Most keyboard reviews are about gaming. Can any of you recommend a good keyboard for coding/programming?
Here’s some criteria for selecting the keyboard:
- Comfortable keys, easy to click and write coding quickly
- Must be a bluetooth keyboard
- Prefer using replaceable batteries instead of charging port
- Full keyboard keys including function keys, arrow keys and numpad
- Size can be compact or full-sized
- Doesn’t matter if back-lit or not
- Doesn’t matter if loud or quiet clicks
- Budget around USD 50
Make sure to buy one with a dedicated button for each letter you want to use. Really, I would recommend something QWERTY just for standard compatibility.
Scarastic jokes over, it literally doesn’t matter at all. Just look online for the cheapest keyboard with the features you want. Type on a cellphone touchscreen keyboard if you are so inclined. If you are typing so much that it really starts to hurt your finger joints or muscles, then you can maybe start to look at ergonomic keyboards and see if they’d be right for you. Beyond that, your time is better spent actually coding than worrying about the proper type of keyboard to use.
Counterpoint, the only way you’ll be able to write efficient and clean code, that’s both terse and readable, that earns the respect of influencers and CTOs alike, is with the Happy Hacking Keyboard, Type S. It’s $300, but you’re serious about coding, aren’t you? And you’ll need some after market keycaps; the stock ones are decent – dye sub PBT – but you’ll look like a noob, you’ll need to get a few sets of colorful blanks and create a pattern from them that defines your coding aesthetic. You have a color scheme that defines your coding aesthetic, right? If not, you need to take care of that, before you even write a single line of code.
I’m just kidding, literally anything. I don’t even use one, I just use a mouse, since I’m just copying and pasting from chatGPT anyway – or, I used to, back when I was a junior dev. Now I just use a magnetic needle and a steady hand
I have been using “gaming” keyboards for coding for ~10 years now. The only thing to be wary of imo, is keebs that have “extra customizable keys” on them and break conformity from a standard layout. Depends on the device, but Logitech will call them “G keys”, for example, and often stick them on the far left of the board, left of tab/caps/L shift. Makes life a lot more difficult if not gaming.
Outside of that, I think calling something a “gaming” keyboard is more of a marketing tactic to up the price. It’s hard to not recommend mechanical, but that sounds out of budget and often hard to do wireless/bluetooth, but personally I think mech is the top priority.
What I have seen a lot of peers do is wait to see whatever keyboard the get in office, then buy the same one for home for consistency, rather than dragging a personal one back and forth. Often companies will offer basic boards like logitech K270, K350, or K650. Not amazing, not terrible, and most likely fit in your described criteria.
I like your comment. Reasonable feedback to recommend logitech K650 fits nicely into my needs. Going to explore if there are more choice just like this keyboard.
Thanks for your insight. Gonna avoid the G keys Logitech keyboard.
Actually, I have it the other way around. I bought the same keyboard I use at home for work as well. Imagine, you have to switch employers and get a new keyboard in the office. A nightmare!
I am using a Planck keyboard (40% of the keys a regular keyboard has). This is way outside your 50,- €$£ price range, but I think, it is worth it: Fully customizable key layout and different more silent switches for work.
I never would go wireless for a keyboard that is not connected to a TV. That reminds me, that I hate the mouse I have to use at work, it is wireless! I guess I buy a second G203 for work, too (without RGB). [=
I like my keychron. They make a wired one in your price range.
Many people don’t seem to have an issue but those that do seem to find relief of finger hand and wrist pain by switching to colemak layouts. That layout seems to be widely supported by systems in general.
Yep, can also recommend Keychron.
They produce wired full size boards, apparently by now even with hall effect sensors.
apparently by now even with hall effect sensors.
I don’t know what this means.
I didn’t either. Apparently they can be used in keyboards instead of mechanical switches. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hall_effect_sensor#Human_interface_devices
Waaaay out of your proce range, but I absolutely love the Keyboardio Model 100 . https://shop.keyboard.io/products/model-100 it’s a really freaking amazing keyboard. The palm key makes typing the brackets and braces and others so much easier.
Great keyboard. I love it.
You wrote you want a full keyboard with F keys, arrow, and numpad - but it can be compact too.
What would be an example of that combination?
Try a backlit keyboard, especially for late night coding sessions. But that will likely conflict with the Bluetooth requirement. Does not have to be per key rgb; a fixed single color will be good enough.
