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Mechanical Keyboard Guide

Here's mine: Leopold Otaku w/ Red Switches and Ragnarok Caps

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f1n said:
Thinking of buying a Leopold when I get to the US, but the ANSI layout and Cherry stabilizers worry me.

I own a few Filcos and a Das, trying to sell them off, actually.
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Cherry stabilizers are supposedly more durable and easier to remove keys on... They do feel markedly different than the rest of the keys tho, difference lies when you bottom out, almost like the stabilized keys are dampened a bit at the bottom. I actually like the difference in feel for Shift, don't care as much for it on Enter/Backspace.
 
Impulse said:
How much did those run ya?
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if I remember something like $60-70 for the full set. Expensive, but they should last for a while. That's the cost of custom-runs though. Got the keyboard used for $70, all of the switches still feel awesome and I've put a good 3+ years of use into it.
 
I'm not even sure you can get any mechanical keyboard for under $60 except maybe a tenkeyless model on discount...
 
I was browsing through some, but brown seems to be less common. Maybe I'll just hold out and buy a WASD keyboard in a few months.

Still, if anyone know a good, well-priced cherry brown keyboard, I'd appreciate a link.
 
Got a new Corsair K90 with Cherry MX red. I love it! Awesome keyboard!

Still got my Leopold tenkeyless with blues and browns, but my favorite is now the Corsair with the reds. :D

Blues for typing.
Reds for gaming.

Some pics with blue WASDkeyboards keys. :thumb:



 
Impulse said:
I'm not even sure you can get any mechanical keyboard for under $60 except maybe a tenkeyless model on discount...
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The TKL models seem to be as much or even more expensive than their full size variants, in my experience. That's good for me because I do like having a numpad, but I can see the appeal in a TKL board (saving space; having the mouse closer to the kb).

mrtheshaggy: I think you would be very happy with a WASD keyboard. I almost bought one myself, but at the time they were charging more for Red switches so I bought a Leopold which I've been extremely happy with. I'd still like to try a WASD keyboard, though. I've got what is getting to be an embarrassingly large collection of mechanical keyboards. People tend to nitpick about the differences, but I've been really pleased with my Das, Filco, Leopolds, and Realforce. I would think that I'd also be happy with WASD, Ducky, Deck, Rosewill, etc. I'm not as eager to try the "gaming" boards from Razer (meh), Steelseries, Corsair, Thermaltake, etc. but I'm sure those are fine boards in their own right. I just don't need the extra features, I'm not a fan of some of the designs, and I don't like the fact that some of them aren't fully mechanical.

I have to say I'm extremely surprised that Logitech hasn't joined the fray to try to cash in on the mechanical keyboard craze. I wonder if they have something in the works, or if they'll stick with rubber dome keyboards forever. Seems like they could do very well if they introduced a mechanical board; lots of people look to Logitech for input devices but then again they'd probably make it too "l33t g4m3r-ish" for me. Still, their customer service is hard to beat...
 
imyourzero said:
The TKL models seem to be as much or even more expensive than their full size variants, in my experience. That's good for me because I do like having a numpad, but I can see the appeal in a TKL board (saving space; having the mouse closer to the kb).

I have to say I'm extremely surprised that Logitech hasn't joined the fray to try to cash in on the mechanical keyboard craze. I wonder if they have something in the works, or if they'll stick with rubber dome keyboards forever. Seems like they could do very well if they introduced a mechanical board; lots of people look to Logitech for input devices but then again they'd probably make it too "l33t g4m3r-ish" for me. Still, their customer service is hard to beat...
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The CM TKL Rapid is cheaper than the full version, and generally amongst the cheapest mechanicals I think, that's why I said that. I'm not terribly surprised Logitech hasn't jumped in, outside of mice none of their peripherals are exactly what I'd call high end... There's probably lower margins on mechanical keyboards. Then again, it can't be that bad when Rosewill has put several out, they're surprisingly solid too, highly recommended for the price.
 
other than using reds, no. I tryied to use a red and black cherry board before, and I really think you need to have that tactile bump, even in gaming. I'm using a DAS keyboard with blue, and you can still game effectively with blues. Also, the click clack is to die for!
 
mrtheshaggy said:
I'd get a logitech if they made mechanical keyboards. I just had a good experience with a corsair RMA and remembered I had a $50 newegg gift certificate.

