Do all Cherry keyboards use mechanical switches?

From what I can remember Cherry produced cheap cr*p versions of IBM keyboards. The latter were heavy, clicky, but wonderful to type on! Maybe they improved in later years...
 
Cherry have never produced "crap". I've always found them nice to type on, but don't have the clunk of an IBM or Das.
 
ChrisLX200 said:
From what I can remember Cherry produced cheap cr*p versions of IBM keyboards. The latter were heavy, clicky, but wonderful to type on! Maybe they improved in later years...
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Funny that, as Cherry produced the switches for the IBM clicky keyboards (the product which was in fact produced by Lexmark) ;)

paradigm said:
You want a Das Keyboard Professional!
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I know I do, but the only 105 layout keyboard is sold by a German retailer and I don't want to pay in Euros, given the exchange rate :(
 
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I believe I still have a few in the loft somewhere, certainly an IBM, and my old Tandem (?) PC-AT box. Keyboards won't even fit of course having the big round plug (pre-ps2). The AT has a RAMPage card in it with a whopping 2MB RAM - capacity achieved by plugging in lots of individual ram chips. Going back a bit now :)
 
Hatter The Mad said:
Funny that, as Cherry produced the switches for the IBM clicky keyboards (the product which was in fact produced by Lexmark) ;)

They may well have done, but that didn't stop them cornering the cheap end of the market as well. When IBM XT and ATs were being made, the so-called IBM-'clones' often came with a Cherry keyboard. It's too many years ago to remember for certain, but like I said I recall they were c*ap - little feedback, vague, soft-click, that sort of thing. People at work were walking off with the genuine IBM boards for use at home - so much so there was a critical shortage at one point and they secured them to the base unit making them more difficult to nick :)
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Cherry make both keyboards with mechanical keys and membranes. Also, from what I remember they were rather good compared to a lot of other carp that was about years ago (and still is). Where I used to work they were quite popular compared to certain other brands of keyboard and certainly more reliable.
 
paradigm said:
Cherry have never produced "crap". I've always found them nice to type on, but don't have the clunk of an IBM or Das.
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Neutron said:
If you're going for a Cherry Keyboard, you fail :|
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You both need to learn what you're talking about.

Das Keyboard II, which sells for twenty dollars more than the original, addresses the criticisms of the first version. It features gold-plated and clicky mechanical key switches made by Cherry
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Swi1ch said:
What on Earth is the difference between mechanical keys and...whatever the other type of keys there are :S
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Most keyboards these days use a "membrane" type switch mechanisim, basically two layers of plastic with the contacts printed on them (very cheap, extremely quick and easy to make) - basically the same as most remote controls, mobile phones etc.

Mechanical switched keyboards use proper minature "push to make" switches (one per key), and gives a completely different feel, much closer to a proper typewriter/keyboard.
The mechanically switched keyboards also (in my experience) tend to last much longer than a cheaper keyboard (some people are still using IBM keyboards that are 10-20 years old), and can even be repaired easily when a key goes wrong (you can actually replace the switches).
They were made to last, rather than be a consumable item like a printer cart.


There was a company that was buying up all the IBM keyboards they could and refurbishing them for resale a while back, as they are/were that popular amoung people who like a traditional keyboard.

I would be tempted to get one myself if they made them with a full modern Windows keyset (preferably with some media keys), as they do feel "better" than your average keyboard for someone who learned to type on a proper typerwriter/older keyboard.
 
Neutron said:
If you're going for a Cherry Keyboard, you fail :|
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Why ?

Bought one for £13 and better than any crap logitech gaming board, or my saitek eclipse. Great to game on once you get used to the flat profile where it is harder to tell where you are without looking. Also weighs quite a lot, uses heavyweight plastics, and the tolerances on the parts are incredible so it doesn't creak or flex like the logi and saitek keyboards I have used.

And for £13 what a bargain. A pity Ocuk doesn't stock them so I had to go with another big supplier that I use my avforums delivery discount with. Get some Ocuk, I have the black 'STREAM G85-23000GB-2', but evennow the place I got mine from have it as pre-order for 27th feb.

Mechanical switches ? Honestly don't know, but still feel the cherry love :D
 
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I'd rather use my Logitech G15 over those cherry keyboard anyday, but that's only cause I think the cherry ones look ugly and are really basic.

Actually if I was on the correct site then some don't look too bad, but I don't have any problems with these membrane type keys so I don't see what the advantages of mechanical ones would be.
 
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willhub said:
I'd rather use my Logitech G15 over those cherry keyboard anyday, but that's only cause I think the cherry ones look ugly and are really basic.
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If that is why you buy your keyboards, fair enough

willhub said:
Actually if I was on the correct site then some don't look too bad, but I don't have any problems with these membrane type keys so I don't see what the advantages of mechanical ones would be.
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They feel nicer to use
 
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