Mechanical Keyboard Guide

I wash my hands all the time. The fingernail thing is possible but unlikely, since my fingernails are usually this length:
fingernails.png
 
I don't know what the hell you guys are doing, I got my filco almost a year ago and none of the keys are even starting to wear off. I would spray some sort of lubricant on the keys so there is not as much friction, like pledge or something.
 
gorb said:
I wash my hands all the time.
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...just a thought, it could be a detergent in the soap you use or possibly an additive in a lotion? (I'm assuming you use lotion since you said you have dry hands.)

I have err...non-dry hands and never had lettering wear off. It actually takes me years of typing to get the keys glossy-ish even. ...I had a cheap $9 Logitech since about 2004 (which a Black Widow just replaced last month) and none of the lettering was worn.
 
I just ordered a BWU two days ago and am hoping it takes care of the problem I have.

Since upgrading my monitor from a 2405fps to this u3011, the light from the monitor makes it almost impossible to see the keys on the keyboard due to light reflections. My current keyboard is a Logitech G15 and even at the brightest settings, the keys are not lit up very well unless it's really dark (something this monitor can't do and still look awesome).

Will the BWU be bright enough to overcome the monitor reflections?
 
PynkFloydd said:
...just a thought, it could be a detergent in the soap you use or possibly an additive in a lotion? (I'm assuming you use lotion since you said you have dry hands.)
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Good thinking... Something clearly causes some people to wipe this stuff off very easily. It's worth pointing out that the Filco keys are printed, and are then supposed to have a clear protectant sprayed over the entire key. To wear a letter off you should have to wear through the clearcoat and then wear the letter print down. That means you should see degradation of the clear coating (like bad clear coat on a car) before the letter rubs off.

Unless, of course, Filco changed the way they make the keys or there's a bad production run out there.

After I got my Filco I inquired at geekhack about why I could feel the edges of the printing so clearly and whether there was some kind of change or defect. They all told me not to worry and to look on the back of the keycaps for overspray that looks like water spots in bright light. I very, VERY faintly see something like this. I guess time will tell.

If the clearcoat protection WAS missing from the keycap I would expect the Filco print to be very delicate since it is so fine...

It's also worth pointing out that you can get different colour WASD keycaps for Cherry MX boards really easily. If you're just wearing out WASD you can replace them. It seems be about $1 per key.
 
I still always wonder if the price is truly justified.

My current Logitech keyboard has lasted me 6 years, and huge doses of punishment.
 
The printing on the keys doesn't really bother me that much...the soaps/lotions/moisturizers are a possible reason, but I do change those relatively frequently.

SolidSnakeUS said:
I still always wonder if the price is truly justified.

My current Logitech keyboard has lasted me 6 years, and huge doses of punishment.
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There are plenty of rubber dome boards that cost more than some of my mechanical boards. Logitech and several other brands have plenty of "gaming" keyboards that are made with cheap materials and cost an unreasonable amount considering the quality of the product. Of course, there are plenty of cheap boards out there as well. If you are paying $15 for a keyboard you really can't complain too much. I don't think ~$100 is too much to ask for a quality piece of equipment that gets used for hours a day, every day.

Anyway, my logitech boards still work (and they were cheap), but they don't feel the same as they did as when they were new...and they don't feel as nice to type on as any of my mechanicals :) Of course, if you're happy with what you've got, that's great. I do recommend trying a few different mech boards if you get a chance though.
 
I just got my BWU today. It's a wonderful kb to type on. Feels so much like quality! And yes, it is bright enough but even unlit, I can see the keys just fine during the daylight but I like the blue, so I leave the led's on.

Great keyboard!
 
Surly73 said:
Something clearly causes some people to wipe this stuff off very easily.

To wear a letter off you should have to wear through the clearcoat and then wear the letter print down. That means you should see degradation of the clear coating (like bad clear coat on a car) before the letter rubs off.
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gorb said:
...the soaps/lotions/moisturizers are a possible reason, but I do change those relatively frequently.
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It'd be interesting to see if there's a common product used by people with the quick wearing keys problem.

I'd assume soap could be ruled out because most of us wash our hands regularly (I hope...).

