Comment by _7acn | Hacker News Reader

Comment by _7acn | Hacker News Reader

I've had so many keyboards that I can't even count them. I've owned five mechanical ones alone. Out of the ergonomic ones, I've only had one - a Microsoft and it was pretty nice. Almost all of them have been replaced because they broke. Either the keys stop working (most often) or the stabilizers start failing.

In my opinion, the best keyboards are the ones that are very easy to clean :) Ideally, switches should be chosen based on your hands since everyone has different preferences. I'm currently using Keychron K5 SE ultra-slim with Low Profile Optical hot-swappable "Banana" switches, and it's the most comfortable keyboard I've ever had — and it's not even that expensive (for a mechanical keyboard). Before that, I had SteelSeries' top model, and it broke after about a year.

Building custom keyboards is next-level, and I think I'll pass on that. What matters most is that it's comfortable to type on and easy to clean. A piece of advice for beginners: don't buy keyboards from Logitech or Apple. They're overrated and not worth their price.

I feel like I am your hardware destroying cousin. For me it's mice, not keyboards.

I've had the same keyboard for like a decade, but I go through mice every 3-6 months. I've tried logitech / corsair / no-name / razor. 90% of the time I replace a mouse because of phantom double clicks or the mouse3 button just ceasing to work.

More rarely, the mouse will reconnect cycle over and over, or the scroll wheel will break.

I don't THINK I abuse them, but my body count indicates maybe I'm too hard on them and don't know it.

Maybe we need hardware that'll give us data on how mean we are to them so we can gain perspective. :p

ummmm what? I have had an MX Master Mouse for over 8 years and as an automotive engineer i have dropped it numerous times while testing vehicles, inside the vehicle, while getting out of the vehicle, just walking from desk to the cars in parking lots... and it still survived 8 years! what are you doing to your mouse exactly?

I click a lot? I don't feel like I'm putting the hammer to them. They just all die.

I've never broken a mechanical keyboard, but I have gone through a few mice. None of my MX mice (MX Master, MX Anywhere) have failed, but only gaming mice. I have a feeling gaming mice just aren't built to last, especially in recent years as brands have chased lighter and lighter mice, likely sacrificing durability.

I've had many mice, and I've never had one fail. I've got mice that are over 20 years old and still work.

So unless you are the hulk and not aware of it, I have to wonder if something else in your environment is affecting them.

Do you buy them all from the same retailer? Do you live underwater? Or next to a high power transmission station?!

Logitechs high end mice are lovely to use but garbage build quality. That little spring under left button gives out far too easily.

Its possible I click hard and certainly they got above average use but 3 died in 5 or 6 years

Kailh GM 8.0 (1) switches are supposed to be long-lasting. The switches in my Logitech mouse started to fail so I replaced them with the GM 8.0s - they are very clicky and still going strong.

If I was to order more, I'd go with softer switches - the GM 8.0 is a tad hard to click for games with repetitive clicking.

1: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3256804334576149.html

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I destroyed my beloved Logitech trackball's PCB trying to desolder its switches, which had become unreliable, but for the mouse, saw someone on YouTube heat all three leads of the switch at once until they could lift it straight off the PCB - this was far easier than trying to clean the solder off each lead and made the process almost easy.

Do they make them the same as they did 8 years ago? It seems that whenever I want to replace a product I really enjoyed 10 years ago, the replacement is a cost-reduced piece of junk.

Counterpoint/anecdata, I've had 3 MX Master mice and 2 died in under a year and the third lasted about 2 weeks past the 2 year warranty expiration. And this was babying them, no mistreatment.

I gave up and switched to a clone (Rapoo MT760) that I actually like more.

Maybe it's time you switch to a trackball.

I'm the trackball destroying cousin. I have yet to have one last two years in the last 10 or 12 years since I switched from mice.

What is breaking? FYI, you need to remove the ball from time to time and remove the dust that might be blocking the optical sensors.

Usually sensors stop working. I had a Kensington slimblade whose tracking light just stopped turning on, for example. No amount of cleaning will bring it back.

Literally less than two years? In the EU you are probably eligible for a replacement, especially if some non-moving part (like sensors you mention below) fails.

I would prefer of course if producers made their products more sturdy (less e-waste).

You can disassemble and replace mouse switches quite easily and very cheaply if you already own a soldering iron and some basic tools - mouse switch failure is the typical reason for misclick double click problem

This is a skill I would benefit to learn.

But this is just because mice are terrible. Trackpad is so much better.

"You’ve clicked Mouse1 2.3 million times and scrolled 12 miles this month. Chill out!"

I've had a CST trackball mouse for about 10 years with no problem...

/end anecdata

It may be due to the hardware most constructors use and how they use it.

If you're ready for 1h of info on some switch and how they're misused in mice enjoy this in-depth video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5BhECVlKJA

I think the gaming mouse market is ripe for a ruggerized mouse with only optional software which does not require some account creation if you don't want to. If you could make it cheap enough you could call it the 2CV.

I'm using very niche mouse nowadays - Bloody. Weirdly they work ok, they have (IMHO) good parameters, if you are not a gaming master race. I was using two of them, each for 3 years and changed only because I lost replacement for the "legs". Also the first one started to loose some material on the button - probably because of cleaning spray I was using.

It’s frustrating how even premium brands can break down so quickly

the microsoft ergonomic kb is vastly underrated

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