Can someone recommend me a great bluetooth keyboard for my home office?
Looking for a good wireless (probably bluetooth, but happy to hear if something other than bluetooth is recommended for a good reason) keyboard to use with my home laptop/dock setup.
I've ben using my laptop's keyboard while plugged into my dock which is probably less than ideal ergonomic-wise and am looking to improve things.
I don't need to be a fullsize or compact keyboard - I think my sweet spot would be middle size with a number pad. I'm somewhat aware of mechanical keyboards but will admit my complete ignorance as to their benefits (other than sounding nice when you type?) and so am open to those if there are more tangible benefits that I'm just totally ignorant about. Battery life would be important as charging it constantly could get a bit annoying.
Appreciate any input you all have!
Basically anything by Keychron
You've got anything from 60% keyboards to full size w/ keypad. Wired, wireless and hybrid.
I got myself the Q3 Pro QMK when my old Ducky finally kicked the bucket. This thing weighs 2 kilograms :D Every keycap and switch is hot-swappable and I can use QMK and VIA to remap keys at a firmware level instead of relying on software.
I have the Keychron K8 Wireless. It can be plugged in, works for Mac, PC or Android.
Battery life is like... 2 weeks of 8hrs/day use with RGB crap turned off. Much less if you leave RGB on. But the benefit is that it can charge and work from USB-C at the same time. I carry a single USB-c cable with me to charge all my devices.
There is a larger version that includes a Keypad, but I use my for home office and work office. So size was a concern for transportation.
Great price for quality. Solid aluminum frame.
Second this recommendation - it’s been serving me well for a few years now. It comes with both Windows and Mac keycaps too, and switching between the Windows/Mac mode is effortless, which is very handy if you use both regularly.
I have a K5 and have issues with the Bluetooth specifically. Everything else about it is great, but I've found it to be much more reliable wired.
I have serious issues with bluetooth connectivity in general on Linux — it's difficult to reconnect after waking from sleep, and I often have issues with missing and repeated key presses. On my Windows work laptop it's a lot better, but it does sometimes miss key presses when my headset (also bluetooth) is connected. I used to use a Logitech keyboard over bluetooth and never had these issues — pretty sure it's specific to this keyboard.
I have a keychron as well and enjoy it. I’ve had some wireless Logitech ones as well.
Wireless is nice if you’re able to avoid any and all cables on a desk, but I found cord creep in one way or another. I’d rather spend the extra money on the mouse where wireless to me is worth it.
Mechanical keyboards are just about adding a little bit of joy to typing, but only the really loud ones have that nice tactile effect to it. It’s this whole rabbit hole and I still bought the wrong color.
How do I say this…
Are there also mechanical keyboards anyone in the thread would know of… that aren’t prohibitively loud?
I know, I know. But a silent keyboard is actually a feature to me, not a disadvantage!
I was honestly surprised using the (external) Apple Magic Keyboard a while back. Decently tactile and not too noisy, at least in the short period of trying it.
Disclaimer: I am also of course a complete noob regarding keyboard mechanics and what’s good and what isn’t. Sorry if my previous statements offended you. I have no idea about “proper” keyboards, however I have typed my fair share of digital text.
The loudness depends on your choice of switches (e. g. mx blues are notoriously noisy, mx browns less so). You can also buy separate gizmo (like rubber rings) to make the switch less noisy.
I'm using a Realforce 87u at work which is fairly quiet (less noisy than my coworker cheap Logitech keyboard, and definitely less noisy than my gaming keyboard with mx browns). Realforce / Topre / HHKB are on the higher end of the spectrum though.
Yes. They’re color coded to loudness/feel.
I have one love when it comes to switches and it's black. Blacks with O-rings are pretty damn quiet... But, can we go deeper?
Of course.
The Vortex Race3 with Silent Black switches is only limited by your ability to type in terms of noise level. If I'm typing a rather aggressive email, the irritation is punctuated by the dull thud of the caps hitting the board but I've written multi page memos without my coworker sitting next to me realizing I'm typing at all.
The Black switches are heavier than Reds, which are also as quiet but they're really light weight and the weight of my fingers resting on them sets them off.
Yes, you can oil your own switches and add rings and... Lots more but the Race3 is out of the box ready and a joy to use, in my opinion.
If you don't like that layout though, just search for the MX Silent Black.
If you get into the enthusiast space and build your own keyboard, you can select a case, plate, and switches that are made specifically to be quiet, and to push that even farther get one of the many nice rubber-backed deskmats sold by enthusiast shops to place under the board to further deaden vibrations.
