Curious - How many HP owners are experiencing rapid keyboard wear?

I attached two pictures for reference. The first picture is about 1 month from brand new. The second picture is today, about 5 months from new.

Now I do expect eventual wear. Wear happens. However, I generally expect to get a good amount of use out of a product before the wear occurs. I had a Dell 9300 for 3-4 years. Its keyboard has less (cosmetic) wear then my HP at 1/10 the time frame. I literally have to wear down the key to make the key unreadable. With the HP, they just use a light coating of silver over the black plastic that just wears off readily easily, too easily for my taste.

I know I'm not the only one that has this, but I'm curious what everyone else is experiencing as well. As it stands now, my A, S, D, E, N, O, and space bar all have visible wear off of the silver coating.

 

I have heavily used my dv5t since Nov 08 and my keys are still looking new.

Maybe they forgot the clear coat on your keys.

 

No problems here

 

I don't have the silver keys but the plastic they use is crap. They're all polished and shiny like a really old keyboard would be. Also they don't feel as solid as they used to (have other laptops to compare).

 

Is that a HDX18 you have there? My hdx16 has no issues but only had it for 3 weeks.

 

Me too, I've used my keyboard heavily since Dec 08 and it looks perfect - like new. I think you should be entitled to a keyboard replacement (if you're still under warranty). Why don't you call HP Customer Support? You'll probably have to fight for it, knowing HP, but in the end, they should replace your keyboard for you.

 

Even if your out of warranty, how much is a new keyboard from parts? I thought they were relatively cheap and easy to replace.

 

Just an update. I think I figured out the issue. It's nails. I think my nails are just scratching the silver coating off. I'm not one to really grow long nails, but I'm not religious about cutting them. I think the just get long enough, often enough to do enough cumulative damage to cause relatively rapid wear.

A lot of keyboards are just black plastic with the lettering printed/coated on. The HDX18T instead has the black plastic but then coats the whole thing in silver and leaves the letters free of the coating to create the lettering. The downside seems to be that once you start scratching at it, it just comes off, and the lettering goes bye bye with it. The more normal uncoated approach that most manufacturers use simply have less of an issue.

I guess I could get my keyboard replaced under warranty again, but if it just keeps happen, it's sort of pointless. As well, HP's warranty work for the keyboard is me sending the laptop to them. That's something I'm not willing to do just for a new keyboard that will show wear in a month anyways.

 

Interesting. I'm a touch typist and I can do 70 words a min. I find that if I have longer nails, it gets in the way of typing. I assume the HDXs keyboards are painted as you've mentioned is because that way, it allows light to show thru if you have the backlit keyboard option. I have yet to see any keyboard wear.

 

That's so weird. I have dv5t with a silver keyboard and I use alcohol pads to clean it from the usual oils from potato chips, pizza, etc...

The keys look brand new. Did you get HP to replace it? Like someone mentioned, it could be a defect where the manufacturer forgot to put some type of clear coating.

Get HP to replace it, don't take no for an answer. It's clearly a defect.

 

I don't know, HP's keyboards seem to wear quickly IMO. After 8 months on my old dv2000 most of the coarse textured surface was gone and they were shiny. I just gave up my beloved Toshiba M305 that I had for 13 months and they had zero wear, granted they were that super glossy Fusion Finish that really can't wear. My 5 year old Toshiba work laptop has virtually zero wear either, though...