>After being burned so many times I have made it a practice to change the mouse and keyboard regularly. (Looking at the gunk on the keyboard, it's about time). They have gotten so cheap it doesn't even cost much to do so, certainly not compared to the cost in wasted time etc. when they aren't working right.

Maybe the issue is that you are indeed buying cheap keyboards :)

My wife has a Logitech G15 keyboard that still works fine after, well I do not remember when I bought it, 6 or 7 years (I looked it here, we bought it in 2007 as it was just released and we paid like 350 bucks for it) Mine I bought it less than a year later, a Razer Lycosa which still works great and I use it a lot and not in a kindly way, I would only change it for I read the new Razer Black Widow Ultimate is fantastic, for my daughter I bought an AlienWare TactX, but this is brand new so I can't say if it is good or not, but I rather have either my wife's or mine, the construction details are much better on those, specially mine :)

And I still have my old keyboards, they all still work, I do not remember breaking a single one, they are around my house for my wife dismay :)