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Mechanical keyboards that don't just die..?

Onasi said:
Actually, since it was brought up in the thread I wanted to ask @Chrispy_ as a fellow CM QuickFire enjoyer (mine is MX Blacks and will also be 12 or 13 years next year with no issues) - have you tried any cap swaps on it? Only thing that slowly deteriorates on my over time is the legends (I have the non-Stealth version) and I am curious if you had any experience with replacing them potentially with some better PBT ones. I am assuming that any similar layout set should work - it IS standard MX stem after all.

But yeah, I have no idea how CM got those so right - I think the board will outlive me at this point.
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What experience do you need? Just buy a nice, Cherry profile dye-sub PBT set with good kitting, and be done with it (presuming you are not interested in more 'exotic' profiles). For very good price/performance ratio, I'd go for a Shenpo or XMI set. They are pretty cheap, and easily worth every penny.

For example:
Shenpo dye-sub PBT (Cherry)
a few XMI dye-sub PBT sets (Cherry)

DaYe doubleshot ABS sets with AF SA profile (very similar to MG) are also considered a cheap, nice option if you're interested in taller, more sculpted keycaps. I really like them.

All of the above have extensive kitting.

You might want to avoid colored dye-sub PBT sets, because they are reverse dye-sub, so the quality is not nearly as good (because of the higher thermal strain during manufacturing) as it can be with traditional dye-sub procedure. So if you want bright colors, you are better off with a good doubleshot ABS set.

Also, avoid doubleshot PBT, because EVERYTHING called that is PBT/ABS blend, unless you buy a Leopold keyboard, or a 150 USD/euro GMK MTNU set. The latter two are really 100 percent PBT.

The recommended manufacturers:

On the cheaper side:
–Shenpo
–XMI
–JCS
–DaYe AF SA/Aifei Cherry

On the more expensive side:
–Signature Plastics
–Hammerworks CRP
–JTK
–Maxkey
–Melgeek
–Domikey
–GMK
–any kind of vintage (OG) Cherry
–DCS sets from vintage WYSE terminals
 
Macro Device said:
This is why I'll never buy it. My keyboard must be loud. Must be big. Must be heavy. I couldn't care less for its mobility because first off, I virtually never move it and secondly, not like I'm a feeble wanker, I can take my whole PC setup with me and walk a dozen miles with it (yes, a full ATX PC + 27" display + kb + mouse + headphones). Mech keyboards are much easier for me to type on so won't go scissors.
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Man you really need a Model M. If shipping wasn't so horrible from states to Russia I'd sell you one. They are/were exactly that.

Cherry blues or even greens are your best bet outside that.
 
I've been using a CMStorm Quickfire Rapid for the last... 12 or 13 years at this point. Solid as a rock, never required any extensive cleaning or maintenance (I don't eat at my PC and never spilled anything on my keyboard).

I recall it being reasonably inexpensive back when I bought it, although I was working at Microcenter back then and likely got it at a decent discount off MSRP.
 
Macro Device said:
The title might be a little unclear. I learnt the hard way that most no-name keyboards as well as Razer and Logitech ones just love dying right away. Either switches go kaput or PCB goes, whatever, it's a PITA to use (if ever usable) anyway.

Is there a manufacturer that won't scam me as well? I just want a basic skeleton keyboard, I don't use it for any extremities, I don't even work as a writer anymore. I just wanna have a comfortable way to type. And yes, I am not a PEBCAK kinda guy, my keyboards DO NOT receive any damage from me. I do dry cleaning every once in a while. I never spill anything on them. Circuity had been checked multiple times, keyboards receive adequate voltage and current, it's just the build quality that unfortunately doesn't exist.

And yes, spending more than $100 on a BASIC keyboard is also scam. Do I have any option?

Filtered unwanted types out. Is there anything that's likely to last?
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Filco Majestouch 2 last a long time in my experience, though expensive. You can barely used models on eBay for <$100.

I have a couple Filcos but for my gaming system I switched to a Vortex Multix. The build quality of the Vortex isn't the same. After 1 year only, my Vortex Multix 87 has a semi dead left control key While it is hot-swappable, I have read that this type of hotswap requires the casing to be removed to support the PCB before pulling it and I haven't bothered to do so, maybe I should.
 
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I saw mentions on Keychron, and I'm here to say I got unlucky on my Q6Max. The spacebar on it had a failed solder joint just a week ago. It got fixed with a normie soldering iron. (It was bought new, but in a way that make warranty claims very difficult, without going into too much detail.)

Do note that I use harder-than-normal linear switches, and I might have messed up by stuffing foam the custom spacebar keycap incorrectly, at least for a few months.
 
