So, a few days ago I had a seizure and during the fall, I killed my laptop and keyboard. My business took a big hit, my head took a big hit, I had a dislocated shoulder, cracked tooth and sore wrist,Dick Cheney could not have made it more fun!! The nice Doctor lady at the hospital gave me a whole bucket of feel good candy!
So, naturally I was overcome with (chemical induced) joy, as you do, and wanted to come down from my epic joy ride by buying a new keyboard (that is normal, Right?). The broken keyboard was just an ONN variant you can get at walHell. Let me tell you, in a pinch...they make letters and stuff. The delete key is quite possibly the smallest key on the board; It will not be missed. The board I have settled on as of now is the Logitech K360 wireless board and wireless mouse. Allow me to say, if you look at this set in comparison and you are weighing another board of the same price without the mouse, do not let that be the make it or break it point. The mouse just feels cheap, Or my right arm is still lacking feeling, Still trying to figure that out and figure out where the clicking is coming from.
The keyboard is a flat key design (Chiclet style) I personally like it. it is pretty quite and I like the spacing. It has a ten-key which I require in any board. It does have a few extra features, but not many. the top mounted on/off switch is appreciated, even if it does feel a bit weak. It also has out of the way media buttons. The arrow keys are a bit small for my taste, but I rarely use them. the thing that surprised me was the function key on a standard board. I am sure lots of boards have them, But I do not often see a ton of non-standard boards. My biggest complaint is the lack of scroll/num/shift lock LEDs. Of course this whole time I had thought that I had bought a Razer backbit keyboard and when I got it home I had made the decision that Razor was an over-priced POS. However, I am sure someone else will say that they are...I am just saying that I cannot make that assertion personally. When you have that much feel good candy, Numbers do not mean a whole lot....so no it did not dawn on me that a Razer keyboard would not cost $34 new.
Anyway, The Logitech K240 and M215 mouse is not a bad deal IMO for $34. As cheap keyboards go, I think it would be decent if you are looking to save money to put into a graphics cards or CPU (or more feel better, boo-boo candy) I can say that I am happy with it. until I break this one too/
Sorry to hear about the seizure. Dont know how I would cope with having a disability like that. Something I have learned with Logitech keyboards and basically any cheap keyboards (or razer product) is they are throw away products. Buy one, use it until it dies and then throw it away.
I used to buy $9 mouse and keyboard sets in bulk as I would kill them within two months. My k70 is now a good 8 months old and still works fine but having spent $120 ill need it to last another 16 months for it to be worth the cost. But Logitech do seem to make the longest lasting cheap mice and keyboards. It tends to be the keyboards that die.
IMO, for low-end/ cheap keyboards/mice, logitech is the best for the money. I'm using a K520+M310. $34; I've had them for almost two years and they still work great (even after the puppy eating the x key — just switched out the - key from the num pad). Love 'em.
I have been thinking about doing some Reviews of lower-end equipment because it does not often get a spot on the tek. Not that it is a bad thing, you have to pick and choose what you review when people are looking for the latest and greatest. But for those who only have a few bucks to spend, It feels better to know what you bought was quality for the price you paid. By the way, The ONN board that broke, still functioned, had it not been for the sweet tea that was spilled on it, gumming down the domes, and the space-bar being broken, I could have used it. I will also point out the ONN had drain holes on the bottom, However they were not large enough to be of use like those on the old IBM model M. The Logitech board lacks that feature. Though I am sure if you are handy with a drill, you could make your own. I also went and picked up a K120 because I want to have a spare that does not require a battery. That board has a very short key travel compared to a lot of other standard keyboards, I cant compare it to cherry MX blacks, but I can say it, for typing is not quite as satisfying as the K360, though it does have the Lock indicators. I assume the 360 forwent them due to battery conservation. The arrow keys are full sized as well. For a $13 board, it may game decently due to such a short keystroke. Aside from that, it get the job done, and is fine for the day to day. I can say i will not be using it for writing my book. The keys seem much closer together and my accuracy is not as good as on the K360. I would love to see a chiclet style mechanical. Not sure if it is possible, if it already exists, or whatever. But would be cool to see.
eh, you deal with it with humor. Otherwise, you may eat a bullet...possibly with some white saffron or a bit of garlic salt. Buying in bulk is a great idea. Especially when you will be going through them no matter which one you buy.