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Lez talk mechanical keyboards

rhfb said:
I disagree. My kit just came in today and I could tell right away I'll need to use red or black switches. The brown hitch I can't get used to and blue was never an option anyways due to the noise. Just going to test some more to see if red is actually heavy enough for my use or if I'll need to just use blacks.

edit: and while hitting a few keys won't give me a 100% feel on what typing/using the keyboard will be like at least I won't be stuck with something I'd never use :p



What was wrong with the 60? The K95 looks good other than the G keys to the left of the keyboard proper.
Click to expand...

Nothing wrong with the 60, that's still going strong with no changes (announced yet anyways). The K95 replaces the K90. And yes, those macro keys on the left ruins this (and many other) keyboard(s), unless you are one of those people that keeps looking at the keyboard to find the home keys. I hope they do release a backlit, palm-rest integrated K65 though.
 
ksan said:
I just recently bought a Sensei (had a Xai before), because it's the only mouse with a shape I like that has a good build quality and a quite good sensor.
The only problem is that there's <3% mouse accel on some soft pads, but at least there isn't any angle clipping and negative acceleration.
Even though I'm using a Steelpad Qck Heavy and very low sens in fps games (about 60cm/24" for 360 in CS), I don't feel like it's a huge problem.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that, 60cm for a 360 sounds great for accuracy!

Reds just feel so good, they remind me so much of sanwa buttons on arcade sticks, but you have a keyboard full, and not just for gaming, typing feels great on it as well. Takes some getting used to, but when you do get used to it, the light touch makes you feel like your fingers are dancing on the keys :-)
 
Wallach said:
No, they've actually got both lighter springs and a much less resistant mechanic for providing tactility. Where there's that sharp click in the Blue you have to increase resistance to push past, the Brown just has a small bump which hardly requires additional resistance to make contact and activate the switch.

There are Clear switches which use a similar construct to a Brown but require much more resistance than either Blue or Brown switches. They don't "click" like a Blue because that lower half of the switch isn't separated, and the resistance actually increases beyond activation. There's also Black switches, which also use much stiffer springs than a Blue but are linear so there's no form of tactility in the switch itself.

The only switch that operates exactly like a Blue but with more resistance is the Green, but I've never seen a keyboard that uses that switch anywhere but the space bar or maybe the ESC key (where the rest of the keys will use Blue switches).
Click to expand...

interesting... either I have a terrible memory/association or I looked things up on the wrong site.

Either way, it's good to know what is actually up.

Shame the greens aren't more common then, I think that might be what I want. Ah well.
 
Hey, I was looking to pick up my first mechanical board but I'm having some problems finding models with the particular features I want. I want one that has a 105 key iso layout with UK markings, full size would be preferable as I like to sit back from my PC and put the keyboard on my knees and I think I'd like MX Blues best after reading the thread but I could be persuaded.

The only models I've come across are the Cherry G80 and some Das Keyboard model but I'm not willing to spend €150 on it blindly. Are there any other boards I'm missing?
 
In america, das has a student discount where it brings the price down to $100 shipped. That's how I got mine.

IDK if this exists for Europe, but would be worth some research.


Even if you aren't a student it wouldn't be difficult to Photoshop your name onto a student id. That's all they ask for as proof.
 
Dis3ngag3d said:
Waiting on my Noppoo Choc Mini 84 USB NKRO with MX Reds to get here. Bought and fulfilled by Amazon. Can't wait to get that sucker and try it out.
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I've had one (white with MX blues) for a couple of weeks and I love it. There's just one glaring flaw. The side-printed labels on the letters aren't all that robust. Maybe it's the way I type or the length of my fingers or something, but on my right hand the labels directly above the home row position got scratched by my nails. A small part of the '6' and the '*' have been scratched off a well as most of the '5' (because the middle finger is the longest). Maybe you could put something on there to protect the labeling. Aside from those three labels everything looks as good as new. Maybe the labels on the left are more robust. No issues there.
It's not that bad since I don't plan on using the numblock anyway. At some point I might even remove the numblock side prints altogether for a cleaner look.


Gav47 said:
Hey, I was looking to pick up my first mechanical board but I'm having some problems finding models with the particular features I want. I want one that has a 105 key iso layout with UK markings, full size would be preferable as I like to sit back from my PC and put the keyboard on my knees and I think I'd like MX Blues best after reading the thread but I could be persuaded.

