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Lez talk mechanical keyboards

So I was pretty much set on getting the Corsair K70 RGB with Cherry Blue switches but it looks like it has been disconnected. Corsair said people aren't buying Cherry Blue enough to warrant the cost/support.

I really liked the Corsair K70 because it has a volume wheel and also a wrist mat built it. It pretty much nailed everything I want.

Right now I have a Logitech G810 and I really don't like the Romer G keys at all. I typed on a Razer with green switches (which are close to blue) and I really liked them but I don't like their boards. So what about Brown switches? I've never had a chance to type on them but apparently they are in between Red and Blue.

Would Brown but a good compromise and upgrade over the Romer Gs? I just want to feel a tactical click and not mushy keys like the Logitech.
 
So I was pretty much set on getting the Corsair K70 RGB with Cherry Blue switches but it looks like it has been disconnected. Corsair said people aren't buying Cherry Blue enough to warrant the cost/support.

I really liked the Corsair K70 because it has a volume wheel and also a wrist mat built it. It pretty much nailed everything I want.

Right now I have a Logitech G810 and I really don't like the Romer G keys at all. I typed on a Razer with green switches (which are close to blue) and I really liked them but I don't like their boards. So what about Brown switches? I've never had a chance to type on them but apparently they are in between Red and Blue.

Would Brown but a good compromise and upgrade over the Romer Gs? I just want to feel a tactical click and not mushy keys like the Logitech.

This might help you: https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/45f9wr/one_page_summary_of_cherry_mx/

Browns are much better than Romer G's. They feel very similar to blues, but without the audible click. I love blues, but when I need to be quiet like at work or if I need to be quiet at home, browns are it for me.

I would not compare browns to reds. Reds don't have the tactile feedback of either blue or brown. Also checkout reddit.com/r/mechanicalkeyboards if you feel like going deeper down the rabbit hole.
 
I'm not sure how familiar you are with the mech scene, but those are also a new profile type keycap. This was a preliminary group buy to gauge interest. I guarantee you they will be back :)

Okay, what are all of the keycap set preorder/groupbuy/etc sites, and is there a way to just have a rolling list of keycap sets as they show up?

Because I'm pretty miffed I missed this.

Do they mention when they'd be rolling out the second batch?

My familiarity is that I missed another keycap set I wanted, and it won't exist till late summer again. X_x
 
Okay, what are all of the keycap set preorder/groupbuy/etc sites, and is there a way to just have a rolling list of keycap sets as they show up?

Because I'm pretty miffed I missed this.

Do they mention when they'd be rolling out the second batch?

reddit.com/r/mechanicalkeyboards and geekhack.org are the best ones to keep track of what's going on. I warn you, it may be very confusing when you first dive in since some of these group buys can sometimes takes months (not all of them of course).

Take a look at these: https://www.originativeco.com/products/modern-beige?variant=18906335109

They also have other sets there that might interest you.

As far as the specific set you wanted, I think those are expected to get into customers hands by February. I am sure people will sell theirs over on reddit.com/r/mechmarket

If you don't want to do that, the next round I would assume would be around mid-2017.
 
So I was pretty much set on getting the Corsair K70 RGB with Cherry Blue switches but it looks like it has been disconnected. Corsair said people aren't buying Cherry Blue enough to warrant the cost/support.

I really liked the Corsair K70 because it has a volume wheel and also a wrist mat built it. It pretty much nailed everything I want.

Right now I have a Logitech G810 and I really don't like the Romer G keys at all. I typed on a Razer with green switches (which are close to blue) and I really liked them but I don't like their boards. So what about Brown switches? I've never had a chance to type on them but apparently they are in between Red and Blue.

Would Brown but a good compromise and upgrade over the Romer Gs? I just want to feel a tactical click and not mushy keys like the Logitech.

