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Choosing a Mechanical Keyboard

S

Solecs

n00b
Joined
Feb 15, 2011
Messages
26
Hey there [H]F been a while. I am trying to choose my first mechanical keyboard. I know there must be a new thread about this very thing everyday, so I must apologize up front about this but after reading a few of the posts I really haven't found very many keyboards that are right for me. I have gone a read through a different forum post http://www.overclock.net/t/491752/mechanical-keyboard-guide#post_6025244 and if you haven't read it and want to know all about keyboards it is a great read.
So what I am looking for is a keyboard that has brown switches just a preference from that forum post they seemed to be what I am looking for but the red or black switches will be fine i'm sure. Also what I would like to have on it are some macro keys on the left side of the keyboard have grown to like them when playing a MMO game, then a headphone and mic jack on it, but the thing that seems to be the hardest thing to find and the most valued by me is having the keys back lit so I can play in the dark while people are sleeping. I haven't seen to many keyboards that have all the extra things I want for a keyboard except for the Razer Black Widow Ultimate and the Logitech G710. Just want to know if anyone knew of any other ones that I could compare to these before I make my decision. Or I can get really crazy and if you know of a keyboard that I can install LED back lights that would be great project to work on.
Anything is greatly appreciated. :)
 
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He's right. Logitechs quality has been SO downhill. I had the G15, and I loved it, and it lasted me for 4 years. I decided to upgrade to the G150. All the keys I used the most for gaming, 1-6, q,w,e,r,a,s,d,z,x,space ALL wore out recently, for 125$ it was a flimsy piece of shit. I only got just over a year out of that board, and I treat my items very well.

I just upgraded to the Corsair K90, and this is by far the BEST keyboard I have ever used. The thing is solid as a rock, and has awesome machined aluminum for the face. I got it on sale for 99$ cdn and I couldn't be happier. The Cherry Red MX keys are just freakin awesome.
 
thanks for both or your posts about the Logitech keyboard. And as for the Corsair holy macro keys 18 of them lol. I'll add that one to my list of keyboards to consider. It has just about every thing I want thanks for letting me know about that one.
 
There is also the K60, it doesn't have the macro keys. I was used to having them, and using a good portion of them so I went with the MMO board.
 
Drop any thoughts about the Razer BW or Corsair K series if you're looking for something you won't have to possibly RMA many times. I still haven't seen enough info on the Logitec G710+ to be able to recommend it or not, so that's up to you.

If you really want macro keys and backlighting the only thing I can recommend that has both is the CMStorm Trigger. If you want great value no-frills options you can't beat the CMStorm Quickfire Rapid (do not consider the Pro since it's not built with the same quality) and Rosewill RK9000 series atm, which normally dip below $65 (USD).
 
Why would he have to RMA the Corsairs "many" times. I picked up one for the wife and I, and they're flawless. We bought them because the other 6 people we LAN on weekends with ALL have the K60 or K90, and they're also all perfect, it's why we bought them. If you don't use one, don't chime in with negative things you've only read about instead of actually experiencing the product.
 
FM_Fixxxer said:
Why would he have to RMA the Corsairs "many" times. I picked up one for the wife and I, and they're flawless. We bought them because the other 6 people we LAN on weekends with ALL have the K60 or K90, and they're also all perfect, it's why we bought them. If you don't use one, don't chime in with negative things you've only read about instead of actually experiencing the product.
Click to expand...

A large number of people that have bought/used these boards have run into key repeating issues. It's been a persistent problem since release and Corsair said they'd have it fixed half a year ago, so far there's still no word on a fix.
 
Skull_Angel said:
A large number of people that have bought/used these boards have run into key repeating issues. It's been a persistent problem since release and Corsair said they'd have it fixed half a year ago, so far there's still no word on a fix.
Click to expand...

Shoot a use a link with the info? I'd like to read this. I can vouch for for 8 units bought over the course of 11 months, and all are flawless.
 
Hmm.. Well were happy with our boards. They're flawless. That's all that matters to me. There can be duds with any product. Look hard enough and you'll find issues with any tech product.
 
FM_Fixxxer said:
He's right. Logitechs quality has been SO downhill. I had the G15, and I loved it, and it lasted me for 4 years. I decided to upgrade to the G150. All the keys I used the most for gaming, 1-6, q,w,e,r,a,s,d,z,x,space ALL wore out recently, for 125$ it was a flimsy piece of shit. I only got just over a year out of that board, and I treat my items very well.

I just upgraded to the Corsair K90, and this is by far the BEST keyboard I have ever used. The thing is solid as a rock, and has awesome machined aluminum for the face. I got it on sale for 99$ cdn and I couldn't be happier. The Cherry Red MX keys are just freakin awesome.
Click to expand...
I have the K90 as well and I really really love this keyboard. Some people will point out that it uses dome switches for the function and macro keys but that actually is a plus for me. It lets me know for sure when I hit the right keys. The macro software is pretty good 7/10 but not perfect.


The light below my 3 key on the numpad is out but I am not too bothered by it. The keyboard is super easy to clean as I already had a relative spill orange juice on it and it was pretty painless to pop the keys off and clean. The aluminum backing behind the keys makes for easy cleaning and the wrist rest is perfect for me. A premium feel and look for not much money at all. I recommend this keyboard to anyone looking to switch to a mechanical keyboard.


Also the Cherry Red MX keys are not "clacky" loud and not much noisier at all than my past keyboards.
 
I'm not going to argue that aesthetically it looks amazing; I'm just saying it seems to have a low QC (or an inherent design flaw with it's hybird styling) with as many complaints that I see, which also leads me to making sure people are aware of it's problems and never recommending it personally.

I'll never recommend anything that has QC issues or design flaws, esp. when there are other products out there which "fit the bill" and have much lower failure rate. This also means that I can't vouch for anything new that comes out which there is little info on, like Logitech's G710+ (it's questionable looks and non-standard modifier row are something that don't appeal to me, but I'm not going to make anything up about it) even after getting a look inside it no one still seems to be able to figure out much about it (though I have seen better soldering on some chinese manufactured boards... but it wasn't terrible).
 
I tend to aim for a comfortable keyboard over features. Sometimes you are better off buying something else if it will increase productivity. You can always use extension cables for headphones and mic and attach them to the desk or keyboard cable. Oddly enough you can also illuminate a keyboard with a small external led light. Battery or usb power depending on your situation. Notebook or book reading leds normally work best. The light is aimed downward and normally at a reasonable intensity.

The problem of switching to a new cherry switched keyboard is they have a linear case design which changes key placement compared to old school keyboards. This causes an increase in key misses due to muscle memory. It may also cause some fatigue. Depending on your old keyboard you may need a wristrest.

It is going to be difficult to find a quality keyboard with all of your feature requests. Most keyboard makers aim for certain price points. So if you spend more on LEDs, macro keys and audio jacks you have less to spend on materials, quality control and stabilizers.

Anyways CM trigger seems close to the features listed. Corsair keyboards are selling for below where they should be feature wise. The question is how much does the risk of a possible design flaw effect you. Considering the price point I suspect they know it is an issue and can not fix it.

I wish it was easier to find a keyboard that had everything, but it is difficult to do so.
 
Thanks for all the input guess my choice comes down to the razer BW, the K90, or the CM trigger. Those are the closest to what I am looking for. I have heard lots of good things about the K90 as well as the razer from friends so I'll just have to try them out and decide what one feels right to me.
 
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