Keyboard Review

We found the best reviews for computer keyboards at websites devoted to computer hardware analysis. ExtremeTech.com and its sister site, PC Magazine, have the best roundups of standard keyboards, gaming keyboards and other types. DigitalTrends publishes thorough, detailed reviews with an objective rating system, but leans heavily on certain brands. We also found detailed reviews at EverythingUSB.com and Geek.com.

Loyd Case, who reviews computer keyboards for PC Magazine and ExtremeTech, says, "Gear like mice and keyboards are intensely personal...;some of them may physically work better for some people than others." He adds, "Everyone has differing feelings about issues like tactile feedback, audible clicking, stroke depth, and keyboard layout." Some professional reviewers are sensitive to these differences in preference and usage needs. Drew Stevenson of HardwareLogic.com, specifically sought out gamers with differing hand sizes to test the OCZ Alchemy Elixer Gaming Keyboard (*Est. $40), finding that women and other people with smaller hands were enthusiastic while those with larger hands experienced a decrease in typing accuracy. Because subtle differences in hand size or habitual use can greatly impact a reviewer's opinion, we give considerable credence to user reviews. Also, nearly all the professional reviews we found are by men, a fact that elevates user reviews by women (who generally have smaller hands) to an unusual level of importance.

As perceptions of keyboard differences are perhaps more subjective than technical, we found mixed reviews of many keyboards, including several models that are liked by one reviewer yet resoundingly panned by another. Microsoft's Comfort Curve 2000 (*Est. $20), for example, breaks even, with one recommendation and one reviewer who warns readers against it. Reviewers are also critical of keyboard upgrades and new releases; many fervently compare the newer Logitech G15 Keyboard (2007) (*Est. $77) against the original G15 Gaming Keyboard (2005), while others hold new evolutions of Microsoft's Wireless Entertainment Desktop keyboard-and-mouse sets against their predecessors.