The next keyboard

I am a keyboard snob. I’m at it so often — writing for work, blogging, coding, gaming, etc. — that it really has to be perfect. (I’m a mouse snob too, but not quite as much.)

Many people, including me, consider the old IBM “Type-M” keyboard to be the pinnacle of achievement, keyboard-wise. They’re the “old-fashioned” clicky keyboards that can wake the dead if you’re touch-typing. They feel great and also weigh a ton (more than five pounds!), making them a useful weapon should the need ever arise.

But my wife complained about the noise. She prefers a silent computing environment. I went in search of something else.

One I really liked, at first, is the Saitek Eclipse II. It’s also solid, but much quieter, and the backlit keys come in more handy than I would have thought. But the key travel on the Eclipse II isn’t quite enough for a writer. It’s perfect for gaming, but I need something with a little more key travel.

I thought I found the perfect keyboard with the Keytronic EO3600 line. They look like the old IBM keyboards, but they’re quieter. And they have the same nice key travel but don’t require all the force the IBMs did. (Even nicer, the keys you hit with your pinkies need less force than those you hit with your index and middle fingers.)

One problem with the Keytronic: They’re built like crap. I’ve had keyboards for years without a problem, but one of the two Keytronics I got started flaking out after about 18 months. The NumLock and CapsLock lights became intermittent, and it developed a slight warp so that it began rattling on the tabletop. (Now they come with a two-year warranty, but mine is out of that phase.)

Thus began the search for the next, best keyboard. I considered another Keytronic, but something else occurred to me: The mouse was a long way away.

Huh? What I mean, is, as someone who uses both they keyboard and the mouse an awful lot, the hand travel from ASDF JKL; to the mouse becomes noticeable and annoying after a while. I use a lot of keyboard shortcuts (more than most people, I’ve come to understand), but you can’t quite use a keyboard for everything.

So, I thought, what about an integrated trackball?  Not one over the number pad, but within the keyboard like some laptops? That way I wouldn’t have to reach over for the mouse all the time….

Bottom line, I went for a Unicomp Endurapro. It’s got a similar (if not identical) feel to the old Model Ms, but it adds Windows keys (which I use often enough, especially Windows-M to minimize everything) and that Trackpoint thingy that can occasionally replace the mouse — e.g., when I’m on a roll.

Oh, and it’s black and gray, so it looks modern enough not to get snide comments from my office mates if I bring it into work.