[X] My Assistant

I have changed five keyboards so far.

I've never had to throw away a keyboard. Quality is economy.

Changed once since I didn't really like the green razer shit. Poured ramen on my current keyboard but luckily got away with only 1 dead led.

I've given away a few keyboards but that's usually if i've accumulated multiple of a specific type.

I rotate between two or three boards i like most depending on how much space i need on my desk for a given task and just based on my general mood, but I've had all of those keyboards for years.

i don't care about modern cherry mx/mx derived mechanical boards, the ones I've used at other peoples' places have all felt kind of lame.

I last bought a keyboard about two years ago and it's just a version of my IBM board from the 1980's that doesn't have a numpad to save some space if i'm soldering on my desk or something.

The mean age for my keyboards, even including the newish one I bought which is using an ancient design, is 27.5 years old, and the median is about 35.

Changed once since I didn't really like the green razer shit. Poured ramen on my current keyboard but luckily got away with only 1 dead led.

The LED might be fine, it could just be the microcontroller or a transistor that drives it. Not that that's better or anything (it's worse).

This post has been edited by Moonlight Rambler: Apr 6 2025, 20:52

I have a Zboard that I bought over 15 years ago when I got into WoW.

I have another one sitting in it's box that's basically new for when this one eventually fails.

I don't know how they stopped getting made but they're bulletproof.

Just once, I was using some cheap chinese one while I was saving for a better keyboard. I bought Corsair many years ago and I'm still using it.

I have the tea/coffee test, where I am super tired after work and then spill and entire tea or coffee onto my keyboard.

Good keyboards are designed with spills in mind with drain ports and protection for the circuits. There are five levels of outcomes:

1. Not even affected. Still work whilst liquid drains out and dries.
2. Minor issues until dried.
3. Does not work until dried.
4. Landfill
5. Landfill and takes out a USB port.

Better quality mechanical keyboards tend to survive with flying colors. Membrane keyboards, even 'good quality' ones tend to die.

I think I'm on number like 5 or 6.
First was due to falling off my desk, another I think I just wore out, one I smashed, another I spilled coffee onto it and it made the keys internals all sticky, and those are the ones I remember.

So far EVGA's seem the best and most durable for me.

None.

One I'm using now is about 15 years old and a cheap one, has eaten certain spills and is working just fine with no skipped keys or stuck ones.

The one before this was a big blocky gray one from the mid '90s that accidentally got boxed up and thrown out by a family member. As I use the keyboard a lot I'm genuinely curious how these things even manage to die...

3.

Replaced it once for spill damage. Did it again but the new one was a busted piece of crap. Finally got a better one.

I've had a razor keyboard for 5 years now to replace the cheap one I got for free with pre-builts. It was on offer and not really good. but better than nothing.

1

Been using the same for like 4 years, so zero (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

My keyboard is older than my computer. About 3-4 years at this point. The previous one was the exact same make and model (Filco Majestouch 2) but I broke the cable on that and had to replace it after ~10-12 years of use.

To be clear, the old one breaking was completely my own fault. I dropped that thing so many times, and with a sauldering iron the cable probably could've been replaced as the rest of the keyboard was fine.

I'm one of those people that's pretty deep into the keyboard hobby. I'll cycle out my daily driver keyb for a different once just to mix things up.

I don't think there's a linear spectrum from "better" to "worse" keyboards as much as there is personal preferences for people. Use what you like and don't pay attention to people that try to make it a competition

ive been using the same keyboard for ~12 years. its still working fine. i paid like $20 for it in 201x and its moved with me like 4 times since then.

I have never replaced as I have built my first pc year and few months ago I am still rocking with the keyboard I bought back then and there is nun wrong w it dont plan to replace it anytime soon

Almost as often as I have spilled a drink while using one.

I get the feeling that even $150 keyboards having the "Achilles' Heel" of anything more than two drops of liquid hitting it is from intentional design.

In fact, I've only ever replaced one keyboard, one that someone else used and gave me for free, and that one appears to have had the key rubber sealed, and water dripping on it didn't seep down and affect the keyboard