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Mechanical Keyboard Suggestion.
- Thread starter R0adK1ll
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Razer makes pretty lacklustre mechanicals.
Look at Filco, Ducky, PLU, Leopold, KBC, KBT, Noppo, Das, Coolermaster, WASD.... basically anything BUT razer for your first mechanical. Seriously, getting a razer in this arena is short selling yourself.
I have a das w/blues, a KBC w/reds and a PLU w/browns. My KBC w/reds gets the most use, love those things.
Look at Filco, Ducky, PLU, Leopold, KBC, KBT, Noppo, Das, Coolermaster, WASD.... basically anything BUT razer for your first mechanical. Seriously, getting a razer in this arena is short selling yourself.
I have a das w/blues, a KBC w/reds and a PLU w/browns. My KBC w/reds gets the most use, love those things.
I think Razer makes great products, ive been using there equipment for 3 years now, so i would like to stick with them
If you don't want advice why ask on a forum? If you simply want a mechanical razer keyboard go buy one. You basically have a choice of two models. Just look at them both consider the price and pick the one you like. If I recall correctly they have one with blue switches one with brown. I would lean towards brown.
For your money you will get more value elsewhere, but if the logo maters that much to you...just pick one and have at it.
For your money you will get more value elsewhere, but if the logo maters that much to you...just pick one and have at it.
That's a terrible reason to buy anything, especially as Razer's quality control has historically been pretty poor. But at least you admit being a fanboy...
However, I have to say that the Blackwidow Ultimate is a very nice keyboard, I've had it for a while and has never had any issues. It's not overpriced either unlike some of their other products. You have two choices of switches from Razer: MX Blues and MX Browns. The normal BWU have the clicky and loud Blues which are the best for typing but the sound might be annoying whereas the BWU Stealth come with the quiter but not as clicky Browns. It's all up to personal preference, it's best to try them in person or at the very least look up some videos on youtube. There's also Reds and Blacks which are commonly used.
What brands do you recommend??? Im not really keen on mechanical keyboards. Are any of the brands mentioned above worth looking into?
Thanks for the advice man. but what other mechanical keyboards are worth looking into
I think Razer makes great products, ive been using there equipment for 3 years now, so i would like to stick with them
That fine, you can think that. They do not make good mechanical keyboards. As everybody has repeated after me. Seriously, they are probably the lowest quality mechanical keyboards on the market.
I have listed pretty much all of the gaming mechanical keyboard brands above except for Logitech, Gigabyte, Corsair, Monoprice and Rosewill. All the information you need is already in this thread.
Here's a good list of all of them by switch type: http://www.overclock.net/t/491752/mechanical-keyboard-guide#post_6025244
Skull_Angel
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Currently the CMStorm Quickfire Rapid and Rosewill RK9000 are the best value based boards you can get a hold of (esp. when they go on sale). You need to research the switch types yourself to get an idea of what you might like to try (if you don't have access to any).
There's a slew of good mechanical brands out there, but there are just as many low-QC brands out there as well. Most boards aimed at gamers use lower quality OEM to manufacture their boards, one you're familiar with is Razer. Pretty much any board manufactured in China is going to have lower QC than ones manufactured in Tiwan; that's not saying they're all bad, just expect to play RMA roulette.
It's really tough to suggest anything specific when you don't give much info as to what you're looking for. There is quite a list of boards on mechanicalkeyboards.com, but there are many more that aren't listed as well (that site just has one of the better lists I've seen so far).
There's a slew of good mechanical brands out there, but there are just as many low-QC brands out there as well. Most boards aimed at gamers use lower quality OEM to manufacture their boards, one you're familiar with is Razer. Pretty much any board manufactured in China is going to have lower QC than ones manufactured in Tiwan; that's not saying they're all bad, just expect to play RMA roulette.
It's really tough to suggest anything specific when you don't give much info as to what you're looking for. There is quite a list of boards on mechanicalkeyboards.com, but there are many more that aren't listed as well (that site just has one of the better lists I've seen so far).
My current gaming rig i use a filco majestouch 2 though for shooters/rpgs i tend to use my nostromo rather than the keyboard but rts games and games like diablo i tend to still use the keyboard. i like the feel of it compared to my old logitech illuminated keyboard with chiclet keys.
