I have a question that I'm hoping some of you experts can help me with. After years of suffering with the flat iMac keyboard, I have finally decided to buy a real (i.e. mechanical) one. On my work computer, I am happily using my vintage 1989 Northgate keyboard (model K104). This is my favorite keyboard of all time. What I love about it is that it has a great tactile feel and click with a slightly lighter touch than the legendary IBM model M buckling spring keyboard. It's also a little bit quieter.
After quite a bit of internet research, I bought a Das Keyboard Professional Model S for Mac (Cherry MX blue switches). It's okay, but I'm not loving it as much as I had hoped. I find the feel good for most of the keys, but thy seem slow to come back up, and I sometimes don't get a keypress to register. It also makes a hollow, echoey "ringing" sound with every keypress, especially from the space bar. The switches also make a rather high-pitched sound with each press. It's especially bad on the larger keys--shift, spacebar, etc. So my guess is that this results from a combination of the Cherry blue switches and the mechanism used to hold the longer keys.
Given all that, are there any suggestions as to which keyboard I might really like? I've considered the Matias Tactile Pro (they are taking pre-orders for version 4), but many of the reviews I've read talk about mediocre build quality and poor reliability. Would I be happiest going completely old-school with a Unicomp and its buckling springs? They now make Mac-specific versions. Is there anything that will feel like my beloved old Northgate?
- Hal -
