*UPDATE* Good Replacement Keyboard?

willardhaven

willardhaven

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I spilled some water on the Logitech Elite Keyboard I've been using for almost 5 years. It was great so I bought a standard Logitech-200 to replace it, and it's terrible.

Can you guys suggest any relatively inexpensive but good keyboards? The elite was 29.99 and it was awesome, the 200 has tiny keys and cheap-looking stickers indicating their function...

I'm looking for something very comfortable and built to last, I don't care about media controls or anything of that nature. I don't really want to spend more than $40.

UPDATE:

I rounded up a few choices from your advice and my own research, but I still don't see an overwhelmingly good choice. Here are the current candidates:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846Saitek Eclipse II - You guys have suggested Saitek (a brand I am not familiar with), it seems to be a reasonably-priced and solid keyboard online. I am hesitant to blindly order it though, as return policies for this sort of device are discouraging. Also it's expensive!

http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-ThinkP...8?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1246929260&sr=1-8IBM Lenovo Standard - I've got one right now but the keys are kind of tight. It's really putting a strain on my hands but it could be due to dust, age and wear.

Microsoft Media 3000 - This one felt decent at the store, any thoughts?

ABS Mechanical - A bunch of recommendations make this one tempting, it's price is good too.

Any help would be great, please feel free to post your own preference!
 
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Razer Arctosa. GoGamer has them on their madness sales all the time for about 30. All keys are reprogrammable, up to I think it's 30 key stroke macros, 10 profiles for all those macros, disabling the windows key and has the media keys.

If you don't game though I would pass it up.
 
No I don't play games, but I would like something comfortable... The Logitech 200 feels terrible and has stickers labeling the buttons, they'll be gone within a few months.
 
Logitech wave keyboard; its like $15 out of your budget but is the best you'll get unless you want the macro-enabled(more expensive) mx5500, which comes with a nice MX Revolution mouse and is bluetooth vs RF.
 
I don't game anymore on PC but I like the Saitek Eclipse wired keyboard, nice feel when typing away at the keys and bonus, keyboard lights up to give the room some ambiance
 
After checking out Logitech's cheap new line (compared to my old 29.99 Elite) and seeing the horrible MS keyboards (their 19.99 used to rock), I'm probably going to order an IBM. The IBM from the family computer has a pretty decent feel and normal layout.
 
[quote name='mercilessming']I don't game anymore on PC but I like the Saitek Eclipse wired keyboard, nice feel when typing away at the keys and bonus, keyboard lights up to give the room some ambiance[/QUOTE]

I got the Saitek Eclipse II for my wife to replace her old kb, and she loves it.
 
[quote name='Puffa469']I got the Saitek Eclipse II for my wife to replace her old kb, and she loves it.[/QUOTE]
Great kb and very solid build. I have one myself.
 
Maybe I'll try the Saitek, though I am hesitant to order online in case I want to return it. I'm going to hit up Best Buy to see if there are any that I like the feel of, this way I can figure out what I'm looking for.

I don't understand why Logitech stopped making the Elite, it was a really good keyboard.
 
I updated the first post with some ideas. I hope some more people participate in this thread, as I find shopping for a keyboard is very hard without CompUSA.
 
I recently bought an ABS M1 keyboard and I'm very happy with it. Tactile, non-clicky mechanical keyswitches. I've seen some people complain about more than 3 simultaneous key presses being an issue, but I've not had any problems yet. Pricing varies.
 
Ok so later in the week I'm going to try the Saitek to see if it's worth the extra money. Is the ABS a lot better than the MS Media 3000?
 
I just recently bought a Logitech Cordless Wave Desktop (mouse+ keyboard), I could give you a review of that if you want.
 
[quote name='willardhaven']Is the ABS a lot better than the MS Media 3000?[/QUOTE]

For me, I'd say yes, but that's because I wanted mechanical keyswitches. If that's not important to you, go for features. I'm just throwing it out there because you said you wanted something built to last; many of these types of keyboards typically have good build quality.

Here's an article that helped educate me when I decided to shop for a mechanical keyswitch keyboard. Very thorough, and there's a great video comparing sounds at the end: http://hothardware.com/cs/blogs/mrt...hanical-key-switch-keyboards-demystified.aspx

Here's a video of what the ABS M1 sounds like when typing (it's also demoed in the video in the article I linked above):

[youtube]m3vHVkRWBtw[/youtube]
 
Do mechanical keyboards feel a lot better? I don't think I've ever used one.

Also, is the ABS the only mechanical option I have listed?
 
LOL @ the ABS video, that reminds me of using a computer in the 90's.

I have a Lenovo Thinkpad laptop and the feels of the keys on that is the best around. I myself am looking to see if they make a desktop replica as the keys are such a pleasure to type on.

Edit:Found the winner, possibly my next keyboard(or the MX5500 gotta love macros!)
IBM USB Keyboard with UltraNav
$83.66
http://www.amazon.com/IBM-USB-Keyboard-UltraNav-31P8950/dp/B00009APTK/ref=pd_bxgy_e_img_b
 
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[quote name='willardhaven']Do mechanical keyboards feel a lot better? I don't think I've ever used one.

Also, is the ABS the only mechanical option I have listed?[/QUOTE]

It feels different ("better" being subjective) depending on the type of keyswitches used. I found that I prefer tactile, non-clicky keyswitches. That article I linked gives a breakdown of the differences, and demos several mechanical keyswitch keyboards that you have to choose from. ABS M1 is one of the cheapest and readily available ones, so fortunately that's the one I thought I'd prefer, and I've been happy with it.

Looks like it's $40 on Newegg now; was $70 when I was looking at them a month or two ago. Mine came from eBay for about $50.
 
I have that Thinkpad keyboard SEEN. It's been the best evar for me. I'm a nipple mouse whore for life now too. xD

Don't remember it being $83 but it's still way worth it.

I also have a Thinkpad X31 laptop. LOVE, might be getting a X61 tablet soon too.
 
I got the A Saitek Eclipse 1 blue version keyboard (the one that glow blue and lack the first revision's "game pad")

I like this keyboard, and I've been typing on this for the past 5-6 years. It's a reliable gaming keyboard, and I've must have written 50k-100k words in the lifetime of the keyboard.

That being said, 5-6 years of the saitek being my "daily drive" is bound to leave some wear and tear.

The keys' paint job are starting to fade, the A, S, and C key getting the brunt of it. In the beginning, typing was a smooth, almost non-tactile pleasure, but now there is a certain level of mushiness that I could feel with the keyboard. Maybe I just need to disassemble and clean my keyboard, but at time, the mushiness really irks me.

But, rest assured in knowing the Saitek is one of the best gaming peripheral company out there, they're keyboard being no exception. I like what they did with the new iteration of the Eclipses, and one day I may upgrade. But since my Eclipse 1 is still going strong, especially with 6 years worth of gaming and academic typing, I don't see an upgrade in the near future.

But, I wouldn't mind having an old-skool IBM keyboard. My brother has one that rivals me in age, and that too is going pretty strong still. Typing on it is an absolute pleasure, and I'm shocked as hell that, with periodic cleaning and maintenance, typing on that old timer is still a god-like pleasure.

BTW, I like how that ABS keyboard sounds, and I'm shocked that ABS manufactures mechanical keyboards at all. Tempted to get one for work.
 
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