Perhaps an ingredient in certain lotions or I'd actually think hand sanitizer might be a logical catalyst.

I had a bottle of hand sanitizer (which I barely use) sitting around and looked up the main ingredient and it seems it's also as a floor cleaner and detergent...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzalkonium_chloride

So, maybe?
 
I use Dove white with moisturizing cream soap to wash with and I use stuff like this: http://www.nextag.com/Vaseline-Inte...prices-html?nxtg=3810a280503-6C433826D67C7329

for dry skin in the winter time. My hands can get dry enough in the winter if I'm not careful that I'll start getting splits.

When I use any of that I make sure it's soaked into the skin and any "excess" is wiped off before touching anything including the KBM so if that's what it comes down to for my Rosewill's fading situation that's going to be a shame. And kind of silly.
 
SolidSnakeUS said:
I still always wonder if the price is truly justified.

My current Logitech keyboard has lasted me 6 years, and huge doses of punishment.
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What makes you think the "price" is about how long it will last? A Ford Contour and a BMW 5er may last the same amount of time - which do you suppose is nicer to drive?
 
I will bow out of this thread now, just as quick as I dived in. I'm only typing this because I love this kb so much :)
BWU FTW!

Then again, I've been in IT for over 30 years now, so even thought this KB is nowhere near as loud or as 'hard to press a key' as I expected, it does kind of make remember the o'l days, a little.

In all honesty, I can still type as good on my G-15, but I do enjoy the 'finality' of a keypress I feel with this this kb, and also this kb solved my major problem in that the keys are not shiniy and reflect light like my G-15 does.

My only complaint, and really a minor one, would be the font selection of this kb, and especially the 'R' key!

WTF were they thinking? Quake=RL?
 
Slammin said:
I just got my BWU today. It's a wonderful kb to type on. Feels so much like quality! And yes, it is bright enough but even unlit, I can see the keys just fine during the daylight but I like the blue, so I leave the led's on.

Great keyboard!
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Personally I like the software included to allow me to remap the keys and the macro keys for games or for applications, etc.
 
Q-BZ said:
I use Dove white with moisturizing cream soap to wash with and I use stuff like this: http://www.nextag.com/Vaseline-Inte...prices-html?nxtg=3810a280503-6C433826D67C7329

for dry skin in the winter time. My hands can get dry enough in the winter if I'm not careful that I'll start getting splits.

When I use any of that I make sure it's soaked into the skin and any "excess" is wiped off before touching anything including the KBM so if that's what it comes down to for my Rosewill's fading situation that's going to be a shame. And kind of silly.
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Everyone has some natural oils on their skin, some peoples' are just slightly more corrosive. At least that's what someone told me because half my old keyboards have the printing worn off on them :p
 
Okay, does anybody have any recommendations for palm/wrist rests? I am finding the Razer BWU to be uncomfortable to use. I came from a virtually flat on the desk Apple aluminum keyboard. My fingers have to be raised quite a bit to type properly on the Razer keyboard.
 
I wish there was some place I could just go and try out one of these mechanical keyboard or even just be able to test the difference between mine and a mechanical one when gaming.

This may sound stupid... but I can't live without a calculator button.
 
SolidSnakeUS said:
I wish there was some place I could just go and try out one of these mechanical keyboard or even just be able to test the difference between mine and a mechanical one when gaming.

This may sound stupid... but I can't live without a calculator button.
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Do you mean a button that launches the calculator or the numpad?

Do you have any computer stores where you are? I went to one and they had the Steelseries and Razer mechanical keyboards. I asked to open the box to try them out and they said no problem.
 
Spare-Flair said:
Do you mean a button that launches the calculator or the numpad?

Do you have any computer stores where you are? I went to one and they had the Steelseries and Razer mechanical keyboards. I asked to open the box to try them out and they said no problem.
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The only one outside of really tiny computer shops is Best Buy. I live in PA, so no Micro Center here. And yes, a button that launches the calculator. I know I could program one of the other buttons as a shortcut, but I like this one. Mainly because every other time I've tried a calculator button on other keyboards, it only opens one window. Each button press with this one opens a new one. It's very useful.
 
