Gonna treat myself... What Keyboard brands should I look in to?

[gtrguy]

Anything but Razer... screw those jerkoffs and their shitty software.

 

[cyclone3d]

I just picked up the Cherry MX Board 6.0 and swapped the default keycaps with wooting PBT double shot ones and put spacers on the caps to help with the clacking noise when bottoming out. I love this keyboard, solid aluminum housing, and recessed keys make it look classy at the same time mean (about $140 on amazon)

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Hah! Same keyboard and mouse I use at work. Why aren't you using the wrist rest with the keyboard?

 

[TechLarry]

I just picked up the Cherry MX Board 6.0 and swapped the default keycaps with wooting PBT double shot ones and put spacers on the caps to help with the clacking noise when bottoming out. I love this keyboard, solid aluminum housing, and recessed keys make it look classy at the same time mean (about $140 on amazon)

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You have good taste in mice. Once you've lived auto-shift, you can never go back.

 

[TechLarry]

Anything but Razer... screw those jerkoffs and their shitty software.

It's no worse than Corsair IMHO !

It is still shit though.

I like the hardware. Thats why I buy them

 

[TechLarry]

I don't much care about switch type. Mostly I want full-stroke keys that actuate at or near the bottom of the stroke.
Ones that are as smooth and quiet as possible.
I've come to like the slightly curved layout because it's easier for me.
And I like having volume controls on the keyboard.

As for brands ... I've never had problems with Logitech. But I don't think brand matters much so long as you stay away from the no-name el-cheapo crap.

Turn-offs:
- Loud keys
- Lighting
- Missing numeric keys
- Wrongly placed keys

I think your top line rules out every mechanical keyboard on the market. Quick actuation is their hallmark.

I can't use mechanicals any more due to neuropathy in my fingers. I need good, firm keys that I can rest my hands on without the damn things actuating.

I've moved to the Razer Ornata Chroma. It has their "Mech-Membrane" or whatever the hell switches. I like them. And it has all the RGB features of their higher end keyboards. And the wrist rest is the best out there bar none. Not bad for $99

I saved $30 and went with an Amazon Refurb. It was obviously just reboxed. No issues. Bought the 3 year warranty for $1.50

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

I don't much care about switch type. Mostly I want full-stroke keys that actuate at or near the bottom of the stroke.
Ones that are as smooth and quiet as possible.
I've come to like the slightly curved layout because it's easier for me.
And I like having volume controls on the keyboard.

As for brands ... I've never had problems with Logitech. But I don't think brand matters much so long as you stay away from the no-name el-cheapo crap.

Turn-offs:
- Loud keys
- Lighting
- Missing numeric keys
- Wrongly placed keys

Based on what I've heard and your requirements, I wonder if a Topre board would be up your alley. They tend to be quieter softer and a somewhat full stroke.

The best feeling Topre boards look like beige escapees from the 90's. You say you don't like lighting, but they do make a black RGB backlit version and you can disable the lights if you don't want them, but it is on the pricy side, and real Topre fans claim it doesn't feel quite the same as other Topre boards.

On the plus side the RGB Topre takes Cherry MX style keycaps, not the less common Topre caps, so you have more flexibility in how you equip it if you don't like the OEM caps.

I should add that I've never typed on a Topre board, so I am just recounting what I've read. You should probably do your own research.

As far as lighting goes, I find some subtle backlighting to be nice for late night typing. I can touch type most alphanumeric stuff, but when it comes to special characters, the backlighting comes in handy. That's why I decided to try a white backlit Ducky One in my most recent keyboard purchase. I don't have any RBG keyboards, but they are usually fully tweakable. You can turn the lights off, or set them to a single white color, whatever you want.

I'm not crazy about the cherry switches, but other than that, the board is very nice looking, subtle and has solid quality.

 

[Gavian]

I like the quality and feel of IKBC, KUL and KBParadise.

 

[coynatha]

Anyone gotten their hands on a Cooler Master MK850 yet? ($200) Seems to be getting decent reviews.

I think I wants it. The Aimpad sounds like a dream come true, and I can justify the cost by telling myself I'll not have to buy a steering wheel/pedals/throttle/joystick for racing/flight games.

 

[schizrade]

Anyone gotten their hands on a Cooler Master MK850 yet? ($200) Seems to be getting decent reviews.

I think I wants it. The Aimpad sounds like a dream come true, and I can justify the cost by telling myself I'll not have to buy a steering wheel/pedals/throttle/joystick for racing/flight games.

That's actually pretty slick.

 

[Mad Maxx]

Based on what I've heard and your requirements, I wonder if a Topre board would be up your alley. They tend to be quieter softer and a somewhat full stroke.

The best feeling Topre boards look like beige escapees from the 90's. You say you don't like lighting, but they do make a black RGB backlit version and you can disable the lights if you don't want them, but it is on the pricy side, and real Topre fans claim it doesn't feel quite the same as other Topre boards.

On the plus side the RGB Topre takes Cherry MX style keycaps, not the less common Topre caps, so you have more flexibility in how you equip it if you don't like the OEM caps.

I should add that I've never typed on a Topre board, so I am just recounting what I've read. You should probably do your own research.

As far as lighting goes, I find some subtle backlighting to be nice for late night typing. I can touch type most alphanumeric stuff, but when it comes to special characters, the backlighting comes in handy. That's why I decided to try a white backlit Ducky One in my most recent keyboard purchase. I don't have any RBG keyboards, but they are usually fully tweakable. You can turn the lights off, or set them to a single white color, whatever you want.

I'm not crazy about the cherry switches, but other than that, the board is very nice looking, subtle and has solid quality.

I'd give that a shot if it were available in tenkeyless.

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

I'd give that a shot if it were available in tenkeyless.

I believe there are tenkeyless versions, but not the RBG one. (They don't have to be 90's beige though, there is a black model, I think)

Google the "Topre Realforce 87u"

It's actually quite sharp looking.

One cool thing about them is that they have versions with variable actuation points. I have no idea if it is any more than a gimmick, but it does sound interesting.

No Topre boards are particularly cheap though. $239 is a lot to throw out on an experiment to see if you like it.

These don't have the Cherry MX Keycap tops though.

The part that really sucks is that you can't test any of these keyboards before ordering.

Within the Cherry MX world you can buy a switch tester, but even those are mostly useless, as they are not representative of what it feels like to type on a full Keyboard of the things.

One of these days I'd like to get around to trying to type on a Topre board. I'm guessing they probably aren't for me, but who knows? They certainly have a big fanclub out there on the keyboard enthusiast forums.