Mechanical Love in a Digital World: Using a German-Engineered Gaming Keyboard for Writing

Free Republic ^ | 6/12/2016 | PoconoPundit

[poconopundit]

I just bought a new keyboard for my Windows computer.  I'm delighted with it enough to write a short review of it here.  And hopefully through your comments maybe we'll learn how FReepers are using keyboards.

Now to begin, I should explain that I'm rather fussy about my keyboards:

• Consistency is Crucial -- Since I write for a living, I want to use the exact same keyboard model so my muscle memory is not surprised by a new keyboard layout.  So I settled on the Microsoft Media Pro format. And when some of the key faces get worn so I can no longer read them, I buy the exact same keyboard off EBay. Been doing that for a couple decades now.
  

  
  

• Constant Companion -- When I go on a business trip, I usually pack my keyboard with me, so when I get to the hotel, I can hook it up to my laptop.  Never quite satisfied with the laptop's keyboard.  Lately I've been working in my local library because it's a beautifully air conditioned space for a hot Georgia spring.  When I go, I pack my keyboard, laptop, and LCD screen in a carrying case so I'll have a fully loaded workstation at the library.

• Numlock is Off -- Another point: I never use the right side numeric pad for entering numbers.  I keep the NUMLOCK OFF so my right hand can navigate a page using the PageUp, PageDown and Arrow keys without having to put my hand on the mouse.

But looking for something better than the MS Media Pro keyboard, I ended up buying the Strafe Mechanical Keyboard from a company called Corsair Components.  The keyboard is marketed primarily to gamers, but I found it quite nice for my writing purposes.  The keyboard's virtues for me are:

• Solid Keyboard Action -- Though hard to describe in words, when you press the keys, it feels like you are striking something solid and reliable.  That virtue seems to come from two things: the sturdy aluminum frame and the superior MX switch technology under each key (developed by the German firm Cherry).

  
  

• Less Typing Errors -- Most consumer keyboards on the market today are activated below by a rubber membrane which makes for a quieter and less-expensive-to-manufacture keyboard.  But the Corsair seems to better at prevent typing errors.  Why is that? Well, comparing the Corsair to the Ivation rubber membrane keyboard I tried and abandoned, you find that Corsair's keys are curved and have a 12% smaller surface area enabling more accurate key depression.  That design seems to make a difference in reduced typing errors.  Then again, I may be biased and only believe I'm typing more accurately with the Corsair.

• Moderate Price -- I spent $85 on eBay to buy the keyboard through a BestBuy store.  Previously I had never spent more than $25 for a keyboard, but considering daily use over many years, even a 20% gain in efficiency and pleasure from a superior keyboard is a great investment, I feel. 

• Individual Key Lighting -- The letters and symbols on the keys are lighted (in red) from below, meaning I'll never have to worry about a key's paint wearing off.  You can also control the intensity of light for each individual key, and in that way highlight keys for some purpose.  You can even program sequential light waves and other special effects.  Cool, I suppose, but I shut that feature off because it were a distraction -- or maybe a magnet for somebody to steal the keyboard.

• Programmatic Control of Keys -- While I've only begun to explore this option, you can also set up keyboard profiles for an individual program you are running.  For example, you could program the function keys to run different macros such as typing the paragraph <p> html tag.  So this may be useful.

• Keys Designed for Removal and Keyboard Cleaning -- Replacing the keys on a keyboard sounds like major surgery, but with the Corsair design, replacing keys is promoted as a feature.  Gamers like the ability to change the keys to conform to their favorite game.  Now changing keys is not something I personally need, but when it comes time to do a periodic full cleaning of the under-surface, it will be much easier.  The keyboard actually comes with a tool to remove the keys.

You know, we live in a world where old-style mechanical switches are going away.  And yet, the cheaper digital switches on household appliances like microwaves are not necessarily better or more human friendly.  So I laud the return of a more solid, reliable switching on keyboards and other gadgets.

One final observation.  In my work, I have run across several fine technology companies based in Germany, and it seems the brains behind this fine keyboard also come from Deutschland.  So I'd like to give a shout out to my German colleagues.

Well Done!  Appreciate your quest for excellence!  You remind me of Mr. Trump, who has inherited some German culture and heritage, I hear :- )

[poconopundit]

I always wanted to try one of these. Tell me how long it took you to get used to it — and it’s advantages, if you could.

[sparklite2]

Back in the sixties, they did a study to see how many secretaries in Washington DC could actually type and how many were in their jobs just to find a husband.

The study found that sixty-eight percent of the secretaries could touch-type, while the rest were just huntin’ peckers.

[Windflier]

“I will never again willingly use a straight keyboard.”

Same here. I started using a Microsoft ‘Natural’ keyboard around 2004, and never looked back. I have no idea how I ever typed on flat, straight keyboards.

I do have a beef with Microsoft’s newer version, though. It doesn’t feel nearly as natural and easy to navigate as the old style (like in the pic you posted).

[Jamestown1630]

:-)

(I downloaded it, will get back to you for help. I do like it as a browser.)

-JT

[sparklite2]

:)

[Fresh Wind]

It would depend on how much you use it, but I would guess a couple of weeks or so. It felt really odd at first, but now it’s very uncomfortable for me to use any other keyboard. A laptop keyboard is pure torture.

