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Lez talk mechanical keyboards
- Thread starter Scuba Steve
- Start date
Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew
Banned
Bought Blackwidow Ultimate "Battlefield 3" Edition a month ago. Don't really care for Battlefield 3 but it was on sale compared to the regular Blackwidow Ultimate so I decided to get that instead.
Pros: Feels tactile great. Sounds great (CLICK, CLICK, CLICK, CLICK. Love that MX Blue!). Love the Backlight. Love the headphone/mic/USB ports on the keyboard.
Cons: I tried dozens of mechanical keyboard, and everyone has a problem or two with the way they are designed. With Blackwidow, I don't like the excessive function keys. For Blackwidow, them being placed on far left is annoying as you think you're pressing tab but you might be pressing the wrong key. It just throws me off cause the far left hand side should be dedicated to Tab and WASD. Also, I HATE the font on keyboard. I had to make a sacrifice on that but fuck me, do I hate it!
I hate to make a call between a great and responsive keyboard with poor aesthetics, or great aesthetics with poor response. Response matters more to me.
Pros: Feels tactile great. Sounds great (CLICK, CLICK, CLICK, CLICK. Love that MX Blue!). Love the Backlight. Love the headphone/mic/USB ports on the keyboard.
Cons: I tried dozens of mechanical keyboard, and everyone has a problem or two with the way they are designed. With Blackwidow, I don't like the excessive function keys. For Blackwidow, them being placed on far left is annoying as you think you're pressing tab but you might be pressing the wrong key. It just throws me off cause the far left hand side should be dedicated to Tab and WASD. Also, I HATE the font on keyboard. I had to make a sacrifice on that but fuck me, do I hate it!
I hate to make a call between a great and responsive keyboard with poor aesthetics, or great aesthetics with poor response. Response matters more to me.
Oppo
Member
I wish I could get a mechanical keyboard that looked exactly like the current wired Apple pro keyboard.
I love the fact that the keys are shallow and have enough of a gap between then that crap doesn't get caught in there like every other keyboard I've ever used. Frankly the Apple keyboards make most of the other "tall key" styles with huge frames look really dumb and old-fashioned to me now. Like looking at a C64 keyboard.
But I could appreciate a different switch mechanism on the keys themselves. i have no real complaints but I do understand how a little extra clack can actually improve speeds subtly.
Then again I think I would drive my wife nuts.
I love the fact that the keys are shallow and have enough of a gap between then that crap doesn't get caught in there like every other keyboard I've ever used. Frankly the Apple keyboards make most of the other "tall key" styles with huge frames look really dumb and old-fashioned to me now. Like looking at a C64 keyboard.
But I could appreciate a different switch mechanism on the keys themselves. i have no real complaints but I do understand how a little extra clack can actually improve speeds subtly.
Then again I think I would drive my wife nuts.
I'm using this one currently but mine is defective and going back, the usb cable is extremely loose and constantly disconnecting and reconnecting while using the PC. I've had very bad luck with Razer products, this will be the last time I try their products. Looking forward to the CM Rapid brown.
Canis lupus
Member
Whats the absolute top mechanical keyboards out there for €100
What kind of keys do you want? Clicky? Tactile, but non-clicky? (Feel the key activating, but it makes no noise.) Linear? (They just feel like pressing springs.)
The Lamonster
Member
Shoot them an email, they will probably be willing to work with you on the backlighting.
Bought a 6gv2 yesterday, but of course I hadn't read up enough to know that it was missing the left windows key, which is a must for me. Felt nice for the 30 or so minutes I used it though. So I returned it today and picked up a Qpad MK-50 instead, and I like it well enough so far. I'm still getting used to it, but I certainly type faster than with my old keyboard.
Gonna get a mechanical for work as well, I think I'll get another brand so I can try another type of switch and see what I prefer.
Gonna get a mechanical for work as well, I think I'll get another brand so I can try another type of switch and see what I prefer.
CheesecakeRecipe
Stormy Grey
So, just got the CM Quickfire Rapid Browns.
The new ones come with minimal branding. Sexy.
Damn that is sexy, much better than the ones they previously had up. Wish I'd have seen this before I ordered in my Leopold MX Brown! Glad to see someone at Cooler Master was paying attention, the branding on the previous revisions was atrocious.
Canis lupus
Member
I don't have a real preference, as I didn't use keyboards much in my life(laptops), I'd just want it to be mechanical. Oh and with a headphone jack.
Btw, is it also true mechanical keyboards don't have a long life?
