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Lez talk mechanical keyboards

Just ordered a Leopold for work. Love my Das at home but I wanted to try a different brand. I really wanted a Noppoo but either shipping was going to take a while (and be pricey) or the selection just wasn't there. Being in an office setting I don't want a glowing keyboard.

Was going to order a Ducky but I read they "feel" different from the Das and other mechanicals? I didn't want to drop the money on something I may end up hating =\

Edit: Just got my Leopold yesterday. Feels like a quality keyboard to me. The clicks sound deeper than the DAS. I'm liking it.
 
I really dig the design of the K60 because its keys are not sitting in a crumb pit (that also attracts cat hair). Are there any other mechanical ones that have that style?
 
i keep coming into this thread forgetting its true nature..
The day an actual lesbian enters this thread, the rocky top layer of the moon will crumble and reveal itself to be a single giant goatlike eye.
 
The Daskeyboards look awesome! I'd love to have one but unfortunately I don't think I use my keyboard that much for what I do on my PC (photoshop and 3D modeling), so I can't really justify the price at the moment. Though I do love those clicky sounds :/
 
Broke down and got a WASD keyboard with Brown switches since I live 10 minutes away from their location. I went in to pick up my keyboard and tried out the Red and Black switches. I couldn't really feel the difference between Reds and Browns, but could definitely feel the actuation with Blacks.

I remember laughing at my coworker for buying a DAS a year ago, "you spent how much on a keyboard LOL?!", now I've become a keyboard nerd like him =/ Only thing I don't like about his DAS is the glossiness as it picks up all the smudges and looks like you have to clean it every week. Also the WASD comes with a braided USB cable which is nice since I read that the cable is the first thing that will wear out on a mechanical.
 
So it turns out water and very expensive keyboards don't mix very well. I've been letting it dry out a few days, but it still presses enter whenever I press the spacebar, and some of the media keys don't work, so I think it's a goner. Is there any way to fix it? Or is it pretty much dead since the keys freaking out is consistent?

If so, what would any of you recommend to buy next? What I have right now is a Spacesaver Unicomp keyboard, which I really like as it's able to both have dvorak by default, and all the mac media keys. Any other good mechanical keyboard that has those customization options? Thanks.
 
Quite a bit. Maybe a little less than half the glass. I love these keyboards too, so I'll probably stick with them for the customization options.
 
Corsair Vengeance K60, $110 on Newegg. I'm getting it with my first build. A bit pricey, but I decided to compromise on the mouse.
 
I personally love the Model M, but if you're looking for a more modern, less expensive keyboard that's also got a few media features and is good for everyday use (no gaming functions, however) I'd go with the Dell SK-8135. Good all-rounder and that's what I use on my current rig. It's also got unpowered USB ports on the back, so it's nice and versatile.
 
Now that I've got the WASD keys seated properly, I'm quite enjoying my QuickFire Rapid board. I've got a scheme in mind for the rest of the keys but it's gonna cost me almost as much as the board. And I'm even thinking of using Plastidip on the logos too :/
 
Iacobellis said:
Corsair Vengeance K60, $110 on Newegg. I'm getting it with my first build. A bit pricey, but I decided to compromise on the mouse.
Click to expand...

It's an absolutely fantastic piece of hardware but I advise you don't buy it until after some firmware issues with it have been sorted out. There is an issue where a random key will infinitely repeat itself under some circumstance that I haven't been able to figure out. It just happens randomly afaik. eg backspace getting stuck and deleting everything. Pressing the key again stops it. You can usually get what you type back with ctrl-z, but this really shouldn't be something we should have to worry about. Corsair has said they've been working on a fix for months and there has been no results.
 
At the moment I'm leaning towards a K60 myself. Does anyone have much experience with the Razer Blackwidows?
 
OK, kind of stupid question on the topic but... I'm currently at my parents' and I think we still have the old classic IBM keyboard in the basement, and if I'm not mistaken those were mechanical. It's probably more than 20 years old though, is it still worth hunting for it and giving it some cleaning?
 
Really like my Steelseries 6Gv2. The only thing I find annoying is the larger than normal enter key.

Kinda tempted to buy a filco keyboard but I just can't justify spending 100-140 euros on one, when I already have this.
 
beje said:
OK, kind of stupid question on the topic but... I'm currently at my parents' and I think we still have the old classic IBM keyboard in the basement, and if I'm not mistaken those were mechanical. It's probably more than 20 years old though, is it still worth hunting for it and giving it some cleaning?
Click to expand...

Do it, kitty cat.
 
Random question, for anyone who might know, as I might be in the market for another keyboard in the next few weeks:

Just how loud are Topre switches? I mean, in comparison to the typical cherry reds/blues/blacks?
 
dehydratedbabies said:
Do it, kitty cat.
Click to expand...

