I personally can't stand Apple's keyboards. They look very nice, obviously, but I find them cramped for typing. I have a keycapless Das that is a dream and I've been considering a Kinesis for a long time.
If you don't know how to touch type, I highly recommend the Das Model S Ultimate Silent. Two weeks with that cleared it all up, but make sure you have a backup for typing passwords.
I thought I'd hate the Apple keyboard (on my MacBook Pro) but I ended up really liking it a lot. Even more than my nice mechanical keyboard. It's very quiet and I can type much faster than I can with the mechanical keyboard.
As much as I love my Das Keyboard, I must admit I don't mind the Apple keyboards at all for most tasks. If I had to do anything like transcription, then yes, but for most tasks like programming or surfing, I'm surprised how seamlessly I can switch from a mechanical keyboard to an Apple keyboard and back again.
I used to be a Model M fanatic for about a decade.
Then Apple released the chicklet keyboards and had me hooked after a week.
What I don't understand is how the Logitech's belong in that list. The G83 used to be bearable but all others that I've tried (including the fancy ones with the display) were a wobbly mess.
Also a huge IBM Model M fan here. That's what I grew up using. After a brief spell of using cheap rubber dome keyboards that were becoming the blight on humanity they still are, I got a Unicomp Linux model with the Caps Lock and Ctrl keys swapped. It's buckling spring bliss as far as I'm concerned, with a USB. I'll never go back to non-mechanical after using a RFK.
Best keyboards? Four out of five of the reccomended keyboards are membrane and scissor switches, which are designed for cost and space savings, not ergonomics.
If you type more than a few hours per day, check out a mechanical or hybrid (Topre) keyboard. Your wrists will thank you.
I developed some finger joint pain after years on the Microsoft Natural in that article. I switched to a Topre Realforce from elitekeyboards.com and my life pretty much changed. I hear the Happy Hacking keyboards are in the same league as well. Remapping CAPS to CTRL helped a lot too, as well as having pinky-activated keys be lighter than the ones under your index/middle fingers.
To make a comparison, it's like going from a Toyota Yaris to a BMW 3 series, once you taste it, it's hard to go back. They're quality long-lasting keyboard that will be with you for many years to come, absolutely worth the hundreds of dollars. They will put to shame everything else. If only they came in ergonomic, that'd be amazing. I think there's only one single model in Japan and it's going to cost around $500-600 to import. Also, if laptops started to use Topre, that would be killer, even though they'd get much fatter. I'm tired of carrying my keyboard with me in the bag :)
I think it's because those are the criteria that our readers - who nominated the keyboards that made the top five - prefer over mechanical keys. Their preferred feature set just differs from yours, and from most developers, I think.
That said, there were plenty of mechs in the nominees, they just didn't get enough votes to make the top five. Personally, I love them, but majority rules.
Do they make non-clacky mechanical keyboards? I absolutely cannot stand the clacky old IBM keyboards from my childhood.
I currently use a "Logitech Illuminated Ultrathin Keyboard" and love it. But maybe I'm a freak, my wrists/hands feel a lot better using thin, laptop style keys rather than big clunky mechanicals.
Nothing beats the old IBM Model M with its buckling spring mechanism!
I wish there was a modern alternative at a reasonable price and with a USB connection (especially in Europe where it seems harder to find niche keyboard products for some reason, or perhaps I just didn't discover it yet)
I have a Unicomp "Linux" model. This was a model they used to sell stock with the Caps Lock and Ctrl keys swapped. It's wonderful for programming. I think now they will customise the keyboard for a small additional fee if you like that setup, or you can DIY.
Thanks for the tip. Had a quick look on the site and can't find out how much the shipping costs, plus I'd probably have to pay taxes on top (which is always a mystery, but might add quite a big chunk to the price)...
The noise level of mechanical keyboards is a function of the keyswitches being used. From your comment I'm assuming you got the black or brown switches?
I have a Corsair K90 with cherry red switches, which are still quite noisy - the noise comes from the keys bottoming out, rather than the switch itself.
You can get little rubber rings to dampen them though.
Our entire CS Department runs on these. We're a primarily Linux-based department that emphasizes Linux/UNIX development with C. With these keyboards and the support of the department, I don't think we've ever graduated a student that didn't at least have a basic understanding of how to use vi.
They are very decent keyboards in my opinion; small and pleasing to type on.
I would have loved to include the Happy Hacking Keyboard on the list. It's one of my faves - but that said, the list is based on nominations and votes. It may be a joke, but it's a joke based on hundreds of nominations from readers, so there's that.
