Mechanical Keyboards

Sketcher

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Do you own one?
Who made it?
What model is it?
How do you like it?
How long have you had it?
Have you had any problems with it?

Edit: Yes, I do have a switch tester.

If you used a switch tester before getting your mechanical keyboard, did you have second thoughts about the types of switches on your keyboard after using it for a while?
 
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Taodeching

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Do you own one?
Who made it?
What model is it?
How do you like it?
How long have you had it?
Have you had any problems with it?

I don't but I would love to have one. I just looked up laptops with mechanical keyboards and was surprised they have them
 
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Taodeching

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What's a mechanical keyboard? I think sophrosyne, sp, would know.

It's a keyboard made in the old style like the IBM model F and M. They make the old keyboard noise as you strike the key and they have a lasting capability where modern keyboards fail faster in some cases. I found this link that explains mechanical keyboards:

What is a Mechanical Keyboard
 
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returntosender

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It's a keyboard made in the old style like the IBM model F and M. They make the old keyboard noise as you strike the key and they have a lasting capability where modern keyboards fail faster in some cases. I found this link that explains mechanical keyboards:

What is a Mechanical Keyboard
Thanks, I googled it. I have a few of those old ones. The problem is the new computers don't have that pin socket you need to plug the old ones in. I've been wishing they had the old pin socket for the old mouse. Its too bad as it was a good thing..
 
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Taodeching

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Thanks, I googled it. I have a few of those old ones. The problem is the new computers don't have that pin socket you need to plug the old ones in. I've been wishing they had the old pin socket for the old mouse. Its too bad as it was a good thing..

The new ones have USB and wireless connections.
 
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Neostarwcc

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I used one a few times. My first one lasted me about a year because it was getting messy so I destroyed it by trying to clean it. Sadly, I thought it was a good idea that buy another $149.99 keyboard and I forget what happened to that one but it didn't last very long as well. I didn't really understand why I was sinking so much money into a popular fad that to me, made virtually no difference at all. I think they were Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2013 Stealth edition keyboards. If I ever want to buy a mechanical keyboard again, I like ASUS's new Mechanical Keyboard, it looks nice and looks like it'd last a long time.


I'll buy a $60 mouse, or an expensive motherboard or anything practical but I won't buy an expensive keyboard. A lot of times the cheap $5 keyboards that I use last me for 3-4 years before I have to replace them anyway. And I have over 50 of them in the back of my trailer (I paid $300 or so for over 100 keyboards and mouses and I bought them to resale, sold all the mouses and about 60 keyboards made about four hundred bucks off of them or so and stuck the rest in storage so that I'll have keyboards for as long as USB exists. Sometimes my parents or my sister need a keyboard or a mouse too and that way I just have one in the back for them.)
 
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Sketcher

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I used one a few times. My first one lasted me about a year because it was getting messy so I destroyed it by trying to clean it. Sadly, I thought it was a good idea that buy another $149.99 keyboard and I forget what happened to that one but it didn't last very long as well. I didn't really understand why I was sinking so much money into a popular fad that to me, made virtually no difference at all. I think they were Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2013 Stealth edition keyboards. If I ever want to buy a mechanical keyboard again, I like ASUS's new Mechanical Keyboard, it looks nice and looks like it'd last a long time.


I'll buy a $60 mouse, or an expensive motherboard or anything practical but I won't buy an expensive keyboard. A lot of times the cheap $5 keyboards that I use last me for 3-4 years before I have to replace them anyway. And I have over 50 of them in the back of my trailer (I paid $300 or so for over 100 keyboards and mouses and I bought them to resale, sold all the mouses and about 60 keyboards made about four hundred bucks off of them or so and stuck the rest in storage so that I'll have keyboards for as long as USB exists. Sometimes my parents or my sister need a keyboard or a mouse too and that way I just have one in the back for them.)
How did you attempt to clean it, out of curiosity?

I hear they are less resistant to spills, but the person I'm shopping for doesn't have food or drink in front of the computer ever, so I don't anticipate that being a problem.
 
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Sophrosyne

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What's a mechanical keyboard? I think sophrosyne, sp, would know.
Computer keyboards is what I think he means at one time known as a 101 key keyboard made by companies such as IBM, Keytronics, Microsoft every PC computer used one. You now have them as external USB or wireless or bluetooth keyboards.
 
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Sophrosyne

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I'm currently using my first keyboard I bought with my first PC back in 1991. It is mechanical but not with switches but more like rubber buttons on remotes. I had to shim one key that quit working for some reason after a few years but since then no other keys have had problems. As much as I've used it over the last 30 years all the characters on all keys are totally intact. I've cleaned it a few times over the years several ways the first time I accidentally spilled grape soda on it and took it all the way apart and washed it down. The other times I didn't take the layers of contacts apart but just cleaned the keys and around them. Now I just use a dry Q tip and clean the keys then a damp one to clean them more and vacuum and blow the dirt out using a dental pick to get larger debris particles loose. My keyboard doesn't have the added mechanical click but does have positive feedback when it gets to the end of the throw you can feel it sort of pop. The keyboard is made in America and I've had it on about 5 different computers as I've upgraded over the decades and will likely use it till it either quits or I can't get an adapter for it. It is an old DIN 5 or 6 pin model which at the time was on clone computers I had to get a USB adapter for it but it works flawlessy.
I've taken apart other keyboards and cleaned them too. It typically takes several hours to do it right and I use 409 and/or liquid soap on a major clean but minor cleaning. A hair dryer with low heat on high to help dry things out.
Don't take a keyboard apart leaving any chance to lose parts, a large table or an area with a light colored large cloth so parts that fall off like screws and such can be seen. If you take key caps off consider taking a picture with your phone before you start to get them back correctly and you can toss them in a bowl and wash them that way
 