Skull_Angel
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Completely personal opinion, people that say otherwise are either bias or fanboys
Switch choice is pretty personal.
If you're into Razer products thankfully they're at most Best Buy's and Wal Mart's and you can try and at least see the weight of the keys and which you will prefer (I believe most if not all of theirs are MX Blue or Brown).
The Linear switches throw off my typing efficiency so I stick with Blues/Browns/Clears. I will say that the linears (Black/Red) are a bit faster for gaming.
If you're into Razer products thankfully they're at most Best Buy's and Wal Mart's and you can try and at least see the weight of the keys and which you will prefer (I believe most if not all of theirs are MX Blue or Brown).
The Linear switches throw off my typing efficiency so I stick with Blues/Browns/Clears. I will say that the linears (Black/Red) are a bit faster for gaming.
They aren't faster for gaming. I seriously doubt that the key press makes any difference given the time it takes to press either switch is the same. You don't need to bottom out either switch and there isn't THAT much difference in switch resistance.
If what you say is true, it's splitting hairs that don't need to be split.
Skull_Angel
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Actually, problems with multi-tapping on Blues switches do arise if you hover at the actuation point because of the key design (same goes for white and green), but this isn't an issue for most people.
You are right that I was splitting hairs and giving a bit too much opinion, I truly think the difference daily is in typing efficiency and not as much in gaming.
The OP needs to give us an idea of what he uses his keyboard for day to day and then maybe we can recommend something more accurately.
Unfortunately all we are giving him until then is our personal experience with any given switch when he may just have to do what most do and try switches until he finds what works for him.
I have and can game on reds or blacks. If all I did was game then I'd probably choose Cherry MX Reds. But as much as I do play games I have to admit I type and do more work than actual gaming. In that regard I prefer the feel and sound of Cherry MX Blues. I've never really dug the Cherry MX Browns but I suppose they are a second string choice for me in the event Cherry MX Blues weren't available. I'd even take Cherry MX Blacks over any membrane based keyboard any day of the week and did for awhile. I had a Das Ice Legend which used Cherry MX Blacks.
So for me:
Typing: Cherry MX Blues (Preferred with Costar stabilizers and plate mounting.)
Gaming: Cherry MX Reds (I actually use a Cherry MX Blue based keyboard for this right now as I don't own one for reds and wouldn't want to switch keyboards constantly.)
NoxTek
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For the record, there are more than 'two' Razer mechanical keyboards.
However I stand by others in this thread when they say that Razor sucks hardcore. HORRIBLE build quality as I found out earlier this year, and as for supporting their products? Bwwwaaaaahhaahahaha.... let's hope if you buy one you never have to (try to) take advantage of the warranty.
Ducky. Filco. DAS. Hell even the RK9000 series from Rosewill (Newegg)... any are great choices.
I quite prefer Ducky... As I've said many times on this forum I have yet to find a mechanical keyboard with a spacebar as solid feeling as on the Ducky or Ducky Shining. And if you want backlighting the Ducky Shining is available in just about every LED color and switch combination you could ever want...
However I stand by others in this thread when they say that Razor sucks hardcore. HORRIBLE build quality as I found out earlier this year, and as for supporting their products? Bwwwaaaaahhaahahaha.... let's hope if you buy one you never have to (try to) take advantage of the warranty.
Ducky. Filco. DAS. Hell even the RK9000 series from Rosewill (Newegg)... any are great choices.
I quite prefer Ducky... As I've said many times on this forum I have yet to find a mechanical keyboard with a spacebar as solid feeling as on the Ducky or Ducky Shining. And if you want backlighting the Ducky Shining is available in just about every LED color and switch combination you could ever want...
Ok they have two lines with about two boards minus minor derivations.(new paint jobs/mac(standard line has three boards due to a tenkeyless derivation)) From the price point that was mentioned one could derive that the original poster wanted an illuminated board. So now we are down to two boards. Black Widow Ultimate and Black Widow Ultimate Stealth.(unless you count special editions/mac as different boards) So his choice is once again mainly would he prefer Brown or Blue switches.
I think the interesting question is what keyboards are mechanical and have solid macro keys. That could be the only feature not included with ducky keyboards the op might prefer.
I think the interesting question is what keyboards are mechanical and have solid macro keys. That could be the only feature not included with ducky keyboards the op might prefer.