There have been a couple of case/plate/switch combos I’ve used that are easily the most silent keyboards I’ve ever heard, significantly more quiet than cheapo rubberdome boards or laptop keyboards.
Be warned though, enthusiast mechanical keyboards are an expensive rabbit hole to find oneself falling down.
The most silent mechanical keyboards are the ones by Niz, Topre, or HHKB. They are electrocapacitive (mechanical rubber dome, but better than it sounds).
The rubber mat dampens a lot of sound, but the capacitive mechanism means you still get the main benefit of mechanical keyboards - activation mid-travel (you don't need to press the key all the way down).
They do feel quite different to "standard" mechanical keyboards but a lot of people love them, especially for typing.
Alternatively you can get any linear or tactile switch keyboard and buy a pack of o-rings for a couple pounds/dollars. I did this for my old work keyboard and it works great, though it does make the bottom-out a little squishy (probably not noticeable if you're used to cheap rubber domes though).
Came here to say Keychron as well.
Solid build quality, good switch selection, really good battery life on Bluetooth mode. I also like how they have a Mac/windows + BT/cable switches on them-handy for when you’re going between both.
Their mouse looks great! This is perfectly timed as I just put in an order for a mouse on Newegg and I'm within the cancellation window. I love how it supports bluetooth, USB, a custom 2.4 GHz protocol, and has USB-C.
I am partial to the Logitech MX Keys. The battery lasts me several weeks, the typing feel is great, and the low profile keys are way more ergonomic for my wrists and fingers.
I've only used it via their USB dongle but it looks like Bluetooth is supported out of the box.
I just got one of these specifically to get rid of my usb dongles. Can confirm it works with Bluetooth out of the box. It was a little more money than I ever thought I’d spend on a keyboard but I love it.
They also have a smaller keyboard of the same style but without the numpad.
this is my recommendation as well, I got mine in 2020 with the WFH stipend my job at the time offered. been using it for over 3 years now without any problems. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat, even if I had to spend my own money for it.
it's very thin, but has a metal backplate that gives it a nice "heft" (compared to other wireless keyboards I've used that feel a bit flimsy). between that and the big rubber feet on the bottom, it stays put on my desk without sliding around.
Logitech's keyboards are the definition of "good enough", and I mean that as a compliment. I'm typing this comment on a K480 which has outlasted an embarrassing number of more expensive keyboards that generally didn't feel anywhere nearly as good to type on. It's certainly no mechanical keyboard but it gets the job done and it feels substantial while still being portable.
I was gonna recommend a Logitech as well. I have a K800 that I've been using for several years. Battery lasts a long time and it works well.
I also have one of these keyboards and it's great. I use it with Bluetooth with no issues. 3+ years running now!
I also love my keychron keyboard, but I leave it plugged in because I've had latency issues when using it in Bluetooth mode. I haven't tried again in over a year, but it's fine plugged in because it would need to charge anyway.
If I truly wanted a wireless keyboard, I would probably go Logitech now. Their lightspeed USB dongles pair super easily and have negligible latency.
I also recommend a mechanical, I made the switch about 2 years ago and I'm never going back. I use brown switches.
Like many higher-end stuff (like a sharpened chef knife, a tailor-made suit, or a good noise cancelling headphone, or a nice fountain pen), they feel extraordinarily nice to use. The added travel of the key and the fact that you don't have to bottom out the button to register a press make the typing much more comfortable.
If you don't care about the key feel so much, and you want maximum convinience, how about a Logitech K750? It's solar powered, so no need to charge it, and wireless with a unifying receiver.
So I've been eyeing the NuPhy Air keyboards for a little while now. I haven't pulled the trigger because I have a perfectly good wired mechanical keyboard at the moment and I can't justify the cost of a fairly superfluous purchase at the moment.
Basically they are generally well received, they look really nice, and aren't too expensive (this being relative; you easily could spend $300+ on a keyboard if you wanted). That being said, I am not a mechanical keyboard guru by any means.
I have an Air75. The portability and form factor is great, the connectivity works well, the battery life is solid. However, the actual typing experience definitely leaves a lot to be desired, especially compared to a ‘proper’ mechanical keyboard.
I've just recently received my Air75 V2 and it's a solid keyboard in my opinion. They also finally switched to QMK.
IMO bluetooth kind of sucks for keyboards. They're always going to sleep and if you want to get into BIOS or the boot menu they don't work period.
If you go mechanical then just know the basic switches:
Linear (red) have no feeling, smooth/no feel all the way, and are the most quiet.