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Sophrosyne

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I've used the all mechanical keyboards and prefer the design of my keyboard as I don't like loud clicking or snappy feedback on pressing keys but you can get used to it. I had a choice when I bought my keyboard to get a clicky sound type and passed on it. I have a Keytronics 101 key keyboard. it has a small enter key on it I chose it because when I bought it we were using Dos 5 and you did a lot of command prompt typing and a \ key and the piping key | are used a lot to navigate your drive and look at files. These days those keys are rarely used now so most want the large enter key and a small square key for the \ backslash.
I think it would be interesting to have a lit keyboard but I have mine lit from above by a battery powered LED USB module.
 
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Neostarwcc

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How did you attempt to clean it, out of curiosity?

I hear they are less resistant to spills, but the person I'm shopping for doesn't have food or drink in front of the computer ever, so I don't anticipate that being a problem.

Ever since I was a kid I had a bad habit of eating in front of the computer. So keyboards, monitors ..etc all get food on them and eventually get ruined. I stopped buying super expensive monitors and have gone mid brand because I can't keep a monitor for longer than a year too. Everytime I clean my monitor with LCD cleaner and a micro fiber cloth it all the food on the monitor just smears all over the monitor. Just a really bad habit I have.

But umm, I tried cleaning it the way you clean the cheap keyboards. Popping the switches off and cleaning underneath with a qtip and rubbing alchohol. The switches were destroyed when I put them back on. I was really unhappy because I didn't own the keyboard for longer than a month and I destroyed it.
 
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Sketcher

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Update here, got a Ducky One 2 with Cherry MX Black switches. They definitely feel springy to me. It's not my keyboard so I'm not going to have a ton of experience with it, but the people I got it for seem to like it so far. I got it through mechanicalkeyboards.com, and they ship fast. If you're in the continental US and you want to get a mechanical keyboard, I recommend them.
 
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Sophrosyne

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Ever since I was a kid I had a bad habit of eating in front of the computer. So keyboards, monitors ..etc all get food on them and eventually get ruined. I stopped buying super expensive monitors and have gone mid brand because I can't keep a monitor for longer than a year too. Everytime I clean my monitor with LCD cleaner and a micro fiber cloth it all the food on the monitor just smears all over the monitor. Just a really bad habit I have.

But umm, I tried cleaning it the way you clean the cheap keyboards. Popping the switches off and cleaning underneath with a qtip and rubbing alchohol. The switches were destroyed when I put them back on. I was really unhappy because I didn't own the keyboard for longer than a month and I destroyed it.
If they keyboard uses rubber pads on contacts you shouldn't use alcohol on them instead clean with slightly soapy water as alcohol can harm the special rubber contacts.
 
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Neostarwcc

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If they keyboard uses rubber pads on contacts you shouldn't use alcohol on them instead clean with slightly soapy water as alcohol can harm the special rubber contacts.

Yeah. I'm used to keyboards from the 90's where you could take rubbing alcohol to them. I've been using cheap keyboards since I was like seven years old. When I bought my mechanical keyboard it was the first major keyboard purchase I had ever made. It made me angry when I completely wrecked it I had it for like 2 months and it cost almost a $200 bill. I think if I remember right the cherry switches would not work anymore. Then again I'm usually bad with USB C charging cables and whatnot too. Or I usually won't buy a super expensive mouse but I'll keep it to a $40 gaming mouse budget. I actually bought my wife and I two razer mice on black friday for $20 each. I was super stoked and we still have them 2-3 years later.
 
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Sophrosyne

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Yeah. I'm used to keyboards from the 90's where you could take rubbing alcohol to them. I've been using cheap keyboards since I was like seven years old. When I bought my mechanical keyboard it was the first major keyboard purchase I had ever made. It made me angry when I completely wrecked it I had it for like 2 months and it cost almost a $200 bill. I think if I remember right the cherry switches would not work anymore. Then again I'm usually bad with USB C charging cables and whatnot too. Or I usually won't buy a super expensive mouse but I'll keep it to a $40 gaming mouse budget. I actually bought my wife and I two razer mice on black friday for $20 each. I was super stoked and we still have them 2-3 years later.
Sometimes cheap stuff is good, and sometimes the best you can get is worth it. When I got my keyboard they had a Fujitsu keyboard that was clicky and my dad wanted it instead of a keytronics. My keytronics aside from shimming one key the for some reason wore down so I had to press it hard to get it to work (and works perfectly now) is still going strong 30 years later. I had to replace my dad's Fujitsu about a year and a half later as it started acting up. I have used trackballs and wore out 1 trackball another one was obsoleted when optical models came out I'm on my 3rd trackball now and it is 13 years old I've had to clean it every few years as gunk gets down inside on the wheel part. I don't care for mice as in the past I use my hands a lot and when I was gaming and on the computer all day I would start feeling the signs of carpal tunnel. A trackball stopped that completely.
 
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