I'd REALLY suggest trying the keyboard before buying it if you can, since there's a lot of variation. Unfortunately, the best way to test a keyboard really, is to find someone with one, or hope for a demo model. The one I have bought had a window to press the arrow keys and felt good.
I do think mechanical keyboards are the bees knees (and often quite well made to boot), so, as long as you do your homework, you probably will find the right keyboard.
That said, I use a BlackWidow Ultimate, and the major issue I have with it is it makes every other keyboard I have feel crappy - mechanical keyboards are AWESOME in my opinion. In addition to OCN, I've found geekhack has a really good guide to mechanical keyboards.
My experience with Cherry blues is, as with any mechanical keyboard, you need to unlearn some membrane keyboard bad habits, such as bottoming out keys, but once you do, it's fast. They aren't also mushy, which to me, even the best laptop and membrane keyboards are in comparison.
The loudest, supposedly best keyboards are based on the model M keyboard and use buckling springs. Only Unicomp makes them, and they use a buckling spring design. These need quite a bit of actuation force.
Cherry makes four different types of switches, and most mechanical keyboards seem to be based on "Click Tactile" is Blue or "Ergonomic" which is brown. There are three other types - "Soft Tactile" which is clear as well as "Linear" is Black and Red. "Ergonomic" is Brown. Tactile keyboards don't have a linear force curve - you feel a point where the force of the key you press changes, and you can release the key then. The keyboard I have is loud and clacky, but there's a stealth version with Cherry browns. With most smaller keyboard makers, you can probably specify which switch type you want, apparently - so if you're going for a quieter mechanical keyboard, Cherry browns are a good bet. I like the clackyness, since I often touchtype, and it's oddly reassuring. Once you've gotten used to it, the low actuation weight and the activation point being midway through the stroke, least to me makes a big difference.
Practically most mechanical keyboards I've seen tend to be Cherry MX Blue (clicky) or Brown (silent), though there's some alps and topre ones - for example the happy hacking keyboard uses Topre capacitive keys IIRC, which are nicer than your standard membrane keyboard and are worth looking at for silent keys.
I prefer clicky keyboards since, well, I use the noise to tell when I hit the actuation point - and as such it's better for the first timer. Silent keyboards may be better in work environments.
While the key types determine noise levels, it's also a matter of design - geekhack has a forum full of sound clips if you want a rough idea of how they sound - two keyboards of the same switch type may sound different based off physical design. You can also retrofit a keyboard with rubber o rings, or by other means to quieten it apparently, if it's too loud. I don't find my specific keyboard (a Razer BlackWidow Ultimate) to be that much louder than a cheap membrane keyboard (and there's differences there. I have an extremely horrible mushy silent perx keyboard, and a slightly louder, but decent Logitech - both membrane based), but it apparently seems to be built with good sound damping.
I also have a video here, comparing an utterly cheap mushy membrane keyboard (apparently a'perx Windows keyboard') a generic Logitech, and a standard BlackWidow Ultimate with Cherry MX keys - your Compaq should be similar to the Logitech.
Some folk also consider being able to press more than x keys at once (NKRO) essential for a good keyboard. It's less of a factor in typing IMO, but something that's mentioned a lot on keyboard sites.
Model Ms are not that expensive - i'd be using one, but my order got cancelled for some reason. I'd also note with a few exceptions (the black widow, i believe some steel series models, and maybe deck), you're likely to end up ordering a keyboard online anyway - and there's always ebay so getting a cheap second hand keyboard is an option. – Journeyman Geek – 2011-12-11T10:37:47.347
@jour rolling this back; the OP specifically mentions Cherry blue -- and Cherry is by far the most common option -- and I think this question is best when it is specific. It is fine for other answers to go above and beyond to touch on different switch types, of course. (The OP also said he was concerned about noise and buckling springs are deafening, even louder than the blues which are quite loud, so personally I think that's a very unlikely choice.) edit: see this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9J0ZAKd8mF4
– Jeff Atwood – 2011-12-11T10:54:19.973Precisely why they should be mentioned. OP mentioned the cherry cause its common, but having the question general seems to be the best fit to me. The wider question is really about keyboards than the nitty gritty of switches to me. I'd really wish we could get some input from the original poster on this, rather than have a rollback war, and guessing on intent. – Journeyman Geek – 2011-12-11T10:57:33.903
1@jour based on three bits of data -- 1. OP explicitly mentioned cherry blue 2. OP specifically mentioned noise (see my video link above) 3. OP said "being sold in keyboards for a sane price" it is clear that we're in "let's compare the most common mechanical switch type" territory. As I've said repeatedly, it is fine and encouraged even for some answers to provide more than what was asked for. I don't think a "let's compare all the really obscure mechanical keyboard switch types in ridiculous detail" question would be particularly useful to the OP. Let's focus on specifics. – Jeff Atwood – 2011-12-11T11:03:12.840
1@jour also, I challenge anyone to try buying a new mechanical keyboard right now, today, without being forced to learn about cherry switch colors. It is literally impossible, since the vast, vast majority of new mechanical keyboards being sold use Cherry switches in a rainbow of incomphrehensible colors... part of the reason I wrote the answer I did is because I needed to remind myself what the differences are when looking at the new Corsair keyboard, etc, and I already went through the mechanical keyboard buying process once! – Jeff Atwood – 2011-12-11T11:23:55.873
@dan and FYI Razer BlackWidow uses Cherry Blue. I really don't think buckling spring is relevant to someone who said "I don't want anything overpowering [in noise]", plus there is exactly one vendor selling new buckling spring keyboards in the world that I know of. Not like you get a lot of choice there, compared to the zillions of new Cherry {insert color here} mechanicals there are on the market. Heck, just browse Newegg or Amazon in the mechanical keyboard category (I know I have been..), it's Cherry-tastic through and through. – Jeff Atwood – 2011-12-11T11:32:21.250
I mentioned it in passing but topres would count - the happy hacking keyboard is fairly popular and would meet the poster's noise issues. Its not a traditional mechanical design, but its not a standard membrane keyboard, and has the weight and response that a emchanical dosen't have. We can't talk about mechanicals without talking about the Model M/BS spring either.
– Journeyman Geek – 2011-12-11T11:35:15.663@jour I paid $250 for the topre realforce -- that fails the "being sold in keyboards for a sane price" text that was in the original revision. Happy Hacking keyboard is $300 .. http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=pfu_keyboards,hhkbpro2&pid=pdkb400b
– Jeff Atwood – 2011-12-11T11:44:20.667@jour going back to the first revision: 1. OP explicitly mentioned Cherry Blue as a reference point 2. OP specifically mentioned noise 3. OP said "being sold in keyboards for a sane price". All three of these point directly to the question being best focused on Cherry switch mechanical keyboards. They are inexpensive (for mechanicals), can be somewhat quiet (unlike buckling spring), and they can be obtained fairly easily as they are not totally obscure -- most people can probably find a vendor that sells at least one or two different cherry switch mechanical keyboards. – Jeff Atwood – 2011-12-11T11:49:57.810
@jour and as I said I think four times now, answers are free -- even encouraged -- to go "above and beyond" what was asked for. Not sure how many times I need to repeat this, but I guess I will keep doing so over and over until it sinks in :) I mean, who is going to complain about an answer that goes the extra mile for them? – Jeff Atwood – 2011-12-11T11:50:54.003