Keyboard Recommendations

[Fortkentdad]

I'm thinking I 'need' a new gamers keyboard.  (Need is such a subjective term). 

 

I've been looking at the various options out there.  I'm thinking I might like one of those mechanical keyboard that the gamers rave about.  Or not?  I'm driving through the city next week on my way to Jasper and will get a chance to take a break (its a six hour drive and Edmonton is half way) and I'll stop into Memory Express and see if I can get a chance to get my fingers onto some of the various keyboards to see how they feel.  Hopefully they will have some I can try out.  

 

Anyway, I'm thinking that a keyboard with extra macro keys (sometimes called "G-Keys") might be useful in X-Plane.  I've already discovered the advantage of using my Logitech Gamepad as an extra set of buttons and axis which can be configured in X-Plane.  (Apparently I've won another gamepad through an on-line contest I entered, a Thrustmaster GP XID, which should come by mail from the U.K. - I'll believe it when I get it).  If I can use both gamepads that adds a bunch more buttons.  

 

But for the moment I'm asking for recommendations for keyboards.  I did notice that there are Logitech keyboards with an LCD screen and that might come in useful - or not.  I'm afraid that my keyboard sits on a keyboard tray and that LCD screen would be very hard to see.    

 

The idea of profiles is also interesting - one might want a different profile for different aircraft - the buttons you'd want on a cessna may vary from a 747 eh? 

 

Of course it has to light up, just because that is too cool. 

 

And having a built in USB hub would be nice.  

 

Top contenders are:  

 

Logitech's G110 (on sale lately for $65) - offers 12 programmable G-Keys and generally gets good reviews but a few people have reported it is cheaply made. I could save my pennies and hope for a huge sale on the G19 - $249 - on sale this week for $170 but much more than I had hoped to pay. ...

 

Gigabyte's Aivia Osmium - apparently an ossume keyboard, mechanical with five programable keys but they are up on top and not off to the side.  It is mechanical and comes in at $114 on sale this week.  Hmmmm

 

I have a Razer DeathAdder mouse and like it, I've looked at Razer keyboards - reviews seem to be mixed though.  I would not want one of the ones that glows green - just not my thing.  The Anansi and the Lycosa both look good, neither are mechanical.  The Black Widow Ultimate is mechanical.  The non-mechanicals come in around $70, add $20-30 for their mechanical ones.  They have quite a range of different keyboards.  

 

Saitek does offer keyboards, but the Cyborg V7 lights up green and red like a Christmas tree - very gawdy looking.  But it offers lots of buttons - apparently by putting them right on the outside edges (left & right) they are prone to accident touches when you want to move your keyboard or reach for your mouse, so probably not.

 

Corsairs K90 keyboard gets good reviews and offers 18 G-Keys x 3 profiles so you have 54 buttons you can configure - enough for a 747 I'd say.  The reviews fault Corsair for mixing mechanical and non-mechanical keys (the G-Keys and a few others are not mechanical).  But overall it looks like a winner and users seem to like it for the most part.  It can be had for about $120.00  

 

 

Currently I'm using a Microsoft Digital Media keyboard and use a MS Ergonomic one at work which I like but I don't type so much on my home keyboard like I do at work so ergonomics is not such a big deal.  

 

So - what do you key on? 

[Fortkentdad]

I have also wondered whether it is better to get one of those gaming keypads like the Logitech G13 (on sale for $69) or Razer's Orbweaver ($129) 

 

But I suppose for that kind of money I can get a full keyboard with lots of buttons, but still something to consider - anyone use on of these in their Flight Sim? 

 

 

[olexia]

I just purchased a compact bluetooth keyboard for flight simulator- logitech with illuminated keys.  I don't know what I was thinking- you have to hit keys several times in flight to wake the thing up.  The latest driver software has not been updated for windows 8 yet either, so I am stuck with the problem