A well-researched article/list would have produced a valuable resource. This is true for all high-end electronics. Apple makes beautiful garbage when it comes to keyboards (and mice). They make this fundamental mistake of applying to human interfaces an aesthetic perfect only for storage and other static equipment.
It's depressing that only one in five of these keyboards is ergonomic. If you're a developer today and you are planning on typing on a keyboard for at least the next ten years, picking any other keyboard than an ergonomic one is a guaranteed path toward painful and permanent pains in your wrists and forearms.
Switch to an ergonomic keyboard today, you'll be glad you did.
They're amazing. I have a normal keyboard at home (gaming..) but I make sure to have one at work. It takes about a week of feeling very awkward but after that it all clicks.
Some people seem to be immune to it, you might be one of the lucky few.
Make no mistake, though: Dvorak is an aggravating factor in carpal tunnel syndrome. The faster you type by moving your fingers only and not your hands, the more likely you are to start feeling the onset of CTS.
Ironically, the best way to make sure you won't suffer from CTS is by typing with just two fingers.
All the anecdotes I've read on Dvorak switchers indicate relief from CTS compared with Qwerty. For the same speed of typing, Dvorak users move their fingers less than Qwerty users.
My ideal keyboard would be a DasKeyboard Model S with the layout of Microsoft's Natural Ergonomic Desktop keyboard. I am befuddled as to why neither DasKeyboard or EliteKeyboards make an ergonomic model.
I know the Model M came in a split model, but they are extremely expensive (when they can be found).
I tried a Kinesis like that a few years ago and couldn't stand it.
If Microsoft made a Natural keyboard with slightly clacky keys (or even the original Natural keyboard again) I'd buy a couple dozen of them and stay with them for the rest of my life. Unfortunately, the keyboard folks at MS have been doing a poorer and poorer job over the last few years; the most recent ones (from the 4000 up) are squishy-keyed disasters that I can't type on reliably. [Don't get me started on F-lock. What were they /thinking/?]
Can someone explain the difference between membrane, scissor and mechanical keyboards? I have no idea what my preference would be. Let alone what kind of keyboard I'm currently using (which is the best I one ever owned).
I'm also surprised why no-one seems to take travel into account. I find that I type more relaxed (and faster) on keyboards with flat keys that don't travel much.
Filco Majestouch 2 Tenkeyless with MX Brown switches for me.
Besides the advantages of the mechanical switches (the Browns are also not that loud as others) I really dig the compact size. The only time I ever used the numpad was when I had to work on spreadsheets. Thankfully I was able to graduate from that.
I've got a Logitech K800 and an IBM Model M. I prefer the IBM Model M, but the K800 is the only thin, wireless, backlit keyboard that I've found that's still pleasant to type on after getting used to an IBM.
Do they make those without the numpads? It's silly but after all these years typing on a laptop I've come to loathe the distance my hand has to travel to reach the mouse - especially on my MS Natural 4k.
What you want is a "Tenkeyless" model. You can obtain boards with the same Cherry MX Blues (or Browns in the "Silent" version) that are "tenkeyless" style from brands whose quality is about on par with Das.
I agree - I would have loved more mechs on the list. They just don't seem to have caught on with the general public just yet though. We had a half-dozen in the nominations list, but all told they got fewer votes collected than some of the others that made the top five.
I'd love to find an analogue for the feel of a mechanical keyboard in a laptop keyboard. Something with at least 3mm travel and the actuation point at 2mm.
What a lame article... I don't know why I expected more from Lifehacker.
Anyone who does a lot of typing at work is not going to like Apple keyboards. Those things ruin your fingers because the keys have no give. It is kind of similar to what running on concrete will do to your knees.
Why would I want to alter my entire typing style for no reason other than to use YET-ANOTHER-APPLE-PRODUCT(TM) ? I have a Macbook, and the keyboard is fine for most situations. But whenever I try to do a lot of writing or programming on it, my fingers end up hurting really badly.
To be fair, the article is based on reader nominations. If you don't like the ones that made it into the list, stop by for the nomination round and make your choices known!
The list is based on reader nominations - unfortunately, our community has different tastes than you do, but next time, stop by and nominate your favorite - the cut for the top five was pretty close.
If you don't know how to touch type, I highly recommend the Das Model S Ultimate Silent. Two weeks with that cleared it all up, but make sure you have a backup for typing passwords.