The only models I've come across are the Cherry G80 and some Das Keyboard model but I'm not willing to spend &#8364;150 on it blindly. Are there any other boards I'm missing?
Click to expand...

Maybe the Razer Blackwidow or one of the QPads. Or the new CM Storm Quickfire TK which doesn't have all the keys, but a slighly more compact layout. If you want to spend around 150 Euros, you might as well get a Filco (check www.keyboardco.com).
 
so i recently picked up 2 of these(one for me and my son) GIGABYTEGaming Aivia Osmium Mechanical Keyboard
its the first mech keyboard i've owned and I like it. But im wondering if it seems good to me because I have nothing to compare it to or if its actually good. It replaced my Logitech G15


although, I will admit, mines still going strong yet my sons died 3 weeks in :(
 
Anton668 said:
so i recently picked up 2 of these(one for me and my son) GIGABYTEGaming Aivia Osmium Mechanical Keyboard
its the first mech keyboard i've owned and I like it. But im wondering if it seems good to me because I have nothing to compare it to or if its actually good. It replaced my Logitech G15


although, I will admit, mines still going strong yet my sons died 3 weeks in :(
Click to expand...

The red switches it uses are pure quality and Gigabyte seems to be a reliable brand, sucks that one of them crapped out. Thanks for the heads up.
 
Sean! said:
I am kind of worried that I wont be able to adjust to the placement of the letters on the Filco Majes Ninja. :(
Click to expand...

I have a set of these keycaps, and I think they're a decent tool to help you learn how to touch type. It takes slightly more effort to look down and identify a key; not much, but enough that it encourages you to work on not needing to do so. Also I think they are much better looking than standard top-printed lettering, where unless you have dye-subliminated keycaps (which are very uncommon) your printing will slowly wear and fade over time. No such issues with this style of keycap.

Highly recommend them if you aren't confident enough to use non-printed keycaps, or would be too inconvenienced by having them on your primary keyboard (say if other people use it regularly and would have a hard time with them).
 
Got my Blackwidow Stealth Tournament Edition today! The MX Browns will take a little getting used to, since the tactile bump isn't nearly as pronounced as I thought it would be. I also find myself reaching for a numpad I don't have, just because I had the weird/lazy habit of sometimes using it to type a plus sign. The keycap material feels a lot better than my 2010 Blackwidow, and the whole thing has a nice matte finish instead of the cheap, dust-magnet gloss of the original.

This is a really great board for the $40 plus shipping. Thanks for letting me know about the sale, mech-key-GAF!
 
Orayn said:
Got my Blackwidow Stealth Tournament Edition today! The MX Browns will take a little getting used to, since the tactile bump isn't nearly as pronounced as I thought it would be. I also find myself reaching for a numpad I don't have, just because I had the weird/lazy habit of sometimes using it to type a plus sign. The keycap material feels a lot better than my 2010 Blackwidow, and the whole thing has a nice matte finish instead of the cheap, dust-magnet gloss of the original.

This is a really great board for the $40 plus shipping. Thanks for letting me know about the sale, mech-key-GAF!
Click to expand...

I too have a Razer Blackwidow, but I don't know why I put up with the key typeface :( Yeck
 
causan said:
Any thoughts on this keyboard here CM Storm QuickFire Rapid - Mechanical Gaming Keyboard with Blue CHERRY MX Switches (SGK-4000-GKCL1-US). I think I might order one today.
Click to expand...

I replaced my Rosewill with brown switches (faulty USB port - don't buy this thing) with a CM Storm Quickfire TK:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A378L4C/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Absolutely awesome. Minimal but still has the numpad and it is backlit. Available with blue, red, or brown switches. Takes a bit of time to get used to hitting NumLock to alternate between arrow keys and the number pad but I love the size of this thing.
 
Sampled a Cherry MX Red keyboard today. Feels so much nicer than Cherry MX Brown. Very similar in terms of pressure, just minus the little tactile bump (which IMO, makes the action feel gritty more than anything). I'll still stick it out with my Cherry MX Brown WASD keyboard as I'm not really keen on spending another $100 just for a slightly different feel.

The Cherry MX Red keyboard I tried was a CoolerMaster keyboard, I believe. It had a really interesting design...it was the size of the tenkeyless, but it basically cut out the arrow keys and insert/delete rows to leave room for the number pad. I guess you can still access the arrow keys and insert/del rows with some sort of function key. Backlit as well, which is a nice touch. My only complaint is that the spacebar action is pretty poor compared to the rest of the keyboard.
 