I was in the same situation when I was in the market for a keyboard for work (weird, I know, but my workplace is full of gamers and is really chill about the pretty colors; even my team lead that's 30 years my senior has a RGB board). I love cherry blues, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of RGB switches out there, and I really wanted the RGB keys. I ended up settling for the K70 with Browns and I'm very satisfied with it. It does have a slightly different feel, and I honestly still prefer blues, but it's significantly better than Romer-G and rubber dome keys for a Blue user.

I can't recommend K70 enough, especially because of how good the volume switch is. Seriously, it's such a tiny thing, but it's so nice to have an intuitive roller. You will not regret it.
 
So I was pretty much set on getting the Corsair K70 RGB with Cherry Blue switches but it looks like it has been disconnected. Corsair said people aren't buying Cherry Blue enough to warrant the cost/support.

I really liked the Corsair K70 because it has a volume wheel and also a wrist mat built it. It pretty much nailed everything I want.
Corsair just debut its K95 Platinum, worth a look.
 
reddit.com/r/mechanicalkeyboards and geekhack.org are the best ones to keep track of what's going on. I warn you, it may be very confusing when you first dive in since some of these group buys can sometimes takes months (not all of them of course).

Take a look at these: https://www.originativeco.com/products/modern-beige?variant=18906335109

They also have other sets there that might interest you.

As far as the specific set you wanted, I think those are expected to get into customers hands by February. I am sure people will sell theirs over on reddit.com/r/mechmarket

If you don't want to do that, the next round I would assume would be around mid-2017.

I hate Reddit *and* their layout. If they have a one page list of the keycaps that are going up for order or something of that nature, I'd certainly bookmark it, but I'm not gonna frequent that board and sift through a bunch of pages on a site I hate just to find key caps.
 
I hate Reddit *and* their layout. If they have a one page list of the keycaps that are going up for order or something of that nature, I'd certainly bookmark it, but I'm not gonna frequent that board and sift through a bunch of pages on a site I hate just to find key caps.

Although mechanical keyboards have become more popular, keycaps in particular are still relatively a niche market.

There have been attempts to keep a current list of all GBs/sets available, but I don't think any are actually kept up. If you are just interested in the ones you first posted, sign up for his email list and you will find out through there. Patience is key :)
 
Looks like I'll give the K70 Lux with Brown switches a go. Thanks guys.

I'll probably put my Logitech G810 board up for sale here. It's a good board and well made, just not a huge fan of the keys. I'm sure someone will like it though.
 
Keep in mind, folks will need to build it themselves as well.





keyclack.com

It will be a raffle to be able to buy one. I believe it drops tomorrow.



I think you missed the point.

A raffle??? Ugh.

Looks like the 67a is going into production with a different name/brand?
weird!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BO_uieVD0K4/
What originally began as the first revision of the very exclusive M67-A has evolved into a public offering as the Exent. Made possible by myself, TGR, Aconic and Originative Co as an exciting collaboration. From the original M67 design, TGR made some efficient changes/adaptations to make a much more affordable variant without it loosing its premium appeal.
The Exent.

Good luck in the raffle you guys. Beautiful board but not quite right for my "collection." :P
That 36 keyer though...
 
Folks,

I've got a Realforce 87U that I use in the office, and I love it, but now it is time to get a good keyboard for my home PC.

I need something that I can use to play FPS like Overwatch and Doom, and LoL as well. The problem I have is I don't have much space so I want a space saving layout, like 60% or 75%.

I'm eyeing a Pok3r, because it supports programmable layers. But I'm not sure how good it is for gaming, and I don't know how much I'll miss not having an arrow cluster and the function keys.

Does anyone have any recommendations of small keyboards with Cherry MX or Topre switches? I'm looking to spend less than $200.
 
Folks,

I've got a Realforce 87U that I use in the office, and I love it, but now it is time to get a good keyboard for my home PC.

I need something that I can use to play FPS like Overwatch and Doom, and LoL as well. The problem I have is I don't have much space so I want a space saving layout, like 60% or 75%.

