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Lez talk mechanical keyboards

CarbonatedFalcon said:
So I'm on the verge of getting a Razer Blackwidow Chroma. Got a pretty good endorsement from Linus Tech Tips. Anyone here have/have used one that can affirm?

Otherwise there's one or two K70s that have Cherry MX Blue (which I'm pretty sure is the feel of switch I'd want after testing some out in a store - the Blackwidow has similar switches), but they're either more expensive or come with ugly red LED back-lighting. I could live with blue back lights, but not red.
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I fucking love mine. I came from a Logitech G810 and I find the Blackwidow Chroma to be far superior.

Discover the various uses of its' RGB lighting SDK has been super impressive. Overwatch in particular is amazing.
 
So I got my first mechanical keyboard, a Corsair K70, and damn..what a difference it is to my old ones.

Just hope the keys don´t fade too quickly though, as it was pretty expensive lol.
 
I'm torn between the k95 (which I can get for £75) or the rgb model, I'm not sure I'm fussed about the full rgb colour changes to stump up the extra £70 odd pounds.
 
Ashhong said:
What do you mean by surface? Like the keycap? Or the surface that the keyboard is on? Not sure how that would change anything..
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just tried it myself, the clack of my browns change wether I put them on my desk, my mouse mat or hold it up in the air. so it's definitely a thing. It's slight but still noticeable.
 
Anyone have any tips on cleaning switches?

Like a dumbass I spilled some lemonade on a little bit of my Logitech G710 - the one with the Blue switches. Now there's a small patch of keys that aren't clicky anymore. I've seen some recommendations like dropping something like lighter fluid into the switch, but I was hoping that someone here might have some experience.
 
digitalrelic said:
I fucking love mine. I came from a Logitech G810 and I find the Blackwidow Chroma to be far superior.

Discover the various uses of its' RGB lighting SDK has been super impressive. Overwatch in particular is amazing.
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im genuinely curious. do you like the blackwidow as a keyboard, or because of the lighting and the (really well done) integrated lighting sdk?
because i got my hands on a few mechanical keyboards and the blackwidow is by far the worst. those new razer switches and the overall build quality is subpar, considering the price tag i would say it isnt worth it. im not shitting on razer here, i use a deathadder and a naga and while there are better built alternatives, i just like the feel of them and my hand rests perfectly on those mice.
 
Realforce 87U for home.
Leopold FC660C for work.

1EuTJX1.jpg
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moerser said:
im genuinely curious. do you like the blackwidow as a keyboard, or because of the lighting and the (really well done) integrated lighting sdk?
because i got my hands on a few mechanical keyboards and the blackwidow is by far the worst. those new razer switches and the overall build quality is subpar, considering the price tag i would say it isnt worth it. im not shitting on razer here, i use a deathadder and a naga and while there are better built alternatives, i just like the feel of them and my hand rests perfectly on those mice.
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I love the feel of the keys on the Blackwidow and I've found the build quality to be very good. I've only used a handful of mechanical keyboards, and the only other mechanical keyboard I've owned is the G810. The build quality of the Blackwidow feels superior to me compared to the G810. More weight, really thick braided cable, and it just feels solid. I'm not all that choosy with my mechanical keyboards though either. I haven't had enough experience with them to be all that picky.
 
killertofu said:
how do F keys work on the leopold?
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FN next to the arrow keys + number keys.
Omitting separate F keys from that keyboard is just weird to me. Would be a great layout if only they didn't try to save depth for some reason. I'd probably have bought one already if it didn't have this problem.
 
Would anybody like a 5% off code for mechanicalkeyboards.com? Got it with my Ducky purchase, expires on the 26th. Quote this post to see it

 
Guys sorry if this was already asked, but if I get any keyboard whit cherry mx are the keycaps removable? As I can't find a decent italian layout keyboard, if I buy one with a us or uk layout can I change just some of the letters?
Is it worth buying a chinese keyboard from places like aliexpress?
Any suggestions for a backlighted keyboard with cherry brown that isn't awful (like those marketed to gamers full of lights everywhere and two thousand macros)

Thanks
 
draliko said:
Guys sorry if this was already asked, but if I get any keyboard whit cherry mx are the keycaps removable? As I can't find a decent italian layout keyboard, if I buy one with a us or uk layout can I change just some of the letters?
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Yes, all Cherry MX keyboards should have keycaps you can replace.

Some layouts are a bit non-standard, though, and you may want to find one with a similar layout as keycaps sets you're interested in (unless you just want to swap or replace a couple keycaps)
 
Ok mecha gaf:

If I wanted the keyboard to get right now for about 120 max witch one is the one to get.
only req it must be out now buy-able in the EU.

