Recommend a Silent Mouse and Keyboard?

Got a shopping cart of parts that you want opinions on? Get advice from members on your planned or existing system (or upgrade).

Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee

Overconfidence
Posts: 32
Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2005 8:59 pm

Post by Overconfidence » Fri Sep 01, 2006 12:18 pm

Ralf Hutter wrote:
Overconfidence wrote:Hmmm.

Does anyone know where to find the PSK-5000 in Canada? I really want the UltraX, but it seems to have been discontinued (Confirmation?!).
FWIW, it's still available here in the US:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6823126135
Now I need to find an American to buy it for me. Gahh. [Newegg does NOT bill to Canada, even if I ship it to the US]

edit: Oh, wait, I think I can do a money order or cheque! Yessssssss. [Maybe.]

n00btard
Posts: 78
Joined: Fri Oct 21, 2005 7:34 pm

Post by n00btard » Sat Sep 16, 2006 4:35 pm

the clickiness of my Saitek Executive keyboard is more noticeable than the banshee of a stock cooler on my 7800GT at load... and people said it was quiet :evil:

I also hate the clickiness of my Razer (I play Day of Defeat: Source a lot) mouse too.

a perfect mouse would be a Razer Diamondback with the same tactile click without the sound...

wapon
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Sep 19, 2006 1:02 pm

Post by wapon » Tue Sep 19, 2006 1:15 pm

Thanks for all the recommendations on this thread. Because I have an older desktop with only two USB ports on the back, I decided to get the Logitech UltraX keyboard for its PS/2 connectivity. I like it a lot -- soft notebook-style keys, compact, and no need for drivers.

I got mine at www.newegg.com for $21.99 + $6.13 for shipping, but today just saw that this keyboard is available at www.outletpc.com (http://www.outletpc.com/c6454.html) for only $9.98 (plus shipping of around $6-7).

nici
Posts: 3011
Joined: Thu Dec 16, 2004 8:49 am
Location: Suomi Finland Perkele

Post by nici » Wed Sep 20, 2006 7:34 am

I just ordered two more UltraX keyboards, they are becoming harder to get and after an incident with another keyboard i decided i want to get some spares before they go out of production or something... :lol:

And i still donät mind clicking noise fromt he mouse, i have a Razer Copperhead and it is slightly louder than my Logitech MX518, but the Razer fits my hand much better and it glides slightly better than the Logitech.

Mouse whine is very annoying, but fortunately the Razer does'nt have that.

Overconfidence
Posts: 32
Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2005 8:59 pm

Post by Overconfidence » Sat Sep 23, 2006 8:03 am

I just received my ultrax from DealSurprise.com [Only place I found I could get it billing to Canada]

It is rather friggin' awesome 8)

wapon
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Sep 19, 2006 1:02 pm

Post by wapon » Sat Sep 23, 2006 10:57 am

Overconfidence, nici, Are your UltraX keyboards wireless or wired?

NyteOwl
Posts: 536
Joined: Wed Aug 23, 2006 7:09 pm
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada

Post by NyteOwl » Sat Sep 23, 2006 11:50 am

I have a Kengington "Keyboard for Life" that is fairly quiet with one of their Orbit trackballs.

Personally I prefer a bit noisier keyboard and love my older IBM and Cherry keyboards that have real microswitches instead of membranes.

Chris Chan
Posts: 436
Joined: Fri Feb 17, 2006 8:15 pm
Location: Michigan

Post by Chris Chan » Sat Sep 23, 2006 12:51 pm

NyteOwl: Model M's ftw!!! I have a 1992 one on my main box. The Logitech S510 on my other desktop can't match the feel.

mykhal
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Oct 10, 2006 9:42 am
Contact:

mitsumi

Post by mykhal » Tue Oct 10, 2006 10:02 am

I have an old Mitsumi serial 2-button ball mouse, which is very silent. It has a different type of microswitches than recent optical mouses (it's smaller with round "button"). Pitty that mouse manufacturers do not declare power consumption and noise levels. I'm not sure which one eats less watts - serial mechanical or optical USB/PS2 ..

JazzJackRabbit
Posts: 1386
Joined: Fri Jun 18, 2004 6:53 pm

Re: mitsumi

Post by JazzJackRabbit » Tue Oct 10, 2006 3:25 pm

mykhal wrote:I have an old Mitsumi serial 2-button ball mouse, which is very silent. It has a different type of microswitches than recent optical mouses (it's smaller with round "button"). Pitty that mouse manufacturers do not declare power consumption and noise levels. I'm not sure which one eats less watts - serial mechanical or optical USB/PS2 ..
I know this mouse. This mouse is indeed as close to silent as you can get. However one, those switches were very short-lived (some hard core gamers reported only 6 month life span), and two, they were too easy to press, to the point that simply touching them would perform a click, in other words you could never rest your fingers on the buttons.

