CHERRY G80-3000, Wired Mechanical Keyboard, German Layout (QWERTZ ), USB-Connection, Robust, Programmable Keys,CHERRY MX BLACK Switches, Light Grey

Purchased this Cherry keyboard 10 months ago, and it gets worked hard every day. (I program for a living - no gaming on this keyboard!)I find it very tactile & pleasant to type on, even for extended periods of work. It's a massive step up from any cheap membrane keyboard, and is the cheapest mechanical keyboard I know of with Cherry MX Blue switches.It works fine with OS X and Windows - I have mine hooked up to a 27" iMac, running Windows in VMWare Fusion. OS X requires a few keys to be remapped, which I did using the excellent KeyRemap4MacBook utility.The old-school design is dull but business-like. The imposing case takes up lots of desktop space, measure your available space before buying one! Personally, I like this - my keyboard is the umbilical cord to my life's work, and a keyboard with serious presence makes me feel more, well, serious. Others might prefer a more dainty design.Regarding the flimsy design mentioned in other reviews. The lightweight case clips together (no screws) and consequently the whole keyboard flexes if you twist it. This might seem bad when compared side-by-side to a more expensive keyboard with a metal chassis, but it's honestly a non-issue if your keyboard remains in one place. Once in place, it stays put and feels solid. And there's a huge advantage to the case flex - this keyboard will sit perfectly flat on any imperfect desktop.Be aware, this keyboard is quite loud. No problem if you work in a home office - and of course, that noise adds to the tactile experience of using a mechanical keyboard - but it could be highly annoying in a shared space at home or in a busy office.One very minor annoyance is that the larger keys (especially on the number pad) feel spongy compared to the regular keys, which can slow you down when number crunching. But I'm really nit-picking. I love this keyboard, and while it might not tick all the boxes for serious gamers or mechanical keyboard aficionados, it is a great keyboard for anyone who types for a living.

I purchased this keyboard after trying out MX Blue switches on the Razer BlackWidow Ultimate, but I wasn't willing to spend that much money on a keyboard, so I opted for the Cherry G80 as Cherry are a reputable company for keyboards. The keyboard arrived the next day (Amazon Prime) and I opened it with excitement, plugged it in, let Windows Update take care of the drivers and I was ready to go!The first thing you will undoubtably notice about the keyboard is the very loud, yet very satisfying, "click" with each key press. At first I was worried that this would get annoying but it is really nice typing feedback.The next thing you will notice (if you haven't used a mechanical keyboard before) is the ability to type by only pushing each key about half way down (pushing the key all the way is known as "bottoming out" and creates a much louder sound). The ability to activate the switch with a half-press is awesome, especially if you're a touch typer who likes to type as fast as possible.Overall this keyboard is very nice to type (and program, and play games) on, and is a bargain at £60! It feels sturdy enough to last a long time and is a bargain at £60! If you're thinking about making the "switch" to mechanical keyboards, and are an avid typer/gamer, definitely go for it!

I would really like to give 3.5 stars overall, for the combination of the quality of the keyboard, and the experience of the purchase.First, the keyboard itself: I would give this 4 stars. One reviewer calls this the best keyboard money can buy; it isn't. Most keyboards manufactured today use a technology based on the keys resting on a bubble in a plastic membrane; pressing a key squashes the bubble and makes an electrical connection. and the resilience of the plastic then pushes the key back up. These are cheap to make, and horrible to type on. They should last for about 5 million keystrokes.Better quality keyboards use proper switches, one for each key, mounted on some sort of chassis. The most widely used switches are made by Cherry. They are great to type on, and have a life of about 50 million keystrokes. If you look around on Amazon, you will find keyboards made by companies like Filco that cost twice as much as this one, yet use exactly the same Cherry MX switches. So why is this not the best keyboard money can buy? Well, the Filco has things like a rigid metal chassis where the Cherry has a more basic PCB, high quality plastic for the case (which you can't bend like you can bend the Cherry) better quality keycaps, etc. However. all this is insignificant compared with the huge improvement of the switches over a membrane. It's a bit like buying a basic BMW: you get quality where it matters most for a lot less money than a top-of-the-range model costs. This might not be the best keyboard, but it's probably the best bargain: top quality switches (some people, but by no means all, prefer the much more costly Topre switches) in an adequate plastic case.I would give the purchase experience 3 stars. On the positive side, it was very reasonably priced; I chose the second hand, like new, option, fulfilled by Amazon Warehouse, and it was indeed like new, missing only the packaging, which I would only have thrown away. It also arrived very quickly even though I took the free delivery option.On the negative side, the keyboard is available, as far as I know, with 3 different types of MX switch (Cherry make 6 or 7 versions). The "click action" in the description strongly implied this keyboard would not have black switches (linear action, no click, preferred by gamers but not so good for typing). It actually has the blues I expected, though I'd have preferred the slightly lighter, quieter browns if there had been a choice. It also comes in either 104 key (ANSI/US standard layout) or 105 key (ISO/UK standard layout), and this is where Amazon does fall down a little. as the pictures show both! The main picture shows a US model, the other pictures are of 105 key models, though they are German QWERTZ layout, not UK QWERTY. I suppose I could have enquired - I'd have taken the 104 key model if offered a choice but decided that, for the price, I could live with whatever turned up, which turned out (again as expected) to be a standard UK 105 key version.Overall, an excellent keyboard for the price, and most buyers would obviously expect the UK layout, and probably the blue switches. As an upgrade from a membrane keyboard, very highly recommended.