I played on a few at past weeks Gamescom and now I want one :D
 
The Dutch Slayer said:
Ok mecha gaf:

If I wanted the keyboard to get right now for about 120 max witch one is the one to get.
only req it must be out now buy-able in the EU.

I played on a few at past weeks Gamescom and now I want one :D
Click to expand...

There are so many different factors to it that we can't help you with just that question lol. What did you play on?
 
The Dutch Slayer said:
Ok mecha gaf:

If I wanted the keyboard to get right now for about 120 max witch one is the one to get.
only req it must be out now buy-able in the EU.

I played on a few at past weeks Gamescom and now I want one :D
Click to expand...

Things you must find out for yourself, and then come back to us with:

What keys would you like? There are four main ones: Red, black, blue, and brown. All of the keys actuate at around 2mm -- so about halfway down from resting. What this means is that, as you get more effective, you'll only be pressing the keys about halfway down, instead of hitting the bottom. Red and black are "linear", in that they have no feel to them, just a smooth slide up and down. Only difference is that black has a stronger spring, and takes more force to press down. Blues and browns have a "bump" at the actuation point (which is around 2mm down, not all the way) to let you know you've "hit" the key, and can start coming back up. Blues are more of a "click" than a bump, and are very much audible, where browns are much more subtle both in feel and in sound. Typically, I'd say I hear more people going with reds or browns, with typist preferring browns, and gamers preferring reds. But ultimately, you need to get a keyboard in your hands and determine which you like -- a lot of people think they'll like one switch based on description, and find they like another entirely after using them.

After that, you need to pick your form factor. There's 3 main ones -- full layout, which is what most are familiar with, tenkeyless, where the numpad is omitted to save space, and finally 60%, where everything to the right of the enter key on your pinky is chopped off, and many functions (such as arrow keys) become Fn layer keys. 60% is a bit extreme, but a lot of people go for Tenkeyless.

And finally, your features. Lighting, macros, extra kebabs, all this should be your last consideration, as ultimately it makes the smallest difference to you in the long run.

After you've figured out what you want from those, THEN we can help you out lol.
 
Ashhong said:
There are so many different factors to it that we can't help you with just that question lol. What did you play on?
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H3XAntiStyle said:
Things you must find out for yourself, and then come back to us with:

What keys would you like? There are four main ones: Red, black, blue, and brown. All of the keys actuate at around 2mm -- so about halfway down from resting. What this means is that, as you get more effective, you'll only be pressing the keys about halfway down, instead of hitting the bottom. Red and black are "linear", in that they have no feel to them, just a smooth slide up and down. Only difference is that black has a stronger spring, and takes more force to press down. Blues and browns have a "bump" at the actuation point (which is around 2mm down, not all the way) to let you know you've "hit" the key, and can start coming back up. Blues are more of a "click" than a bump, and are very much audible, where browns are much more subtle both in feel and in sound. Typically, I'd say I hear more people going with reds or browns, with typist preferring browns, and gamers preferring reds. But ultimately, you need to get a keyboard in your hands and determine which you like -- a lot of people think they'll like one switch based on description, and find they like another entirely after using them.

After that, you need to pick your form factor. There's 3 main ones -- full layout, which is what most are familiar with, tenkeyless, where the numpad is omitted to save space, and finally 60%, where everything to the right of the enter key on your pinky is chopped off, and many functions (such as arrow keys) become Fn layer keys. 60% is a bit extreme, but a lot of people go for Tenkeyless.

And finally, your features. Lighting, macros, extra kebabs, all this should be your last consideration, as ultimately it makes the smallest difference to you in the long run.

After you've figured out what you want from those, THEN we can help you out lol.
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Thanks for all the info everyone ow boy it did not know that there was so much to know about these.
Man is hard to know witch one I used.
I do know that it was one where it was shorter then a reg keyboard so no arrows and number pads etc.
I think it was a short steel series but not sure.

All I know it that I like the fact that, they where easy press and felt really really good :D
 
The Dutch Slayer said:
Thanks for all the info everyone ow boy it did not know that there was so much to know about these.
Man is hard to know witch one I used.
I do know that it was one where it was shorter then a reg keyboard so no arrows and number pads etc.
I think it was a short steel series but not sure.

All I know it that I like the fact that, they where easy press and felt really really good :D
Click to expand...

Good luck. You've just jumped down the rabbit hole. Try to find a store near you that carries mechanical keyboards so you can try it out before buying, that's my number 1 recommendation.

