Macally Icekey VS Matias Tactile Pro

[whiteangel]

Hi,

so I am going to be working from home, and so will be typing away at my keyboard from 9 to 5 everyday. My current keyboard is the Apple pro but my enter key is not as smooth as I wish it to be, it seems to get stuck halfway and I will need to exert more strength to press it. Also I do not feel good typing on it. Therefore I was looking for an enjoyable keyboard. I like the feel of my powerbook keyboard, I can type fast although with errors as sometimes I press to lightly as I kind of underestimate the strength needed. I am a touch typist so I type pretty fast. I also found out about the Matias tactile pro, although I have never tried one of those mechanical keyboards, I will imagine it to be a real pleasure, especially the sound when you type fast. It will be like making music while you code. However I am worried that over long hours the tactile pro will cause my finger to ache as they seem to imply that I need more strength to type. On the other hand, the icekey should reduce aches when you type long hours as you need to use less strength.

I do know that they are both extreme ends of the range of keyboards, shallow vs deep, soft vs loud. But I can't get my hands on any of them in the shops here in the uk, and so have to rely on your kind souls who have experience with them to advise me as to which one I should go with.

Thank you very much. Sorry for my long long post.

 

[After G]

Haven't had experience with either kb; I heard mechanical keys are better for typing. Still, if you are looking for a nice keyboard, you could try the Kensington Slimtype. It's nice, and doesn't cost a lot.

Sorry for the short post; don't know what else I could say.

 

[whiteangel]

Haven't had experience with either kb; I heard mechanical keys are better for typing. Still, if you are looking for a nice keyboard, you could try the Kensington Slimtype. It's nice, and doesn't cost a lot.

Sorry for the short post; don't know what else I could say.

thanks for your reply. I heard that the kensington slimtype is similar to the icekey in the sense they are both scissors switch keys. However I cannot seem to find one in the uk for sale.

 

[mduser63]

Personally I find that I can type much faster and more comfortably on a shallow keyboard like a PowerBook keyboard than on a deep keyboard (like an old original IBM keyboard). I have one of the classic IBM style keyboards hooked up to my PC, and I don't like it much. If I were going to buy a new keyboard, I'd go for something like the Icekey.

 

[Angelus520]

I just picked up a Slim Type and a Mighty Mouse from Circuit City and the keyboard looks and works great. I'm still getting used to it, but it's pretty close to my PowerBook keyboard, just feels a little wider. I like the scissor switches and the shallow depth. Just wish it had USB ports on it so it and the MM wouldn't take up two ports.

I HATE the new Mac keyboards, too damn mushy for my taste and I can't type for ***** on them. But, they're a 1000 times better than the POS that came with my PowerMac 7100/66 way back in '94, though. WORST feeling keyboard ever.

 

[whiteangel]

Cool so the votes are towards an icekey.

I guess I should try to get one off ebay then.

The thing about this two keyboards is that they are not easily available in the uk, and that they are quite expensive if you can find them online.
but I do think that a good keyboard is really worth the money.

 

[jamie85]

The thing about this two keyboards is that they are not easily available in the uk, and that they are quite expensive if you can find them online.
but I do think that a good keyboard is really worth the money.

The Kensington is nowhere to be found in the UK, but I've had better luck with the Macally, it's available from rg Media (who I've never heard of) for £32.57 here . Froogle is your friend

 

[whiteangel]

Thanks alot for the heads up !

Before I take the plunge, is there is no one that feels that a tactile pro is better for typing long hours ?

 

[zagato27]

I've got the IceKey and like it. Much better than the "standard" Apple keyboard. The action is very "crisp". It's a bit like the keyboard of a Powerbook. I'd go with it. As I recall it wasn't that expensive either. Cheers