Keyboard Ideas

[delamotte]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for a new keyboard to buy. Comfort is the most important. I broke my left wrist last year and I had surgery on my right one the year before so I get a lot of wrist pain when typing on cheap keyboards. I have a minimal one right now that's very small and my wrists always hurt. I don't need fancy buttons for an MMO or anything, just a super comfortable keyboard for lots of typing and FPS gaming. Do you have any brand or model recommendations?

Thanks for your input!
delamotte

 

[S!ck]

I've gone through many keyboards in my life and this is the best keyboard I've ever used by far.

http://www.razerzone.com/ca-en/store/razer-arctosa

 

[Snipeye]

Do you think an ergonomic keyboard would be the best thing for you with your wrists right now?

 

[Cloakedsphere]

Do you think an ergonomic keyboard would be the best thing for you with your wrists right now?

This. With surgery it might just be a better idea to get a wrist rest or a wrist strap that has a small baggy of sand in it to use as a resting spot more then putting your wrist against the keyboard or table. It would be a better investment.

 

[delamotte]

This. With surgery it might just be a better idea to get a wrist rest or a wrist strap that has a small baggy of sand in it to use as a resting spot more then putting your wrist against the keyboard or table. It would be a better investment.

I'll give that a try. Those keyboards that have that long piece of plastic in the front I think kinda help cause the wrists can rest on it instead of being floating above the keyboard. Attached is a pic of the one I'm using now - very uncomfortable. I've never given an ergonomic keyboard a try but am open to trying one if they aren't too weird to get used to.

 

[delamotte]

I've gone through many keyboards in my life and this is the best keyboard I've ever used by far.

http://www.razerzone.com/ca-en/store/razer-arctosa

Do they last a long time? I had one 5 years back but I had some issues with it. The keyboard itself was alright but there were some 3.5 mm ports for headphones and a mic. I always got some buzz through using it so I was turned off by the brand for keyboards. I have a mouse made by them though and really like it.

 

[S!ck]

Do they last a long time? I had one 5 years back but I had some issues with it. The keyboard itself was alright but there were some 3.5 mm ports for headphones and a mic. I always got some buzz through using it so I was turned off by the brand for keyboards. I have a mouse made by them though and really like it.

Well, I've had mine for almost 2 years now and it's still running like new. With regards to the headphone and mic ports I can't honestly give you any information. I do have a razer Headset as well however I've always plugged it into the tower directly. With regards to the confortability of the keyboard itself, the long wide strip at the bottom has been amazing. It's sleek, soft and the keys feel nice. I have carpal tunnel issues with one hand however this keyboard never seems to agravate it. The keyboard I'm writing this on from work however... I cannot say the same lol

 

[pillar]

I have an old Saitek keyboard that ive used for prob over 5 years now & still works fine for me (however the asthetic could you a lil touch up, but im not worried bout that). Anyways, I personally would suggest using the audio ports that are built into a keyboard. Whether you have on board sound or a sound card (highly recommend sound card tho), I would recommend that your headset stay connected to the desktop instead of some silly feature on a keyboard. Now if theres a usb connector attached to the keyboard, then thats a completely different story (although not sure why they would build 1 on a keyboard since both motherboards & cases are coming with plenty of slots now n days). Sorry, im so tired right now that I thought of that for the weirdest reason.
/rant

 

[Lava]

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Razer-Lycosa-Programmable-Backlit-Keyboard/dp/B000YDIA78[/ame]

Use this. Seems razer doesn't make them anymore but iv had it for almost 3 years now and it still works perfectly. Just has some ware on the keys but that's expected from heavy gaming use.

Similar to the one listed above but with a nice backlit for looks and night time gaming.

 

[S!ck]

http://www.amazon.com/Razer-Lycosa-Programmable-Backlit-Keyboard/dp/B000YDIA78

Use this. Seems razer doesn't make them anymore but iv had it for almost 3 years now and it still works perfectly. Just has some ware on the keys but that's expected from heavy gaming use.

