MoneySense Profiles $240 Keyboard

[RWD]

You can pry my Model M from my cold, dead hands. The quality is so much better than today's cheap $5 keyboard and the difference can be felt when typing. I spent less than $10 for it at a Goodwill a decade ago, but I would gladly pay as much as $50 for a well-made keyboard. That $240 one is probably of fine quality as well, but most of the cost is for needless style and flashiness.

The Model M was quite a good keyboard. Mechanical keyboards are the modern equivalent of the Model M.

[seattlecyclone]

Indeed. You don't need $240 to buy a well-made mechanical keyboard though. If you spend that much it's not just because you want something well-made that feels good to type on, you also want something that looks fancy and that you can brag to your friends about wasting your money on.

[Rubic]

My keyboard costs more than my current laptop (ebay purchase).  It is well-built, suited for my style of coding, and has already survived two earlier laptops. As seattlecyclone says, you'll have to pry my keyboard from a cold dead hands -- but before rigor mortis sets in, or you'll have a difficult task.

Happy Hacking Professional 2 (Dark Gray, Non-Printed)
https://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=pfu_keyboards,hhkbpro2&pid=pdkb400bn

What's worse, I actually own two of these keyboards, one for home and one for office, somewhat mitigated by the fact that I didn't pay for them (but I would purchase a replacement if either got lost/stolen).  As others have mentioned, I consider this a professional tool.  I have spent too many years wearing out and replacing crappy keyboards and watching friends suffer from RSI prior to investing in a top quality keyboard.

[the_fella]

What dollar store sells keyboards for $1? The cheapest keyboard I've ever found at a "traditional" store (ie: not a thrift store) is the one I'm typing this one. It was on clearance for $6.49.

[Kaspian]

You can pry my Model M from my cold, dead hands. The quality is so much better than today's cheap $5 keyboard and the difference can be felt when typing. I spent less than $10 for it at a Goodwill a decade ago, but I would gladly pay as much as $50 for a well-made keyboard. That $240 one is probably of fine quality as well, but most of the cost is for needless style and flashiness.

The Model M was quite a good keyboard. Mechanical keyboards are the modern equivalent of the Model M.

Hilarious the Model M keeps coming up!  I haven't thought about them in years--maybe I'll hunt one down by looking under the office desks around here.  The best thing I remember is you could never tell if the keyboard was stained with coffee, soda, nicotine, grime, or whether it was the keyboard's natural color to begin with.  :)

And I just realized it really is a "thing" because used/new they go on eBay for $50-700. 

[protostache]

My point was a "money" web site advising the average person they would financially benefit in any way shape or form from these is stupid.  And sort of like MMM advising people they need to buy a cement mixer truck for a DIY project.

I do agree you probably won't write better code with a fancy keyboard, but you will at least mark your personality.  And if you wanna get fancy, $200 on a keyboard (paid by the employer no less) is probably better than a $60 000 truck in the parking lot.  I don't think anyone of the programmers in my office drive to work - they all walk, bike or take the bus.  [:)]

And for some, it just plain ergonomics.  One of my guys has this baby which reduced some pain:

I'm typing on one of these right now. I have another one in a box, because the electronic guts started flaking out and I couldn't wait for the repair turnaround so I just bought another one. Using a normal keyboard for extended periods leads to incredibly distracting wrist pain, and this is the only thing that has helped. Since starting to use one six years ago the only time my wrists flare up is when I'm using my laptop's built-in keyboard for multiple day stretches.

I credit it with saving my career.

[libertarian4321]

I can't imagine ever paying for a keyboard.

Rarely does any computer I buy have a longer life cycle than the keyboard unless I do something stupid like spill a drink on it.

So I have a stack of keyboards in the garage.  Just the cheap things that come with the computers.

My favorite is a little Dell keyboard from 2006.  The computer it came with died 2 years ago, the keyboard was better than the POS chiclet style keyboard (I hate those damned things- I can't touch type on them at all) that Dell sent with the new computer, so the keyboard lives on.

I'm typing this on a 2002 vintage Dell keyboard attached to my work notebook through a docking station (which is needed, because this is an old PS2 style keyboard).  Works just fine, why would I need anything else?

[AlanStache]

The only real down side I have seen to the free keyboards that come with computers is that they may not have audio volume controls.  Mute/vol up/vol down come in handy more than you might think at home and at work. 

Deciding factor on a keyboard: volume controls
Deciding factor on a monitor: power button on the front.

[StockBeard]

Man, dishwater safe is great... I have a lot of crumbs in my keyboard!

Yeah I'd totally pay $240 for that. Think of the health benefits, all the germs!

[Syonyk]

I can't imagine ever paying for a keyboard.
...
I'm typing this on a 2002 vintage Dell keyboard attached to my work notebook through a docking station (which is needed, because this is an old PS2 style keyboard).  Works just fine, why would I need anything else?

Do you make your living on a computer, or some other way?

The difference that ergonomic keyboards make if you're on them all day is significant.