Well I actually acquired another keyboard today, the Hiper Aluminium keyboard in black, so far I am impressed with it, especially for less than £20. I have, as mentioned, used a lot of different keyboards over the last 5 years or so, always going back to my ancient IBM Model M.
The only Logitech I have remotely liked the feel of was the original DiNovo, I haven't tried the new one though. I haven't liked any of the MS ones except the Comfort Curve 2000, but the slight curve and the fact that it has a very tiny left shift key, due to the curve, really bugs me on that, so the key action on that was 'ok' but the shape didn't work for me.
The original Coolermaster aluminium keyboard has one of the nastiest typing actions I have ever had the displeasure of coming into contact with, looks nice though.
The Apple alu keyboard is actually, much to my surprise (no really, I was genuinly surprised) quite good to type on. But for various reasons it isn't going to take pride of place as my main everyday keyboard on my main computer. Works nicely with my laptop though.
The Saitek Eclipse 2 is ok, feels a bit mushy and unresponsive though to be honest, it's ok for playing games but I am not really fond of it from a pure typing perspective.
Anyway, I wont bore you with the rest, but the Hiper is surprisingly nice. The keys have just about the right amount of feedback, I would like them to click a bit more than they do but you can't have everything for £20. They have a proper scissor action like the better laptop keyboards, not just a low profile key stuck onto a rubber membrane. This gives the keys decent feedback and tactile response.
The Hiper also has a pretty standard 'compact' layout, it has the Home/End/PgUp keys in 2 columns rather than 3, but that is fine as I rarely use those keys anyway. It has basic media keys, including a mute, which is always nice. It has just 3 LED's, Num Lock, Caps Lock and Scroll Lock. No flashy rubbish at all, just a plane, standard keyboard with all the expected keys in all the expected places. The alu construction is a little thinner than I would have liked, certainly thinner than the Apple or the old CM, but it's fine, nicely brushed a dark grey, with black keys. All in all, nothing to really complain about, especially for £20.
It's no Model M beater, but it's up there with todays crowd. It's certainly one of the 3 or 4 keyboards I have used over the years that I actually enjoy typing on other than the Model M, I call that pretty high praise to be honest. And it's one of only 2 keyboards that fit this bill that I would consider really good lookers or really even remotely stylish. The other would be the Apple.
For the record I have never tried any of Razer's keyboards or the Enermax. Mostly a selection from Logitech, MS, Saitek, IBM, HP, Dell, Trust, Cooler Master and Cherry. At least that I can immediately think of, plus all sorts of assorted other crap, mostly falling into one of these brands, but that comes from working in IT.
best keyboard I've ever owned