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Unfortunately out of date Razer BlackWidow listing.
Try here:
http://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/search?q=razer+blackwidow&restrict_sr=on&sort=relevance
I had a Razer Black Widow and unfortunately kept it past the return period at Microcenter. I ended up giving that keyboard away.
Thanks for all the feedback and advice guys!
Right now I have a Dell y u0003-del5 Its alright but i wanna get a nice mechanical keyboard for gaming. Illuminated would be amazing. and also some macro keys... on a side note: Are cyborg keyboards worth looking into???
Right now I have a Dell y u0003-del5 Its alright but i wanna get a nice mechanical keyboard for gaming. Illuminated would be amazing. and also some macro keys... on a side note: Are cyborg keyboards worth looking into???
Skull_Angel
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Hmm, seems like a standard scissor switch looking at it's profile, also seems to be OEM by Logitech.
I'd suggest taking a look at the CMStorm Trigger if you're really into backlighting and macro keys; would suggest taking a look at the G710 as well, but not to expect much from it as there's still no word on who manufactured it, and it only comes in brown switches. But, it sounds like the Trigger would be up your alley esp. considering you still have switch choice with it.
And, no. Cyborg gear really doesn't seem to be worth it considering their boards are still rubberdome (I'd never consider paying more than ~$30 for rubberdome) and their customer service as of late is balls.
Check out the Storm Trigger from CM. I got one a few weeks ago and love it. Macro keys, backlighting, choice of mx browns or blacks (I prefer blacks myself). Very well built and comes with some nice software for creating custom shortcuts, macros, etc.
Skull_Angel
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They also offer Red and Blue.
All the ones worth looking into were listed near the top, and I agree.
I had a Black Widow Ultimate with Blues, got it in a trade because I wanted to try out blues...got rid of it pretty darn fast, matter of days. Main reason is I'm not a fan of full size, and that was fullsize +, but the biggest reason is the keycaps felt like poop. Those are replaceable, but no point in that for me if I already don't like it's size.
The USB cable was also ridiculously large, with two USB heads.
Basically, for what I'm looking for it didn't fit any of the requirements. Maybe it does for you.
However, if you're just looking for best feel typing, so far Filco is my favorite. Leopold is a close second. I haven't tried anything other than Cherry, however.
When I got my Filco, the difference was huge in quality vs my old Ducky
wemt to microcenter yesterday and tried out the blackwidow ultimate... It WAS shit. the keys feel so weird. i dint get to try out many though. they didnt have a great selection. i wanna be able to try try the keybord out before i buy it so anybody know ny other places i can find mechanical keyboards out on display???
Fry's Electronics is the only place I know of that does. Even then they've got limited options on that. I've seen the QuickFire Rapid, the larger version of that with Cherry MX Reds, The Steel Series 7G, SIIG mechanical with Alps switches and the Razer Black Widow and finally the Corsair K60. Aside from the CM QuickFire Rapid with Cherry MX Blues, I found all these options lacking in one way or another. The biggest problem with the Black Widow is the fact that the stabilizers they use are garbage. Other than that it should behave like the Das Keyboard, Filco Majestouch, and QuickFire Rapid. Sadly the Black Widow falls well short in feel and quality.
I would like a full sized keyboard, and to have a backlight also. Does the steel series mentioned above offer these specs?
Blue.chord
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Here is a detailed switch guide. I'd look through this thoroughly before picking a mechanical keyboard.
http://www.overclock.net/t/491752/mechanical-keyboard-guide#post_6009482
For a full sized backlit mechanical there aren't many choices (mainly due to the "backlit" option). Deck makes some that are quite good though.
http://www.overclock.net/t/491752/mechanical-keyboard-guide#post_6009482
For a full sized backlit mechanical there aren't many choices (mainly due to the "backlit" option). Deck makes some that are quite good though.
BurntToast
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Ducky Shine from Tiger Imports!
There is a lot of discussion about the Blackwidow here: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1038216583
For my first mechanical keyboard, I chose the Razer Blackwidow. I have to agree with the negative mentions that it got in that thread. I have no other mechanical keyboard to compare it to, but I have to say that I believe those who say this:
Reason being, that there are people who say once you use mechanical, you'll never go back, yet I've had this keyboard for months and I have debated unplugging it and using an old rubber dome keyboard that I've had for ~10 years. It's the keyswitches and keycaps that make me dislike it. The keys are smaller, and the caps feel VERY hollow - as if they used as little plastic as possible just to get away with them being able to function. It's possible that I'm not keen on the tactile bump on the MX Blue, but either way I don't like the feel of the keystrokes.
