Searching for the perfect keyboard

elgrande

elgrande

As the title says, I am looking for a keyboard that meets my requirements.

What I want:
- Full keyboard (with numpad)
- German layout
- Backlight (white)
- Silent
The keyboard needs to be usable with FreeBSD, so no required Windows app for backlight control or similar stuff.

What I tried out so far:
- Logitech G413 SE: Almost meets all my requirements, but is way to loud.
- Hama CK-400: Meets all requirements, but is poorly manufactured (e.g. the key caps fall off when pressed to hard, key combinations do not work reliably).

Any suggestions?
 
Expensive? Yep. I have a few wired variants. But if your day is spent looking at a monitor,extra $$ upfront is safety in the long term. Same thing with keyboards. To me spending extra $$ upfront on a keyboard is saving in the long term.

Keyboards are personal. Some are fine with a 75% size (laptops), some can't stand them.
Me, I can't stand them. That's why I always say "this works for me" opinion vs "fact".

Think of shoes. Paying more up front for shoes that last longer typically saves money in the long term.
 
The MX Mechanical sounds indeed good.
What makes me hesitate a bit is the following quote from the website mer linked:
"You can also choose between a variety of immersive backlighting effects in Logi Options+"
I won't have Logi Options+ available in FreeBSD.
 
The backlighting effects are on the keyboard, not tied to the OS. I have wired versions, and you can change the options from the keyboard. Illumination levels, "patterns" etc. OS doesn't matter.
This is what I have:
www.logitech.com

MX Mechanical Wireless Keyboard | Logitech

Shop MX Mechanical. Features low profile form factor, smart illumination, quick charge, Bluetooth and, 3 Unique switch types - tactile, clicky, linear.
www.logitech.com www.logitech.com
 
If you can live without a backlight (I hate those anyway) a topre realforce might be a nice one to try, albeit a bit pricey. I believe those switches are very quiet in use.

I think there are topre keyboards with backlights available too...

Or at a lower price point a Cherry G80 with your choice of MX switches.
www.cherry.de

CHERRY G80-3000 | Standard PC keyboard - Cherry

The CHERRY G80-3000 standard PC keyboard is based on reliable MX technology with Gold Crosspoint contacts.
www.cherry.de www.cherry.de
 
blackbird9 said:
If you can live without a backlight (I hate those anyway) a topre realforce might be a nice one to try, albeit a bit pricey. I believe those switches are very quiet in use.

I think there are topre keyboards with backlights available too...

Or at a lower price point a Cherry G80 with your choice of MX switches.
www.cherry.de

CHERRY G80-3000 | Standard PC keyboard - Cherry

The CHERRY G80-3000 standard PC keyboard is based on reliable MX technology with Gold Crosspoint contacts.
www.cherry.de www.cherry.de
Click to expand...
From DOS to FreeBSD I am using Cherry keyboard(s).
 
I've been using the Perixx 535 for over a year now at work and at home and it's pretty much perfect for me. I had quite a few microsoft, logitec or cherry ergonomical keyboards before (all rubber dome) and they all just gave up after ~1 year of typing due to wear (sticking or non-registering keys), so I went for the perixx as a reasonably priced mechanical switch alternative without all that "gaming"-crap and the associated price tag.
The one at work begins to show some slight wear on the key prints in the main row, but as I'm not using a qwerty-layout or looking at the keyboard while typing, I don't really care if some keys will fade out (the mentioned logitechs usually had ~50% blank keys after ~6 months). Mechanical and tactile-wise both keyboards are still perfectly good without any noticeable wear like wobbly keys or mushy pressure points (I'm using brown switches).
I couldn't care less about backlight (it's always disabled on my thinkpad - why should I look at the keyboard anyways?), but there's the 835 variant which is the same keyboard but with RGB backlighting. According to the product description, it seems you can adjust the backlight via hotkeys, so no software needed.

They are available with german layout - although I always used US-ANSI/"UK-International" layout keyboards even if I'm german. I can't stand the stupid L-shaped enter or shortened shift-keys (these 2 facts make the german layout extremely un-ergonomical IMHO) and umlauts blocking a first layer key IMHO is just dumb; just make them a third/fourth layer (alt, alt+shift) of the non-umlaut variant (e.g. a/A/ä/Ä) instead of making a whole main-row key useless 99% of the time you are typing. That being said, I've been using a (modified) dvorak layout for several years now for ergonomic/practical/efficiency reasons, so the umlauts are not on my first keyboard layer anyways...
 
sko said:
I've been using the Perixx 535 for over a year now at work and at home and it's pretty much perfect for me. I had quite a few microsoft, logitec or cherry ergonomical keyboards before (all rubber dome) and they all just gave up after ~1 year of typing due to wear (sticking or non-registering keys), so I went for the perixx as a reasonably priced mechanical switch alternative without all that "gaming"-crap and the associated price tag.
The one at work begins to show some slight wear on the key prints in the main row, but as I'm not using a qwerty-layout or looking at the keyboard while typing, I don't really care if some keys will fade out (the mentioned logitechs usually had ~50% blank keys after ~6 months). Mechanical and tactile-wise both keyboards are still perfectly good without any noticeable wear like wobbly keys or mushy pressure points (I'm using brown switches).
I couldn't care less about backlight (it's always disabled on my thinkpad - why should I look at the keyboard anyways?), but there's the 835 variant which is the same keyboard but with RGB backlighting. According to the product description, it seems you can adjust the backlight via hotkeys, so no software needed.

