I just got a Filco brown tenkeyless the other day and I'm basically typing this post because I love how it feels to type on this keyboard lol. It feels like a dream to type on and the keys are 100% responsive. It is a bit loud though, hard/fast typing with someone else in the room will surely annoy them. But it FEELS so good, I don't really care! I type a bit faster too, on a regular keyboard my WPM was like 60ish from a few years ago, and I took several tests yesterday and was typing in the 80s. $121 was a lot, but I can easily see how this thing pays off in the long run.
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best mechanical keyboard for gaming?
- Thread starter zanderman
- Start date
It comes down to personal preference. I've had my Filco tenkeyless brown for almost a week and just received my Steelseries 6Gv2 in the mail today. I have yet to play a game with the black keys but I'll give it a spin once Starcraft 2 drops. The increased resistance makes me think typing will be a pain compared to the brown keys, but I really want to see how RTS gaming is on that thing. I could try playing TF2 on it as well, maybe this weekend.
First impression is that I prefer the browns because of much lower resistance, which could translate to less longterm fatigue and easier tapping on keys, but it may work out differently in practical usage. We'll see.
Either way, its a shame that trial and error combined with subjective second hand accounts are the only way most people are going to be able to decide on which mechanical keyboard to get. It sucks that retail stores carry so few mechanicals for people to actually play with. With the exception of the Steelseries 7G at a Fry's, I've never seen a mechanical demo unit out there.
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You get used to the higher resistance and don't even notice it after a day or two.
I was lucky enough to have a friend order a Filco with browns. I tried it out and decided that I would probably like the blacks better for playing games, and I do. I might get another Filco for my 2nd computer and that one will probably be a brown.
It's always only personal preference on these boards. I don't know how many times I see people make posts about how they love something that I know I would hate. You like the browns that's great, but IMO the blacks ARE the better switch for playing games.
This made me LOL.
Something like a keystroke actually comes down to personal preference, believe it or not, especially when we're talking about mechanical switches. Why else would there be so many options? Sure, some are actually significantly better for typing than they would be for gaming, blues for instance, but someone out there might actually like the audible click sound despite the weird key switch reset for games. The potential disadvantage you get with the browns is that you can accidentally hit other keys since they have so much less resistance than the blacks. If accidentally hitting other keys is a problem for you, then you should totally get the black. If not then the browns are a viable option. I like how sensitive they are. Spamming my build keys in Starcraft 2 is super simple with the brown and my APM actually went up with that Filco, but if you don't need that light and easy press then get the blacks, also excellent for gaming.
The only thing I can say for sure is that I would hate typing with the Cherry black, but I'm sure there is someone out there with Arnold Schwarzenegger fingers that loves hammering away on those things.
So yeah, personal preference.
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This made me LOL.
Something like a keystroke actually comes down to personal preference, believe it or not, especially when we're talking about mechanical switches. Why else would there be so many options? Sure, some are actually significantly better for typing than they would be for gaming, blues for instance, but someone out there might actually like the audible click sound despite the weird key switch reset for games. The potential disadvantage you get with the browns is that you can accidentally hit other keys since they have so much less resistance than the blacks. If accidentally hitting other keys is a problem for you, then you should totally get the black. If not then the browns are a viable option. I like how sensitive they are. Spamming my build keys in Starcraft 2 is super simple with the brown and my APM actually went up with that Filco, but if you don't need that light and easy press then get the blacks, also excellent for gaming.
The only thing I can say for sure is that I would hate typing with the Cherry black, but I'm sure there is someone out there with Arnold Schwarzenegger fingers that loves hammering away on those things.
So yeah, personal preference.
I can see how someone that's used to not bottoming the keys out all the time would be better off with brown switches.
I don't have strong hands but after 20 years of using membrane keyboards I bottom the keys out most of the time. I'm getting better at not doing that but you don't need super human strength to push down on the blacks, they're not that stiff. Come on.
Even my girlfriend likes the feel of the blacks better than the browns.
Peanut Butter
Limp Gawd
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2008
- Messages
- 364
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I have no bias as I have both keyboards with me. I'll give it a day or two this weekend, I just know that spamming the brown keys feels way better to me. Maybe my impression will change but I doubt it; in general I like more responsive interfaces.
I know personal preferences are offensive and everything and it sucks when people don't agree 100% with you, but maybe you should just deal with this one.
I'm sure she does.
I have no bias as I have both keyboards with me. I'll give it a day or two this weekend, I just know that spamming the brown keys feels way better to me. Maybe my impression will change but I doubt it; in general I like more responsive interfaces.
I know personal preferences are offensive and everything and it sucks when people don't agree 100% with you, but maybe you should just deal with this one.
I'm hardly offended by your opinion. I liked the Filco with brown switches a lot, which is why I bought a mechanical keyboard. I took the chance at getting one with black switches because I thought I'd like the smoother action of the keys and I was correct.
I just don't want people to be turned off by them because people on here give the impression that they are so much harder to press down or that they suck to type on.
Hopefully after a day with the black switches you'll join the dark side!
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Once you go black...............
I went brown with my board and my broad.
NKDietrich
Supreme [H]ardness
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2004
- Messages
- 5,442
Oh lord the innuendo in this post.
...after closer inspection... That's awesome stuff!
...some might even say borderline "illegal"!
I'm hardly offended by your opinion. I liked the Filco with brown switches a lot, which is why I bought a mechanical keyboard. I took the chance at getting one with black switches because I thought I'd like the smoother action of the keys and I was correct.