Recently bought a CM Storm Quick Fire TK with red switches. My first mechanical keyboard; loving it. It's taking a bit to get adjusted to the keys since the keys register even before halfway through the press. Despite that there has been an immediate increase in typing speed.
 
Lancehead said:
Recently bought a CM Storm Quick Fire TK with red switches. My first mechanical keyboard; loving it. It's taking a bit to get adjusted to the keys since the keys register even before halfway through the press. Despite that there has been an immediate increase in typing speed.
Click to expand...

Where'd you find a TK with red switches? I looked on amazon and Newegg and didn't see one last time I looked.

I'm still hoping for a good sale for a mech keyboard, something around 60 bucks. But the TK is on my short list.
 
garath said:
Where'd you find a TK with red switches? I looked on amazon and Newegg and didn't see one last time I looked.

I'm still hoping for a good sale for a mech keyboard, something around 60 bucks. But the TK is on my short list.
Click to expand...

I live in India, I got it on a local online store.
 
Due to this thread being active and the other one dead (Sorry!)
I'm reposting fart's OP here due to it's usefulness along with two other general use quotes.

Also note there are going to be more products using MX Greens (Like Blue, but heavier. I love em). Also also the CM QuickFire for $67 is a steal!
fart said:
Folks,

I'm an old timey wimey poster here at neogaf, reformed and back after an extended absence.

In my time away, I've become a bit of a booster for mechanical keyboards. I know a lot of gaffers are getting back into PC gaming (thank you Valve/Steam! i apologize profusely for all the nasty comments i made about gabe's weight back in the 00s!), and I thought it might be a good time to start an information resource on gaf for THE GREATEST KEYBOARDS EVER MADE (protip: mechanicals).

OK, now for static resources, the best at the moment is probably the OCN mechanical keyboard wiki:
http://www.overclock.net/t/491752/mechanical-keyboard-guide

GEEKHACK: http://www.geekhack.org/ is THE english-language resource for mechanical keyboards (we also have some excellent wikis, but we're having technical difficulties with them at the moment). You are strongly invited to come join us and geek out about keyboards, gaming, and other geeky stuff. We also have many active design and small-scale manufacturing efforts, as well as an excellent and very active classifieds board (COI note: I moderate this board).

DESKTHORITY: http://www.deskthority.com/ is excellent for local commerce and european language conversation if you're across the pond to the east.

OTD.kr, KBDMANIA.com: Korean-only; the world's foremost keyboard experts.

KBTALKING.cn, others: Chinese-only; the world's other foremost keyboard experts.

In the meantime, you can also feel free to ask questions about keyboards, recommendations, etc. in this thread. I will answer as time allows, and if there are other gh'ers or deskos around, please chime in!

Thanks everyone! Happy clacking!
Click to expand...
bhlaab said:
The biggest thing you have to look for is the type of switches.

Chery MX Blue - The #1 recommendation for typing, but really loud and has minor problems detecting quick double-taps (making them not always perfect for games)

Cherry MX Black - Quiet(er), has no trouble with double-taps, but a lot of people find that the keys require a little bit too much force to press and you won't feel any tactile feedback (which some consider a major selling point of mechanical keyboards). These are considered "for gaming" but can also make typing uncomfortable.

Cherry MX Brown - A middle ground between Blue and Black with both strengths and weaknesses. You can't double tap as easily as Black, but it's not as much of a problem as with Blue. There's a tactile sensation with typing, but it doesn't pop quite as much as Blue does. Not as loud as blue, but louder than Black.

Cherry MX Red - Similar to Black switches, except much "lighter" and requiring less force. This can either be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you look at it. Reds are very rare and tend to be more expensive.

Cherry MX Clear - Like browns, but "stiffer" and more tactile, making them skewed slightly more towards Blue than Black. The level of force required is comparable to a typical rubber dome keyboard. Very rare.
Click to expand...
claviertekky said:
Cherry blues (very loud; tactile feedback; 50 g actuation; best for typing): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823201040

74RJ9.gif


Cherry browns (somewhat loud; no tactile feedback; 45 g actuation; some gamers prefer this keyboard for RTS): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823201042

XWXa6.gif


Cherry reds (like black switches with only 45 g actuation): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823201044

mhVm3.gif


Cherry blacks (loud; no tactile feedback; 60 g actuation; some gamers prefer this keyboard for FPS and RTS; wears out fingers): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823201045

HEyPK.gif


Information from: http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Cherry+Corporation+Switch+Wiki
Click to expand...
 
