# Freakin' keyboards **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 21, 2003, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freakin-keyboards/189870 "2003-07-21T08:20:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freakin-keyboards/189870/1 "2003-07-21T08:20:00Z")
I ask you, fellow computer geeks…what the heck is with keyboard manufacturers? I need a keyboard that doesn’t have hideously small buttons (I have big hands). I want a keyboard without 48 hotkeys I will never, ever use. And finally, I’m sick of these mushy, loose keyboards. I want to pound my keyboards into submission. I don’t want the keys squishing under my fingertips like a rotten tomato. Sheesh. Anyone know a good place to buy a decent keyboard? I’ve tried the Best Buys, OfficeWhatevers, CompUSAs, etc. And they each only have like 5 models which are all the same. ---
**Author:** ![garius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@garius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garius)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freakin-keyboards/189870/2 "2003-07-21T10:07:35Z")
tell me about it - frikkin pointless hotkeys… grrr i tend to get mine from here at work - the guys in IS are very kind to me and will normally hook me up with an unwanted non-nonsense dell keyboard when i need one. It only costs me a few beers in the pub later. If i was to buy one, however, then here in the UK i’d probably go to Maplins ([www.maplin.co.uk](http://www.maplin.co.uk)) since they tend to have a pretty good no-nonsence range of electrical/computer stuff. ---
**Author:** ![biqu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@biqu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biqu)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freakin-keyboards/189870/3 "2003-07-21T10:39:43Z")
The [IBM Model M](http://www.3m3718.com/modelm.php) might be appropriate for your needs. You can buy a Model M clone [here](http://www.pckeyboard.com/index.html), or for some real nostalgia, you can peruse the [eBay auctions](http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?cgiurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcgi.ebay.com%2Fws%2F&krd=1&from=R8&MfcISAPICommand=GetResult&ht=1&SortProperty=MetaEndSort&query=IBM+Model+M) to see original Model M keyboards. ---
**Author:** ![maleinblack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@maleinblack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maleinblack)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freakin-keyboards/189870/4 "2003-07-21T11:46:41Z")
**GMR** I would suggest one of these babies. I`ve had them since ages and they work great. Very sturdy and without all that fanciful usless extra buttons.Hope you like it too. [Benq (Formerly Acer)](http://www.acercm-eu.com/Products/Keyboard/index.cfm?product=239) ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freakin-keyboards/189870/5 "2003-07-21T11:59:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by maleinblack \* > \*\ ***GMR** I would suggest one of these babies. I`ve had them since ages and they work great. Very sturdy and without all that fanciful usless extra buttons.Hope you like it too. > [Benq (Formerly Acer)](http://www.acercm-eu.com/Products/Keyboard/index.cfm?product=239) \*\* Hmmmm, maybe I’ll order one as well. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freakin-keyboards/189870/6 "2003-07-21T15:54:27Z")
While we’re on a keyboard related topic, please recommend a good quality small profile keyboard _sans_ hot keys or any of that crap. I just want a standard QWERTY keyboard that’s about 14" wide instead of 18" with the biggest keys possible. Definitely not one of those micro laptop equivalents. Any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freakin-keyboards/189870/7 "2003-07-21T16:23:30Z")
Thanks for the suggestions, I will be checking them all out shortly. Another thing I don’t like-the F keys and the arrow keys tend to get shafted…but _I_ use them and want them full-sized and easily accessible, because I game a lot and those keys are usually used. ---
**Author:** ![pestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e5b9ba/32.png) [@pestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pestie)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freakin-keyboards/189870/8 "2003-07-21T18:46:16Z")
I can’t get that “Model M” page to load, but if you’re talking about those old-school IBM AT keyboards - the ones made largely of metal, weighing many times more than a typical all-plastic keyboard, with the super-clickey keys - count me in! I _love_ those things like nobody’s business. I gave one away not long ago, though, to my ex-girlfriend for her teenage son. He’s absolute murder on any kind of hardware, from computers to cars. I figure he’ll have a hard time damaging this one. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freakin-keyboards/189870/9 "2003-07-21T19:07:07Z")
And yet another thing. Why does the Backspace key get the shaft? I hate my itty bitty backspace key. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freakin-keyboards/189870/10 "2003-07-22T02:28:53Z")
[Happy Hacker – The Best Keyboard Ever](http://shop.store.yahoo.com/pfuca-store/). Don’t be put off by the ‘Linux keyboard’ sobriqet – it makes the Windows experience much less painful, too. (I’d like to sandpaper the nose of the moron who decided we really needed a dedicated ‘Windows’ key, placed in the single most-likely-to-be-accidentally-pressed position imaginable, which takes the focus away from the application you’re working on and pops up a useless menu. Die! In agony!) ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Tiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Mama\_Tiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Tiger)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freakin-keyboards/189870/11 "2003-07-22T02:49:29Z")
Think Geek has some interesting keyboards. Probably not what you’re looking for, but I recently got a totally silent, roll-up keyboard from them that fits into a box about 3" x4" x4" for travel (since I cannot STAND laptop keyboards and ALWAYS use an external one with my laptop). What I _want_ is the $400 you-barely-have-to-touch-it keyboard – exactly the opposite of what you guys are talking about – but omigod, $400 for a KEYBOARD?? ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freakin-keyboards/189870/12 "2003-07-22T05:20:57Z")
Ditto on the IBM Model M keyboard. I’ve got six of them (five working, and one for parts), and I try to grab 'em if I spot any at a flea market or computer surplus store. One thing that you can do to quiet them down and make the keypress action smoother, yet retain the same keyclick action and pressure, is squirt WD-40 in and around the spring holes. The only improvement would be if the [control] key were placed where God had intended it, left of the [a] key. If you can find an old Zenith AT-compatible keyboard where the [control] key is left of the [a] key, GET IT! They’re extremely rare. ---
**Author:** ![Fredge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/258eb7/32.png) [@Fredge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fredge)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freakin-keyboards/189870/13 "2003-07-22T11:13:26Z")
I just ordered (and received) [the customizer](http://pckeyboard.com/customizer.html). So far I’ve been happy with it. It’s feels very durable, almost as good as the old IBM keyboards. No extra hotkeys either. Now available in black (which I got) as well as white.