Tactile (brown) switches will have a tactile feeling part way but aren't too loud.
Clicky (blue) switches are tactile but also make a louder clicky noise.
Just don't get clicky switches, they're what gives mechanical keyboards a bad rep for being obnoxious.
I don’t know what voodoo they’re using but Apple’s Bluetooth keyboards continue to work prior to booting the OS so long as they’re paired with the computer before rebooting.
Whatever the trick is, it isn’t even Mac-specific. Back when I was using a hackintosh (custom built PC tower running macOS) with a compatible Bluetooth card, my Apple Bluetooth KB/trackpad that’d been connected to it worked perfectly in BIOS and would continue to until I made the error of re-pairing under Windows or Linux.
Really weird, and it makes me wonder why no other BT keyboards can do this.
Another vote for Keychron here - I use a wired one, but if you’re looking at wireless specifically their fairly new Lemokey sub-brand may be a good option since they support low latency 2.4GHz as well as Bluetooth.
Something to keep in mind about mechanical keyboards is they are, obviously, noisy — which can be difficult in a shared space. I like them, but they drive my wife nuts so I can’t really make use of them most of the time.
ThinkPad Bluetooth Keyboard with Clit mouse imo.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lenovo-ThinkPad-TrackPoint-Keyboard-4Y40X49493/dp/B08BWQXZYL
I love the Thinkpad keyboards but I ended up deciding against this when I was shopping after reading a few too many user reports of poor reliability. Have you had any issues with yours?
I have had the same one for at least 5 years....possibly 10? I can't remember if I bought a second one at some point after I bought the first one for use with my first Windows tablet (before 2 in 1s were a thing).
I generally don't trust Lenovo/ThinkPad products, but the little bluetooth red nubbin keyboard(s) have been very good.
I use one of these as my entertainment center keyboard. It’s pleasantly compact, the typing experience is decent, and the trackpoint is a way better mousing experience than the crappy trackpads that come on most entertainment center keyboards.
Redragon K607 APS Pro.
Cheap, compact, low-profile in case you like that, very pleasant to type on (light, clicky mechanical), wire/less hybrid. Although it doesn't have a number pad, but Redragon has full-size keyboards also.
Avoid anything not Bluetooth if you go wireless. The plain RF wireless keyboards are inherently insecure. I only found out recently about MouseJack. The exploit has been around for a few years. It allows for keylogging and key injection.
https://i.redd.it/ud7n9lsng4c81.jpg
Here is an image of the keyboard sizes. I got myself a ten keyless (tkl) for my home and work pc. It was hard for me to let go of the number pad at first but I've been fine without it. My only snafu was trying to play a game thar was set up for they keypad but that's it. I liked the tkl for ergonomic reasons, getting my mouse hand in closer so my wrist doesn't flex to the right.
I'm not nuts for building my own keys, but I do like the sound and feel of some of the mechanical ones, but I admit it doesn't feel super different just a bit nicer. I first got myself a ducky one, but it turns out I don't like the clacking and this one was a little hard on the springs so my fingers would hurt a bit holding keys down over long seasons.
I ended up getting a durgod taurus k320 the silent red cherry for work. It is not loud at all and makes a pretty fun sound to type on. I liked it so much I bought another to replace my ducky 1 on my home pc and have really enjoyed them both for a few years now.
Thry aren't Bluetooth but figuredid suggest them as they've made me enjoy typing on my keyboard which is not something I've typically noticed that much in the past.
This probably doesn’t meet your criteria, but I’ve been following this project for over a year and am very excited to use it as a wireless keyboard for my Steam Deck / laid-back TV computing experience I’ve been building up to for 15+ years.
It’s a slimline mechanical keyboard with custom accoutrements. It was made as a passion project because the creator was tired of existing slim profiles on the market.
Will it be any better than the Keychrons suggested here? Debatable. Does it have a unique style that stands out from the saturated mechanical keyboard market? I think so.
Whether you care about it’s environmental goals, their production updates show an attention to detail that I prefer when making a purchase for items to be used regularly (especially if I buy-it-for-life). I also enjoy seeing how the sausage is made in this case.
They had an unfortunate production delay that pushes their delivery to early next year, but I would rather a high quality product than a shoddy one that’s rushed.
It’s probably not for everyone, but it is shaping up to be a high end hobbyist project that I like supporting. Just like how mechanical keyboards can significantly improve the joy of typing, I think high quality materials and obsessive design can have a similar effect in utility and enjoyment.