Todestrieb said:
I saw mentions on Keychron, and I'm here to say I got unlucky on my Q6Max. The spacebar on it had a failed solder joint just a week ago. It got fixed with a normie soldering iron. (It was bought new, but in a way that make warranty claims very difficult, without going into too much detail.)

Do note that I use harder-than-normal linear switches, and I might have messed up by stuffing foam the custom spacebar keycap incorrectly, at least for a few months.
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One other note - Keychrons are quite laggy, so not recommended for any kind of gaming - their lag is a full frame even on a 60Hz monitor.

I liked my Keychron red and yellow optical switches for typing but sold the board on because it was too slow both wired and wireless. A quick Google search throws up mountains of evidence suggesting it's all Keychron boards, not just the model I bought.
 
Chrispy_ said:
One other note - Keychrons are quite laggy, so not recommended for any kind of gaming - their lag is a full frame even on a 60Hz monitor.

I liked my Keychron red and yellow optical switches for typing but sold the board on because it was too slow both wired and wireless. A quick Google search throws up mountains of evidence suggesting it's all Keychron boards, not just the model I bought.
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Wow, didn't know that one. Good thing I've moved pretty much all my gaming needs to controllers.
Although it seems that Max models don't have the latency issue. I dodged a bullet! Yay!

Here's a few RTings review for V series in 2022 (20ms latency), K8 Pro in Jun 2024 (9.8ms), Q Pro series in Apr 2023 (9.0ms), V5 Max in March 2024, K5 Max in Jun 2024, Q5 Max in Mar 2024 and Q1 HE (all having a latency of ~3ms). There are keyboards that do even better in the latency department though.
 
lexluthermiester said:
There are many games you can't play on controllers.
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I-I thought I have covered my back side by saying my gaming needs.
I seldom touch any game that requires a keyboard because of the genres I'm interested, I guess.

And if this goes on this will go off-topic.


I don't know enough to further contribute on what keyboards to buy, but I remembered the keyboard I'm using on my work place is IROK FE87 (black, tactile, no lighting variant), bought for ~USD$30 equivalent. I've used it for only 2 yrs, but some of the workflows require mashing spacebar repeatedly. It's cheap enough... and probably good enough.
Yes, I'm typing this post on it.

The keyboards I have previously used are either normie membrane keyboards, overpriced Razer stuff, or good-but-expensive leftovers from my brother.
 
Scattergrunt said:
View attachment 377707
Yea, I hope it last 40 years. At this price I better damn hope it does. :eek: In fairness, it is seemingly a custom keyboard but god damn!
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That's because you haven't seen how much a genuine 1980s Model M goes for. Even heavily used these things fetch a pretty penny. But their reliability is legendary, most genuine IBM-branded Model Ms are over 30 years old, and at most they may have needed some basic maintenance over the years. That's why they don't make them like these anymore. If these modern repros have the same reliability of the IBM original, the 40 years of use is not too far fetched.

I got one as a Christmas gift to myself (link to the latest tech purchase thread). This keyboard is a sheer delight to type on.

Todestrieb said:
Wow, didn't know that one. Good thing I've moved pretty much all my gaming needs to controllers.
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So have I, but a high quality keyboard is still an essential tool IMHO.
 
I've seen very few mechanical keyboards "die". Sounds like you've rolled a 1 for dependability a few times, sorry.

I even deployed about 20 Velocifire mechanical keyboards ($30-$40 at the time) in an office and the only ones that ended up failing didn't actually fail, but the keys started sticking due to food debris or the printing on the keys wore off after 4 years BC they weren't double-shot injection molded.

These days I'm sticking with Logitech K845 keyboards and haven't seen a single failure in probably 40 deployments.
 
Dr. Dro said:
That's because you haven't seen how much a genuine 1980s Model M goes for. Even heavily used these things fetch a pretty penny. But their reliability is legendary, most genuine IBM-branded Model Ms are over 30 years old, and at most they may have needed some basic maintenance over the years. That's why they don't make them like these anymore. If these modern repros have the same reliability of the IBM original, the 40 years of use is not too far fetched.

I got one as a Christmas gift to myself (link to the latest tech purchase thread). This keyboard is a sheer delight to type on.
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Just checked, god damn! well, I guess I learned something new today.
 
Macro Device said:
I just hit buttons with considerable enough force for them to activate but nothing more than that. It's just their build quality doesn't exist.

Wish I was as lucky as you.
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Happy I am not unlucky as you.

I always find reactions to my hot tap method to save keyboards with spills funny.

I'm not saying it's smart to spill stuff into them. But if it happens, well hot water from the bath tap is still better than coffee or beer and it takes care of the stickiness like nothing else does.