I'm eyeing a Pok3r, because it supports programmable layers. But I'm not sure how good it is for gaming, and I don't know how much I'll miss not having an arrow cluster and the function keys.

Does anyone have any recommendations of small keyboards with Cherry MX or Topre switches? I'm looking to spend less than $200.

For overwatch it is fine, you don't use the f keys. But you might find making yourself a gh60 is better, as it is programable, o you can make the layout to your liking for different games. If it's ansi, if it's iso, go for a pok3r lol
 
Folks,

I've got a Realforce 87U that I use in the office, and I love it, but now it is time to get a good keyboard for my home PC.

I need something that I can use to play FPS like Overwatch and Doom, and LoL as well. The problem I have is I don't have much space so I want a space saving layout, like 60% or 75%.

I'm eyeing a Pok3r, because it supports programmable layers. But I'm not sure how good it is for gaming, and I don't know how much I'll miss not having an arrow cluster and the function keys.

Does anyone have any recommendations of small keyboards with Cherry MX or Topre switches? I'm looking to spend less than $200.

Leopold FC660.

Red or Topre switches (though no one does Topre as well as Realforce). Has arrow keys and function keys can be used by pressing FN+number. Weighs a ton, so it doesn't slip.
 
Welp, ordered a M65-A. Should go nicely with the M10

But this is still me:

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Leopold FC660.

Red or Topre switches (though no one does Topre as well as Realforce). Has arrow keys and function keys can be used by pressing FN+number. Weighs a ton, so it doesn't slip.

I've been looking those ones! Thanks for the recommendation.

I'll probably get those, but I just ordered a Cherry MX switch tester to compare the different switches. :)
 
Yeah, the leopold 660m is the board I'm currently working on. Got a nice case but still need to get the pcb etc.. Good layout!!
 
I'm in the market for a smaller keyboard and I'm really liking what I'm seeing of the MasterKeys Pro S, anyone here with impressions on its quality?
 
After eight years of loyal service from my Microsoft Sidewinder X6, I've made the leap to mechanical with a Corsair K70 RGB LUX (red switches).

Loving it so far. The keys feel crisp and clacky without being stupidly noisy, and the ability to light up keys individually appeals to the part of me that enjoys flexibility (and colourful lights). Build quality seems excellent too, the whole board has a really nice, premium feel.

Came to $230 AUD including shipping from the other side of the country, which probably isn't too bad if I can get the same number of years out of it as I got on my X6.
 
Can anoyone suggest a small mechanical keyboard (one without the num pad). Looking to get a new one this year, cant find much of a selection maybe someone here can help. Thanks,
 
Can anoyone suggest a small mechanical keyboard (one without the num pad). Looking to get a new one this year, cant find much of a selection maybe someone here can help. Thanks,

People are probably going to ask you about budget and intended use. There is a lot of choice.
There are several terms that are often used to refer to compact keyboards, like tenkeyless (TKL), 60% and 75%. Those terms can help you search for reviews etc. In fact https://deskthority.net/ is a good resource in general.
 
I've been looking into getting my first mechanical. I really like the color and design of this board here.

This keyboard apparently uses Outemu Brown switches. Does anyone have any feedback about these compared to others?
 
I think the whites are basically the same as blues? Or like, one type of white is at least.
 
It seems I've officially gotten to the point where typing on a regular keyboard as opposed to my ergodox is now slowing me down.

So, I think I'll talk about it just a little bit, in case anyone's been thinking about an Ergodox for any reason.

So, right off the bat, the reason why I got this keyboard is because I was expecting to end up in a very typing heavy position. That didn't pan out, but this keyboard did, so EH. I wanted to do my part in making sure that I don't get any wrist injuries, and honestly, I had been noticing that the staggering of the keys on the left hand side of the keyboard just... really don't make sense.