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Tudz said:
Everyone has some natural oils on their skin, some peoples' are just slightly more corrosive. At least that's what someone told me because half my old keyboards have the printing worn off on them :p
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Alien-drone.jpg


;)
 
SolidSnakeUS said:
The only one outside of really tiny computer shops is Best Buy. I live in PA, so no Micro Center here. And yes, a button that launches the calculator. I know I could program one of the other buttons as a shortcut, but I like this one. Mainly because every other time I've tried a calculator button on other keyboards, it only opens one window. Each button press with this one opens a new one. It's very useful.
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Ha, I always found the "accessory buttons" a waste. Never use them.

That being said, I never use the calculator. Whenever I need to calculate something its always directly to excel :p
 
Zarathustra[H];1036992986 said:
Ha, I always found the "accessory buttons" a waste. Never use them.

That being said, I never use the calculator. Whenever I need to calculate something its always directly to excel :p
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Why the hell would you go to Excel to calculate something? The built in calculator is FAR easier to use and faster.I've heard of some weird behavior as far as computer usage goes but that's just crazy.
 
Dan_D said:
Why the hell would you go to Excel to calculate something? The built in calculator is FAR easier to use and faster.I've heard of some weird behavior as far as computer usage goes but that's just crazy.
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I used to work with a guy who had to upload pics to the web after taking the pictures, there would easily be a hundred or more pictures on the cameras memory card, he had the view setup so you could only see the filename in the folder so he would go through the files previewing until he found the pics, writing the numbers down (they were all like 100002200 or something) and then uploading on a seperate website that work told him to use. When I showed him how to change the view where you could just scroll down and see all of the pictures he shit his pants.
 
So I just ordered and now received a DAS Professional S, the one with the Cherry blue switches. In fact, this is the first time I've ever actually type anything with it, this right here. I figured posting here would be a great place to write up my own little mini review on it since I've been eagerly awaiting this piece for quite some time.

After learning what a mechanical keyboard even is, I've wanted a keyboard with cherry blues above any other keyswitch, partially because of the clickyness. I saw a youtube video with this keyboard in it and I just absolutely loved the sound. You hit a key and you know you hit the key. I saw one on Amazon for the normal price (120 USD), and figured what the hell, why not. Well turns out that vendor was out, so a week later I had to cancel the order and place another order from another vendor. Opting for 2 day shipping, I have received my keyboard 2 days later.

My initial impressions, wow. I can't get enough of this sound. I just want to sit here and type all day long. The keyboard is very comfortable to use (even if it's just sitting in your lap). The keys are very easy to press down, and because of the tactile feel, I seem to be finding each key a lot better than with my laptops chiclet style keyboard. Not that I've ever had a problem with typing or anything, I've just gotten so used to the little keys that now using these big ones is a lovely change of pace.

And the sound. I do notice however, it is loud. Not so loud as to be annoying though, but definitely a dew decibles louder than my laptop's keyboard that's fore sure. But I gotta say, I neither mind nor care. I like it. It's pleasing and satisfying, just like most threads regarding mechanical switches would tell you. I'm about to get my WoW on, and hopefully this keyboard will be able to provide a smooth playing experience just like probably any keyboard would.

Not really a review, more of a test run. Thanks for tuning in.
 
SolidSnakeUS said:
The only one outside of really tiny computer shops is Best Buy. I live in PA, so no Micro Center here. And yes, a button that launches the calculator. I know I could program one of the other buttons as a shortcut, but I like this one. Mainly because every other time I've tried a calculator button on other keyboards, it only opens one window. Each button press with this one opens a new one. It's very useful.
Click to expand...

I just set m3 on my Razer Blackwidow Ultimate to launch calculator and a new calculator opens up everytime I press it. The software is the best I've used for custom mapping keys to other keys, launching programs, macros, etc.
 
Spare-Flair said:
I just set m3 on my Razer Blackwidow Ultimate to launch calculator and a new calculator opens up everytime I press it. The software is the best I've used for custom mapping keys to other keys, launching programs, macros, etc.
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Is there really that much of a difference between the regular and the ultimate of the Blackwidow? I know the Ultimate has backlighting for each keys and has audio/usb ports, but if I've lived without either of those up till now, should I even go for the Ultimate? Is it worth the $80?

