Choosing between three keyboards

T

TFchris

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
May 27, 2012
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So I'm retiring my old Logitech G110.. and I;m looking for a mechanical KB. Since I no longer game, I'm not a big fan of the side "G" keys..

So I narrowed my choices down to three:

1) Corsair K70
2) Das 4 Ultimate
3) Ducky Shine 3 (or maybe 4)

Which would you guys recommend?
 
Depending on what you are looking for I would chose between the Das and the Ducky; Corsair keyboards have been plagued with LED issues that the company has failed to address.
 
I'd say go with the Das, very high quality boards, and have never had a problem with them. Ducky is great too, but I just prefer the look of Das Keyboard's over Ducky's
 
K70 MX Brown w/Red backlight or Ducky 4 with brown or red switches. Maybe the Das 4 Pro, but I'd rather have backlights.

The Das is a good looking keyboard, but the blank Ultimate edition is for those that just want to grip the tip of and stretch their epeen. Still on the fence about the rotary knob...
 
Can't speak for the other two, but I'm happy with my Ducky Shine 3 TKL. It's solid, minimal and there's enough variations to suit whatever style you're going for. There seems to be a shortage of DS3 with brown switches, but I'm guessing it's from the imminent DS4 release.
 
I would only grab the K70 if it is the RGB version. The RGB version, has resolved the LED lighting issues because the Cherry MX (Red, Blue, Brown are your Corsair choices), RGB switches are a completely different design.

If you're interested at all in per-key RGB backlighting, then get the K70 RGB. Oh, they also make a TKL style K65 RGB in case you like that form factor. Corsair has exclusivity on Cherry MX RGB backlit until the end of the year I think.

Otherwise, I've heard decent thing about Ducky keyboards, but I'd wait a little while as they will probably start using CherryMX RGB next year. If this doesn't matter to you, you can buy now
 
Xaeos said:
I would only grab the K70 if it is the RGB version. The RGB version, has resolved the LED lighting issues because the Cherry MX (Red, Blue, Brown are your Corsair choices), RGB switches are a completely different design.
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RGB switches are not a completely different design, it is only the illumination method that differs. That being said, while there does not seems to be reports of LEDs failing, there are issues related to the state of the software which is causing problems for many users and also the fact that, due to a hardware choice, the RGB keyboards can only display 512 colors out of the 16 million + that are advertised.
 
_PixelNinja said:
RGB switches are not a completely different design, it is only the illumination method that differs. That being said, while there does not seems to be reports of LEDs failing, there are issues related to the state of the software which is causing problems for many users and also the fact that, due to a hardware choice, the RGB keyboards can only display 512 colors out of the 16 million + that are advertised.
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From what I read about the Cherry MX RGB switch, its lighting is mechanically different besides just besides being RGB instead of single color. If I recall, the original backlit non-RGB Corsair keyboards ( and many other brands) had the LED mounted separately in such a method that the activation of the key itself put stress on the connection between the PCB and the backlight, thus leading to lights going out. CherryMX RGB encapsulate the backlighting as "part" of the switch itself and thus no stress is put on the connection between the lighting and PCB. This leads to the drastic improvement in lights going out, compared to Corsair's earlier design.

I was under the impression that the color issue was something fixable in firmware/software; the update in the initial post of the thread you link suggests it so. The software launched with some significant issues which I hope they will fix in time, but are less likely to affect non-gamers (ie macroing, saving profiles etc..).
 
Xaeos said:
From what I read about the Cherry MX RGB switch, its lighting is mechanically different besides just besides being RGB instead of single color. If I recall, the original backlit non-RGB Corsair keyboards (and many other brands) had the LED mounted separately in such a method that the activation of the key itself put stress on the connection between the PCB and the backlight, thus leading to lights going out.
Click to expand...
This is correct; the LED on classic back-lit Cherry MX switches are mounted onto the switch housing. However, the story about mechanical wear resulting from the mounting solution is a half-truth spread by Corsair's PR to justify their high failure rates — the reality is that Corsair's LED implementation is terrible. Many other brands offer the exact same technology, yet do not suffer from as much hardware failure as Corsair.

Xaeos said:
CherryMX RGB encapsulate the backlighting as "part" of the switch itself and thus no stress is put on the connection between the lighting and PCB. This leads to the drastic improvement in lights going out, compared to Corsair's earlier design.
Click to expand...
What you are referring to as "Corsair's earlier design" is not Corsair's, but Cherry's — everybody using back-lit Cherry MXs use the same design. Simply put, RGB Cherry MX are composed of a PCB surface mounted LED and a transparent housing instead of an opaque one. The LED shines through the housing to illuminate the key. The switch in itself is the same as a classic Cherry MX switch.

Xaeos said:
I was under the impression that the color issue was something fixable in firmware/software; the update in the initial post of the thread you link suggests it so. The software launched with some significant issues which I hope they will fix in time, but are less likely to affect non-gamers (ie macroing, saving profiles etc..).
Click to expand...
The people who reversed engineered the RGB keyboards have said that, from their testing and research they have done, it is in fact a hardware limitation. They believe it might be possible to work around said limitation, but it will be very difficult to do so.

Regarding the issues not affecting non-gamers, I personally find that an invalid excuse considering one; the price being asked for this piece of hardware, two; the target demographic of the product.

All in all, the Corsair RGBs were not ready for prime time and I personally cannot recommend them at this present time. Hopefully, Corsair will get their act together soon enough because so far they are not doing a good job at promoting Cherry's new hardware.
 
I have a ducky zero brown and vengence k70 blue... I got the K70 because i spilled a glass of soda on the ducky (today)... i rinsed it in iso alcohol and then water, its in front of a fan right now.. had all of 3 days.. i cant remb the last time ive fn spilled a soda on a keyboard... use the k70 now with COD AW.. i dunno but i think i like the ducky better.. i like the k70 for being able to setup individual lights.. and for the wrist rest.. and volume roller thing..

I was planning on getting another keyboard for work anyway.. ill probly bring the ducky to work.. see if any keys stick..

and there is another glass of soda on my desk as i type this.. it was just in a bad spot.. stupid spot.. i was beyond pissed off.

the ducky just seems like its a tank,, feels very sturdy and heavy,,i like it.
 
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Got the K70 Red LEDs for 3 months now, using it daily for MMO gaming, so there's alot of key spamming and combos. It does not have an easy life on my desk.

The custom shaped textured keys are 50% of its value, for me. They feel amazing and are much easier to find without looking.

The elegant design, the metal case and the fact that you can clean it very easy is what separates it from the other 2.
 
_PixelNinja said:
This is correct; the LED on classic back-lit Cherry MX switches are mounted onto the switch housing. However, the story about mechanical wear resulting from the mounting solution is a half-truth spread by Corsair's PR to justify their high failure rates — the reality is that Corsair's LED implementation is terrible. Many other brands offer the exact same technology, yet do not suffer from as much hardware failure as Corsair.
......
Click to expand...
If its not the mounting solution that is the problem, then what caused the high failure rate? Was it poor sourcing of the leds? I don't recall the k95 having the same issue.
 
Depends on what you're going for.
The best out of the box typing experience will be either the Leopold 750 or the Kul ES 87 these are TKL boards though. CM is also great and easily obtainable.

For full sized boards, filco, leopold and cooler master are definitely the way to go.

If you want lights, I would probably go with the Ducky.
 
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