I’m not sure if this should be in general questions but…
my keyboard seems to require me to hit the space bar with the force of a thousand drunk, hormonal bodybuilders approaching the person that was ‘looking at there bird’, to make it work.
I think i need a new one, but i think i want to try something little more fancy than grey and black.
So, do you know of any funky keyboard shops (please consider my location)? Have any tips for sprucing up a normal one?
Have you tried popping the space bar off and cleaning under it? Just put something like a letter opener under the corner, and gently pry up, alternate the two sides. It should pop right off.
I takke all the keys off mine once a year and clean it all.
Good luck
I would love a Das Keyboard, personally. Unfortunately, they are a bit pricey.
I generally just use the under-$20, generic keyboard that you can buy practically anywhere. No, they aren’t the best quality, but they generally last a few years at least, and they are very cheap to replace as often as necessary.
I did get 14yo my daughter a black IBM keyboard, for slightly more than $20, at her request. She promptly coated each key with black nail polish, then bought letter stickers and put them all on the wrong keys. She literally touch-types more than 75 wpm, so she doesn’t need to see where the letters are on the keyboard. By hiding all of the letters, she has more-than-effectively prevented her little brother and her father from using her computer for anything that requires typing in text. She’s fortunate that her geek-for-a-mother actually learned to touch-type in junior high school, so when she has problems with the computer, I can still enter the text commands I typically use to troubleshoot computers.
If you take picunurse’s advice, please bear in mind that the keys may not go back on. Depending on the age of the keyboard and specifics of its manufacture, tiny bits of plastic may go missing in the process of removing the key. Yes, I have done this myself. Fortunately, I keep a couple of spare keyboards around just in case. Along with a spare almost everything else.
I’m currently using the Logitech G15 , which is a nice gaming keyboard. It’s nerdtastic. I also have a Saitek Eclipse. I really like light-up keyboards.
For work, I use a Logitech media keyboard. The specific model isn’t sold anymore, but it’s similar to the MX 3000.
The best advice I can give you is to go and actually try them out. Spacing of the keys and the key action varies from keyboard to keyboard, and can really make a big difference.
I’ll also throw in an unsolicited plug for optical mousing – if you have not yet upgraded to an optical mouse, do so ASAP. You will be amazed at the difference it makes. There are some nice keyboard/mouse combos available for reasonable prices. I’m partial to the Logitech ones, but Microsoft also makes some nice equipment.
If you can find one, the old IBM model m keyboard is the gold standard against which all others are measured…and fall short.
It’s a buckling-spring mechanism with positive tactile feedback. The switches are rated for millions of operations. The keyboard is heavily constructed and has a metal plate in the base…it will not move on your desk, ever, unless you move it. It weighs between six and seven pounds.
The one I’m using was made in 1987 and is still in perfect condition.
If you ever get used to typing on one of these, no other keyboard will ever do it for you again.
The bad news is they can be hard to get and expensive. Right now they are not too bad, running around $30 to $80…there are times they go for well over $100.
If you are into gaming at all you should check out the Z-Board. It has interchangabe kesets for different games as well as a standard layout. Nice action and good features.
i cant believe people actually answered me! thanks dopers!
I love some of the suggestions. Kiminy- your daughter is cool.
To clarify
I’ve only had it since October, so its still quite new. Just a bit shit, apparently
I don’t play games. Not ones with computers, anyway
I don’t type ‘properly’ and i have a keyboard for my PDA that i use during the day, so getting one that feels ‘right’ or ‘comfortable’ doesn’t matter as I’m used to switching anyway
-I’m looking for style over substance
My fave so far is Jayn_Newell’s suggestion. Bendy!
Ehh? Where is this? They rarely go more than $35 shipped off eBay, in my experience. I remember a couple of years ago paying $45 for one brand-new, still in the (very dusty) box, out of a warehouse somewhere, so I can’t imagine anyone paying over $100.
Mmm, good thread. Since I’m one of those people who pound the hell out of their kbds. In addition, I type at nearly 80wpm with the tips of my nails. I’ve been known to be audible across a 850 ft apt, from inside a running shower.
Looking at the linkies in this thread, it seems that the Das Keyboard might be a good substitute. Blank keys would mean that I wouldn’t have to worry so much about rendering the keys illegible. (which I’ve done to several laptops with their softer plastic material) That, or the IBM keyboard. Do you folks know which one might be quieter?
Calling the IBM “loud” is something like calling the Nagasaki bomb “explosive”. I’m not a particularly heavy typist, but I’ve been told you can hear my keypresses over my fragging, which is saying something. Das Keyboard is almost certainly quieter.
You also might try buying a can of compressed air. There might be some small pieces of something that’re blocking the spacebar from fully pressing down.
Plus, if you spray the whole thing in a ziplock bag, the freon goes in, too, and you can make it bubble and boil just by touching it! :: ahem ::