Shadowknight
Posts: 1283
Joined: Thu Aug 07, 2003 2:43 pm
Location: Charlotte, NC, USA

Re: mitsumi

Post by Shadowknight » Tue Oct 10, 2006 3:46 pm

mykhal wrote:I have an old Mitsumi serial 2-button ball mouse, which is very silent. It has a different type of microswitches than recent optical mouses (it's smaller with round "button"). Pitty that mouse manufacturers do not declare power consumption and noise levels. I'm not sure which one eats less watts - serial mechanical or optical USB/PS2 ..
Can you give us the model #? I want to track this down, now...

mykhal
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Oct 10, 2006 9:42 am
Contact:

Re: mitsumi

Post by mykhal » Wed Oct 11, 2006 3:39 pm

I unfortunately don't know the model name, because I have removed and lost the information tag, which was on the mouse's belly, because it was scrubbing the mousepad. But it looks exactly like the "Mitsumi Serial Mouse (ECM-S3101 model)" mentioned here. There is some, maybe insignificant, "CMKM-P3X" label on the circuit board.
JazzJackRabbit wrote:those switches were very short-lived (some hard core gamers reported only 6 month life span), and two, they were too easy to press, to the point that simply touching them would perform a click, in other words you could never rest your fingers on the buttons.
I have been using this mouse for some >5 years (not much gaming though), and it still lives and clicks. I'd say the buttons have even slightly more resistance than my loud Logitech optical, I do not experience accidental clicks at all. I only wish it had a wheel.. and PS2/serial adapters to were easily available :)

mykhal
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Oct 10, 2006 9:42 am
Contact:

Re: mitsumi

Post by mykhal » Mon Oct 16, 2006 8:09 am

Better photo of the mouse, dismantled one, and closer look on the microswitches, for those who were interested.

Image Image Image

Shadowknight
Posts: 1283
Joined: Thu Aug 07, 2003 2:43 pm
Location: Charlotte, NC, USA

Post by Shadowknight » Mon Oct 16, 2006 8:19 am

I just bought this mouse off e-bay and I'll report my findings when it arrives.

Techno Pride
Posts: 347
Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2003 12:57 am

Post by Techno Pride » Mon Oct 16, 2006 8:26 am

not sure if anyone mentioned this...but there's a wireless version of the Comfort Curve 2000.

Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop 2000

Morgoth
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri May 14, 2004 5:44 pm

Post by Morgoth » Mon Oct 16, 2006 8:30 pm

Having failed to find any posts here about it via search, has anybody tried the new Logitech diNovo Edge?

http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/produ ... NTID=12339

nutball
*Lifetime Patron*
Posts: 1304
Joined: Thu Apr 10, 2003 7:16 am
Location: en.gb.uk

Post by nutball » Tue Oct 17, 2006 10:27 am

Morgoth wrote:Having failed to find any posts here about it via search, has anybody tried the new Logitech diNovo Edge?

http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/produ ... NTID=12339
Charlie has.

Has it been released yet?

Techno Pride
Posts: 347
Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2003 12:57 am

Post by Techno Pride » Wed Oct 18, 2006 5:32 am

I bought a Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop 3000 today

It's a wireless version of the Comfort Curve 2000 plus a 2 button mouse with tilt wheel.

Very very nice keyboard. Better and more quiet than my plasticky Logitech UltraFlat.

The "F Lock" thingy is highly annoying though.

student
Posts: 70
Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2006 5:41 pm

Post by student » Wed Oct 18, 2006 6:26 am

In the office where I work, apart from conversations and the phones ringing clicking keyboards and mice are the noisiest thing.

A guy who used to sit next to me used to absolutely hammer his keyboard and it was hard to work if he was feeling inspired.

A truly silent keyboard and mouse could be a real money spinner...

Hmm...

Trip
*Lifetime Patron*
Posts: 2928
Joined: Wed Sep 24, 2003 7:18 pm
Location: SC

Post by Trip » Wed Oct 18, 2006 6:56 am

Esp. for home offices and dorm rooms where the computer is beside the bed.

nutball
*Lifetime Patron*
Posts: 1304
Joined: Thu Apr 10, 2003 7:16 am
Location: en.gb.uk

Post by nutball » Thu Oct 19, 2006 10:26 am

I just bought one of these for a cheapo project I'm doing:

heir clicken bitte chicken

it's not too bad, especially for the money and ease of acquisition. I'd say it's roughly the same noisiness as the Ultra-X wireless (yes I did a side-by-side comparative test :)) but the quality of the sound is lower pitch (more of a dull thud) and lacking a plasticy rattle that the Ultra-X has. It's slightly louder than a diNovo, but not hugely so.

nici
Posts: 3011
Joined: Thu Dec 16, 2004 8:49 am
Location: Suomi Finland Perkele

Post by nici » Thu Oct 19, 2006 11:41 pm

Oh that, i did have a look at that Logitech when Ultra-X wasn't in stock, but i came to the same conclusion as ten times before, i really don't like keyboards with no space between the numpad, the arrow keys and the rest of the board. But thats just me :P

Typoing this on a Microsoft Wireless MultiMedia Keyboard 1.1 at work, and it seems pretty quiet. THe clicks on the Standard Wireless Optical MOuse are also more muted than my Logitech MX518 or Razer Copperhead, but i dont care aobut mouse clicks.

