[qwertyuiop924]

A lot of the new clicky keyboards are sold at incredibly high premiums, usually as gaming keyboards, or as specialty items - see Das, HH, etc.

These are ripoffs. You can get a Model M from Unicomp for between $80 and $100, which is significantly cheaper, and feels way better than most of the MX keys.

[manyxcxi]

I have a Das Keyboard Model S for Mac that I got for $125. Yes, that's at least 25% more expansive than your example, but as a well paid engineer it's still in the same ballpark an, it's made for Mac which you don't find in the real Model Ms. I also happened to really like the look of the Model S vs a lot of other keyboards.

While I've scoffed at some that are well over $200, there are certainly more modern conveniences that come with these more expensive ones:

- You (often) can choose the type of switch in the keyboard

- Media/macro keys

- USB hub/ports

- Backlit (if you like that kind of thing)

If you know what you're getting for the price, it's not a ripoff, a price premium, sure. I've had my Das for, I think, 6 years now and it's been flawless. If they're all constructed as well as the Model M and enjoy nearly the same lifespans the price difference is effectively not even a factor in my decision.

[qwertyuiop924]

That's fair enough, but the ones that are closer to $200 are crazy.

As for the rest of what you mentioned, the hub's nice, but macros are what the function keys are for, and I never really got the point of backlighting. But that's just a personal preference.

As for the switches, I haven't tried all the MX switches, but I really like the Model M feel, and the quiet MXs provide no feedback... yuck.

[manyxcxi]

I loved the old Model M I somehow got as an impressionable youth, back when PS/2 keyboards were fancy and USB keyboards weren't a thing yet.

Eventually I moved away to USB keyboards and hated the mush feel and looked around for options but balked at the price. Finally I ran into a couple of guys who'd made the jump (not to Das though) and I started looking around. I found the DKs to be really good looking and I really like how they feel (I've got the clickiest switches they offer for the Mac).

I think over $200 for a keyboard is crazy as well, especially if it's because people are getting conned into thinking they're getting more than they really are, but I won't begrudge someone's decision if it came down to, "I know what I'm getting and I'm fine paying this premium because of [insert deciding factor]"

I wouldn't do it, but 10 years ago I wouldn't have spent $120-150 on a keyboard either.

[tracker1]

Regarding media/macro keys, I use an autohotkey script to map Win+[,],\ for volume down,up,mute... don't really miss the play/pause (spacebar usually works for that). Which covers my own 98% use case.

I prefer the buckling spring click/feel over most of the keyswitch keyboards I've tried... if I went that way, would lean towards cherry browns, but that's just me.

[qwertyuiop924]

AHK sounds nice, but I'm on Linux, so I make do with xbindkeys.

[tracker1]

Agreed.. I'm actually on osx mac and linux daily.. more osx at work, more windows/linux at home. Most of the time, I just use the gui tbh. my htpc is ubuntu, and that has a wireless keyboard better suited to the job, with media keys.

[sean-duffy]

Feeling better than the MX keys is definitely a matter of opinion. And many good mechanical keyboards can be had for not much higher than that price, the ones you pointed out are just a few overpriced brands.

[qwertyuiop924]

Well, yes. Not ALL the keyboards are ridiculously overpriced, just many of the common brands.

[Unklejoe]

The Das Keyboard 4C Professional is $99 on their website, and it's also brand new.

I believe it has generic Cherry MX clones, but the regular 4 Professional has genuine Cherry MX keys, but costs $170, which is kind of steep. Then again, the front panel is aluminum, which is kind of nice. I personally have this keyboard and it seems like a quality unit. It's very heavy. The only thing that sucks is that the keys aren't back lit.

[qwertyuiop924]

What's the advantage of backlighting? I never saw the point...

[Unklejoe]

It helps you see where the keys are when the room is dark.

While I can type without looking at the keyboard 99% of the time, sometimes I still need to look down to get my bearings when pressing some of the lesser used keys like the optional media keys, etc...

[tracker1]

That's the only thing I really miss with a model-m, though I don't like working in a room that's too dark.