Mechanical Keyboard Guide

I nearly forgot to add another brand with good build quality; Rosewill actually makes some nicer mechs. as far as I know they recently added more MX switches to their lineup as well, including reds.
 
shawnoen said:
Most pro games don't use mechanical keyboards they use rubber dome ones.

Mechanical keyboards aren't really the best for gaming.
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Totally disagreed. I'm using the Steelseries 7G and it's the best keyboard I have ever own for gaming. The only problem with this keyboard is if your maps take place on a narrow path and fall to your death than you will die pretty often with this keyboard. Stupid plastic dome keyboard only last me a few months before the keys I use most often get worn down and get sticky. My Steelseries 7G keys still have that same springiness like it's brand new. Only negative about the Steelseries 7G is it's overpriced with no back lid, and I hated the stupid tiny backspace.

So I see they decided to replace it with the original backspace button on the steelseries 6Gv2. I'm pretty sure people got pissed off by pressing the wrong button when trying to find the backspace.
 
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ASIA911 said:
Totally disagreed. I'm using the Steelseries 7G and it's the best keyboard I have ever own for gaming. The only problem with this keyboard is if your maps take place on a narrow path and fall to your death than you will die pretty often with this keyboard. Stupid plastic dome keyboard only last me a few months before the keys I use most often get worn down and get sticky. My Steelseries 7G keys still have that same springiness like it's brand new. Only negative about the Steelseries 7G is it's overpriced with no back lid, and I hated the stupid tiny backspace.

So I see they decided to replace it with the original backspace button on the steelseries 6Gv2. I'm pretty sure people got pissed off by pressing the wrong button when trying to find the backspace.
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The 6GV2 still has the odd /? - \| layout by right shift which is one of the reasons I did not go with that keyboard.
 
Skull_Angel said:
Leopold and the Ducky DK9008G2 series keyboards are other high build quality boards from what I've gathered over at geekhack.

if I remember right, most [if not all] the quality boards mentioned above have 6KRO through USB which means you'd have no problems gaming unless you were some kind of super geek (even then, most come/are compatible with p/s2 adapters for full NKRO).
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Leopold has 18KRO via USB, NKRO via PS/2.:cool:
 
So I've been researching mechanical keyboards lately and it seems like I'm limited to the Razer Blackwidow if my requirements are Backlighting + Cherry MX Blues?
 
Blackwidow Ultimate Stealth looks pretty sick but I don't wanna pay to replace my Blackwidow Ultimate already :(
 
AceCR42 said:
So I've been researching mechanical keyboards lately and it seems like I'm limited to the Razer Blackwidow if my requirements are Backlighting + Cherry MX Blues?
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wat about the Ducky Shine? I'm not sure if it's out yet or not or where you would get it though.

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Geoff326 said:
wat about the Ducky Shine? I'm not sure if it's out yet or not or where you would get it though.
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Those appear to use MX Blacks, same as the Deck Legend and Mionix Zibal 60. :(

Just wondering if there are any other options out there; otherwise I'll just get the Blackwidow Ultimate, like I said my only requirements are backlighting and mx blue switches.
 
Asking for blacklight and blue switches narrows your own choices.
You should consider Das for blue switches until a company with better quality releases a backlit model.
 
I would be shocked if Ducky doesn't release the shine with a variety of switches. Kind of like with the rest of their keyboards.
 
Does anyone know what switches are used in Cherry's point of sale keyboards? We got one at work in at work and I'm sure it's mechanical and it feels wonderful.

Are there any places to get Cherry manufactured keyboards? I see a bunch of real cheap ones (under $50) on ebay but I have no idea what switches they have.

I was looking on Cherry's website and some keyboards mention key technology as "LPK" or "SX" under technical info what is that?

http://www.cherry.de/english/products/keyboards_INITIAL_for_MAC.htm

http://www.cherry.de/english/products/wireless_keyboards_BUNLIMITED_home.htm
 
Spare-Flair said:
Does anyone know what switches are used in Cherry's point of sale keyboards? We got one at work in at work and I'm sure it's mechanical and it feels wonderful.
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Their G80-series POS boards come with blues/clears/browns/blacks, depending on model number. See this wiki for some guidance on deciphering Cherry's model numbers. You'll want to be looking for G80 series keyboards to get MX mechanical switches.
 
WorldExclusive said:
Asking for blacklight and blue switches narrows your own choices.
You should consider Das for blue switches until a company with better quality releases a backlit model.
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Backlighting is pretty essential for me at the moment but I'll consider the Das, maybe just get a low light lamp or something meanwhile.

BababooeyHTJ said:
I would be shocked if Ducky doesn't release the shine with a variety of switches. Kind of like with the rest of their keyboards.
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Yeah, looks like they plan to release models with different switches, but the problem is I need a keyboard within the next 2 weeks and it's only available in Singapore at the moment.

Thanks to everyone for the help.
 
facerip said:
Why is back lighting essential? Do you have to look at the keyboard a lot?
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Not for typing, but I do most of my gaming (online multiplayer) at night so I like to make sure I'm hitting the right key by glancing at the keyboard.