I think I'm asking because I could of never dreamt to spend that much money for a keyboard. I mean, look at my system, and I've had this Logitech media keyboard for like 6 years. But is the Blackwidow worth every penny?
 
CeZemal said:
I saw one on Amazon for the normal price (120 USD), and figured what the hell, why not. Well turns out that vendor was out, so a week later I had to cancel the order and place another order from another vendor. Opting for 2 day shipping, I have received my keyboard 2 days later.
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Um, why would you go through amazon/vendors? You can buy from the manufacturer directly:
http://www.daskeyboard.com/
 
Spare-Flair said:
I just set m3 on my Razer Blackwidow Ultimate to launch calculator and a new calculator opens up everytime I press it. The software is the best I've used for custom mapping keys to other keys, launching programs, macros, etc.
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That's funny I have M3 to launch my calculator also. M1 = MSTSC, M2 = Notepad, M3 = Calc, M4 = Lock Computer (since they made the right windows key the function key).

Sad part is that I don't have M5 mapped because when I first got the keyboard I would hit M5 instead of ctrl.
 
canon.tk said:
Sad part is that I don't have M5 mapped because when I first got the keyboard I would hit M5 instead of ctrl.
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I mapped M5 to CTRL :cool:

Also, map other keys that you don't use. Why not use the context menu key (between Fn and Ctrl to lock computer) and you can map scroll lock to something else as well.
 
Spare-Flair said:
I mapped M5 to CTRL :cool:

Also, map other keys that you don't use. Why not use the context menu key (between Fn and Ctrl to lock computer) and you can map scroll lock to something else as well.
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Heh, you got me there, never thought about just mapping those keys.
 
Just got riddleofsteels zowie and it's really nice. The damn bigass enter key makes it tough to type a question mark though :( also turning the lights off and hitting caps lock turns the light back on. I see either a leopold filco or topre in my future, heh.
 
That sucks, man. Sorry you don't like the keyboard. Did you read the post earlier in this thread about turning the keyboard lights off? Or are you using that method already?
 
I like the keyboard it's just hard to get used to typing ? :) I use my rig mostly for gaming and browsing, at work I use a regular layout crappy board so it's switching between the two!

I'll look for the lights post don't remember seeing it!
 
So I just found a Model M (dated 18MAY93) at work today:
modelm-1993.jpg


This is great since I've been using a Steelseries 6Gv2 for a little over a month now at home, and I was getting annoyed at having to use a crappy membrane keyboard at work (where I do a lot more typing). So far I'm enjoying the buckling spring switches for typing, and if people are talking outside my office the sound of the keyboard drowns them out. One problem I'm having is that the detachable cord needs to be pulled out slightly (a couple millimeters) from the port on the back of the keyboard or else it just doesn't work at all. Does anyone have any tips for how to fix this properly? It seems to be working fine now, but I'm not a big fan of solutions that consist of just jiggling the wire a bit...
 
I've been using my das keyboard for a few months now and I just don't like it
I'm not a touch typist and it seems like I make way more mistakes with this keyboard than my old logitech "soft" key G13
so I'm going back to a logitech, maybe a G510 or G110

on another note, what's my best bet for learning to touch type after 15 years of using my own method of mostly index and middle finger? I can type most stuff without looking - about 90% of this post was without looking at the keyboard but it's just because I know where the keys are in space, I don't have a "feel" for the keyboard
 
EnderW said:
I've been using my das keyboard for a few months now and I just don't like it
I'm not a touch typist and it seems like I make way more mistakes with this keyboard than my old logitech "soft" key G13
so I'm going back to a logitech, maybe a G510 or G110

on another note, what's my best bet for learning to touch type after 15 years of using my own method of mostly index and middle finger? I can type most stuff without looking - about 90% of this post was without looking at the keyboard but it's just because I know where the keys are in space, I don't have a "feel" for the keyboard
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Learn where to put your hands and what fingers should be used to hit what keys. Then type a lot and look at keys when you need to. It should all work itself out. Millions of teenagers growing up in the AIM era (pre texting era) learned to type that way.
 
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