I caved. I picked up a Drevo Tyrfing 87 key board with off-brand brown switches for $40. I refuse to spend $100 on a keyboard, but I can do $40.
This thing is pretty OK. Not bad. I thought the brown switches were supposed to be quiet, and these probably are "quiet" compared to what they could be. I did not realize the mechanical keys still make a clack sound when they bottom out though, so this thing is quite a bit louder than I imagined it would be. I don't mind it, though. It's kind of satisfying. I don't know if I'd be comfortable bringing this thing into work though, in my open office environment.
It's backlit. I sure like that. This is my first backlit keyboard. It will do a couple different gimmicky things with the backlighting. I'll never use those. Ever. This kids are enchanted by that though.
It has no USB ports. I find that annoying but that's the trade off for a $40 mechanical keyboard. I only ever plugged my mouse into the keyboard USB ports anyway, but I do tend to shuffle my mouse from desktop to laptop from time to time.
The build quality is decent. It is heavier than my full size keyboard. I think I could use if for self defense in a pinch. It has a 6 foot cable, which is nice. They key font is kind of funky. I'm not crazy about it. But it isn't that much of an issue. The @, #, and & symbols look especially strange, but it's not a deal breaker.
I have no hesitation recommending this thing. It's a damn sight more affordable than the models that get all the attention. Typing on mechanical keys is possibly nicer than typing on rubber domes. But I still would not pay upwards of $75 or more dollars for the privilege.
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