Techno Pride
Posts: 347
Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2003 12:57 am

Post by Techno Pride » Fri Oct 20, 2006 7:00 am

nutball wrote:I just bought one of these for a cheapo project I'm doing:

heir clicken bitte chicken

it's not too bad, especially for the money and ease of acquisition. I'd say it's roughly the same noisiness as the Ultra-X wireless (yes I did a side-by-side comparative test :)) but the quality of the sound is lower pitch (more of a dull thud) and lacking a plasticy rattle that the Ultra-X has. It's slightly louder than a diNovo, but not hugely so.
I had the same Ultraflat keyboard. The A-Z keys sounded more "plasticky" and noisy after months of use. The numberpad still sounds good though, because i rarely used it.

snutten
Posts: 341
Joined: Mon Nov 25, 2002 1:27 pm
Location: Sweden

Post by snutten » Tue Oct 24, 2006 2:52 am

I know I recommended the Logitech Bluetooth Desktop MX5000 because the hardware is excellent but I have to make amends.
Reason is the required software from Logitech is awful. Lots of bugs, un-stable, annoying icons everywhere impossible to remove, and makes computer start slow (think Norton). Not to mention I have to keep an ordinary keyboard nearby anyways because of the unreliability and to be able to use bios or such.

Actual hardware still rocks though. Anybody know of a third party solution for my bluetooth connections?

UK-Bob
Posts: 28
Joined: Sun Oct 29, 2006 2:37 am

Post by UK-Bob » Sun Oct 29, 2006 8:42 am

I use the Advent keyboard, also badged as Speed Link. I find that the ease in which my fingers now glide across this ultra thin keyboard has good effect of being quiet. The mouse I am using has a nice action and quiet scroll wheel but the micro switches are not that quiet. The quietest mouse I have found is one of those nasty miniture laptop designs...urgh :!:

Image

Techno Pride
Posts: 347
Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2003 12:57 am

Post by Techno Pride » Sun Oct 29, 2006 9:30 am

Image

btw, as with the wired Comfort Curve 2000, it has that annoying (noisy) spacebar, but the rest of the keys are cool.

The Wireless Optical Desktop 2000 comes with the same keyboard.

raspin99
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Nov 07, 2006 1:24 pm
Contact:

silent mouse

Post by raspin99 » Tue Nov 07, 2006 1:29 pm

It took a while but we finally got there!!!!

www.silentmouse.co.uk

have been using a prototype for ages.................. it really does work - silently!

Nick

outoftune
Posts: 65
Joined: Sat Aug 26, 2006 7:26 pm
Location: canada

Re: silent mouse

Post by outoftune » Thu Nov 09, 2006 4:09 pm

raspin99 wrote:It took a while but we finally got there!!!!

www.silentmouse.co.uk

have been using a prototype for ages.................. it really does work - silently!

Nick
would you be able to give a bit more info about how you make this mouse silent?

outoftune
Posts: 65
Joined: Sat Aug 26, 2006 7:26 pm
Location: canada

Post by outoftune » Thu Nov 09, 2006 4:25 pm

is there any agreement on what the cheapest quiet keyboard and mouse is? (it doesnt haev to be a set)

i am looking for each one to be wired, optical mouse, both with PS2 and standard format keyboard.

I was looking at the Ultra X wired but I cant find it in Canada.

Ive read the microsoft intellimouse explorer is good but Im trying to find something a bit cheaper, Im thinking maybe a cheap, non whining optical mouse and then mod the buttons. Or is there something that is cheap and already silent?

NoiseFreeGuy
Posts: 332
Joined: Mon May 15, 2006 7:16 pm
Location: Guelph, Canada

Re: silent mouse

Post by NoiseFreeGuy » Tue Nov 14, 2006 7:19 pm

raspin99 wrote:It took a while but we finally got there!!!!

www.silentmouse.co.uk

have been using a prototype for ages.................. it really does work - silently!

Nick
Will you be selling silent wired ball-mice in the near future?
I've tried about a dozen optical/laser mice but can't use them because of the emf's that they emit.

Oh, and could you tell us just how 'silent' your mice are?
Thanks!

Post Reply