Anyone find issue with this keyboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823816001
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That's a good price after MIR. Only issue with Corsair's keyboards is that they use rubber domes on the F keys and the Home/Insert/Page cluster, which is a big turn off for some people. I bought a K90 (K60 w/backlight and macro keys) and it doesn't bother me much, but I only paid like $80 for it after a $20 MIR & 20% discount code.

At the usual $130 MSRP I think I would've opted for a fully mech Ducky Shine ($150) even if it lacks some of the extras. I really like the red switches and the discrete media keys tho, the volume drum rocks. The open aluminum back plate is pretty nice too, makes for easier cleanup and less crap/hair buildup in general imo.

If you don't care for any of that I highly recommend the Rosewill, I generally don't buy anything Rosewill but I bought one of their mechanical keyboard with brown switches and they honestly got everything right for a no frills model.
 
I recently splurged on my first mechanical via WASD keyboard with browns and dampeners...but honestly it's not what I expected. The keys generally feel sort of "wobbly" to me (not sure how to describe it).

I wonder if this is normal or maybe they need a break in period? May also eventually try removing the dampeners to see if they're causing them to feel this way...
 
All of the cherry switches I've used wobble a little bit. The dampeners may/may not affect that and make it worse. I never notice the slight wobble when I'm typing though, only if I stop and try to make it wobble.
 
How do black and red switches feel compared to the typical rubber dome keys in regards to pressure needed to push down?
 
variant said:
How do black and red switches feel compared to the typical rubber dome keys in regards to pressure needed to push down?
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It depends on the rubber dome as there are a few that are pretty good, but typically i think rubberdomes are somewhere 65-80g of activation force for each key while blacks are 60g and reds at 40g. So to answer your question, both should be less pressure :) .
 
onedestinazn2 said:
It depends on the rubber dome as there are a few that are pretty good, but typically i think rubberdomes are somewhere 65-80g of activation force for each key while blacks are 60g and reds at 40g. So to answer your question, both should be less pressure :) .
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Is that the pressure to activate the mechanical keys or to bottom out?

What is the key travel comparison between the mechanical keys and the rubber dome keys?
 
variant said:
Is that the pressure to activate the mechanical keys or to bottom out?

What is the key travel comparison between the mechanical keys and the rubber dome keys?
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Activate, and are you talking about in terms of distance or tactile feedback?
 
onedestinazn2 said:
Activate, and are you talking about in terms of distance or tactile feedback?
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Just distance. I will be gaming on it mostly and bottoming out for movement and such will probably be common. Wondering how much adjustments I will have to make going from rubber dome to mechanical.
 
variant said:
Just distance. I will be gaming on it mostly and bottoming out for movement and such will probably be common. Wondering how much adjustments I will have to make going from rubber dome to mechanical.
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Mechanical switches tend to have longer key travels from what i recall. It'll take a few days for you to adjust to using a mechanical keyboard, some people add o-rings to the keycaps/switches to shorten the distance and if you get a really high flex one it would give you a bit of a mushy feel which you may like coming from rubberdomes.
 
onedestinazn2 said:
Mechanical switches tend to have longer key travels from what i recall. It'll take a few days for you to adjust to using a mechanical keyboard, some people add o-rings to the keycaps/switches to shorten the distance and if you get a really high flex one it would give you a bit of a mushy feel which you may like coming from rubberdomes.
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Definitely may consider that. The farther it takes to bottom out, the farther it has to go to deactivate which makes movement reaction time slower.
 
Cherry switches activate halfway thru the key travel tho, unlike domes which always require bottoming out to activate. They also feel much smoother throughout the key travel, whereas domes require more force to depress initially but then sink down unevenly or mushy after the dome has given in (since you're literally squishing a piece of rubber).
 
