revtothelimit - motorbike forum

When did 'proper' computer keyboards become 'gaming' ie premium price keyboards?

I hate these flat, laptop style things and want an old style, raised key/dished top* keyboard like computers used to be supplied with and people were trained to touch-type on - but wireless and standard Windows layout with numerical keypad.

Started to look and ended up down a rabbit hole of backlit, programmable, swappable, £160 'gaming' stuff by manufacturers I've never heard of.

Found a Keychron K10 that might suit but thought I'd ask the collective if they have any recommendations?

* may be called 'banana' keys?

Didn't know people still used keyboards. Well, other than the ones attached to their laptops.

weeksy wrote: Wed May 06, 2026 6:58 am Didn't know people still used keyboards. Well, other than the ones attached to their laptops.

People who write a lot of text probably do (speech-to-text is good, but not that good ).

People who do a lot of numbers probably use something like this...

https://www.hp.com/gb-en/shop/product.a ... bb&sel=acc

TBH that'll probably do for most of what I need along with wife's old 'proper' keyboard (that she's worn half the letters off... ).

Have you considered a neural lace?

Get something like this, your wrists will thank you:

.

I have an old Windows equivalent.

And, because of RSI, one of these (3M):

.

https://www.cherry.de/en-gb/products/keyboards



Personally, and I like a good clackety keyboard too, I currently use a Logitech K270 wireless. Not too expensive, not overly loud (unlike the very very clackety Cherrys and some others), and as long as the receiver* is in direct line of sight of the keyboard, then all is good.



* I use a Logitech Unifying receiver because I also use a Logitech Trackball (MX ERGO)

Rockburner wrote: Wed May 06, 2026 8:17 am https://www.cherry.de/en-gb/products/keyboards



Personally, and I like a good clackety keyboard too, I currently use a Logitech K270 wireless. Not too expensive, not overly loud (unlike the very very clackety Cherrys and some others), and as long as the receiver* is in direct line of sight of the keyboard, then all is good.



* I use a Logitech Unifying receiver because I also use a Logitech Trackball (MX ERGO)

Excellent, thanks. I'll have a look at the Cherry range, but, having checked the old keyboard I mentioned ^^^ I find it's an old Logitech LX710 and matching mouse with one of the 'line of sight' dongles. It's got a few miles on it but I'll give that a go first. Might have to Tippex some letters onto a few keys. It's not too clackety. If I want seriously clackety we still have a manual typewriter* in the loft.

* Only because it's an Olivetti Valentine. A bit of a design classic that had some advertising that would raise an eyebrow or two now. Can't find it but it was along the lines of 'if you don't want to be noticed, walk naked down the street carrying an Olivetti Valentine'...with obligatory phwoooar woman carrying one.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivetti_ ... prov=sfla1

Count Steer wrote: Wed May 06, 2026 6:51 am When did 'proper' computer keyboards become 'gaming' ie premium price keyboards?

Dunno but I've been using a Razor Huntsman for years.
First had really nice loud clicky switches, this one is optical and silent, I think the spare that's sitting under the desk goes back to clicky switches.

Yes they're spendy, luckily I don't pay as they double up for work from home use and they last ages

As a two finger typist I just make a choice between wired or wireless for each computer location then get the cheapest full size that I can. I also use Logitech wireless for armchair/tv use and it has good enough range for that. I've had only one disaster with a really cheap unbranded one which broke very soon after I bought it, so I prefer to stick to a known brand ( Microsoft, HP, Logitech ) even though they are probably all made in the far east.

If I wrote for a living I would probably be more fussy but I have got away without proper typing skills for an entire career!

I've been using a Keychron K8 Pro for three years now and am really happy with it. It has Gateron Brown switches fwiw.

It has been noted that it's quite loud on online video meetings so I have to use a membrane style keyboard if I need one for meetings.

dern wrote: Wed May 06, 2026 4:50 pm I've been using a Keychron K8 Pro for three years now and am really happy with it. It has Gateron Brown switches fwiw.

It has been noted that it's quite loud on online video meetings so I have to use a membrane style keyboard if I need one for meetings.

Cheers, I'd been looking at a Keychron with Brown switches on Amazon along with a few others but really didn't know what the significance of lots of the specs was.

Be nice if there was somewhere like PC World where I could have a tappity-tap on a few!

I've had a Technet mechanical keyboard for a couple of years. Typing at around 60-80wpm means it gets used a lot and it is comfortable, easy to use and is also backlit if I want that. I had a return on one after about 9 months and the company were excellent in their returns procedure and a new one was sent out quickly. The letters remain clear and the keys are crisp and solid with an easy action. It is very nice to type on.

Count Steer wrote: Wed May 06, 2026 8:45 pm

dern wrote: Wed May 06, 2026 4:50 pm I've been using a Keychron K8 Pro for three years now and am really happy with it. It has Gateron Brown switches fwiw.

