The Most Expensive Keyboards That May Be A Total Waste Of Money

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For anyone who spends much of their week at their computer, a good keyboard is vital. Membrane keyboards are the cheapest and most readily available form, but users who want a more customizable experience often opt for a mechanical keyboard. They're then able to choose everything from their favorite sounding switch to the RGB lighting that illuminates their keys. Personalizing a keyboard this way is considerably more expensive, but it's well worth it to get something that's suited exactly to your personal tastes.

However, not every expensive keyboard is worth the money. The costliest boards come with eye-watering price tags, some retailing for as much as a well-specced gaming PC. These boast luxurious materials, unique designs, or extra functionality, but many are so overpriced that it's hard to see them as anything other than a waste of money. Still, anyone who fancies dropping hundreds or even thousands of dollars on one will have plenty of options, from a gold-plated board to one that's supposed to look like it's been sat "in the backpack of an intrepid explorer."

For a keyboard that costs more than most people's PCs, the iKey DT-5K-FSR-IS looks unremarkable. That's because its strengths lie in its utility rather than any aspect of its design. Its manufacturer says that it's designed for use in hazardous locations, with a non-corrosive stainless steel case that protects it from the worst that any factory, power station, or another industrial setting can throw at it. It's able to operate at temperatures of -4°F to 140°F (-20°C to 60°C), and it can withstand humidity of up to 100%.

It's an impressive piece of kit, but there's no getting away from the fact that this is a simple keyboard with a retail price of $2,500. It's also only compatible with Windows PCs, so Mac or Linux users are out of luck. In a few select industrial settings, the iKey is probably worth the money, as it's one of the safest and most reliable options on the market. But, for the vast majority of users even in less extreme industrial settings, the ultra-resistant utility of this keyboard won't justify its sky-high price tag.

One of several unique keyboards produced by the Art Lebedev studio, the Optimus Popularis features 77 keys, each with an individual LCD screen that can be configured to display any character. Each of these screen keys has a resolution of 72 x 72 pixels, and each refreshes at a minimum of 10 frames per second (fps). In a hands-on review, KeyboardCo praised the Popularis' build quality, reporting that its mix of aluminum and plastic construction gave it a premium feel that was on par with a top-spec mechanical keyboard.

However, at a price of $1,100, the Popularis is more of an expensive novelty than a practical everyday keyboard. Setting it to a common layout like UK or US English arguably negates the point of buying the Popularis altogether, yet that's exactly what most people will need it for. Although programming it to display pictures, a clock or any other widget will be fun at first, it's certainly not $1,000 worth of fun for most people.

Datamancer says that the purpose of the Sojourner keyboard is to be "reminiscent of an earlier era, when beauty and technology went hand-in-hand." Much like the nautical-themed Seafarer, the Sojourner features a worn brass frame that's artificially tarnished for a weather-beaten look. The face plate is made of aged brown leather, and each key is wrapped in metal casing to simulate the feel of an old typewriter. At $899, it's less expensive than the Seafarer, but still multiple times more than most enthusiasts would feel comfortable spending on a keyboard.

The usual gold-standard Cherry MX switches feature on the Sojourner, and it's built to be compatible with all major operating systems, including Linux. The strangest thing about the keyboard is its typeface, which Datamancer calls "Elizabethan." It's unusually squiggly, making it almost impossible to read at a glance, and for some keys, even difficult to read close up. A small inconvenience, but one that's going to get annoying, especially for an unfamiliar user trying to get to grips with the keyboard's function keys.

The gold-plated Adata keyboard might take the crown for the silliest way to spend $10k, but it doesn't actually hold the official record for the most expensive production computer keyboard. That honor instead goes to the Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional HP Japan, which at $4,240, is still the record holder according to Guinness World Records. Like the Summoner, it's also dusted with gold, but the main reason for its four-figure cost is its use of Urushi lacquer from Japan.

Originally developed as a form of varnish, the raw sap of the Urushi tree is poisonous to the touch, and even breathing in its fumes can cause harm. The technique for refining the sap has been developed over thousands of years, and the finished product remains one of Japan's most desirable (and expensive) exports. The Happy Hacking keyboard comes with a layer of Urushi lacquer on every key, although none of those keys have letters printed on them. The board was released in limited numbers in 2006 to commemorate the brand's 10th anniversary.

The Fingerworks TouchStream is undoubtedly one of the most unique-looking keyboards ever made, with a split design that could replace a standard keyboard and a mouse altogether. Both the keyboard and the mouse could be controlled using the same overlapping MultiTouch surface, and users could instantly switch between one and the other without having to move their hands. In theory, this meant less chance of strain on the hands and fingers, but in reality, the board had a high rate of return for intensive typists, who simply didn't find it comfortable enough (according to ErgoCanada).

The TouchStream went out of production only a few years after it launched, and by 2005, it was reported that Apple acquired Fingerworks and its patents, preventing any chance of a reissue. TouchStream keyboards are now very rare to find, with unopened examples listed for as much as $1,500 each. However, used examples of these keyboards also occasionally come up for sale on eBay, where they sell for a small fraction of that price. It certainly isn't worth the money to buy an unopened TouchStream, especially since it's not even comfortable to type with. But, for collectors, it's worth keeping an eye out for one of these retro oddities popping up on auction sites, as there simply isn't anything else like it.