Due to a small nuisance I started looking for a new keyboard. This led me to talk to a friend and now, almost two weeks later, I am still working my way through various shops and vendors to find something that fits my requirements:

  • Mechanical
  • 80% Wide, TKL
  • ISO-DE Layout
  • Configurable via Browser and not via 3rd Party software (looking at you Logi(tech))
  • Preferably wireless
  • Main color in 90s beige
  • Volume knob would be nice to have

So far I have not been able to really find something suitable and I am not sure which Switches I will be happy with. I’m mainly using a Logitech MX Keys (2023) and swap that from time to time with a Razor Blackwidow Light with Orange Switches or a Cherry MX Board 3 with Brown Switches (2016).

My eyes landed on Keychrons Q3 Ultra 8k, but holy moly this is pricy. The WH80 from NuPhy has a really pretty pixel font on the keycaps, but not a real 80% layout. And in this price range I am not ready for a compromise. CHERRYs XTRFY MX 8.3 is currently not available in white and uses a propritary windows software as well. Lofrees Block has that old charme but no ISO-DE Layout. And also not a the proper 80% I am looking for. The DE-ISO Keyboards from RoyalKludge have no 80% Layout. And so the search continues … These are the models that I’m hovering around at the moment. They are available with ISO-DE layout, but I linked to the manufacturer instead of shops.

Ahh, you are still reading and wondering why I started looking in the first place? I was frustrated that my Logitech MX Keys is only compatible with a Unifying receiver because it’s still from the first generation of the product line. My MX Master 3s mouse on the other hand uses a Bolt receiver and is not compatible with a Unifying receiver (ಠ_ಠ). Using Bluetooth is not an option for me, because I use the peripherie with a couple of devices and some of them cannot talk BT.

In the end, the new keyboard won’t remove the dongle problem, but it’ll hopefully make me feel a bit better 〜⁠(⁠꒪^⁠꒪⁠)⁠〜.