Similar to the one listed above but with a nice backlit for looks and night time gaming.

My apologies, the Lycosa is actually the one I have. I was just quickly looking at the razer site when I linked it.

 

[delamotte]

My apologies, the Lycosa is actually the one I have. I was just quickly looking at the razer site when I linked it.

That's a sick keyboard! I like it! Pretty comfortable too? I may just have to order it this weekend.

 

[runo]

Personally, if I was going to buy a keyboard in that price range and I wanted something awesome for typing and gaming, I'd invest in a mechanical keyboard. My brother owns the Lycosa and to me (having used it several times), it feels much clunkier and harder to type on; I'd rather use a simple mechanical keyboard over any Razer keyboards, since they tend to be pricey for what you really get. I find something like a Rosewill mechanical keyboards or Das Keyboard really satisfying to type on and incredibly handy for gaming due to the mechanical switches and excellent rollover/anti-ghosting.

This is the model I own and it comes with optional stands in the back that sets the keyboard up at an angle, so you can rest your wrists on it (or buy one of those gel/sandbag wrist rests to put in front of it) and type and game comfortably for hours at a time: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823201040

 

[delamotte]

Personally, if I was going to buy a keyboard in that price range and I wanted something awesome for typing and gaming, I'd invest in a mechanical keyboard. My brother owns the Lycosa and to me (having used it several times), it feels much clunkier and harder to type on; I'd rather use a simple mechanical keyboard over any Razer keyboards, since they tend to be pricey for what you really get. I find something like a Rosewill mechanical keyboards or Das Keyboard really satisfying to type on and incredibly handy for gaming due to the mechanical switches and excellent rollover/anti-ghosting.

This is the model I own and it comes with optional stands in the back that sets the keyboard up at an angle, so you can rest your wrists on it (or buy one of those gel/sandbag wrist rests to put in front of it) and type and game comfortably for hours at a time: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823201040

That looks pretty good too. Newegg had a lot of positive reviews. I haven't heard of rollover / anti-ghosting before. What is that?

 

[Snipeye]

One that I'm using, that feels great for both gaming and typing (WoW people will know that I type LONG threads..) is the Microsoft Sidewinder X4 keyboard. Illuminates in different color based on preference; has a solid tactile feel, and has extra buttons/keys for sound and gaming keys. However, newegg may be out of stock on this. But it's one that I do recommend for most gamers. However, the ergonomic keyboard may still be your best choice.

 

[Silent_Predator]

Ive been using a Logitech G510 now for a few months and I have to say.. Im really enjoying it.

 

[runo]

That looks pretty good too. Newegg had a lot of positive reviews. I haven't heard of rollover / anti-ghosting before. What is that?

Essentially rollover is a feature that allows you to hold several keys down and use them all at once. Some keyboards (though I'd say most more recent keyboards address this issue as well, to be fair) don't have rollover, so there will be lag or no response at all when using more than two to three keys simultaneously (lagging you out of a command as simple as CTRL+ALT+DELETE or crouch-jumping!).

This isn't a huge deal to some people but it can be helpful for typists who use a lot of keys at the same time, or gamers, since we often use keys in conjunction to perform special moves and what-not.

I feel that rollover is more important than anti-ghosting as a feature, since 'anti-ghosting' is primarily a marketing term for being able to hold, use and switch between multiple keys without input lag or the keystroke not registering at all. They're basically the same thing, but one has that marketing flavor. Rollover seems to be a pretty common feature in mechanical keyboards, thankfully.

I'd also second Snipeye's vote for the Sidewinder as well though. It's cheap in price, but it's packed with features, it's durable and it's very comfortable to type on in my experiences.



I would weigh the options if I were you -- a mechanical keyboard will arguably have more useful features to a typist and gamer than a standard keyboard like the Sidewinder, but with a mechanical keyboard you pay for it upfront by the heftier price tag.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823109191