• steve
• January 8, 2025
• 1 Comment

Computer keyboards is one of those categories that you’d expect is completely dominated by China. And it is, thanks to companies like Logitech sending all of their manufacturing to China, as well as the stranglehold that China has on cheap electronics, cheap plastic, and cheap labor.

But in a pattern we’ve seen with so many other industries, power users don’t want to stand for cheap knockoffs, and so they demand quality. In the case of computer keyboards, countries like Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea—along with a small contingent in the United States who still remembers what it’s like to take pride in craftsmanship and manufacturing quality—delivered.

Invariably, whatever innovations these manufacturers make will be copied by China manufacturers. As with every other industry, it’s up to consumers to decide. Are we willing to reward crooks, punish small businesses, and stifle innovation all for the satisfaction of saving a few dollars on a product that’s invariably going to break?

Sadly, many in the West are opting for saving a few bucks. Das Keyboard used to manufacture in Taiwan, but has shifted to China. Another innovative keyboard company, WASD, is out of business. Whether the companies below survive will depend on whether consumers understand that you get what you pay for, and if you make the wrong decision, your country will pay for what you get.

The Best Keyboards Not Made in China

1. Unicomp – the original IBM keyboard

If you’re an old-timer and remember the oddly satisfying “clicky” keyboard of IBM computers in the 1980s and 1990s (also known as “clack”, “click clack”, and “clickety click” depending on who you talk to), you are going to love Unicomp. It doesn’t just mimic the old IBM keyboard—it IS the old IBM keyboard.

As I understand the story Lexmark, based in Lexingon, KY, was the OEM manufacturer of IBM’s iconic keyboard, the Model M which itself was developed for years in the 1970s by IBM to mimic their iconic Selectric typewriters. Lexmark decided to discontinue the Model M and turn their attention to cheap, mass-produced keyboards.

In a move reminiscent of the story of Liberty flatware when Oneida sold out to China, a group of Lexmark employees decided to acquire the rights and the manufacturing facilities and formed Unicomp in 1996. So they keyboards you buy here are literally made in the same facilities by the same people who made the iconic IBM keyboard today. Ironically, Lexmark itself was bought out by a China conglomerate, Ninestar, in 2016. So ironically, while Lexmark employees today are getting their checks signed by their China masters, Unicomp continues to be 100% American.

To this day, if you want to explain the concept of “tactile feedback” to someone, the old IBM keyboard is the way to go. It’s the most satisfying keyboard to use, and even better because they’ve modernized it with things like USB connectors and Windows keys. But they have stayed true to the old “buckling spring” mechanism that many have tried to copy but no one has.

Their marketing appears to be 100% by word of mouth. The best way to buy them in the US is from their company site, and in the UK you can buy them here. From time to time you may see Amazon resellers selling them, but most of the time Amazon is taking searches for their brand name and flooding the results with China manufacturers.

2. Filco Majestouch 3

Filco is a Japanese brand that is renowned for its high-quality mechanical keyboards. It’s headquartered in Tokyo and it manufacturers out of Taiwan and Japan. You might not have heard about them in the United States where brands like Logitech have a stranglehold on the market, but they’re big in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. In fact, they were widely recognized in the late 2000s when people worldwide saw professional South Korean gamers using the Majestouch 2 for games like StarCraft and WarCraft III.

Today the Majestouch 3 is the state-of-the-art. Like its predecessor, it’s celebrated for its minimalist design, its durability, and its use of premium Cherry MX switches. It’s as much at home writing a term paper or a blog post as it is dominating the latest PC games.

3. Ducky One 3 Pro Keyboards

Ducky is a Taiwanese company specializing in high-quality mechanical keyboards. They’ve been making keyboards since 1998, but introduced their own brand in 2008.

They’re known as an innovative brand focusing on superior craftsmanship and excellent user experience. Most recently they introduced the Ducky One X, the first keyboard to use induction switches (which use electromagnetic induction to detect key presses vs. traditional mechanical or electrical contacts), which is posed to revolutionize gaming and creative jobs.

This Ducky One 3 Pro is Ducky’s flagship product and comes in multiple vibrant colors. From time to time they’ll do limited edition designs highly sought after by collectors.

4. Leopold

Leopold is a South Korean company that’s been around since 2006 and are known for being a high quality high-end keyboard. While some people may not be able to imaging paying over $100 for a keyboard, if you’re on your computer all day for work or for gaming, you’ll appreciate the sturdiness and build quality. There is some confusions online as to where they’re made, but most say that their top models are made in Taiwan.

Conclusion

When you look at the quality of a computer keyboard today to the quality 30 years ago, it’s astounding how we have moved backwards, not forwards, in terms of innovation and technology.

A few years ago, Apple famously had millions of their Macbook Pro keyboards fail. I remember it happened to my computer, but when I took it to the Apple Store for a “free” replacement, the Apple Store “geniuses” told me I had to pay $700 to repair my monitor and battery (which also failed) before they would replace my keyboard. They also mocked me for not having bought AppleCare, because I should have known that my computer would fail. Isn’t it strange that even when they and their China manufacturers fail, somehow it ends up costing us more?

The irony is that the reason that companies don’t make products that last anymore is because consumers will foolishly continue to buy cheap, disposable products instead of ones that’ll last. I love how the companies above are bucking the trend, and if you buy from them, you’ll get one of the best keyboards money can buy which will last.

Do you know of any other computer keyboards worthy of mention here? Let us know in the comments.