Basically, the advantage is that the two halves are approximately perpendicular to your arms, so your wrists aren’t being forced into an unnatural angle as you rest your fingers on the home key row. I am broad shouldered, so using a standard keyboard forces my upper arms against my rib cage, which I don’t like, and I used to get neck pain as a result. That might not matter so much for skinny people.

The wrist rest at the front of the keyboard is also helpful.

You also get a nice open space between your arms for papers, a book, food, or anything else.

There are adjustable keyboards that allow the angle between the two sections to be set to match your individual body geometry, but I’ve never tried any of them.

[Jamestown1630]

Do you touch-type, Windy? I’ve see pics before but never understood how I could type on one of those wavy boards...

-JT

[Windflier]

Yes, I do touch type, and it’s easier to do on an ergonomic keyboard, because the keys are split in half and angled the same way your hands and wrists are.

I find typing on a straight keyboard nearly impossible, because I have to turn each hand outward at the wrist to accommodate the position of the keys (I can’t stand laptops for the same reason). You don’t have to do that on a ‘natural’ style keyboard because the layout is angled to fit the natural position of your hands and wrists.

[Jamestown1630]

Thanks; I will have to try one out sometime.

-JT

[Windflier]

“Thanks; I will have to try one out sometime.”

You’re welcome. If you type more than a few days on it, you’ll never go back.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

I never memorized the position of the number keys above the QWERTY so I’m not that efficient.

I’m a tolerable touch typist, not for typewriting because I make mistakes and use backspace, etc - but like you I am weak on the numeric row; I know which finger maps to touch-type each key, I just wander when reaching more than one row off the home row.

I have a theory that there is too much unnecessary freedom to make gratuitous typing mistakes. There is simply no reason not to channel each finger so that it can only reach keys they are supposed to hit. A chrome wire should run from between the “B” and “N” keys up to between the “6” and “7” keys, about a quarter or half inch above the key tops. Similar wires could run from between the “C” and “V” keys to between the “4” and “5” keys, another from between the “M” and “,” keys to between the “7” and “8” keys. And so forth.

IMHO that would usefully discipline each finger to reach only the keys designated for it, and improve touch typing on the numeric row in particular.

[poconopundit]

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing, Fresh Wind.

[poconopundit]

Interesting. Your chrome wire idea is a good men.

Perhaps there's a sensor based way to train our hands to make less errors and enable a more accurate reach to the row of numbers.

Let's hope some clever inventor comes along and makes a fortune with a keyboard that helps us type more accurately.

[poconopundit]

A year and a half later, I have new intelligence and a new recommendation.

After using the Corsair mechanical keyboard for a year, I've concluded it's no longer right for me.  While I'm still delighted with the mechnical keys, I ran into some issues so I can no longer recommend:

1. Face of the keys wearing badly -- After only six months, the face of the keys became blurred to the point where I can no longer read many of the most used keys!  Pitiful.  And Corsair refuses to sell replacement kits at a reasonable price.  Seems the replacement keys they sell are not opaque which obviates the value of having a lighted keyboard.
   
   
2. Heavyweight keyboard -- The Corsair is very heavy and thus is not ideal for taking with me to the library to work.

All is not lost, I found a new mechanical keyboard created by Logitech, the K840.  It is a beautiful piece of engineering.

Here's what I like:

• Mechanical but Half the Weight -- Now I no longer need to lug the Corsair armored tank with me. And yet, at half the weight, I still get with the K840 the solidness of a mechnical design.  The keys respond to the touch and give you the assurance of mechanical resistance, but I find myself making less errors.  Just the right tactile feel.  Also the keyboard is quieter than Corsair.
  
  
• Lower price -- I bought this for $59 at BestBuy whereas I paid $79 for the Corsair.  So I got a good deal: attractive aluminum base, one year warranty, and the keys look like they will not wear out.
  
  
• No keyboard lighting -- So I lost keyboard lighting, but I really don't need it.  The novelty of having lighting wore off on me.  It's a nice to have -- but not as nice as having keys that don't wear off.

In the final analysis, I'm glad the market leader, Logitech, stepped up and delivered a mechanical keyboard.  And they have the solid global distribution and manufacturing muscle to do it it right.  It's a cool piece of engineering.

We can thank Corsair for forcing Logitech to see the wisdom of having a line of mechanical keyboards.

If you do a lot of typing, I think you're going to be happy with this one.

[V K Lee]

Competition. It pushes us to do better.

Though the one being used lacks a key, one ALWAYS seems to stick
(my fault, there, a drink that dribbled); it will
continue to be used until it is unusable
Thanks for the continuing report, PP and kudos on your superb
memory after two years time :-)

[poconopundit]

LOL, it happened to me just a couple weeks ago.

My daughter was home from graduate school (Cal Berkeley) and put her Mac computer on the dining table.

Me the dummie spills a glass of water on the table and it enters one of the side connectors.

The computer goes kaput and we spend a couple days thinking how to fix.

So just after I spent a couple hours updating my used computer for her to use as a substitute, I get an email from her saying her Mac is working fine again!

And I remarked, “You just knew that Steve Jobs was finicky enough. He wasn’t going to let a simple water spill to a cable connector take out his motherboard.”

Didn’t make any sense. So good engineering saved the day on that one. Oh, and my daughter was impressed that I spent the time to get set up with my old computer.

Win/win... :- )