Dell USB Keyboard US SK-8115

[gogoblender 3,224]

Thing is so clunky and old.  The key stroke on it is so huge that it seems my fingers suck up to their knuckles every time I type.  How did the simple act of writing become something so bogged down in physical exertion   I'd originally gotten this key board around ten years ago  ( maybe more  ) from work.  Its cool tray running around the outside was very attractive to me then... and ...it had green lights!     As the years began to roll by...that sweet "tray" running round the outside slowly became something else...the worlds most efficient collector of cookie crumbs and dust balls. As the cookies collect, the pressing becomes harder and my love of writing begins to wane. 

A good and scrub always does it wonders. Take a photo shot of the keys, then pluck out all the parts, drop them into a vat of dire soap let sit for two hours then towel them all down, wash and polish, now while dry upon the towel.  The next part always, at least at the beginning, seems to be a nightmare... more than a hundred keys facing you and black maw where the keyboard's face once was.  I make piles of letters, numbers... then piles of F keys, then a big pile of anything keys. Always easier to finish it from the outside in, drink a cup of tea, listen to some music... and voila... Raised, alive and in good shape, for another three years!

 

 

 

 

[chattius 2,626]

Three of my keyboards are from 1989: IBM Model M. The old heavy weight type with a steel plate and the 'famous' buckling spring torsional snap actuator:

QWERTZ and not this stupid QWERTY, no WINDOWS Key, a broad space key, ... Guess mine were once so clean as this one. They don't move on the desk because of the weight. I am in an age when typewriters were still sold and TAUGHT in school. The keyboard was close to the typewheel typewriter we used for mathematical formulas  for the spirit duplicator at school. So typing on the keyboard was a known feeling.

 

 

 

[Timotheus 430]

The model m is legendary indeed, it's been decades since I have types on one myself. Would not cross nu mind as a gaming keyboard though!

I'm gaming on a HyperX Alloy FPS Pro, which is a tenkeyless mechanical keyboard with Cherry Red switches. For the money I've spent, not sure I would buy that again. I'm not sold on the height of mechanical keyboards in general. You definitely need a wrist rest - preferably attached IMO - to feel more comfortable. 

May I drool over the Logitech G915?

Edited May 18, 2020 by Timotheus

[gogoblender 3,224]

• lol, what is with these huge, deep switches for "gamers"   .... I would think that because you have to press deeper it means more time spend traveling downwards hence getting to the execute actually takes longer...how could this be "gamer "   
• Even my cousin is in love with  his cherries and that huge clacking noise it makes... looking forward to the day when I can just trade mine to a shorter travel key set up keyboard... Gotta say though Timo...your choice is indeed dreamy... great work on that lighting..someone has really put some great design into it. Id consider something like that because it kind of "looks" like a flatter board. 

 

gogo

[chattius 2,626]

The slower your keyboard and mouse, the slower your computer and harddisc... the more work you put in your character build to survive ;)

[Timotheus 430]

@gogoblender reds are very light and aren't clicky, so that helps 

Here's a sound comparison:

 

[gogoblender 3,224]

yeeks! Lol Timo... I had no idea there was a rainbow of colors! Boy.. it looks like everything is constantly in a flux of coming back! I still cant believe that anyone would want to put up with these huge large/loud clackety sounds..   

That link to your own key board is amazing.. I can see that you probably do have those clackety clack noises... 

but perhaps of the more permissible premium clacking noises!

gogo

[Timotheus 430]

I'm actually putting o-rings on mine right now to quiet the full keystrokes. It's somewhat dependent on the switch type, but most mechanical keyboards are actually at their loudest when you bottom-out, ie press the key down fully, because the key and backplate connect. 

That said, Cherry blues are really loud on their own lol.

[gogoblender 3,224]

2 hours ago, Timotheus said:

I'm actually putting o-rings on mine right now to quiet the full keystrokes. It's somewhat dependent on the switch type, but most mechanical keyboards are actually at their loudest when you bottom-out, ie press the key down fully, because the key and backplate connect. 

That said, Cherry blues are really loud on their own lol.

That loud huh... I knew it!!

gogo

[Timotheus 430]

Lol it's all about the way they feel though! In general, mechanical keyboards feel a lot more sturdy because the keys have bigger or better stems, so there's a lot less keywobble. I would recommend going into a ... What does Canada have, Microcenter right? I would think they have some in display. Just try typing on them for a bit. 

I came from a Logitech Prodigy G213 and the difference is enormous. 

[chattius 2,626]

If not in home office nowadays...

There is a not yet mentioned big advantage with these ancient mechanical keyboards. The loud clicking makes your boss think you are working...

it's probably how you started with computers. I had mechanical keyboards from the beginning and compare all the new ones with the old ones I like(d). But if I would have started with gaming and not working keyboards, who knows.

I use a trackball and not a mouse even at games like Sacred - just because I got used to them. My cordless optical trackman from Logitech worked like a charm in all these years.

[Timotheus 430]

Finally got around to fitting the o-rings. Here's a vid for the sound comparison  

 

Spoiler

I changed the vid, if anyone was wondering

 

[gogoblender 3,224]

Brilliant! Thats such an awesome Video Timo... cant believe you put it up so fast, so candidly and so smartly.. I would never have believed what a difference they make.. 

Yes...I'm a believer ..bring on those O Rings!

gogo