Also personal preference ;)
 
BababooeyHTJ said:
I would be shocked if Ducky doesn't release the shine with a variety of switches. Kind of like with the rest of their keyboards.
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Guy at OCN is ordering(custom ordering from Ducky i think) the Shine in a few different switch types. I wanna get the brown switch for mine.
 
AceCR42 said:
Backlighting is pretty essential for me at the moment but I'll consider the Das, maybe just get a low light lamp or something meanwhile.
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I used to have a Deck and it came in handy when chatting in game at night, now I can barely see the keys. :p
I will buy a low lamp also. Something that will project light from under the monitor. The red switches are worth not having backlit keys.
 
AceCR42 said:
Not for typing, but I do most of my gaming (online multiplayer) at night so I like to make sure I'm hitting the right key by glancing at the keyboard.

Also personal preference ;)
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Turn on a light? :p I used to think backlighting would be cool so I got a backlit keyboard and in the end it made me realise I almost never look at my keyboard, even more rare is for me to actually game/type in light so poor that it's a benefit and also that backlit keyboards are actually worse for visibility in the day time. I ended up getting a Das Keyboard at work and a non illuminated Blackwidow at home and I couldn't br happier. I wouldn't mind a backlit Blackwidow, but the build quality isn't good enough for me to want to pay the premium.
 
Actually with light turned off I can almost perfectly type without looking at keyboard and with the light turned on it get's much harder ;)
 
Take away that crutch and your typing skills will improve such that you don't need to look at the keyboard at any time. ;)
 
So ive been waiting on getting my opinions on the PLU ML-87 in cherry mx reds in,


First off, its REALLY fucking light. like you place your fingers down and bam, there is the activation, ive noticed alot more typing mistakes, the next letter that my fingers are trying to put down will activate before i put down the letter in front of it. However this light linear feel has the benefit in gaming and when youre trying to type damn nearly silently.

"riding" the activation point in WASD based games is definately nice and theres that pushing back feeling that everyone mentions about linear switches., and if you slow down to like 60% of your maximum typing speed you can definitely type to the level where the board makes next to no noise.

I think ima trade these in for blues. I really miss having a tactile point. If the browns and reds feel similar I have a feeling that the browns wont do anything for me.


Clears or Ergoclears might be my holy grail? Who knows.
 
Checking in after almost a month with a couple Das Keyboards. I absolutely love the Das Keyboard Ultimate Silent. The blank keys have been virtually a non-issue except for some CTRL- combos which I have trouble with. Mainly CTRL-T where I tend to hit CTRL-R which can be a problem in the web browser when I'm filling out a form. The trick is to move your index to T before moving pinky to CTRL. Then you hit it every time.
 
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By the way you can see me on the TyprX top ten board occasionally with the same name "ballpoint". I can get up above 100WPM in their racing app. Hyphens and a small set of specific common words tend to trip me up.
 
Just got the Leopold "Otaku" fc200r with brown switches today. And. It. Feels AWESOME!
Switching from a crappy compaq scissor switch keyboard to this is a night and day difference. This thing could do some damage to someones skull it is so heavy and the build quality feels very nice. Im gonna have to get used to not having a numpad but thats no big deal since I dont really use it anyways.
 
So I just connected my Filco, it has brown switches. My first impression is that they're too light and that I should've gone for the black switches. Anyone have the same reaction? I don't see how anyone would possibly grow tired typing long texts on the brown switches, is the black really that much worse in this regard? I am going to be writing longer texts in the future, but I mostly want this type of keyboard for gaming.

Any ideas?
 
makawbird said:
So I just connected my Filco...
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I'd give it a week unless you're sure you want the blacks (they feel quite a bit heavier than the browns).

I recently got my first mech with MX reds and I'm loving it. many claim that they're lighter than browns, but they only seem like that because of the tactile bump (reds are linear like blacks). I'd originally considered black because the linear action (I don't really see the benefits of tactile feel, personal opinion) or browns for their lighter actuation, I like to game a lot and do a bit of typing so lighter keys were nice for me.

I did a lot of searching for info on different switches, knowing I'd be stuck with the board for a bit. all the info pointed me to reds (out of personal preferences) and with out having any way to really try out multiple boards I jumped at the best and cheapest I could get (I still believe I got a killer deal despite what people say about PLU's QC).

TDLR; if you did your research and personally liked the idea of MX browns stick with them for a little 'till you can say you like them or not, if not it's not like they don't resell for close to what you paid for them.
 
WorldExclusive said:
Asking for blacklight and blue switches narrows your own choices.
You should consider Das for blue switches until a company with better quality releases a backlit model.
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actually build quality of the razer BW is excellent. the keys are laser etched and the switches are mounted on a metal plate. i actually remember reading somewhere that the BW is made in the same factory as the das keyboard. the only complaint i have heard about the BW is about the glossy finish which attracts fingerprints like crazy. the das is gloss finished also. both are great boards.

i get that people like to bash razer (especially those who frequent OCN) but the BW really is a great keyboard. its non backlit model also happens to be considerably cheaper than the das, which is about the same price as the BW ultimate only with less features. so if you want him to consider the das, which has no backlighting, then it is worth pointing out that the standard BW can be had for around $70 shipped on amazon, making it just about the cheapest mechanical keyboard out there and just a little more than HALF of the price of the das.
 