I rarely post but as I recently received my semi custom keyboard from WASDKeyboards.com I thought you guys might be interested in some thoughts.

Cherry MX Brown switches
Laser engraved keycaps
Black keys
Red Escape key
Blue ESDF keys
Plastic wrist rest ($8)
40A O-ring dampeners ($23 installed)

The photo is just a camera phone snapshot I took in low-light so it doesn't do the keyboard justice. The black laser engraved keycaps are very black and subtle. My wife doesn't touch type so she finds them annoying, but I'm enjoying the stealth look.

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Thoughts:

Switches: I got the Browns (with "tactile bump") to be a compromise between the Blues (with "tactile click") with the responsiveness of the Reds to fast-tapping. However, the "tactile bump" of the Browns is so subtle as to be entirely unnoticeable unless you deliberately press them down very slowly to feel the soft bump. I got the Browns because I read that the Blues had a difference in actuation point versus clicking point that makes double tapping an issue at extremely high speeds and that the Browns were a good compromise.

If you are looking for an actually noticeable "click" then get the Blues.

I'm personally a bit conflicted. I was honestly hoping for more clickiness. As I noted above, the Browns don't feel extremely different from the membrane keyboard I was using before except that the keys go absolutely STRAIGHT down with no side to side play whatsoever (which feels great due to being so solid feeling).

O-Rings: I love the o-rings. I paid to have them pre-installed to save some work on my end. When I got the keyboard I took a bunch of them out on the right side of the keyboard to see if I could tell the difference. I personally COULD perceive a huge difference. The keys are much quieter and less "hollow" sounding. The o-rings do not significantly affect travel.

I was worried they wouldn't be worth the price but they were most definitely worth the price to me. I paid $23 for pre-installed 40A hardness O-rings. If you want to save some money and install them yourself, the 50A rings are $15 while the 40A rings are $18.

Build quality: This keyboard is rock-solid. I am very impressed with the build quality.

LEDs: The 3 blue LED indicator lights are way too bright, but they only cause a problem if you look directly down at them. At an angle (e.g. when actually using the keyboard) they do not bother me.

Wrist Rest: Worth it. Without it, the keyboard sits too high off the desk for comfort. I'd have had to add some kind of third party wrist rest anyway so I just got theirs. I'm happy with it and recommend it to others who want a wrist rest. It is sturdy and attaches well.

Laser Engraving: The laser engraving on the keycaps is nice and deep. The grooves cut into the keys does have raised edges around each letter/symbol making each key feel a bit rough. If you look at the third picture you can see how the edge of each groove is very slightly upturned (measured in microns). I really like this, however. It makes the keys have a bit of subtle texture and will fight the "too-smooth" feeling that many ABS plastic keycaps can get after long use.

Also, back in my high-school days when I used to to lots of table-top gaming, I use to only use un-inked Gamescience dice that had similar engraving as these keycaps. The standard thing in the gaming community at that time was to take a white crayon or grease pencil and light rub it in to the grooves then wipe away the excess. This would result in nice white "inked" numbers on the dice that would last pretty much permanently. I think I'll eventually try that with these keys if I decide I want visible letters.

Customer service: I had two minor issues with my order. My blue "F" key did not come with the home-row bump while my "J" key did. Also two of my keys were missing O-rings. I emailed WASD keyboards and received a reply very shortly after apologizing. They sent out 5 O-rings and a replacement blue "F" key with home-row bump the next day.

EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE.
 
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I've heard browns don't have much of a tactile feel, but I've also heard it grows on you after a week or so. Because if you're used to membrane keys you're pressing harder than you need to.

I have blues and reds right now, with browns coming in today or tomorrow so I'll be able to tell. I have a feeling I would prefer clear switches which are browns with a stiffer spring so it feels more tactile like blues.
 
Blazestorm said:
I've heard browns don't have much of a tactile feel, but I've also heard it grows on you after a week or so. Because if you're used to membrane keys you're pressing harder than you need to.

