Recommend me a mechanical keyboard under $150.

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delvryboy

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Feb 21, 2008
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I don't game much, basically none until I bought Civ5, so macro's aren't a must. It would be nice to have some programmable keys though.

I was thinking the MX brown's would be best, but I'm not against the blues.

Currently, I'm on the verge of buying the blackwidow ultimate, I really like the backlights. However, seems there are a lot of quality control issues.

Also, saw this:http://www.amazon.com/XArmor-U9W-wi...?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1322942049&sr=1-18 ....I like the wireless.

Opinions?
 
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I beleive the blackwidow ultimate is only 2KRO although it will give some more around WASD. Wouldn't work for me because of that as one of the primary reasons I'm looking at going mechanical is to get more than 2KRO. Also, be aware that blues have very disparate make and break points on the switch. Meaning you can't easily tap a key a lot as it takes a relatively lot of travel to reset the internals. If you still want blues I'd be tempted to say look elsewhere for a keyboard that is NKRO or at least 6KRO.

Personally I'm going to purchase a Leopold with browns (or rather have it gifted for xmas).
 
Khanmots said:
Personally I'm going to purchase a Leopold with browns (or rather have it gifted for xmas).
Click to expand...

I think Browns are the best all around switch. They work great for gaming and typing both, and don't have the noise of the blues.

It's where I started.

I really like the board I have with red switches for gaming, but I kinda hate typing on it.
 
Yeah, I'm most interested in typing. What are your thoughts on the wireless board I posted. That uses the MX browns, not a lot of reviews though and I'm not familiar with the brand.
 
delvryboy said:
Yeah, I'm most interested in typing. What are your thoughts on the wireless board I posted. That uses the MX browns, not a lot of reviews though and I'm not familiar with the brand.
Click to expand...

No idea. As a rule, I tend to just not bother with wireless input devices for anything other than my home theater box.
 
Filco's are usually referenced as the best brand.I prefer to stay away from razor because they use low quality materials.
 
shawnoen said:
Filco Majestouch2.
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Yeah, I'm loving my Filco 10keyless Majestouch 2 with Browns.

If you are wanting macros and other functions, you can use a program called AutoHotKey. Granted, the "interface" isn't as "slick" as say Razer's but it lets you program keys to do what you want them to do. You'll just have to learn some very simple programming.

I have AutoHotKey set up with using the right function key + F9-F12 to control music playback. Never really had issues.
 
I think I'm going to go with the Filco. I really like those backlit keys, but can't really get beyond all the bad quality reviews
 
I enjoy my Leopold 10keyless with browns quite a bit. I went with it over the Filco solely for the cost savings because it was my first mechanical keyboard. Can't say I'm disappointed.
 
Filco 10 keyless Majestouch 2 with Browns is what I've got as well. I love it. I am curious about blue switches now though, but not enough to buy another keyboard right away. Maybe if I can find a display keyboard in a store somewhere to play around with...but until then I'll probably stick with the browns. I absolutely love this keyboard.
 
Xarmor has quality control issues. The regular bw has less issues than the ultimate. Honestly there are an overwhelming number of good choices.
 
Hmm. Ducky vs. Filco?

I think I'm going with the blues anyhow.

I'm about to pull the trigger....
 
Isn't x-amor (iOne) out of business? Last I checked, their site and customer support are non-existent.
 
If I go no BL, I'll go with the wasd. Backlit choices are between the Ultimate Stealth and the Ducky w/ browns, when it comes back in stock.

I should of started a poll. Lol .
 
Have you considered an MX Clear board? Personally, for heavy typing, I'd go with clears or blues rather than browns. The browns are really light, and it is very easy to bottom out especially when you are typing at speed. This constant bottoming out nullifies most of the noise advantage that the browns have over the blues, thery're still pretty loud if you bottom out all the time. In order to type without bottoming out, you will need an extremely light touch (for me, I find it hard to be this "gentle" while maintaining accuracy when trying to type rapidly).

Clears are like browns but a with a stiffer spring more like a blue. The tactile "hump" is also a little more pronounced than the brown (which is pretty mild) but not as much as the blue (but more for haptic reasons). They have more resistance near the bottom of the stroke, so you don't have to be as careful when typing to avoid bottoming out. As a result it may make it quieter on the whole than a brown board. Also if you stop worrying about not trying to bottom out when typing fast, your speed/accuracy goes up. At least it did for me.

Blues IMHO would have the best tactile response, since they not only have the most defined resistance "hump", but also your fingertip actually feels the vibration of the "click" as the switch mechanism is activated. The feeling of the vibration combined with the audible click are the most effective of all the switches in telling you when you have hit the actuation point. Personally browns don't seem that much quieter in terms of volume if you keep bottoming out, but mainly have a different frequency response (blues are more high pitched "clicks" as the switch mechanism activates (possibly combined with bottom-out "clacks"), browns are lower "clacks" as you bottom out).

Ruahrc
 
Ended up with the BW Ultimate Stealth. I like all the extras it brings to the table.

I looked into every suggestion here and learned a lot. I'm not a keyboard purist nor am I a gamer.... hell the only game I've played in the last 10 years is Civ5 and I don't even use the keyboard. I'm pretty sure my moderate use will be fine with this keyboard.

BTW - I may pick up a WASD for work, they seem like an awesome start up and really seem to focus on quality.... definitely worthy of my $$$.

Thanks for all the help.
 
I was about to get a WASD keyboard.. but since I had the newegg $40 gift card I went with a rosewill 9000 with mx brown switches. So far so good.
 
blackwidow = xArmor.

Wireless is probably not going to happen.

Stick with the known quality brands. Filco/leopold/ducky/ etc.
 
you know what i meant. i cancelled out the equals sign with words and it made it false
 
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