Ask HN: What keyboard do you recommend build+use?

Logitech MX keys (wireless). I used mechanical keyboards for years and switched to this and am way happier. The important thing for me, is that pressing a key requires very little effort/force - for putting less stress on your body. I now think mechanical keyboards are a gimmick, only useful for the clicky sounds and RGB light. Being wireless is an added bonus. It lasts 2-3 weeks of 16~ hour day usage.

Rama Works Thermal.

I love it. I got the original, I think there’s second version. It’s one of those small run mechanical keyboards that you’ve gotta find out about at the right time to get in on the preorder.

What’s good?

So it’s heavy. About 1.5kg. When typing on it, it doesn’t move. At all.

It has this pretty neat metal plate that the keys are attached to that flexes when pressed and helps to provide a nice feeling of feedback.

I’ve got it in the HHKB layout. Which means my arrow keys are on another layer and require a fn button to use. Some people will hate that, I found it means my hands need to move around less.

I also pair it with a Magic Trackpad. Which combined is smaller than a standard full size keyboard.

Now, should you get one — or something similar?

When fully built this could be one of those $~1000 keyboards. But if you want one, you’ve gotta follow a maker or foundry that’s producing them. You’ve gotta work out if they’re legit and can actually deliver (rama has been doing this for year).

Then you’ve gotta get switches, and there’s lots of options. Then keycaps. For each you could spend more than a decent off the shelf keyboard.

If you’ve read this far you probably know already know the answer. It’s a lot of work, costs a decent amount of money, with a huge payoff — if you get it right.

If you’ve never built one before, find a well reviewed but cheap board with hot swap sockets. Try some switches, find what feels good. And go from there. Don’t drop big money straight away.

I think everyone who works closely with computers should build their own keyboard. It’s you most personal, direct interface with the computer.

With a great keyboard, as you switch computers you keyboard comes with you.

I absolutely recommend a split Keyboard. I bought one and it changed my life.

https://aposymbiont.github.io/split-keyboards/

I have a Dygma Raise. It's cool, but the main problem is that it doesn't work under the BIOS or Grub. Besides it, I love it. You may find some other split keyboard is better for your specific case.

Kinesis Advantage, there is nothing that comes close. I've tried others but the Advantage is truly a work of art.

Edit, sorry you said build. This is not a build your own.

UHK. Warning though, once you start you can’t go back. It presents to the machine as a mouse on holding the mouse key. I take my hands off the keyboard to use the mouse 80% less now. No it’s not the same as janky Mac OS mouse keys.

http://ultimatehackingkeyboard.com/

We'll all have different usecase so I'll only talk about my own.

I'm not a "mechanical" keyboard enthusiast myself so I'd approach this slightly different to many others I think.

I generally like a narrow, low-travel keyboard with a trackpad or trackpoint. i.e. a laptop sitting centrally below an external monitor.

I value symmetry. So I try to get the same modifier keys for each hand to make touch typing easier. That's not always possible with a laptop which would be a good reason to make something custom.

I dislike number pads and mice as I think they pull right hand off centre, which leads to discomfort long term.

I guess the perfect design, from my personal perspective, would hinge on if you can get low travel keys for an external keyboard build or not.

Myself, I can compromise with just sticking to a laptop and a non-qwerty layout all the time but it does mean that I have the same keyboard when I'm travelling away from my desk.

Any of the larger Matias keyboards. I love my Matias mini with quiet clicks. It took a couple of days to get used to, but I don't think I will ever look elsewhere. If you want actually tactile switches stear clear of Mx brown.

The quiet clicks have had some reliability issues. The clickies have not.

If you like linear switches, maybe look on any of the contactless keyboards. Wooting, razer huntsman, varmilos electrocapacitive, or steelseries. Those will be much nicer feeling than something like a contact-based linear switch.

I love the dactyl manuform. There is a learning curve but it was worth it because I type faster and completely without any pain I had in my hands with regular keyboards. I have build a customized clone of this one couple years back but I'm sure there are even newer forks: https://github.com/tshort/dactyl-keyboard

IBM Model M. I have 5 or 6 and that's probably enough to last me the rest of my life.

If you want to get wrist-deep in there, you could get one, bolt-mod it, fit an internal USB converter to it and so on.

Some models have built-in trackpoint or trackball pointing devices, which makes them arguably more practical and more hackable.

Tex Shinobi: https://tex.com.tw/products/shinobi?variant=16969883648090

Ergodox-EZ. I don’t have shoulder pains anymore.