Artifact discovered! While at work, I found one of these babies in a very old A/V booth.

2EXFfDv.jpg


A Wyse ASCII terminal keyboard! It was missing a few keycaps, so I found out that it uses black Cherry MX switches, which felt REALLY nice to type on despite all the years of dust. The enormous spacebar used an interesting stabilizer system that featured 3 standard Cherry MX stems and actually went under the metal mounting plate. Neat find! I'm tempted to ask my boss if I can take it home with me some day, since it's a part of a system that probably hasn't been used since 1997.
 
causan said:
Any thoughts on this keyboard here CM Storm QuickFire Rapid - Mechanical Gaming Keyboard with Blue CHERRY MX Switches (SGK-4000-GKCL1-US). I think I might order one today.
Click to expand...

Eideka said:
Excellent choice.
Click to expand...

Duxxy3 said:
Love mine.
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I can't recommend the brown switches enough. I tried both the blue and brown on the CM and did not like the loud clicking of blue and brown just seemed better overall for games especially since you tend to bottom out. The brown quick fire is the best KB i've ever owned and the brown switches are just silky smooth, love em.
 
Orayn said:
Artifact discovered! While at work, I found one of these babies in a very old A/V booth.

2EXFfDv.jpg


A Wyse ASCII terminal keyboard! It was missing a few keycaps, so I found out that it uses black Cherry MX switches, which felt REALLY nice to type on despite all the years of dust. The enormous spacebar used an interesting stabilizer system that featured 3 standard Cherry MX stems and actually went under the metal mounting plate. Neat find! I'm tempted to ask my boss if I can take it home with me some day, since it's a part of a system that probably hasn't been used since 1997.
Click to expand...
This is honestly an amazing keyboard. I have tried basically every modern mechanical
brand, cherry red, blue, black, hybrids, you name it, and they just don't make the build quality as good as these old ones. Hang on to this baby, it's a rare find.

EDIT: IF you can convince the boss :P
 
I threw away dozens of old pieces of hardware more valuable than that keyboard over the Summer when we were recycling outdated equipment, so I doubt it would be an issue. What will be an issue is actually using said keyboard, since it was connected to a terminal with an RJ11 plug.
 
Reds are definitely my favorite. Just like Browns, exept without the tactile bump. I find the tactile bump isn't very noticeable when you're bottoming out the keys anyways, and I feel it makes the action feel gritty rather than smooth.

Sadly, I'll be stuck with my Brown keyboard. Not really willing to shell out another $100+ just to change switches.
 
From what I understand, greens are what are used for spacebars on a lot of MX Blue keyboards.

It's the same switch with a higher resistance.
 
Can anyone comment on the Das Keyboard Professional or the Filco Majestouch 2?

I really, really, really hate my current keyboard and I need to get rid of it before I throw it out of a window and kill a passer-by.
 
Orayn said:
I threw away dozens of old pieces of hardware more valuable than that keyboard over the Summer when we were recycling outdated equipment, so I doubt it would be an issue. What will be an issue is actually using said keyboard, since it was connected to a terminal with an RJ11 plug.
Click to expand...

I love the enormous spacebar on that board lol.

Anyway, just wanted to say if anyone is looking for a good mechanical, these are the absolute best boards I have ever used. The look and feel are just awesome, especially the LED versions. I currently have an LED blue and purple, both small and have a great feel.

http://kbtalkingusa.com/

You can also find some great variations of them on eBay. A little pricey, but trust me...they are worth every penny.
 
Psychotext said:
Can anyone comment on the Das Keyboard Professional or the Filco Majestouch 2?

I really, really, really hate my current keyboard and I need to get rid of it before I throw it out of a window and kill a passer-by.
Click to expand...

I've been using a Das Pro Silent (labeled keycaps + Brown switches) for a couple years now. It's been great - I have nothing but good things to say about the build quality (glossy finish aside) and the price was nice with a student discount. But if I were buying a mechanical now I would go for a different brand and a smaller board. I thought I'd need a numpad, but for gaming ultimately it's much more comfortable to have your hands closer together. Plus I hear that they've changed OEMs (might be just for the Professional and not the Ultimate, not sure exactly) and the quality of their newer boards, especially the feel of the larger keys, isn't as good.
 
