Keyboard / mouse ideas?

[fan-of-fans]

I was having trouble with my old keyboard. I liked it but it was wired and the wires had gotten stretched and it would short out at times and not work. I wanted a wireless keyboard with volume controls and a sleep button. I already had a wireless mouse but wanted one with back/forward buttons like I had before.

I went to Office Max and found a Logitech wireless set that I thought would work. I can't decide if I should take it back or not. It has a wrist wrest but my desk also has one so it's a bit of a reach. The keys seem kind of mushy compared to the old one also. I like clicky keys. It has volume, power, calculator and email, etc but I can't seem to find a sleep button, and the indicators for caps lock, etc, are faint white color and hard to see.

The mouse does seem to work well as far as size, but the scroll wheel doesn't click but just spins fast. The box did say it had a fast scroll, but I don't like how it keeps moving a line or two after I stop scolling.

I paid $100 because I wanted a good set but thinking about returning it. But I can't seem to find a pair that has what I want but not a bunch of stuff I don't. Any my keyboard is in a drawer, the others I saw looked too bulky.

 

[kb0nes]

Personally I have always used Microsoft mice and often keyboards too. Never really been a Logitech fan. For that matter I generally have always used wired keyboards too.

A while back I was building a computer to use for my amateur radio purposes and I decided on a full wireless desktop. By eliminating the extra cabling you minimize RF interference to and from the computer by removing the wires that act as antennas. I ultimately bought the Microsoft Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000 which can be had for around $50-60. The keyboard is a bit flat for me and the mouse seems a tad bulky but the functionality has been flawless. Might be worth considering if you can't make peace with the Logitech

 

[DADoES]

 
I have several Logitech mice.  One wireless keyboard (Dell), which I like the wireless aspect but DETEST the mooshy feel and too-flat keys.

 

[washer111]

If you like "clicky" keyboards, then you can't really go past something like an IBM Model-M keyboard. Pick one up cheap and it'll survive a bomb blast.
Very heavily built and absolutely awesome to type on, especially compared to "chicklet" keyboards on modern laptops and the cheap rubber-dome mush-boards most computers are supplied with today. I've got one for my two desktops (still haven't bought a KVM, although I really out to) and its an absolute pleasure to make a ruckus with that thing, whether typing away posts for AW, or actual work.
Loudness really is the only gripe that some might have, but who cares? Makes you sound busy and everyone stays well away! LOL

Unicomp obtained the tooling for the IBM/Lexmark keyboard line, and produce models with built-in track points, although they come with a hefty price tag, and while build quality is generally good, it can be hit & miss for some people, apparently.

There are other switches, like ALPS, Cherry (MX Blue and something else?) and probably others that you can still purchase new. Keyboards like the Dell AT101 use the ALPS switches.

If you can, try out a few of these different types before you buy, rather than relying on internet opinions as one persons treasure is another's trash, as the saying goes.

As for mice, I have no practical suggestion. Microsoft mice seem good enough for me, although I've still got a HP balled job from the 1990s (with a scroll-wheel, even) that works just fine for most things I do, if I choose to use it (which is sometimes. Nice and small, and fits your hand better than those chunky MS jobs).

 

[whirlcool]

I like keyboards made by Keytronics. Closest thing to an original PC keyboard around. They are almost bulletproof in reliability.

 

[dartman]

None of the Logitech keyboards have the nice mechanical key switches like the old IBM and Radio Shack key boards had. I have a mx5000 Bluetooth I've had for years, keys are a bit mushy but not as bad as some of the economy keyboards I picked up for backups.
I have a newer small one with a mouse pad and the tiny 2.4 GHz USB receiver and it works great except for the mouse pad thing being slow.
The old Bluetooth one is always dropping connection, got even worse when pge here installed the RF power meters they could just scan from the yard or Street.
If you want clicky try to find one that has mechanical key switches but I don't think any wireless ones have them, and make sure it uses a digital 2.4 setup or you might have issues with it disconnecting all the time like my old one does.
Only reason I keep it is it has all the extras like volume, page size, LCD display, etc. New ones just don't have all those features.

 

[tolivac]

I HATE the flat computer keyboards-can type much BETTER on a SLOPED typewriter type keyboard.Wish someone would build a sloped keyboard like what was on typewriters.