Razer also still claims that NKRO can't be achieved over USB, yet I believe some mechanical keyboards are capable of this...
I have seen a post about this being a problem to someone who plays Battlefield 3, and also in the above thread someone claimed it hindered them on Batman Arkham Asylum.
I can't recommend it, at least not the Blackwidows that use Cherry MX Blue. I made the conscious decision to buy it based on a review I saw on youtube, but the feel of the keystrokes+keycaps are something you can only experience for yourself --- for all I know, some people prefer the small keys + "unique" feeling of the MX Blue specific to the Razer Blackwidow.
edit: err... I somehow missed the reply you made saying that you did in fact get the chance to experience the Blackwidow firsthand.
For my first mechanical keyboard, I chose the Razer Blackwidow. I have to agree with the negative mentions that it got in that thread. I have no other mechanical keyboard to compare it to, but I have to say that I believe those who say this:
Reason being, that there are people who say once you use mechanical, you'll never go back, yet I've had this keyboard for months and I have debated unplugging it and using an old rubber dome keyboard that I've had for ~10 years. It's the keyswitches and keycaps that make me dislike it. The keys are smaller, and the caps feel VERY hollow - as if they used as little plastic as possible just to get away with them being able to function. It's possible that I'm not keen on the tactile bump on the MX Blue, but either way I don't like the feel of the keystrokes.
Razer also still claims that NKRO can't be achieved over USB, yet I believe some mechanical keyboards are capable of this...
http://www.razerzone.com/minisite/blackwidow/faq
I have seen a post about this being a problem to someone who plays Battlefield 3, and also in the above thread someone claimed it hindered them on Batman Arkham Asylum.
I can't recommend it, at least not the Blackwidows that use Cherry MX Blue. I made the conscious decision to buy it based on a review I saw on youtube, but the feel of the keystrokes+keycaps are something you can only experience for yourself --- for all I know, some people prefer the small keys + "unique" feeling of the MX Blue specific to the Razer Blackwidow.
edit: err... I somehow missed the reply you made saying that you did in fact get the chance to experience the Blackwidow firsthand.
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I saw a video on youtube with this keyboard and it has this setting called sparkle. It looked awesome. do all models come with this feature
I used to own a Razer Black Widow. I also have a Das Keyboard Professional and a CoolerMaster CM Storm QuickFire Rapid. All of them have Cherry MX Blues. The Razer felt completely different despite having the same switch type and switch mounting methods in their design. Yet the Razer was just aweful and the others are two of my favorite keyboards of all time. The difference? Stabilizers and key cap quality. I also experienced some firmware issues with the Razer Black Widow. In short it's junk.
Skull_Angel
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It's only a feature on the new Year of the Dragon (YotD) and Shining v2 keyboards.
Iirc, Razer's BW models only support 2KRO as well (I think the newest may have been updated, but I'm not sure if that was a different board I'm thinking of), where almost all other halfway decent Cherry MX boards support 6KRO and better; though I prefer 6KRO when I have to go into BOIS as other implementations can interfere with proper operation.
That's not to mention that the board is manufactured by iOne
Ducky Shining V2 now in stock.
http://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/120zao/some_ducky_shine_iis_now_in_stock_at/
http://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/120zao/some_ducky_shine_iis_now_in_stock_at/
Cool, at least now I understand what separates this one from some of the others. The key cap quality thing was completely obvious to me --- my rubber dome keyboard had keys MUCH more solid than these. Not to exaggerate, but they feel *slightly* thicker than "paper thin".
Personally, I've been considering Max Keyboard Nighthawk X9 (Cherry MX Red) but what's kind of worrying me is that I read:
I don't know if that means they use the same keycaps and leave off the stabilizers as well (something I'll need to look into), but either way, it's considerably more expensive than something like CM Storm Quickfire Pro (Cherry MX Black) which was on sale for like ~$50 shipped a few days ago. I *almost* jumped on that deal... Kind of torn.