19 thoughts on “So, are all HP keyboards this shite?”
SadButMadLad
It takes me months to get used to a new keyboard. Muscle memory is what’s causing you problems.
Grikath
Depends? The generics that come with PC’s are generally decent, because office use and stuff.
I’m actually using one of those “generics”.
Most of the HP keyboards do have a pretty deep action like an old typewriter though, which can be irritating if you’re not used to it/forgot how that felt. Especially when you mostly work with laptops.
But there’s been some absolute turds. Then again.. most brands have those, either because of spacing or action. And it depends on your preferences and what you got used to.
jgh
HP keyboards are shite. I love my Dell SK3205. Proper deep keys, proper movement, proper tactile feedback, proper surround to the keys. Yes, it’s a membrane mechanism, but it works as a keyboard should.
BiTiN
I don’t know. But for $100 or so (or less) you can get a Matias.
Here in France I hav a similar feel machine from Cherry.
Recommended
BlokeInBrum
The Daughter got a KLIM ‘shift’ mechanical (gaming) keyboard as a Birthday present.
She very well nearly didn’t after I spent 10 minutes “testing” it.
You will never know what you are missing until you use a proper (quality) keyboard. There’s a world of difference. Comes with interchangeable key caps, backlit keys, choice of bluetooth, wireless or wired connection. Don’t tolerate mediocre if you don’t have to.
tex
The best keyboards have mechanical switches that are “tactile” (there is a bump very near the activation point so you can feel the activation) or “clicky” (a bump causes a click sound very near the activation point so you can hear the activation) or both. In all three cases, the activation is prior to full travel. These are the most productive. I think some gamers demand such keyboards.
You’ll have to do some research to find keyboards with those characteristics.
I recently changed my laptop for a small desktop and matched it with a Dell keyboard and mouse…
I’m really struggling to use it and it has been close to the bin several times – getting capital letters seems particularly difficult and I’m not sure if it is ‘muscle memory’ as suggested above or if it is just shyte…
I chose it because it was one of the few available on Amazon.de with a UK layout…
What BinB said! I love my mechanical keyboard, pretty cheap in middle of Lidl and still going strong two years later….
Arthur the cat
For desktop use it’s well worth getting a mechanical keyboard. They’re not as expensive as they once were. Personally I use TKL ones (no number pad) but YMMV. For laptops keyboards range from the surprisingly good to the bloody awful and it’s worth trying before buying if possible.
Sam Duncan
I’m not a mechanical keyboard snob, but a couple of years ago I bought one with genuine Cherry MX switches for less than £35. It’s obvious they skimped on the keycaps themselves, which feel like they’re made from old eggboxes, but the rest of it is quality – a very heavy baseboard, for example – and it’s a vast improvement on anything I’ve used since the early ’90s.
Bloke on M4
Thinkpads have the best laptop keyboard. I have a Dell XPS and it’s good, but not as good as a Thinkpad.
I like the Logitech Ergo K860 that I have because it can switch between multiple devices.
M
Mechanical keyboards are great. Notes:
1. The switches have different feel depending on the particular type. “Cherry MX” are a brand name, but there are different types of these with different feel. Best would be to try various types before you buy if that’s possible.
2. Some keyboards are mechanical but they do their own thing. I got a Logitech keyboard, but I would not repeat this. They have their own keycap molds, and they don’t sell replacements. So when I broke a couple, they could not be replaced. I finally bought one that uses the standard keycaps (HyperX Alloy Origins). It was also cheaper than the Logitech.
3. Most of the mechanical keyboards will have RGB backlighting of some sort. Annoyingly, they generally default to the “unicorn vomit” mode of letting you know just how bright and distracting they can be. The manufacturer offers a utility that allows you to change this, but often it has to run in the background (so it’s not a one and done deal). There are moves towards a generic standard (SignalRGB, OpenRGB) but you will have to check for compatibility.
john77
I’m on my second HP desktop and have not yet seen, let alone used, HP keyboard. Keyboards are not part of HP key skills, so are they sub-contracted and mame-plated? or are they made in-house based on someone else’s old technology?
[Yes, I’ve got a problem with the A on my keyboard, but Word’s spellchecker usually tells me about it]
bloke in spain
Since we’re talking about keyboards, does anyone know of a KB supports US International with key labels for all the diacritics, symbols etc. I’ve modified a standard US with stick-on key labels but they eventually off-stick. If you’re writing like I do in several languages USInt’s a boon.(ß yay!) And being able to type ²³¼½¾°’s useful as well.
I’m on my second HP desktop and have not yet seen, let alone used, HP keyboard. Keyboards are not part of HP key skills, so are they sub-contracted and mame-plated? or are they made in-house based on someone else’s old technology?
Back in the day when I started selling HP kit they made everything including the CPU, disc drives and memory…
That all changed with the introduction of the Vectra range of IBM compatible PCs and it went downhill from there (see also: Printers).
I doubt if they actually make any of it now…
Chris Miller
Dell Multimedia Keyboard-KB216 (£20) FTW.
SadButMadLad
My Microsoft ergonomic keyboard is 20 years old and still going strong.
CJ Nerd
If you have Windows 10 and a modern version of Microsoft Office, it’s worth checking out the built-in dictation facility.
I ignored it for quite some time, assuming it would be rubbish, but in fact it’s pretty damn good.
It should be on the home toolbar, about 1/3 of the way in from the right.
CJ Nerd
By the way, the classic and most desirable keyboards which click when keys are pressed are known as IBM clicky keyboards.
There are currently 177 of them on eBay, with prices from £16 to £300, and people do pay good money for them.