Bad news, it wasn't there. Looks like they got rid of it in a routine cleaning :(

Anyway, I'm checking online retailers and it looks like the selection is extremely limited with a Spanish key mapping. So far I've only been able to find these models:

Thermaltake Meka G1 Cherry MX Black (around 75€)
Ozone Strike Cherry MX Black (around 85€)

Most reviews for them are fairly good but I want to know if anybody has experience with them.
 
MrBig said:
It's an absolutely fantastic piece of hardware but I advise you don't buy it until after some firmware issues with it have been sorted out. There is an issue where a random key will infinitely repeat itself under some circumstance that I haven't been able to figure out. It just happens randomly afaik. eg backspace getting stuck and deleting everything. Pressing the key again stops it. You can usually get what you type back with ctrl-z, but this really shouldn't be something we should have to worry about. Corsair has said they've been working on a fix for months and there has been no results.
Click to expand...

Are you sure it's not just a fault with yours specifically?
 
Sethos said:
No, it's a known issue with them. I had it with my K90 and it drove me up the wall. Trashed it and bought a different keyboard.
Click to expand...

Fuck, was looking at the K90 too. I'll try to forget about those ones then, the CM Storm is very tempting atm.

And just to reiterate my question from above, has anyone got experience with the Razer Blackwidows? I was looking at the Blackwidow Ultimate Stealth as I believe it's Cherry Red and that's what I'm looking for.
 
Seriously guys, stop buying the Corsair M90 keyboards (and mouses). Don't be fooled by the looks, they are terrible. Only pieces of hardware I've ever regretted buying. The M60 might be fine, but all the keys are not mechanical so meh. Buy a Ducky, Filco or WASD instead.
 
Cindres said:
Fuck, was looking at the K90 too. I'll try to forget about those ones then, the CM Storm is very tempting atm.

And just to reiterate my question from above, has anyone got experience with the Razer Blackwidows? I was looking at the Blackwidow Ultimate Stealth as I believe it's Cherry Red and that's what I'm looking for.
Click to expand...

The black widows are pretty poor boards for the price.
 
Sethos said:
Well, if you've got the patience, Corsair have acknowledged the issues and are working on a firmware fix.
Click to expand...

Well It'll probably be a while before I can get one anyway so I'll see closer to the time.

Grief.exe said:
The black widows are pretty poor boards for the price.
Click to expand...

Though they might be.

Looking at the CM Rapidfire atm too, the one linked a few posts up.
 
Cindres said:
Well It'll probably be a while before I can get one anyway so I'll see closer to the time.



Though they might be.

Looking at the CM Rapidfire atm too, the one linked a few posts up.
Click to expand...

Cooler master, rose will, and steel series have great budget mechanicals. Check them out and see which one you prefer aesthetically and by switch type.

Das has a student discount, board shipped for about $100. If you are on a budget.
 
masterofcoin said:
So it turns out water and very expensive keyboards don't mix very well. I've been letting it dry out a few days, but it still presses enter whenever I press the spacebar, and some of the media keys don't work, so I think it's a goner. Is there any way to fix it? Or is it pretty much dead since the keys freaking out is consistent?

If so, what would any of you recommend to buy next? What I have right now is a Spacesaver Unicomp keyboard, which I really like as it's able to both have dvorak by default, and all the mac media keys. Any other good mechanical keyboard that has those customization options? Thanks.
Click to expand...

Are you sure you let it dry long enough? It can take over a week
 
Grief.exe said:
Cooler master, rose will, and steel series have great budget mechanicals. Check them out and see which one you prefer aesthetically and by switch type.

Das has a student discount, board shipped for about $100. If you are on a budget.
Click to expand...

In the UK, that discount probably won't be much good, unless they have a UK store?
 
Seeing how there wasn't any other option (unless I shelled out 160€+ for a WASD custom one) I decided to go with the Meka G1 with Cherry Blacks for 75€. I just pluged it and I only have one thing to say:

:D
 
Snatched a Steelseries 7g from Ebay and hell is it fun to write on. Feels so much better than my laptop-style crappy Cherry keyboard I had before.


Also I just paid 30 bucks :>
 
What's the best mechanical keyboard (for the price) for one who does a lot of digital art and some typing on the side? I keep my hand on the left side of the keyboard and press a lot of combination commands. When I take breaks I chat or write emails, but nothing for prolonged periods of time.
 
beje said:
Seeing how there wasn't any other option (unless I shelled out 160€+ for a WASD custom one) I decided to go with the Meka G1 with Cherry Blacks for 75€. I just pluged it and I only have one thing to say:

:D
Click to expand...

