Keyboard for WFH setup

There are other threads on the best keyboards for IB which could be helpful in deciding what keyboard to get. Look through those as well, but here are some things to think about.

Switches:

The most important element for any mech keyboard you pick will be the switch you choose. The switch is essentially what is between the key and the board and will determine how fast your typing registers. The switches register keystrokes at different speeds, through different ways, and with different feels.

The most common mechanical switches are created by Cherry MX and the three main ones (Red, Brown, Blue) are a good barometer for the different things you should be looking for.

Red is a linear switch with a very fast response time. This is good for gaming because you want to activate a certain command as quick as you can. However, this may not be great for typing because you can easily activate a key you didn't want, slowing your typing. It is not a terrible typing experience by any means however.

Blue is a clicky switch that will provide feedback, almost like you are using a typewriter. This probably has the best typing experience, as it will feel great using it, however, it will be extremely loud. This will not be a problem in WFH, but if you bring it into the office, people may get annoyed.

Brown is a tactile switch that is essentially a middle-ground between Blue and Red. It provides a good typing experience but it is not as loud. This is the one I recommend for a first keyboard, and then you can experiment later.

Size:

You can get keyboards that range from 60% to Full size. The Full size will include the numpad on the right side of the keyboard. This will be helpful for IB if you are entering in numbers into excel. The TKL or tenkeyless will be the traditional keyboard excluding the numpad. Any smaller, and the keyboard will lose the function key row, which is absolutely essential for shortcuts and functionality within IB.

So based on how much room you have on your desk, I would decide between a TKL and Full size. I personally went full size and while it is a large keyboard, having the numpad is useful.

Macros:

One of the best things about having more keys on your keyboard, is that there is more room for functionality. You can customize each key to execute a specific command, so you can create even faster shortcuts. While it may be a bit overkill, it can certainly save you time for those shortcuts that are really annoying to execute. I specifically looked for keyboards that had dedicated macro keys, essentially additional keys that you can customize to execute any function you want. This is extremely helpful.

RGB/Keycaps:

A lot of high-end keyboards include RGB backlighting which is frankly very useless. I would not care much about this feature, but most keyboards that have everything else you want also offer RGB. The keycaps are the actual keys that have the lettering on them and they can be of varying quality. The ABS keycaps are the cheapest plastic keycaps possible that will wear down after a year or two of use, they also feel pretty average. PBS (doubleshot) are higher quality keycaps that last basically forever and feel a bit better.

Build Quality:

One of the most important determinants of the typing experience is the build quality of the keyboard. Most mass-produced keyboards will have key 'rattle". This is because the switches and stabilizers (which are placed underneath larger keys such as the spacebar) are not lubed. Lubing them will make the key pressing smoother, reducing rattle and creating a much better typing experience. Unless you manually lube switches and stabilizers, you will be forced to deal with this subpar build quality.

Keyboards on the Market:

Essentially, most of the mass-produced gaming mechanical keyboards on the market will be lacking in some category. First of all, if you go below $100, most keyboards will either not be mechanical, have bad build quality, or compromise in some other fashion.

In the $100-$200 price point, most of the "premium" keyboards will still have compromises. Either they have crappy keycaps, no dedicated macro keys, and almost always the build design will be subpar. The typing experience will not be as great as if you were to build a custom mech or get a keyboard that has limited release from websites such as KBDfans. It is incredibly frustrating that none of these mass-produced keyboards are that great, and you could probably build your own keyboard that surpasses all of the ones available for a similar or lower price.

Recommendation:

While I think building your own keyboard is the way to go, and it is not that hard to do if you dedicate a few hours to watching youtube videos on the subject, for a first keyboard you might as well just get a mass-produced gaming keyboard and go from there. That is what I did, and I am relatively happy with mine.

I wanted dedicated macro keys and a fully mechanical keyboard with Mx Browns, and the only keyboard that offered those two elements was the Full-size Corsair K95 Platinum. I think this keyboard provides all the functionality one could possibly need, and while the build quality isn't amazing, the layout is non-standard, and the keycaps are ABS, it gets the job done. I paid $145 for it, which is a lot, but I am happy with the product.

Razer and DAS have similar build quality, but do not offer dedicated macro keys, which is why I went for Corsair.

If you are not willing to spend that much on a keyboard, which I totally understand, I would try to at least get a full-size truly mechanical keyboard with MX browns or equivalent. Definitely ditch the RGB to lower the price point if you can.

Hope that helps!!!

TLDR:

Corsair K95 Platinum is a a great option for $145 that has dedicated macro keys for added functionality.

If you want a cheaper one, try to get any fully mech keyboard with MX Browns or equivalent.