FiringSquad Keyboard Guide

FiringSquad Recommendations

Thresh's comments in BLACK

Kenn's comments in BLUE

Northgate Onmikey Ultra - Northgate Systems

Kenn:
Referred to as the "Rolls-Royce of keyboards" amongst people who've used it, the Omnikey Ultra has all the qualities of a high-end keyboard: IBM Lexmark style tactile-click, function keys on left and top, programmable typematic rate and function keys, metal base, and swappable Ctrl/Alt/Capslock keys. Unfortunately, Northgate went out of business a while ago. Mint condition Omnikey Ultra now command prices 2-3 times their original cost, approximately $200-300 from various sites on the net. If you like the feel but don't care for the extras (programmable keys, left-side F-keys), Northgate also made a standard Omnikey 101, which can still be found for around $100-150 or so.

Thresh:

This was by far my favorite keyboard. I used one until about a year ago, when the "A" key died due to continuous left-strafing :) Unfortunately I didn't have the patience to look around and search the web for a duplicate, so I went for the next-best choice (below).

http://www.gprep.org/~fhalden/favorite.htm (Fan Site)

Avant Stellar - Creative Vision Technologies

Kenn:
The Avant Stellar is a remake of the original Northgate Omnikey Ultra. CVT actually contracted the engineer who owned the patent to the Ultra-TP and 101P to design the Avant Stellar. The keyboard is manufactured using the exact same process as the original, but for some reason, the feel of the keys on the Avant Stellar are not identical to the Omnikey, as they feel a bit more wobbly. In addition, because the Avant Stellar is not manufactured in huge quantities like the Omnikey, the price per keyboard is more than 2 times higher than the original Omnikey, generally around $200 or so. Nonetheless, the Avant Stellar is probably the best keyboard still in production for PCs today. Highly recommended! CVT also makes a 104-key keyboard called the Avant Prime, which doesn't have the function keys on the left, and it sells for a little less than the Avant Stellar.

Thresh:
I've tried this keyboard a little while ago and it really felt close to my original Northgate. In fact, when my Omnikey Ultra died, this is what I replaced it with. The keys do feel a little more wobbly, but they still have the same audible click and soft-touch design. This keyboard actually helps me type faster, and the reduced pressure is great for CTS. If you spend a lot of time in front of a computer, putting up the big bucks to get an awesome keyboard really isn't that much, but it's worth every penny.

http://www.cvtinc.com/stelpic.htm

Avant Stellar Keyboard