Ideally, drive safely, wear a rubber, and don't spill stuff in your keyboards.


Otherwise, hard to believe someone would have a flop of them mechs die EXCEPT if there's something they're doing very wrong.
 
QcRMoD said:
Otherwise, hard to believe someone would have a flop of them mechs die EXCEPT if there's something they're doing very wrong.
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Rinsing a keyboard that's had drink spilled in it is not silly. It's the only viable answer. Anyone mocking you for rinsing a keyboard that's had beer or coffee spilled in it is an idiot.

All that matters is that you ensure the keyboard is fully dried before you plug it in, and honestly sticking it in the oven at 70-85C for a few hours isn't even a bad idea to encourage damp componentry to dry out faster, since trapped water can stay trapped for days at room temperature if it's almost sealed in. Just know that the lowest melting solder in existence is around 90C, and whilst it's unlikely that's used in a keyboard, you have no way of knowing what temperature your solder is going to melt, so play it safe.
 
Chrispy_ said:
Rinsing a keyboard that's had drink spilled in it is not silly. It's the only viable answer. Anyone mocking you for rinsing a keyboard that's had beer or coffee spilled in it is an idiot.

All that matters is that you ensure the keyboard is fully dried before you plug it in, and honestly sticking it in the oven at 70-85C for a few hours isn't even a bad idea to encourage damp componentry to dry out faster, since trapped water can stay trapped for days at room temperature if it's almost sealed in. Just know that the lowest melting solder in existence is around 90C, and whilst it's unlikely that's used in a keyboard, you have no way of knowing what temperature your solder is going to melt, so play it safe.
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Thanks for the trick. All I do is let them dry properly. I always have another mech under hand so it's not like I'm on a rush. Then again, it helps a lot to have a high power air compressor. I use it until no water droplets come out anywhere, as long as it takes. With the needle nozzle adapter, it can really target the enclosed spots or small openings in the keyboard. The Ducky ONE 2 is one of those keyboards that's not floating keycaps/pretty closed construction and sorts of retains a lot of water. Becomes suprisingly heavy under the tap. Of course most of it drains out as you shift it around back and forth, but it says something about all the hidden spots where water can pool that won't dry out so fast, and it took a while with the air compressor until nothing at all came out of any seams nooks or crannys. All that to say, it went well anyway. 48 hours later I put the keycaps back on and plugged it and forgot all about it.
 
I use a DataVac
Data Vac.jpg
 
I just kinda assumed everyone had an air compressor. i use one constantly.
 
Had the same issue as you. Anything branded and expensive (150-250€) went kaput. Multiple keyboards and large amounts of money. Tbf, im vaping, and sometimes some liquid spills on the keyboard, and so the PCB goes kaput.

But, still vaping, got my hands on the GMMK 3 pro, ended up costing a total of ~450€ with all the accessories, ive been handling it as bad as any other keyboard before it, it's been 2 years and still going strong.

Dr. Dro said:
That's because you haven't seen how much a genuine 1980s Model M goes for. Even heavily used these things fetch a pretty penny. But their reliability is legendary, most genuine IBM-branded Model Ms are over 30 years old, and at most they may have needed some basic maintenance over the years. That's why they don't make them like these anymore. If these modern repros have the same reliability of the IBM original, the 40 years of use is not too far fetched.

I got one as a Christmas gift to myself (link to the latest tech purchase thread). This keyboard is a sheer delight to type on.



So have I, but a high quality keyboard is still an essential tool IMHO.
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I assume it's in the range of 200€+ right?
 
JustBenching said:
I assume it's in the range of 200€+ right?
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Starts about there. The better the condition, the pricier it will get. Original IBM manufactured units instead of Lexmark models tend to be even costlier. Occasional BNIB that pops up, expect to drop 600 to 1k on it
 
I have been using a Leopold keyboard for about 10 years. Solid.
 
The new Model F keyboards mentioned earlier look beefy, but I don't have one so I'm not sure if they're worth it. They technically have n-key rollover, as in you can press as many keys as you want at the same time and it should register them.

I have an IBM Model M from 1996 that still works, but I don't recommend it if you play fast paced games. It has 2-key rollover for certain key combinations, like A+S blocks Z from registering. They're riveted together internally, and the plastic rivet parts eventually snap. Mine are still together.

Unicomp makes new Model M's, but they're not has physically strong as the old ones, and the keys are looser. They won't break from normal usage, just don't run it over with a car. Sadly these also suffer from the 2-key rollover. The new membrane layout isn't as bad, but there's still combos that don't work, like A+S blocks Spacebar. There were firmware issues with the Rasberrypi controller. There's custom firmware for them, but that shouldn't be nessesarry for a $150 keyboard.
 
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