I picked up the Meka G1 for largely that exact reason - it was one of the few I could go look at in the store. *Love* it, I keep hoping every day my logitech mouse dies so I can replace it with a matching Tt mouse. ;)
 
I'm thinking about getting a WASD Keyboard to replace my Blackwidow. Is there any way to remap the menu key as a function key for use with F1, F2, F3, etc...? I really like the media controls on my Blackwidow, and would like to avoid losing that functionality. I plan on using the keyboard with a PS/2 port, if that helps.
 
Mr.Monitor said:
I'm thinking about getting a WASD Keyboard to replace my Blackwidow. Is there any way to remap the menu key as a function key for use with F1, F2, F3, etc...? I really like the media controls on my Blackwidow, and would like to avoid losing that functionality. I plan on using the keyboard with a PS/2 port, if that helps.
Click to expand...

There is not a way to do it at the keyboard level, but you could always get keycaps with media symbols printed on them and use a key mapper to implement them:
http://www.autohotkey.com/
 
Just for my two cents I just purchased a Blackwidow and love the hell out of it. Such a satisfying click along with the slick lights... mmm...
 
Extollere said:
What's the best mechanical keyboard (for the price) for one who does a lot of digital art and some typing on the side? I keep my hand on the left side of the keyboard and press a lot of combination commands. When I take breaks I chat or write emails, but nothing for prolonged periods of time.
Click to expand...

You're best off finding an electronics store you can demo a few different switches at. It mostly comes down to just preference. Generally from what I've heard, cherry mx blues tend to require the most force to activate and give a nice tactile click, reds require the lightest touch and minimal noise, and browns are somewhere in between. I'm not sure what kind of feel black switches give.

I think regardless of whatever switch type you end up going with, returning to membrane keyboards (your standard keyboards, like Logitech, Microsoft etc.) is going to be the equivalent of running in mud.
 
Extollere said:
What's the best mechanical keyboard (for the price) for one who does a lot of digital art and some typing on the side? I keep my hand on the left side of the keyboard and press a lot of combination commands. When I take breaks I chat or write emails, but nothing for prolonged periods of time.
Click to expand...

You mentioned earlier that you use Photoshop a lot, so you might wanna look into WASD Keyboards. They offer a few different layouts with Photoshop commands printed on them, if you're into that kinda thing. http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/resources/keyboard-layouts

Otherwise, Leopold keyboards seem pretty fairly priced and I've heard good things about them. As for switches, I'm pretty sure it's more a matter of preference than anything. (Take my advice with a grain of salt; the only mechanical keyboard I've used is the Razer Blackwidow, so I'm not too knowledgeable on the subject.)
 
calder said:
I picked up the Meka G1 for largely that exact reason - it was one of the few I could go look at in the store. *Love* it, I keep hoping every day my logitech mouse dies so I can replace it with a matching Tt mouse. ;)
Click to expand...
Funny enough I picked up a MEKA G1 keyboard today because I have a Tt BLACK Element that I got as a gift. (Gotta match and all that. ^-^ )

Feels nice to have a "clicky clacky" keyboard again!!
 
I splurged on a Majestouch Ninja Tenkeyless with Cherry Red switches a couple of weeks back, complete with the smelly leather wrist rest. Love the keyboard to bits at work, haven't used it much for games yet. I do miss my simple media keys a bit, but I can live with it.
 
Just found a Dell at101w (black alps) at a thrift store for $4 Doesn't require much cleaning and I have been dying for a mechanical at work. I just need a PS/2 to USB.

any recommendations?

edit: also I want to take the thing apart and clean it. The caps I can clean with some denture tabs but the switches?? how can I clean them?
 
JetBlackPanda said:
I just need a PS/2 to USB.
Click to expand...

Just plug it into PS/2 if you have one available as it will give you a bigger xNRK (meaning you can press more keys at the same time and have all registered) and free up a (tiny tiny tiny bit of) system resources as PS/2 works by pushing to the CPU interruption system instead of polling like USB. There's really no advantage on plugging a keyboard through USB if you can avoid it.
 
Are there any good mechanical keyboard that also have a grid style layout witht he f keys right above the number keys. Standard position for the f keys really annoys me.
 
How is the Corsair K90 compared to the K60? I like that the K90 has a hand-rest built into it, but not sure if its worth the extra price
 
beje said:
Just plug it into PS/2 if you have one available as it will give you a bigger xNRK (meaning you can press more keys at the same time and have all registered) and free up a (tiny tiny tiny bit of) system resources as PS/2 works by pushing to the CPU interruption system instead of polling like USB. There's really no advantage on plugging a keyboard through USB if you can avoid it.
Click to expand...

Yeah I would but computer at work doesn't have a PS/2

:(
 
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