They are available with german layout - although I always used US-ANSI/"UK-International" layout keyboards even if I'm german. I can't stand the stupid L-shaped enter or shortened shift-keys (these 2 facts make the german layout extremely un-ergonomical IMHO) and umlauts blocking a first layer key IMHO is just dumb; just make them a third/fourth layer (alt, alt+shift) of the non-umlaut variant (e.g. a/A/ä/Ä) instead of making a whole main-row key useless 99% of the time you are typing. That being said, I've been using a (modified) dvorak layout for several years now for ergonomic/practical/efficiency reasons, so the umlauts are not on my first keyboard layer anyways...
Click to expand...
If reliability is the main criteria, then IMO no switch can beat Japanese Topre.
 
This is the book I learned to touch-type with, yonks ago... one of the best investments of my time I ever made. :)

Type IT Yourself (Penguin Handbooks): Amazon.co.uk: Rowe, Brenda: 9780140464573: Books

Buy Type IT Yourself (Penguin Handbooks) Reprint.. by Rowe, Brenda (ISBN: 9780140464573) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
www.amazon.co.uk

Perhaps even more unbelievably, the machine I learned on was one of these! :)

1760279708846.png
 
There's a ton of touch-type tutorials/trainers online. Pick one that suits your learning style.
Usually with typing it's all about training the muscle memory, so lots and lots of repetetive and increasingly complex series of characters are the fastest way to get the first 80% and up to reasonable typing speeds. The rest will come with actually typing every day.
For me it was MUCH easier to start with a new keyboard layout instead of overriding bad habits with QWERTY gathered over almost 30 years. And let's face it - qwerty is one of the worst possible layouts you can use when it comes to ergonomics and conclusively, efficiency and typing speed. Plus, using a non-qwerty layout forces you to remember the keys instead of looking at the keyboard, as the keycaps won't help you.
 
I'd go for a QMK firmware board; their firmware supports German and etc layouts (and interesting keycode notes above): https://docs.qmk.fm/reference_keymap_extras#header-files

I had a CORSAIR mechanical keyboard for years and disliked their software; turns out open-source firmware keyboards can freely do things including on-board RGB profiles and macros, and that's the only kind I'll buy from now on! Swappable keys and base keyboard kits make it fun too :p

481999689_1178052900355596_5296856503322921445_n.jpg
481431858_1178057980355088_3550967694940385956_n.jpg


I haven't used a QMK board on FreeBSD though. I have a Hi75 (Sinowealth?) that works fine with usbhid and volume knob on 14.1-14.3! (top keyboard with fancier knob)
 
  • Thanks
Reactions: sko
Regarding open source firmware:
I also have a UHK (https://ultimatehackingkeyboard.com/) which I use with my laptop. It also has open-source and fully configurable firmware (although it requires the horrific electron framework which breaks every new moon).
It is also available with backlighting (or as an upgrade), yet it is only a compact layout without a keypad, but you could use a standalone keypad. It also features very sturdy stainless steel plates in each half, which are interconnected with steel pins. You could easily take out any wild animal (or annoying user) appearing in your office with that thing...
The currently available UHK variants are rather pricey (I got my version 1 with a large discount during the initial pre-order/kickstart campaign), but build quality and serviceability is top notch and you can any spare parts to repair/upgrade it. Even the 3D-models for the Case and Keycaps are available, so you cold 3D-print them yourself. Used v1 UHKs are occasionally available on ebay for a reasonable price.
 
Screenshot_20251013_124816.jpg


I managed 74 wpm, that was using thinkpad keyboard. Would probably do better with a good mechanical like a cherry G80, and wasn't trying very hard. It's not a very realistic test though because there are no punctuation marks or numbers. Still, it gives you an idea. If you just wanted something to practice with this would be quite a good site. It throws a sequence of words at random at you and you type them in response. There are lots of similar sites.

What it doesn't tell you is how to position your fingers or a series of drill exercises to learn the skill. It's rote learning, like your times tables. Work through the book or another typing tutor first. I can't remember how I practised after working through the book, I probably copied out printed text, these kinds of sites weren't available back then.

typetest.io

TypeTest.io - Test Your Typing Speed and Improve Your WPM

A clean and simple typing test website. Take timed tests of different durations to find out your WPM, track your progress, and improve your typing ability.
typetest.io typetest.io
 
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