Dumb story from today, which I want to share, simply so I have an excuse to type lots of text. And you'll see why in a minute. As you may know, I used to be a gamer and hardware enthusiast, which I still am to some degree. One thing that hasn't changed over the years is me being extremely picky about my hardware, including my peripherals. For a long time, I've been using a Microsoft SideWinder X6 keyboard that I received as a gift from ~o-l-pixel. It did its job very well, but I felt like having something new, despite there being no outright need for it. And conicidentally, I was reading about oldschool mechanical keyboards, the kind that still use mechanical switches instead of rubber domes underneath their keys. The most famous example is probably the IBM model M from the 1980s, which you can still buy used and remanufactured. However, it lacked programmable hotkeys, media controls, volume controls, backlighting, the sort of stuff I've grown to like with my X6. But during my relentless search for a new keyboard, I also came across some modern incarnations of mechanical beasts.

These would be the Logitech G710+ and the Corsair Vengeance K90. Both are big, heavy, specialized hardware, geared towards hardcore gamers. Each uses different kinds of key switches, manufactured by Cherry, with the resulting typing experience being ever so slightly different. After reading many many reviews, I decided that I just wasn't able to decide which one is better. Both had some faults that seem minor to some, but which could turn into a major annoyance for me. In the end, I did what every sensible decadent person would do: I just ordered both from Amazon, with the intention of sending one back after testing them.

So. Here I am. With three humongous, overpriced gaming keyboards. My old SideWinder, and the two new beasts. And while the typing experience is indeed a bit different on the mechanical ones, it isn't really that superior. After reading reviews, you'd be forgiven for thinking that mechanical keyboards are the only true keyboards out there. But after trying both, I have come to the conclusion that they they are in fact not that superior to the cheap rubber dome solution. Yes, I've typed on some horrible rubber dome keyboards. Didn't stop me from typing what I had to, but if you're a keen touch typist like me, getting almost 200 hits per minute, you just consider typing to be much more fun on good quality keyboards.

In this case, I can't deny that my old keyboard isn't really that bad. In fact, it's quite good. I thought I liked keyboards that had proper key travel, since the Microsoft one is more laptop like. But after typing on these "real" keyboards for some time, I found that there isn't any magic behind them. Apart from the price, with both costing more than 100€. And that's too much if you consider that they don't really feel that superior. You can probably see where this is going. I'll be stuffing both back into their respective boxes, sending it all on its way back to Amazon. I can't justify spending that much money on something that might be quite okay, but sure as hell isn't as outstanding as reviewers have lead me to belive. Oh well, at least I got to try them out in peace, and was able to do a direct comparison between the old and the new.

This is highly irritating for me, as this shipment was the only thing I looked forward to this week. Will be flying to Budapest tomorrow, as we planned to help my 96 year old grandmother with some stuff in her apartment. But as of now, she's at the hospital, and we don't know when and if she'll leave it again. Not really and awesome week...

If you find any typos, you may keep them. Have been typing this journal on three different keyboards, so I didn't pay as much attention as I usually do.

And a pic to go along with the text: