Want to upgrade to a mechanical keyboard and a new mouse...

G

g|aSsJaw

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 24, 2003
Messages
262
I have used a basic Microsoft keyboard and a Logitech MX518 for years, but when I build a new PC in the next month or so, I'm thinking about upgrading to a mechanical keyboard and getting a new mouse.

Currently, the only mechanical keyboard I'm familiar with is the Das Ultimate. I mostly just browse the web and I'll be playing some games like BF3 and StarCraft II.

I like my MX518, but I'm sure that there are better ones out there now. I like simple designs like the MX518 or the SteelSeries Xai.

Just hoping to get some recommendations to start looking into.
 
I am very happy with my mionix zibal 60. The backlight keys are not overly bright. So its not a distraction It's a standard keyboard with no macro keys and uses cherry mx blacks.

I use my left hand for mouse so I'm limited. But the razer mamba 2012 edition looks and feels very nice. Too bad they don't got a left handed model. I am using the left handed deathadder. Feels good. I am also happy with it.
 
whats wrong with the mx518?
I still use one, albeit its branded the g400 now, but it's the same mouse (however, the matte finish on the top is more pleasing than the glossy coating on the mx518 imo.)
 
deathadder/xia are probably the best options. I prefer them over the 518 by far.

Keyboards: brown/black switches. stick with the known high quality brands. not a great deal of options. leopold/filco/ducky. steel series mechanical are actually pretty nice if u want black switches.
 
CPTMULLER said:
whats wrong with the mx518?
I still use one, albeit its branded the g400 now, but it's the same mouse (however, the matte finish on the top is more pleasing than the glossy coating on the mx518 imo.)
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Nothing wrong with it, it's just well used :D Might just get a g400 to replace it.

100inch said:
deathadder/xia are probably the best options. I prefer them over the 518 by far.

Keyboards: brown/black switches. stick with the known high quality brands. not a great deal of options. leopold/filco/ducky. steel series mechanical are actually pretty nice if u want black switches.
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I don't know the first thing about switches. I've been looking at the Das Ultimate, but I didn't know how it compared to others in terms of price/quality. I also don't know if I like the gloss black bezel, I think the fingerprints would drive me crazy.
 
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g|aSsJaw said:
Nothing wrong with it, it's just well used :D Might just get a g400 to replace it.



I don't know the first thing about switches. I've been looking at the Das Ultimate, but I didn't know how it compared to others in terms of price/quality. I also don't know if I like the gloss black bezel, I think the fingerprints would drive me crazy.
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thats probably the only knock on the das keyboard is that it has a glossy finish. I don't really pay attention much to mine, but it attracts lint and dust like a mother. Just wipe it off once a day with a microfiber cloth and be done with it. Speaking of which i need to probably need to wipe off my entire desk since i haven't wiped it off in a month :/ GO BLACK DESK :(
 
g|aSsJaw said:
Nothing wrong with it, it's just well used :D Might just get a g400 to replace it.



I don't know the first thing about switches. I've been looking at the Das Ultimate, but I didn't know how it compared to others in terms of price/quality. I also don't know if I like the gloss black bezel, I think the fingerprints would drive me crazy.
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I was in the exact same predicament and picked up a g400, quite happy that I did
 
What do you guys think of this Filco:

http://www.amazon.com/Filco-Majestouch-2-Keyboard-FKBN104M-EB2/dp/B004VKUSG6

I think the browns would be the right switch for me since my time is divided pretty evenly between typing and playing games. The browns seem to be the way to go for a casual typist/gamer like me. I don't want the tenkeyless because I actually use those more than one might think.

Only thing I don't really like is the price tag, and I think I'll miss the wristrest my Microsoft keyboard has. Filco sells their wristrest for $60 :LOL:
 
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you can't go wrong with that keyboard. Its one of the best quality mechanical keyboards out there.
 
g|aSsJaw said:
What do you guys think of this Filco:

http://www.amazon.com/Filco-Majestouch-2-Keyboard-FKBN104M-EB2/dp/B004VKUSG6

I think the browns would be the right switch for me since my time is divided pretty evenly between typing and playing games. The browns seem to be the way to go for a casual typist/gamer like me. I don't want the tenkeyless because I actually use those more than one might think.

Only thing I don't really like is the price tag, and I think I'll miss the wristrest my Microsoft keyboard has. Filco sells their wristrest for $60 :LOL:
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very nice quality keyboard, you should be quite pleased with it
 
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Filco is possibly the best mechanical keyboard you can buy, you won't be disappointed. I liked mine so much I bought another (tenkeyless).
 
I've had my Filco Majestouch-2 Tenkeyless with browns for a couple months now and I absolutely love it. May end up getting another with different switches at some point but the browns serve me well.

As far as the mouse goes, I went from a G9x to a Deathadder Black Edition and can't be happier. Granted, I have started to play a bit lower sens since I had the G9x maxed out and was doing 2-3in 360's in TF2. Now, its closer to 4-5in. Yes, the G9x is a completely different beast but my hand seems to enjoy the contour of the DA more.
 
skizzled said:
I've had my Filco Majestouch-2 Tenkeyless with browns for a couple months now and I absolutely love it. May end up getting another with different switches at some point but the browns serve me well.

As far as the mouse goes, I went from a G9x to a Deathadder Black Edition and can't be happier. Granted, I have started to play a bit lower sens since I had the G9x maxed out and was doing 2-3in 360's in TF2. Now, its closer to 4-5in. Yes, the G9x is a completely different beast but my hand seems to enjoy the contour of the DA more.
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Is the Filco USB or PS/2? I can't seem to find a definitive answer on that. Most new motherboards don't seem to incorporate PS/2 anymore, so if it's a PS/2 keyboard I'd have to get a converter.
 
Both of my Filco keyboards (an older full-size Majestouch with Browns and a newer Majestouch 2 tenkeyless with Browns) are USB, with a PS/2 adapter which you can choose to use if you wish. With the PS/2 adapter they are true n-key rollover and on USB they are 6-key rollover.
 
I just picked up a steelseries 6gv2 along with a logitech g700 and couldn't be happier.
 
I think the Filco would be the best choice as well. Great keyboards and you never hear anything bad about them. I also like the Das Keyboard S model as well.

I have a Black Widow with Cherry Blue's and at first I didnt like them for gaming because they have a high actuation point and I was worried this would cause a problem if I needed to press the same key a shit load of times like in Dead Space when those crawly little things get on you. However after 6 months with this thing, Ive never found it to be a problem. So Id say Blues or Browns would be good for gaming.
 
I just bought a Filco Ninja w/ browns and use it at work. Amazing keyboard. Weighs about 3 pounds. I use an MX518 at home and black deathadder at work. For gaming, I still prefer the 518 since it has a higher arc. The deathadder buttons especially the thumb buttons are tits and the scroll wheel is very nice (makes no noise but indexes well and has a solid click. Also comes with a long braided cord. What sucks about the deathadder is the mouse feet. Far worse than the 518. I bought hyperglide skates for both, not expecting much for my 20 dollars, but the hyperglide pads actually work. The friction on both mice is tangibly lower.

I vote you get a Filco. If you pound on some of the keys in rapid succession like deleting or entering, sometimes a faint ping (like metal resonating) can be heard. Other than that, it's worth every penny.

In the interest of exploring different switches, my next keyboard for home will have cherry reds <eyeing the K90 from corsair>. If you are patient, someone at geekhack created a number pad fitted with all the cherry switches. They are mailing it around to each other, so people can try it out. Pretty awesome idea.

Edit: reviewers for the G400 say the mouse is lighter and has a skinnier cord than the 518. Many people preferred the smooth finish of the 518 over the G400. I have not tried the G400 yet.
 
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If you like the filco keyboard, then get a Leopold keyboard.
They are:
1. Cheaper
2. Same or better build.
3. The guy who desgined the filco also designed the leopolds.
4. Removable usb cable.

They can be found on elitekeyboards.

As for the mouse, get the g400 in replace for your mx518. Its essentially the same. Unless you want a laser mouse get the g500,g700, or the g9x. I have the G500 and I like how the buttons can be programmed to do ceratin things. LIke forward and back on web browsers, refresh page. DPI switch on the go. etc etc.
 
pwnrhasta said:
If you like the filco keyboard, then get a Leopold keyboard.
They are:
1. Cheaper
2. Same or better build.
3. The guy who desgined the filco also designed the leopolds.
4. Removable usb cable.

They can be found on elitekeyboards.

As for the mouse, get the g400 in replace for your mx518. Its essentially the same. Unless you want a laser mouse get the g500,g700, or the g9x. I have the G500 and I like how the buttons can be programmed to do ceratin things. LIke forward and back on web browsers, refresh page. DPI switch on the go. etc etc.
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Leopolds are nice, but if your going to put over $100 in a KB why not drop the extra $30-40 and grab a Filco? Build quality and keycaps are are much better on the MJT2 series.
 
No experience with the Filco but I'm very happy with my Leopold. Now I'm a longtime fan of quality computing hardware, but I honestly can't imagine how a keyboard can really be "better" built than the Leopold. There may be some minor differences regarding fit and finish, but at that point it's likely down to personal preference anyway. Also, from the research I have done, it seems that "consensus on the internet" (if there really is such a thing) is that the Leopolds and Filcos are basically equivalent in terms of build quality.

$40 extra over $100 is an additional 40% increase, not an insignificant amount. If it was $5 or maybe $10 then sure, why not I guess, but $40 can be the difference between just a KB and getting a KB + mouse too.

Ruahrc
 
Ruahrc said:
No experience with the Filco but I'm very happy with my Leopold. Now I'm a longtime fan of quality computing hardware, but I honestly can't imagine how a keyboard can really be "better" built than the Leopold. There may be some minor differences regarding fit and finish, but at that point it's likely down to personal preference anyway. Also, from the research I have done, it seems that "consensus on the internet" (if there really is such a thing) is that the Leopolds and Filcos are basically equivalent in terms of build quality.

$40 extra over $100 is an additional 40% increase, not an insignificant amount. If it was $5 or maybe $10 then sure, why not I guess, but $40 can be the difference between just a KB and getting a KB + mouse too.

Ruahrc
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I think this would be the Leopold equivalent of the Filco Majestouch I posted:

http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=leopold,fullsize&pid=fc500rtab#
 
i got this yesterday.... WASD MX Cherry Brown /w 40A-L (0.2mm Reduction) dampers keyboard

i got it as a xmas gift (ordered to my requests) it is the semi custom w/ orange esc and wasd keys

it is pretty sweet looking and the keycaps are awesome typing on it is a joy and with the dampers it is probably less noisy than the ms ergo keyboard i had before.


img20121225162019.jpg

flash made the orange keys look brighter than in real life...


not the cheapest option but very nice and the dampers really cut down the noise vs the other mx brown keyboards i tried out at fry's when debating which switches i wanted.
 
oh yeah at least for me my mouse the G500 is my favorite ...i had for many years G5 laser mice and then mine finally died last year

i tried the corsair m60 mouse and hated it (too small for my hands) so returned it and got the G500 ...especially if you are coming from a similarly shaped logitech mouse the G500 is just the perfect for my hands ....only thing i don't like and i saw it mentioned in reviews is the finish starts to wear pretty quickly where you palm rests...but meh...awesome mouse none the less.
 
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