You say it was easy to press, do you remember if there was any kind of bump or click while typing? Or was it extremely smooth down and back up? Were there any LEDs? If it was at Gamescom it's a good chance it was sponsored. If it was green or red LED we might be looking at Razer or Corsair
 
So I'm deciding between the Corsair K70 RGB Lux w/ Cherry MX Blue Switches or the Razer Blackwidow X Chroma (the metal one, but lacks macro keys) at this point.

Corsair seems to have more going for it aside from the software, which seems to be in Razer's ballpark. Also if I'm not mistaken that Corsair needs to be plugged in to 2 USB Ports? This would be plugged into a laptop primarily right now, so kinda iffy on that, but it does have a USB passthrough it seems. Would probably have to use a USB hub of some sort to make it not awkward. I have a cheapo tiny Belkin hub right now, but probably would want to get something that sets up nicer if I got this keyboard.

Any opinions either way? Both seem like fairly solid choices. Leaning Corsair, but I'm not sure.
 
From my reading the only reason you'd have to use the second usb connector is if you're connecting via usb2 if it has a usb3 port the second isn't needed.
 
digitalrelic said:
I love the feel of the keys on the Blackwidow and I've found the build quality to be very good. I've only used a handful of mechanical keyboards, and the only other mechanical keyboard I've owned is the G810. The build quality of the Blackwidow feels superior to me compared to the G810. More weight, really thick braided cable, and it just feels solid. I'm not all that choosy with my mechanical keyboards though either. I haven't had enough experience with them to be all that picky.
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interesting, i did not get my hands on logitechs mechanical keyboards yet, but people tend to like their products more for their build quality, will check that out.
i would really like to hear your opinion on a few other mechs as i cant get my head around the fact that you like the blackwidow so much, because youre literally the first person saying this.
or maybe they had some kind of revision and their switches got better/build quality improved and im talking about an older version.
 
Ashhong said:
Good luck. You've just jumped down the rabbit hole. Try to find a store near you that carries mechanical keyboards so you can try it out before buying, that's my number 1 recommendation.

You say it was easy to press, do you remember if there was any kind of bump or click while typing? Or was it extremely smooth down and back up? Were there any LEDs? If it was at Gamescom it's a good chance it was sponsored. If it was green or red LED we might be looking at Razer or Corsair
Click to expand...

he said no arrow keys, correct me if im wrong, but corsair and razer do not offer 60% keyboads if im not mistaken.
 
Picked up the RedDragon Kumara K552 mechanical keyboard today. Really liking it so far. Only cost like 60 euro and has everything I want. A nice red LED backlight, a really satisfying click to the keys and a nice weight to it.
 
I have a pretty old mechanical (CM Storm QF Pro w/ cherry reds), and just recently put some 0.2mm o-rings on it. How did I go this long without 'em? Thinking of adding another ring, but with just one, it strikes the right balance between still having good travel/feel without feeling numb or being too quiet (I like some noise). Anyway, makes it feel like a brand-new keyboard, and for only $6. Great little mod.
 
Getting a K70 LUX RGB w/ Cherry MX Blues on Monday. Just in time for WoW: Legion! I'm excited. I'll have a new mouse on Saturday as well, which should be fun.

Now if only I could get my monitor properly calibrated...it's at least a few years old at this point and I don't know if it's just being stubborn or actually pooping out on me in terms of colors.
 
I just got a Corsair K70 Cherry MX Red w/blue LEDs! I like it! I changed out the FPS keys so now there are a small bit of keys that have a slight contour to them. It's really interesting. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet as I'm still getting used to it, but I think I'm liking it better than my old crappy keyboard for sure. Super sturdy, and I kinda like the clack I think. Hah. I kinda wonder what the other keys feel like, but I like that these are fairly soft.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014W1ZAFM/?tag=neogaf0e-20
 
j0hnny_385 said:
Would MX Brown be right for me? A mix of typing and gaming.
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I'd say it's popular for this, but it's, at the end of the day, a matter of preference, and should you be able to test the switches yourself, it's really useful (even if a couple minutes in a shop doesn't always mean much)
 
Anyone picked up the Red Dragon Mechanical board yet? It's pretty cheap compared to some serious ones and I have a Red Dragon normal board/mouse atm and they're pretty good quality, but might dip since I've always wanted a mechanical.
 
Guys I think I have a problem. I love my Das Keyboard w/ browns. It's perfect. But I keep looking at new keyboards. I don't think I'll ever be satisfied :(
 
Still don't know if maybe I'd like brown switches over blues, but my K70 is a thing of beauty.

Pics when I get back home. Only had about 30 minutes to inbox and setup this afternoon.

Caused a blue screen of death though before I could install the software/drivers.
 
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