If you do buy one, you may also need to buy a “gender bender” so you can connect it through a USB slot on your computer. A PS/2 to USB adapter can be got from Ebay with change out of a fiver.
It takes me months to get used to a new keyboard. Muscle memory is what’s causing you problems.
Depends? The generics that come with PC’s are generally decent, because office use and stuff.
I’m actually using one of those “generics”.
Most of the HP keyboards do have a pretty deep action like an old typewriter though, which can be irritating if you’re not used to it/forgot how that felt. Especially when you mostly work with laptops.
But there’s been some absolute turds. Then again.. most brands have those, either because of spacing or action. And it depends on your preferences and what you got used to.
HP keyboards are shite. I love my Dell SK3205. Proper deep keys, proper movement, proper tactile feedback, proper surround to the keys. Yes, it’s a membrane mechanism, but it works as a keyboard should.
I don’t know. But for $100 or so (or less) you can get a Matias.
Here in France I hav a similar feel machine from Cherry.
Recommended
The Daughter got a KLIM ‘shift’ mechanical (gaming) keyboard as a Birthday present.
She very well nearly didn’t after I spent 10 minutes “testing” it.
You will never know what you are missing until you use a proper (quality) keyboard. There’s a world of difference. Comes with interchangeable key caps, backlit keys, choice of bluetooth, wireless or wired connection. Don’t tolerate mediocre if you don’t have to.
The best keyboards have mechanical switches that are “tactile” (there is a bump very near the activation point so you can feel the activation) or “clicky” (a bump causes a click sound very near the activation point so you can hear the activation) or both. In all three cases, the activation is prior to full travel. These are the most productive. I think some gamers demand such keyboards.
You’ll have to do some research to find keyboards with those characteristics.
I recently changed my laptop for a small desktop and matched it with a Dell keyboard and mouse…
I’m really struggling to use it and it has been close to the bin several times – getting capital letters seems particularly difficult and I’m not sure if it is ‘muscle memory’ as suggested above or if it is just shyte…
I chose it because it was one of the few available on Amazon.de with a UK layout…
What BinB said! I love my mechanical keyboard, pretty cheap in middle of Lidl and still going strong two years later….
For desktop use it’s well worth getting a mechanical keyboard. They’re not as expensive as they once were. Personally I use TKL ones (no number pad) but YMMV. For laptops keyboards range from the surprisingly good to the bloody awful and it’s worth trying before buying if possible.
I’m not a mechanical keyboard snob, but a couple of years ago I bought one with genuine Cherry MX switches for less than £35. It’s obvious they skimped on the keycaps themselves, which feel like they’re made from old eggboxes, but the rest of it is quality – a very heavy baseboard, for example – and it’s a vast improvement on anything I’ve used since the early ’90s.
Thinkpads have the best laptop keyboard. I have a Dell XPS and it’s good, but not as good as a Thinkpad.
I like the Logitech Ergo K860 that I have because it can switch between multiple devices.
Mechanical keyboards are great. Notes:
1. The switches have different feel depending on the particular type. “Cherry MX” are a brand name, but there are different types of these with different feel. Best would be to try various types before you buy if that’s possible.
2. Some keyboards are mechanical but they do their own thing. I got a Logitech keyboard, but I would not repeat this. They have their own keycap molds, and they don’t sell replacements. So when I broke a couple, they could not be replaced. I finally bought one that uses the standard keycaps (HyperX Alloy Origins). It was also cheaper than the Logitech.
3. Most of the mechanical keyboards will have RGB backlighting of some sort. Annoyingly, they generally default to the “unicorn vomit” mode of letting you know just how bright and distracting they can be. The manufacturer offers a utility that allows you to change this, but often it has to run in the background (so it’s not a one and done deal). There are moves towards a generic standard (SignalRGB, OpenRGB) but you will have to check for compatibility.
I’m on my second HP desktop and have not yet seen, let alone used, HP keyboard. Keyboards are not part of HP key skills, so are they sub-contracted and mame-plated? or are they made in-house based on someone else’s old technology?
[Yes, I’ve got a problem with the A on my keyboard, but Word’s spellchecker usually tells me about it]
Since we’re talking about keyboards, does anyone know of a KB supports US International with key labels for all the diacritics, symbols etc. I’ve modified a standard US with stick-on key labels but they eventually off-stick. If you’re writing like I do in several languages USInt’s a boon.(ß yay!) And being able to type ²³¼½¾°’s useful as well.
I’m on my second HP desktop and have not yet seen, let alone used, HP keyboard. Keyboards are not part of HP key skills, so are they sub-contracted and mame-plated? or are they made in-house based on someone else’s old technology?
Back in the day when I started selling HP kit they made everything including the CPU, disc drives and memory…
That all changed with the introduction of the Vectra range of IBM compatible PCs and it went downhill from there (see also: Printers).
I doubt if they actually make any of it now…
Dell Multimedia Keyboard-KB216 (£20) FTW.
My Microsoft ergonomic keyboard is 20 years old and still going strong.
If you have Windows 10 and a modern version of Microsoft Office, it’s worth checking out the built-in dictation facility.
I ignored it for quite some time, assuming it would be rubbish, but in fact it’s pretty damn good.
It should be on the home toolbar, about 1/3 of the way in from the right.
By the way, the classic and most desirable keyboards which click when keys are pressed are known as IBM clicky keyboards.
There are currently 177 of them on eBay, with prices from £16 to £300, and people do pay good money for them.
If you do buy one, you may also need to buy a “gender bender” so you can connect it through a USB slot on your computer. A PS/2 to USB adapter can be got from Ebay with change out of a fiver.