Thanks both. I'd actually love to give them a try to see the difference but I don't think I've ever seen one in the wild. Will definitely be going for one with a keypad though, I use them all the time.
 
rinemy said:
Anyone try Coolermaster's Cherry MX Green's yet? Interested in hearing some more feedback about them.
Click to expand...
I've typed on them before, they don't feel nearly as heavy as they say they are. I like them more than blues which I use at home. Ive typed on browns and reds before but I haven't had a chance to really use them so I cant comment that much.
 
I'm a little sad I didn't grab a mech keyboard when they were frequently on sale during the holidays. I've been keeping my eyes open for the last month and haven't seen any good prices.

Definitely going with a 10 key Cherry MX red. The first good one I find on sale I'll probably jump on.
 
My experience with that Wyse keyboard are tempting me to sell my Blackwidow Stealth Tournament to a friend and pick up something with linear switches. I always thought the idea of not having a tactile bump sounded awful, but it's really not a big deal at all.
 
Thanks for the replies guys. I just received my CM Storm Quickfire with blue Cherry switches yesterday and I love it. The compactness, the solid build and the feel of keys are awesome. Plus, the blue switches sound great. They are not as loud as I thought they would be.
 
causan said:
Thanks for the replies guys. I just received my CM Storm Quickfire with blue Cherry switches yesterday and I love it. The compactness, the solid build and the feel of keys are awesome. Plus, the blue switches sound great. They are not as loud as I thought they would be.
Click to expand...

Good choice, on blues.
 
Rayge said:
Why do most gamers go Cherry MX Red Switches? They seem to be the most sought after yet this site talks about them like they are becoming extinct and as if their not the standard.
Click to expand...

I'm going to repost my review of switches I tried out thanks to a group sharing program on deskthority. I think you'll find it illuminating.

I received the bag 3 days ago and I have been giving them a feel each night to see if my initial impressions overtime changed and it has.

In general I ended up liking the Alps over the Cherries.

Most of the Cherries either overcompensated or under-compensated on tactile feedback making the button pushing experience more stressful on the finger. The exception was the Cherry Blue.

The one grave flaw with the Blue was the noise it makes is sharp on the ears (this was a fatal problem of the Grey Alps as well).

If I was doing lots of typing a Blue would be my preference as long as I'm not around other people. It's grating on my ears but I could eventually tolerate it. My coworkers would hate it.
As a result the Black Nonclicky or the White Dampened would be the next best choice.

But my primary concern is gaming. The blues are great if you like to play with headphones on but I don't so its sound is still a big negative.

At first my preference was a cherry brown but overtime the red has grown on me much more as a tool for longer gaming sessions and where key commands have you hold down the button alot. The blues are stylistically different and I think are best served by games where touch typing your key commands is highly preferable to holding them down.

In theory with the browns you can touch type because they have a similar stop gap like the blue and not have the obnoxious noise but so far I've been bottoming out with it as badly as the Red and the Red is far less stressful on my fingers.


Now for some unscientific data:

Induces Most Bottoming Out:
Grey Clicky Alps, Blue [Least]
Clear
Black

Black Nonclicky Alps, White Dampened Alps


Red, Brown [Most]

Tonal Quality:
Black [Muted]
White Dampened Alps

Clear, Red

Brown, Black Nonclicky Alps

Blue, Grey Clicky Alps [Sharp]


Most Resistive:
* [Least]
Red
Blue*
Brown

Grey Clicky Alps
White Dampened Alps
Black Nonclicky Alps

Black
Clear [Most]



Most Push Back:
* [Least]
Brown
Blue*
**
Red

Black Nonclicky Alps
White Dampened Alps
Grey Clicky Alps**

Black
Clear [Most]


The Stars signify the position of the Key if you were touch typing instead of pounding away on the keys and usually going past the point when a command is registered and thus increasing the chance of bottoming out.

Any keys that are next to each other in commas are stylistically different and which one is more different (and at an underlying level worse) than the other is going to be a lot more subjective in my opinion.
Click to expand...
 
I've been thinking about getting a Tenkeyless board with Cherry MX Reds for a while now, HOWEVER:

I have the opportunity to get an early 1990s Model M for ~$120US in good condition.

Do you guys think it's worth it?
I primarily game, but also do some typing. Thanks :]
 
I thought the model M thing was just a novelty.

I don't personally think you should spend that money on one. Get a tenkeyless, with blues preferably.
 
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