Been looking for a good cheap (under $50 hopefully)keyboard that is USB 2or 3 compatible, that is sturdy & the buttons are good to type on for a few years. I find the iMac wireless keyboard buttons to be weak & unfixable. Seen some keyboards that were $99, like WHOA! Needed a mouse & I got Amazon Basics mouse & it does the job. Now I need a keyboard.
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looking for a new keyboard....
- Thread starter Moebian
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The best and most reliable keyboard, I think, are the most basic keyboards like a Dell keyboard that comes with a mouse. You can get a keyboard for $6-$9 which I believe will last a long time (much longer than Apple's extremely thin keyboards that will be destroyed with one tiny drop of water).
I've had 3--now 4--Apple keyboards fail from moisture. Each keyboard was a nightmare. Wasted $70 on an Apple bluetooth keyboard to replace an Apple keyboard. It failed after a month when I tried to clean it. After almost another month drying it out and so, it almost fully worked again, but the right arrow key in the very bottom right corner was flickering on and off. This caused tons of problems and it did not go away. I'd rather have a non-functional key than a key that flickers like that, so I tried to destroy it but ended up destroying the entire keyboard. I probably slid the plastic films slightly and several keys got stuck on or flickering, including the volume up key. What happened was it turned up the volume on my computer all the way up while making other noises!
So I'd recommend a basic standard USB keyboard. I saw a listing on Best Buy's website for a Dynex Keyboard and Mouse combo for $9.99 (link). Dynex is a good brand. I am probably going to get this myself (because of the Apple Pro Keyboard that failed).
If you type a lot or code, purchase a mechanical keyboard with Cherry MX Blue switches. I own a couple, they are a real joy to type on, and I am super accurate with the Cherry MX Blues. Go on Youtube and look at reviews. I am definitely more accurate, and perhaps 10% to 15% faster, on a good mechanical keyboard with MX Blues. Not an exaggeration; I press the backspace key way less when on a good mechanical board, and it's way easier to speed type without looking down because your hands and fingers have a lot more room and easier travel across the board, as well as improved tactile recognition of key presses.
Also, I recently responsed to another thread, located here. If you want a really great keyboard, get the Das Professional S for Mac Mechanical Keyboard. It's more than double your target budget. But I believe it is well worth it, because the two most important interactions between you and the computer are the monitor and the keyboard -- hence I get the best for both.
If you are not convinced, then look for a cheaper but sturdy alternative with Cherry MX Blue switches, if you are a typist or coder. Here is a handy spreadsheet for various mechanical switches. If you really pound on keyboards, then you can go for heavier switches, such as clears or even greens (very heavy press).
Once you go mechanical, you will never, ever go back to crap membrane keyboards which come with most computers.
Also, I recently responsed to another thread, located here. If you want a really great keyboard, get the Das Professional S for Mac Mechanical Keyboard. It's more than double your target budget. But I believe it is well worth it, because the two most important interactions between you and the computer are the monitor and the keyboard -- hence I get the best for both.
If you are not convinced, then look for a cheaper but sturdy alternative with Cherry MX Blue switches, if you are a typist or coder. Here is a handy spreadsheet for various mechanical switches. If you really pound on keyboards, then you can go for heavier switches, such as clears or even greens (very heavy press).
Once you go mechanical, you will never, ever go back to crap membrane keyboards which come with most computers.
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