Actually building the Ergodox was quite something. I had a little bit of soldering experience, but suffice to say it wasn't until I started soldering the *second* half of the board that I figured out all of the good practices for soldering (For example that heating the contacts on the board lets you "pool" the solder around it, which was nice to know haha), so I ended up more or less resoldering the first half over again. For some insane reason I even put on LEDs on all of my keys. Probably... will not do that again. >_> Ultimately, building the Ergodox, while it took quite a while, wasn't particularly difficult, so I wouldn't let this step scare you.

Programming the keyboard is pretty easy, and also really, really useful. Huge reason why I love this keyboard is that I am beholden to no one's decisions on what key should do what. It took a bit of brainstorming to really come up with a good layout, but the ability to have a numpad under my fingers without needing to move my hands (or take up that space) is absolutely godsend.

Ergonomically, I also really like this keyboard, though I suppose that's kind of expected. Having vertically staggered keys, as opposed to horizontally, is such a good idea I'm wondering why it isn't standard. It just makes so much sense! I used to have a TON of issue hitting any keys on the numrow with *any* regularity, but in just my short time with the keyboard, the fact that they are directly over keys has made it so much easier that I can actually consider those keys useful. Being split is amazing, and every other keyboard feels horribly cramped in comparison.
The only thing that was difficult about the vertical staggering was the bottom row. ZXC all gave me huge issues for the first two weeks ahaha.

Overall, 10/10 keyboard, might end up making another if I ever need a new keyboard for any reason.
 
I've bought Logitech G610 Orion Cherry MX Brown.

Not sure I like this mechanical feel, I might go back to my old membrane style keyboard if It does not feel better after a week, and give it to the kids who like the backlit keys.
 
What do you mean by consistency?

I'm not sure if I'm using the correct word.

What I mean is that the feeling of each switch (on a board) won't be the same across all of them (different actuation force for example). That's one of the reason I choose one of my keyboards with MX Green instead of White.
 
Picked up two Consair Strafe keyboards, both Cherry MX Browns after some research. Really like the feel of returning back to mechanical keyboards. I learned how to type on a typewriter, so part of it was a nostalgia play for me.
 
I'm getting an all 45g Topre tenkeyless that should be shipping next week. It's time for me to ascend to the realm of nice PBT keys and not-really-mechanical-but-still-great switches.
 
I'm getting an all 45g Topre tenkeyless that should be shipping next week. It's time for me to ascend to the realm of nice PBT keys and not-really-mechanical-but-still-great switches.

I have to say that the quality of Topre PBT keycaps is hyped a bit too much. The caps are not particularly thick when compared to some MX-compatible caps like those of Leopold or EnjoyPBT. The quality is not bad by any means, but there have been some legend alignment issues at times as well.
 
I just got my first Topre, a Realforce 87u 55g.

holy shit. I have reached finger nirvana. I've got a good feeling of oneness with cup rubber.
 
Quick question regarding Razer/Corsair keyboards. Can I remap the capslock key to become Alt or Control and will it stay on the keyboard when I plug it on another PC without having to install their bloated software?
 
Quick question regarding Razer/Corsair keyboards. Can I remap the capslock key to become Alt or Control and will it stay on the keyboard when I plug it on another PC without having to install their bloated software?
The only keyboards that will let you do that, are ones with onboard memory, dip switches, or flashable firmwares. IIRC, since debuting "Synapse 2.0", Razer hasn't had onboard memory to handle this use case, so you're most likely out of luck there. I don't know enough about Corsair products, but I haven't heard of any mention of onboard memory from them.

You might be interested in a programmable keyboard, depending on what other things are important to you.
 
What's a programmable keyboard with a split spacebar design? I wanna remap the left spacebar to ALT. The only one I see is the Z70 but it's dead on Massdrop. Microsoft's ergo keyboard has a split spacebar design but they're both the same space key and I don't think it's remappable. :(

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