Hmm, I'm looking at either a CM Storm or a Das Keyboard. I was originally set on the Das but I kind of want a backlight. Now to decide between the switches. I was originally looking at blue but the brown I seems good as well. Are the browns audible as well? I kind of like the sound of the clicking but I don't know if everyone in my house will as well.
It's the opposite. There are tons of mechanical keyboards from the 1980s still kicking around. A good mechanical should be built like a tank. It's the membrane keyboards that are disposable.
There is almost do "click" with the browns. My Quickfire Browns was my first mechanical keyboard and it's been great so far (besides having to send it back for a RMA)
Browns will make a noise when you bottom out the key, but the switch itself doesn't click like a blue. If you're a good touch typist, you don't need to bottom out your keys at all, making a board with browns hypothetically really quiet. It's still possible to put dampeners on each keycap to further reduce noise, though.
Xdrive05
Member
Bumping this to point out that Newegg is selling the Cooler Master CM Storm QuickFire Rapid (blue switches) for $51.99 with MIR.
Probably a crap-shoot as to whether it's the newer less branded model or the earlier one. But at $50 it's a great deal IMO. I'll report back as to which one they shipped me.
Probably a crap-shoot as to whether it's the newer less branded model or the earlier one. But at $50 it's a great deal IMO. I'll report back as to which one they shipped me.
Xdrive05
Member
Just got my Rapid from Newegg... brandless!
If anyone's still on the fence, I'd say chances are good you could get the brandless too. Fitty bucks well spent.
Could you recommend me a non-clicky mechanical keyboard (in the 100 range)?
The Blackwidow looks fine, but does it have the retarded Razer DRM?
Read up on the switch types and figure out if you'd prefer brown switches (general purpose; tactile; like blue but without the click) or black ones (according to some well suited for gaming; maybe not quite as good for writing; linear).
Also think about whether you'd prefer a full-sized board or something smaller without numblock. And if you'd like a regular ISO layout or if you'd be okay with a US layout.
I think the CM storm quickfire rapid (and probably also the rapid tk) is pretty great.
Thanks! CM keyboards look great, as for the switches it's hard to tell without trying first hand. I think I won't like a noisy keyboard, but aside from that I don't know what to expect. I had an IBM mechanical keyboard on my old 286 PC but god knows which kind of switch it had.
I don't have any experience with the different switch types, either. Before buying my MX blue keyboard I wasn't quite sure about which type to get. I even listened to some keyboard recordings on youtube to figure out if I could tolerate the constant clicking ^^ But I'm happy with it.
Be aware that you can type loudly even on the non-clicky ones. When you press the keys till they hit the bottom that also makes a sound that might be louder than typical membrane keyboards. Some go as far as to add additional O-rings for all keys as dampers.
If you aren't sure, MX brown is probably a safe bet.
Here's a thread about the Quickfire Rapid TK with a nice unboxing video: http://www.overclock.net/t/1316851/new-cooler-master-quickfire-tk-keyboard/100
Personally, I don't need a numblock or backlighting and would prefer they layout of the standard Quickfire Rapid, but it looks like a pretty great package at a good price. Might come to Europe with more switch types than the Quickfire Rapid which was only available in MX black and red I believe.
Edit: a nice sound comparison: http://youtu.be/lFkl1Vet1eU
Personally, I don't need a numblock or backlighting and would prefer they layout of the standard Quickfire Rapid, but it looks like a pretty great package at a good price. Might come to Europe with more switch types than the Quickfire Rapid which was only available in MX black and red I believe.
Edit: a nice sound comparison: http://youtu.be/lFkl1Vet1eU
Canis lupus
Member
Whats the best mechanical keyboard you can get for around 100? I was interested in the Corsair K60/K90, are there more liked ones in this pricerange?
The keyboard co (UK website) sells filco keyboards in EU layouts for around 100£ (130ish euro), although adding shipping to that might push you over budget. Filco boards are excellent alternative, but they don't have macro keys or anything. Plain minimalistic keyboards with a variety of switches. Here's mine (majestouch-2 ninja tenkeyless with brown switches):
Filcos aren't in the 100 Euro price range. It's 100 pounds without tax. In the end those keyboards cost 160 to 170 Euros including shipping.
Canis lupus
Member
Day-yum! So, the Corsairs are the best in its pricerange? What mouse does pcgaf like?
blainethemono
Member
Rosewill mechanicals are a little cheaper I think, but comparable to the Filcos. I think they are pretty much the same keyboard or come from the same manufacturer.
I have this one but there are other switch variations
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823201040
Had it for 3 years and it has been amazing so far
I have this one but there are other switch variations
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823201040
Had it for 3 years and it has been amazing so far
There are lots of options besides the Corsair (also depending on preferred layout and switch types).
