard roundups is a noise comparison. For a tool for "coders", many mechanical keyboards can be pretty disruptive to your coworkers if you're using it in a workspace without a closed door.<p>My favorite switches for typing (and thus, coding) are MX blues. Unfortunately these are also the loudest, with a distinct click at each key activation. You can purchase small rubber rings that act as dampeners on each key, but this also changes the feel of the keyboard.<p>I'd pay well for a solution that lets me have both the tactile experience I enjoy <i>and</i> the sound level I need to use a mechanical keyboard at work. Until then it's bog-standard rubber domes for me.
No Das Keyboard?<p>How can I be leet without a blank keyboard[1].<p>(I've owned two standard(clicky, and silent) of them over 3 jobs and both are still going strong)<p>[1] - <a href="http://www.daskeyboard.com/daskeyboard-4-ultimate/" rel="nofollow">http://www.daskeyboard.com/daskeyboard-4-ultimate/</a>
By far my favorite "mechanical" keyboard is the Topre Realforce 104u[0]. When I initially purchased it, I thought it was the biggest waste of money. Over the span of about a month, maybe I broke it in or maybe I just got used to it? But it essentially felt like I was typing on buttery smooth pillows. It's not sensitive until you actually try to type on it. And it just feels so good. Like no other keyboard I've ever had.<p>I would honestly recommend it over every other mechanical keyboard I've had (blues, reds, clears, browns, the hi-profile version of the topre).<p>[0] <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Realforce-Keyboard-English-Layout-Xf01t0/dp/B00B5SEHN2/" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.com/Realforce-Keyboard-English-Layout-Xf0...</a>
The elephant in the room for most programmers in the world is the non-us layout making common PL punctuation like /{}[]* etc convoluted faraway unergonomic combos. The world needs an extended layout with extra keys for those, approximately in the US positions.<p>Experience shows that switching between layouts is not appealing for most.
Topre switches are the best ever, and they get no love in the fervent mechanical keyboard community. It's just "cherry cherry cherry" ad nauseum with the occasional model-m imitator like the ones in this article.<p>Do yourself a favor and get a Realforce keyboard. It's typing nirvana.
I'm building one semi-based in the MS Ergo.<p>This is my layout:<p><a href="http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/#/gists/75c4808455c07affbad9b1911c6fe6a5" rel="nofollow">http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/#/gists/75c4808455c07a...</a><p>Note how it have some punctuation for coding more easily reachable.<p>I'm trying to figure out how bend it to match the MS Ergo.<p>I request a custom keycap set from <a href="http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/index.php/products/keycap-set/104-key-cherry-mx-keycap-set.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/index.php/products/keycap-set/1...</a> with custom icons, colors (for the limited set available, but enough) and text.<p>Hopefully I can start the build soon. Waiting for the plate now...
A challenge I had in choosing a mechanical keyboard was the availability of 105-key (ISO) layouts in North America, as I prefer the Canadian Multilingual layout. Apparently, such keyboards are mostly sold through European resellers, even when they're actually made in the US (looking at you, DAS).<p>In the end, I went with a Unicomp, and I'm very happy with it.
The world needs more ergonomic and mechanical keyboards. My fingers love Mechanical but fingers and wrists love ergonomic. Kinesis is quite steep in price (500 Loonies).<p>Anyone got any favourites?
I still Love my Avant Stellar, but since they're long out of production, this is an excellent intro to what's available today and not hidden away on eBay.
I used to use a mechanical keyboard (blue switch), but I found it too stiff and it hurt my wrists. I switched back to Logitech K120 and couldn't be happier.