Having tested the BW in the past month, I concur it's extremely well built. I wouldn't be surprised if it is in fact built in the same factory as the Das. The Das is beautiful but I have to admit it's not actually built any better than the Black Widow (from what I saw in the short while I had a BW and the Das at the same time).
 
herfalerf said:
actually build quality of the razer BW is excellent. the keys are laser etched and the switches are mounted on a metal plate. i actually remember reading somewhere that the BW is made in the same factory as the das keyboard. the only complaint i have heard about the BW is about the glossy finish which attracts fingerprints like crazy. the das is gloss finished also. both are great boards.

i get that people like to bash razer (especially those who frequent OCN) but the BW really is a great keyboard. its non backlit model also happens to be considerably cheaper than the das, which is about the same price as the BW ultimate only with less features. so if you want him to consider the das, which has no backlighting, then it is worth pointing out that the standard BW can be had for around $70 shipped on amazon, making it just about the cheapest mechanical keyboard out there and just a little more than HALF of the price of the das.
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OCN hates Razer.

I heard good things about the BW also, it's the BWU I heard bad things about.
 
Anyone else that has tested the brown switch and found it to be way too light? Is it really that difficult to type up a longer text using the black switch? I've asked if I can return my brown switch Filco, I tried it for maybe three hours, found it to be loud and too light. Should I give it more time?

If there's no black switch in stock until November, I'm totally just going to keep it.
 
makawbird said:
Anyone else that has tested the brown switch and found it to be way too light? Is it really that difficult to type up a longer text using the black switch? I've asked if I can return my brown switch Filco, I tried it for maybe three hours, found it to be loud and too light. Should I give it more time?

If there's no black switch in stock until November, I'm totally just going to keep it.
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I tried the blues and the blacks before buying my Filco with browns. I felt that the blacks required too much force to press down and figured that would cause finger strain in the long run. I actually love how little force it takes to press the browns. I also found that it was quieter than I thought it would be. it feels perfect to me, but that's just my opinion. I'd imagine the blacks would be louder since there's no tactile bump so you'd bottom out on your keystrokes which is wat causes most of the noise.

I would say give it some more time, and if you can, find a black switch keyboard like the steelseries 6g or 7g and have a feel for yourself. linear switches like the black are usually chosen for gaming and not typing. I feel like the browns are great for both typing and gaming though.
 
Geoff326 said:
I tried the blues and the blacks before buying my Filco with browns. I felt that the blacks required too much force to press down and figured that would cause finger strain in the long run. I actually love how little force it takes to press the browns. I also found that it was quieter than I thought it would be. it feels perfect to me, but that's just my opinion. I'd imagine the blacks would be louder since there's no tactile bump so you'd bottom out on your keystrokes which is wat causes most of the noise.

I would say give it some more time, and if you can, find a black switch keyboard like the steelseries 6g or 7g and have a feel for yourself. linear switches like the black are usually chosen for gaming and not typing. I feel like the browns are great for both typing and gaming though.
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Alright, thank you for your advice, I do have the ability to check out the black switch at a place nearby so I'll just go ahead and do that before I look at sending my Filco back.
 
makawbird i really thing you will have a difficult time finding a mechanical switch that is quieter than browns. of course the you could always work on your typing so that you dont bottom out the keys, this is probably the only way to make them quiter other than some silencing pads which go over the switch and under the key to help reduce bottoming out.
 
herfalerf said:
makawbird i really thing you will have a difficult time finding a mechanical switch that is quieter than browns. of course the you could always work on your typing so that you dont bottom out the keys, this is probably the only way to make them quiter other than some silencing pads which go over the switch and under the key to help reduce bottoming out.
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The Red Switches I use are pretty silent, especially after placing the rubber o-rings underneath the keys.
But, they are lighter than browns but are linear like black switches. I wouldn't go back to black switches for anything.
 
WorldExclusive said:
The Red Switches I use are pretty silent, especially after placing the rubber o-rings underneath the keys.
But, they are lighter than browns but are linear like black switches. I wouldn't go back to black switches for anything.
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yeah red switches are definitely what im buying next. i love my blues, but i hear so many good things about reds i just have to try them. im guessing the o rings you use are similar to other silencing pads that go around the switch and keep the keycap from bottoming out against the metal or plastic base. something like that seem to be the only way to silence mechanical keys.
 
I guess I'm going to have to send my Filco back anyways, the Alt key is not responding very well, it needs to be pushed down pretty hard to activate. I can even push the key all the way down and it won't activate until I press down harder.

Anyone encounter this before? I thought mechanical keyboards were supposed to be highly reliable, it sort of sucks to have a new one fail like this.
 
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