Ask HN: Mechanical keyboards for programming

It depends on your taste, and where will this be located.

As an ancedote, I got the Das Keyboard brought it to work. I literally felt daggers in my back. Until I was kindly asked to remove the keyboard as it was disturbing the work environment. So keep in mind the sound it outputs. When I worked tech support, everyone had mechanical keyboards so sound wasn't an issue.

I remedied this by getting

http://matias.ca/quietpro/pc/

At home I used the Unicomp which is buckling spring instead of switch. This is by far my favorite keyboard I've used. https://www.pckeyboard.com/

My friend has a Kinesis, and constantly tells me it's helped his hands significantly. https://www.kinesis-ergo.com/shop/advantage2/

So how much resistance do you want, a solid click feel, and audible sound? Something older fashioned. Do you need backlight, ports, etc.

Factors to keep in mind:

1. are you comfortable with remapping keys? I use AHK in Windows and Karabiner in mac.

2. mac/pc? I use the context menu key next to AltGr in Winodws for correcting spelling mistakes without reaching for mouse.

3. are you a touch typist? In that case avoid back lit. This really adds for unnecessary expense.

4. Is numpad important? Das Keyboard without numpad are on sell. I prefer this to enter lot of data in Excel and also it can be used for remapping using AHK for various task.

5. switches? Would you like to annoy your coworkers with blue switch?

6. do you want to carry your keyboard wherever you go? Das also sell keyboard as heavy as 3 kg.

7. are multimedia keys important?

8. Wire/Wireless?

9. Das ultimate keyboard also act as USB 3.0 hub along with normal keyboard. If your laptop does not have enough UBS ports for your need then you may want to go with it.

10. Would you Touch pad in your keyboard instead of numpad? I have seen such Logitech keyboard.

I'm rocking a keyboard called Mathias Quiet Pro. As far as the feel goes, if my blue switch CM storm gaming keyboard gets an A grade, the Quiet Pro is like an A-.

The Quiet Pro is barely a hair louder than the average membrane keyboard. I work in an open office and I wouldn't dream of using any other mechanical keyboard at work.

I bought a Rosewill mechanical keyboard[1] (Cherry MX) about a year ago. People claim it's the best bang for your buck.

A few weeks ago, I spilled tea on it. While it was drying, I switched back to my Logitech K310 washable keyboard[2]. My enjoyment and productivity on the K310 are exactly the same, and I won't be switching back to the mechanical keyboard because it's not waterproof.

YMMV.

1. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UBQZPXK/

2. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008D1JRIO/

I recommend you figure out what kind of switches you like and then pick the best keyboard with those switches. They all have different features, e.g. 3.5mm jack,usb hub, high n-key rollover, etc. I dumped my razor as soon as it wanted me to log in to use my macro keys. I bought a lesser known brand based on features and have been quite happy with it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp46JeDDTCw

I like the red switches myself. The blue switches will annoy your coworkers.

I bought a Cooler Master Quickfire Rapid with Cherry MX Blues in it. I also purchased a Frosty Flake custom controller for it. Along with some software I have a fully programmable board.

http://1upkeyboards.com/product_info.php?products_id=246

http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=51252.0

* Razer BlackWidow Stealth Gaming keyboards for FPS and MOBA Gaming || http://www.razerzone.com/store/blackwidow-stealth-switch

I love this.

Good marketing video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kC93-h3nprs

Personally, I would favor any mechanical with dedicated mute and volume control. Use. Them. All. The. Time.

Also, I'm not sure how good it is for your health to have WHITE backlight. A warmer color would probably be better.

If you are going to use it in a office, then go with a quieter switch, such as the Cherry MX Brown.

I've had the original Das Keyboard for 7 or so years and it works just as well as when it was new. I use it heavily, too. I tend to beat on a keyboard (literally) a few times a week, along with the usual 40+ hours of normal use per week.

I use a Matias QuietPro (mac version).

Got the quiet because my home office is used by my fiance as well and wanted to try and keep it to a reasonable sound level

Fantastic keyboard, love using it.

Unicomp Model M. https://www.pckeyboard.com

Kinesis Advantage