I have blues and reds right now, with browns coming in today or tomorrow so I'll be able to tell. I have a feeling I would prefer clear switches which are browns with a stiffer spring so it feels more tactile like blues.
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I've had the blues and browns, and I agree that the browns have almost no tactile bump at all, but now that I'm used to them I really like them. I really liked the blues also, but I find that now I prefer the browns when used side-by-side.
 
I've had reds and browns, I've tried blues in store, and I'd have to agree with you guys... The tactile bump on browns is really slight. My main keyboard right now uses reds, the one w/browns was a gift for my sister so I'm not sure if I'd get used to the bump with time and I'd be more sensitive to it.

Reds/browns don't feel anything like membrane keyboards to me though, maybe Musula gets that impression due to the o-rings he's using, but to me they still feel far more crisp than a membrane keyboard. Membrane keyboard require far more force to actuate but it's not even throughout the key travel (once the rubber dome gives in you just squish unto it unevenly).
 
Well, it's not that it feels exactly like a membrane keyboard. You are right that it is far "crisper" and less mushy than a membrane keyboard. It's just that the leap from the feel of a membrane key to blue switches will be far greater than to red switches.

If someone (like myself) is motivated by the expectation drastically different and noticeable tactile experience from a membrane keyboard, browns will not be satisfactory. I'd recommend blues over browns for someone like that.

Having said that I like the browns the more I type on them and will keep them instead of exchanging for blues like I originally planned. Worse comes to worse, I can always gift this keyboard and get another one.
 
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Musulsa said:
If someone (like myself) is motivated by the expectation drastically different and noticeable tactile experience from a membrane keyboard, browns will not be satisfactory. I'd recommend blues over browns for someone like that.
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I don't agree with that statement. I type all day at work on a membrane keyboard, and the difference between the feel of it and my brown mechanical keyboard is dramatic. Might depend on the user, but the brown is definitely a different experience. There isn't a tactile bump difference, maybe, but the smoothness and consistency of the brown is much better than the membrane keyboard.
 
Musulsa said:
Switches: I got the Browns (with "tactile bump") to be a compromise between the Blues (with "tactile click") with the responsiveness of the Reds to fast-tapping. However, the "tactile bump" of the Browns is so subtle as to be entirely unnoticeable unless you deliberately press them down very slowly to feel the soft bump. I got the Browns because I read that the Blues had a difference in actuation point versus clicking point that makes double tapping an issue at extremely high speeds and that the Browns were a good compromise.
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Wait until you've used the keyboard for a couple of months you'll find the tactile bump to be far more noticeable once you become accustomed to the switches. Don't get me wrong, it'll never be as obvious as blues but you would miss the tactile bump if it were gone.
 
I can't explain how awesome it is to have such variety between switches while retaining the same solid build quality that most mechanical keyboards have. My first board was a Das Keyboard Ultimate with Cherry Blues. That got me addicted to mechanicals, but I decided that I wanted to try Browns because the Blues (while providing a superbly satisfying typing experience) were a little loud at night when everyone was in bed. So then I purchased a Filco w/Browns and boy, it was definitely a pleasure to type on as well. The Browns were my mainstay for a while...until I snagged a Topre Realforce and that was heavenly to type on (but again, different, hence why I kept the others around). Then Cherry Reds started to become commonly available and after hearing all of the hype I ordered a Leopold with them and haven't switched from it since. I had always shied away from the Blacks because of the force required to press the keys, and the Reds haven't disappointed! They are much like Browns without the tactile bump, which I do like also, so I'm not sure what the advantage is for me other than a slightly different typing experience.

In the end it's hard to pick a favorite, since each type of switch possesses characteristics that I like. Honestly, I could live with any of them and be happy, but again...it's great to have choices.
 
My Leopold with Reds is my favorite right now, but I'm not a fan of the Cherry stabilizers.

OP Updated with Monoprice Mech boards.
I will go through and correct some of the bad links this week.
 
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