I just don't want people to be turned off by them because people on here give the impression that they are so much harder to press down or that they suck to type on.
Hopefully after a day with the black switches you'll join the dark side!
Like I said, I'm going to give it a real shot this weekend. Honestly, the other thing leaning me towards the Filco, aside from the brown switch, is that it is a tenkeyless keyboard. I have two sets of mice and keyboards on my desktop and the PC that my Filco is plugged into is primarily for gaming. Missing a numpad on that keyboard helps tremendously as far as cramming all this stuff on my desktop. I almost wish Steelseries made a tenkeyless keyboard, it would make great sense for gamers (I told my friend at Steelseries this, but I'm not holding my breath on them making yet another keyboard
).Who knows, I might prefer the black switches in the end, we'll see, but if I do it won't be without some serious getting used to.
This actually goes back to my original point, which is that it is a shame that people generally need to rely on guesswork and secondhand opinions in selecting their mechanical keyboards. There is so much variety, and people would be better served if they can try them out for themselves. Many people may dislike a certain switch for typing or gaming but you can guarantee that someone out there will actually prefer it, and they may miss out because they cannot make an informed decision for themselves based on practical experience.
It sucks that the most people can hope to possibly demo is a Steelseries 7G or 6Gv2 with the Cherry blacks, because nobody else (Microsoft, Logitech, Razer, etc) sells mechanical keyboards through the major brick & mortar retailers.
I agree, which is why I said I was really lucky to be able to test out a Filco for a few days. I told a friend I heard these keyboards were awesome and he needed to get one. After telling him the difference he ordered the filco with brown switches. He was out of town when FedEx delivered it, so I picked it up from his house, which is why I had it for a couple of days. A week later I ordered my keyboard.
He loves the Filco with brown keys, but I haven't told him I got one yet.
I lucked out in that I knew I was getting a free Steelseries 6Gv2 from my friend at Steelseries. I could get a Filco brown and if I didn't like it I could still use the Steelseries, no big deal.
My situation or yours where you are fortunate enough to have a friend willing to buy a $130 keyboard for you to test drive are not reasonable ways for 99.9999% of people out there to test keyboards, not compared to having display models to play with in a store.
It'll never happen though, people like cheap keyboards, and if they do spend money they want the same cheap keyboard innards but with silly flashing lights and extra buttons on top. Stores won't stock them because of this, which sucks. Well, some will carry Steelseries, but I wonder how successful that product is. Hopefully the 6Gv2 does reasonably well, but even then I know people will complain about the lack of superfluous doodads that you get with other $100 keyboards.
My situation or yours where you are fortunate enough to have a friend willing to buy a $130 keyboard for you to test drive are not reasonable ways for 99.9999% of people out there to test keyboards, not compared to having display models to play with in a store.
It'll never happen though, people like cheap keyboards, and if they do spend money they want the same cheap keyboard innards but with silly flashing lights and extra buttons on top. Stores won't stock them because of this, which sucks. Well, some will carry Steelseries, but I wonder how successful that product is. Hopefully the 6Gv2 does reasonably well, but even then I know people will complain about the lack of superfluous doodads that you get with other $100 keyboards.
Lol keyboard bling is a fad, hopefully. (though razers new tron keyboard doesn't give much hope). Remember back in 01/02/03 when everyone was trying out lighting in their cases and getting led here and there and everywhere?
Hopefully ppl will recognize that as really gaudy, i mean whats the point? I really don't even understand keyboard backlight.
1. if you need keyboard backlight, then you should invest in mavis teaches typing.
2. or you need desk lamp
3. or if you game on a laptop, the laptop screen should be sufficient, in leiu of mavis teaches typing.
Why do ppl need backlight for their keyboards?
I had the abs m1 as my first mechanical board and as many know they have the most blinding blue leds ever made, i put electrical tape on those leds, otherwise my retinas would have burned out.
also don't ppl wonder why mechanical keyboards average 100ish dollars, but is pretty much justified, each switch goes for like either 80c to 1.20 wholesale, so you figure 80ish-104 keys, hey thats pretty much a good value.
But what about a 100$ mouse? maybe at most 8buttons average (with like 12+ for the naga) a mousewheel and a mouse sensor (that goes for like 7bucks wholesale, the avango).
imo your actually getting lots of value for a mechanical keyboard, vs. just being overcharged for any gaming mouse.
Hopefully ppl will recognize that as really gaudy, i mean whats the point? I really don't even understand keyboard backlight.
1. if you need keyboard backlight, then you should invest in mavis teaches typing.
2. or you need desk lamp
3. or if you game on a laptop, the laptop screen should be sufficient, in leiu of mavis teaches typing.
Why do ppl need backlight for their keyboards?
I had the abs m1 as my first mechanical board and as many know they have the most blinding blue leds ever made, i put electrical tape on those leds, otherwise my retinas would have burned out.
also don't ppl wonder why mechanical keyboards average 100ish dollars, but is pretty much justified, each switch goes for like either 80c to 1.20 wholesale, so you figure 80ish-104 keys, hey thats pretty much a good value.
But what about a 100$ mouse? maybe at most 8buttons average (with like 12+ for the naga) a mousewheel and a mouse sensor (that goes for like 7bucks wholesale, the avango).
imo your actually getting lots of value for a mechanical keyboard, vs. just being overcharged for any gaming mouse.