Sunday 6 October 2019

Posted by Cratchety Ol Joe | File under : , , , ,
Okay, so, this isnt an actual guide but dammit I'm peeved - So... let me be clear...

I REALLY like the slim style bevelled keys... as per the silly diagram below in the middle...

most keyboards are the highly stupid chicklet style (show on left) or the 'gaming' style tall keys often found on Cherry MX style keys (shown right).

I like the middle option. but nobody damn well makes it!

Keyboard types, chicklet, bevelled, tall.

- End of micro-rant.

Posted by Cratchety Ol Joe | File under : , , , , , , , , , ,
So, many years have passed, I've now conceded to never owning a laptop on which I feel comfortable typing with any ease...

But now, My long suffering PC keyboard is finally croaking. My KDE-ABW100 is suffering with some keys no longer responding.

What does this mean? well... For one I posted the following to Reddit:

Hey,
I hope this is the right place that can help me, a little upfront info on this request;
  • I'm a VERY picky douch-bag, but I like what I like.
  • my wife has been driven to desperation by my insanity about keyboard preference.
  • What I want seems to no longer be produced...
With that in mind I'm looking for a replacement of my ADVENT ADE-KBW100 I know, I know ...
"But it's not RGB!?" - "It hasn't got X, Y ir Z feature" - "It looks like shit" - "Do you even CherryMX bruh?!"
... I get it, it's not a 'great' keyboard... But for me, to-date it has given one of the best typing (and gaming?) experiences, I have grown to love it. But, it's failing me. And after just a decade of constant use (I mean really, PAH!!!) I note that some keys are entering retirement ... aka, it's broken.
I note that the company 'Speedlink' appear to also have the same design with model numbers such as 'SL-6465 Ultra FLAT Metal' but even that appears to be gone the way of the dodo.
My very courteous wife bought me an Advent AKBWLBL15 by way of 'approximate' replacement, but honestly, it really is a different league, in not a good way :(
The keys miss keystrokes and have apparent problems with ghosting, it appears to have a latency issue i'm still trying to figure out and most keys have enough travel and are stiff enough that an actual adult gorilla using it's full weight pushing down, might just might just register.
I'm not overly excited about having to battery power a thing which has absolutely no reason to be battery powered.
THE QUESTION:
Is there a keyboard I can find with ultra low profile, short travel and hopefully "silent" (or near silent) keys, I really just want another KBW100, but it appears that I have the only one in the entire UK.
Is there a mythical keyboard out there that I might like?
Pest edit:
Some must have details:
  • Bevel key edges...
  • Dedicated multimedia keys
  • Good number pad ( I do a lot of data driven work, and this is a must)

And so, here I am, typing on a keyboard that only just suits my whimsy needs. My greatest PC using fear is come manifest, no longer can I even find second hand keyboards that I would like, the days of comfortable gaming and typing are at an end.

I have, at this point, literally spent hours, possibly devoting days of effort at attempting to find a suitable replacement. But I don't have infinite time, and i'm growing tired of searching and finding nothing.

Once again frustrated that the "industry standard" is, to me... utter bollocks.