I'd prefer the CM Storm Quickfire Rapid (or Rapid TK). Depending on availability the Keycool 87 or HPE 87 might be interesting. I have the Noppoo Choc Mini, which is also in that price range and I love it.
As for full-sized keyboards I've read some recommendations for the QPad keyboards.
Not sure if I remember correctly, but I think it was one of the Corsair ones that did something weird with the switches, where some function of multimedia keys weren't mechanical.
KoruptData
Member
Just ordered this as my birthday present coming up from my wife.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009C98NPY/?tag=neogaf0e-20
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009C98NPY/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Came back to update on the CM Quickfire. I got the brown switches from Amazon over the Holiday (no branding on mine). Best keyboard I've ever typed on, it is the perfect keyboard for me. I don't like the double clicking of the blue switches and the loud noise. The browns are much quieter and only make noise when bottoming out. Only thing I could ask for is back lighting but that's more for looks than functionality.
Does anyone know if a sampler exists to try out the different key types? IE a keyboard with only 5 keys on it to just see/hear how the different switches behave. Only local computer store is best buy really and they don't have mechanical keyboards. Just want to try out Brown/Red/Black and see which I'd actually prefer before looking at other keyboard features.
Agreed. I love mine.
There's not really anything commercially available just to test switches. Geekhack used to have a sign-up for some custom made deals that got passed around different parts of the world but I don't know if they're still circulating or not. You're probably better off just doing as much research you can then trusting your intuition as to which you'd enjoy most. I will say that the Blacks are probably one of the least commonly liked switches out there; they're just hard to press Reds and it isn't often people name them as a switch they prefer after they try more than one.
Thought I'd just chime in here:
I've owned a Razer Blackwidow for a couple years now and it has been absolutely rock solid. I play a lot of rhythm games (Stepmania, FFR etc) which require a tremendous amount of keystrokes, and we're not talking just light littletaps, we're talking SMASHING these keys a lot of the time.
To get a better idea of just how many keystrokes I'm talking about I did a little bit of math. I'll spare you the details, but as an educated guesstimate I've hit each of my D,F,K,L keys...2,812,000 times. That's being conservative too. Holy fuck how do I not have carpal tunnel. The keys feel just as good as new too, it's crazy.
Anyways, the point here is that I would recommend the Blackwidow to anyone. It's honestly one of my best purchases of all time.
I've owned a Razer Blackwidow for a couple years now and it has been absolutely rock solid. I play a lot of rhythm games (Stepmania, FFR etc) which require a tremendous amount of keystrokes, and we're not talking just light littletaps, we're talking SMASHING these keys a lot of the time.
To get a better idea of just how many keystrokes I'm talking about I did a little bit of math. I'll spare you the details, but as an educated guesstimate I've hit each of my D,F,K,L keys...2,812,000 times. That's being conservative too. Holy fuck how do I not have carpal tunnel. The keys feel just as good as new too, it's crazy.
Anyways, the point here is that I would recommend the Blackwidow to anyone. It's honestly one of my best purchases of all time.
KoruptData
Member
Received my G710+ and I really like it but unfortunately I have to send it back because the 1 key above the Q is unresponsive. Amazon is nice though and is overnighting me a new one. Other than that, its a dream to type on and play games.
I just really wish I could feel the difference between the browns and reds, blacks were always the last choice of mine. Would be nice if a company would put out a $10 sampler or something though!
You can probably find open samples at Best Buy or another tech shop.
I must say that I really love red switches, because they just feel very natural to press and less like a "button", especially makes FPS movement with them feel much better as you don't have to apply any real pressure to hit the actuation point, making it very fluid.
Well, if it makes you feel any better there's not a massive difference between Brown and Red Cherry switches. Browns are "tactile" but they are nothing like Blue switches in the slightest; they're more like Reds if a drop of Coke had dried out halfway down the switch travel. It's like a brief spot of grit that you push past. It's subtle.
Well I just finalized a new PC build and ordered a Rosewill RK-9000I with Cherry Blues to go along with it, and honestly I have no idea why. I've peered through this and the other thread several times over, but I feel I won't "get it" until I actually have one, which I suppose is why I decided to jump in and try now.
Hopefully its as awesome as I've intuited from this thread. I'll be honest, had to grit my teeth a bit when I hit purchase on an $80 keyboard that's not even backlit.
Hopefully its as awesome as I've intuited from this thread. I'll be honest, had to grit my teeth a bit when I hit purchase on an $80 keyboard that's not even backlit.
For a first time buyer you certainly made a smart choice. Well done.
I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy it.