It has been noted that it's quite loud on online video meetings so I have to use a membrane style keyboard if I need one for meetings.

Cheers, I'd been looking at a Keychron with Brown switches on Amazon along with a few others but really didn't know what the significance of lots of the specs was.

Be nice if there was somewhere like PC World where I could have a tappity-tap on a few!

You can buy key switch testers from Gateron, and I spent far too long researching this and thinking about getting a kit. In the end, the keyboard looked a lot better than the shit £20 ones and the laptop keyboards, so I just bought it. I've been using it every day for 3 years and don't regret it. It's a deep rabbit hole, but I found that the brown switches were enough like the old-fashioned keyboards I vaguely remember having back in the day, without being unnecessarily clicky, resistive or springy. It's pretty subjective, though it has to be said.

dern wrote: Wed May 06, 2026 4:50 pm I've been using a Keychron K8 Pro for three years now and am really happy with it. It has Gateron Brown switches fwiw.

It has been noted that it's quite loud on online video meetings so I have to use a membrane style keyboard if I need one for meetings.

I've gone for the Keychron K10 with Brown switches.

It arrives today so will report back. I think the K10 must have replaced the K8.

Count Steer wrote: Tue May 19, 2026 7:13 am

dern wrote: Wed May 06, 2026 4:50 pm I've been using a Keychron K8 Pro for three years now and am really happy with it. It has Gateron Brown switches fwiw.

It has been noted that it's quite loud on online video meetings so I have to use a membrane style keyboard if I need one for meetings.

I've gone for the Keychron K10 with Brown switches.

It arrives today so will report back. I think the K10 must have replaced the K8.

Cool. Hope you like it.

Well, it's a v solid bit of kit! Not used in anger yet but the key action feels spot on. The whole thing feels quite 'quality'.

It's currently just charging and is getting goo-goo eyes from wife because of changing colour backlight display.

(I suspect I may be ordering myself another!).

I've never used the wireless bit of it and if I accidentally hit the keyboard colour switch I just cycle through the whole lot of options to get back to solid red

dern wrote: Thu May 21, 2026 11:33 am I've never used the wireless bit of it and if I accidentally hit the keyboard colour switch I just cycle through the whole lot of options to get back to solid red

In the end I just plugged it in - don't really need the wireless option but I think the existing dongle that is in place for the mouse is the right frequency, so wouldn't need 2 dongles). I haven't worked out the coloured backlight thing yet. The switch/key I have found is on/off...so it's off.

(The key combination I found on-line to cycle through the colours doesn't work but I probably need to load the app thing that does it all, inc key remapping, on screen but, tbh, I'm very happy with it as is. Top recommendation.

More expensive than planned though - because now my wife wants one. ).

Count Steer wrote: Thu May 21, 2026 12:01 pm

dern wrote: Thu May 21, 2026 11:33 am I've never used the wireless bit of it and if I accidentally hit the keyboard colour switch I just cycle through the whole lot of options to get back to solid red

In the end I just plugged it in - don't really need the wireless option but I think the existing dongle that is in place for the mouse is the right frequency, so wouldn't need 2 dongles). I haven't worked out the coloured backlight thing yet. The switch/key I have found is on/off...so it's off.

(The key combination I found on-line to cycle through the colours doesn't work but I probably need to load the app thing that does it all, inc key remapping, on screen but, tbh, I'm very happy with it as is. Top recommendation.

More expensive than planned though - because now my wife wants one. ).

...for me too, now... I miss not having the number keypad and might order one.

The lightbulb key above pgup changes the light patterns.

dern wrote: Thu May 21, 2026 3:11 pm

Count Steer wrote: Thu May 21, 2026 12:01 pm

dern wrote: Thu May 21, 2026 11:33 am I've never used the wireless bit of it and if I accidentally hit the keyboard colour switch I just cycle through the whole lot of options to get back to solid red

In the end I just plugged it in - don't really need the wireless option but I think the existing dongle that is in place for the mouse is the right frequency, so wouldn't need 2 dongles). I haven't worked out the coloured backlight thing yet. The switch/key I have found is on/off...so it's off.

(The key combination I found on-line to cycle through the colours doesn't work but I probably need to load the app thing that does it all, inc key remapping, on screen but, tbh, I'm very happy with it as is. Top recommendation.

More expensive than planned though - because now my wife wants one. ).

...for me too, now... I miss not having the number keypad and might order one.

The lightbulb key above pgup changes the light patterns.

Oh! I'll have to have another dab because the light bulb just seemed to be on/off - and once it was off I left it there. I Googled and found a list that said Function key + right or left arrow iirc scrolls through colour options but that didn't seem to work.

I got an 'order in the next x minutes and get this for ~£25 off' on Amazon for mine but when I looked to get another they'd gone back to full price. I'll keep looking at it daily and hopefully Amazon will try and tempt me again.

PS HP do a mechanical numerical keypad for about £54 and I thought about that and a smaller keyboard but it's more convenient as a single keyboard.