Need advice on a general use keyboard

[I3ig Al]

Hi folks! After years of being satisfied with my rubber dome keyboards and balking at the prices of mechanicals, I have finally decided to look for one that might meet my needs and give it a go.

For as long as I have used computers, I have used the Microsoft Ergonomic line of keyboards, starting with my dads old Win95 box at six years old. Currently I am using the Ergonomic 4000 board, and i tend to replace it every 8 months or so when i spill a drink on it or the keys just wear out enough to feel janky.

Image for referance:

So my needs are kinda mixed, because I will be doing a lot of typing on the keyboard and some casual gaming. I really have no need for macro keys or functions, and I require the tenkey.

I have ordered a sampler kit from MaxKeyboard.com and it should be here by Friday. I am really unsure what I will like most but I expect it to be blue or brown for the feedback.

On the Ergo 4000, the media controls along the top are very nice to have, and I wouldnt mind losing alot of it, but some basic playback controls would be nice to keep.

Lighting would be cool but not a dealbreaker.

A black coloration is something I would really like to get, all of my gear is black with silver/grey accents and blue lighting. Right now the Corsair K70 is looking like my best choice, except the brushed aluminum and the Cherry Red.


If anyone could give me some advice or link some candidates I would really apreciate it. Also any personal experience of brown/blue vs red for typing, I would love to hear it. EDIT: Also the effect of O-ring dampening keys, how much does it affect the noice levels, and does it make the keypresses feel different?

Thanks again!


EDIT: didn't want to double post, I just looked over the offerings on MaxKeyboard and the Nighthawk X8 seems like a good choice as well, anyone here using that? Also liking the look of the Gigabyte Aivia Osmium.

 

[sharknice]

Hi folks! After years of being satisfied with my rubber dome keyboards and balking at the prices of mechanicals, I have finally decided to look for one that might meet my needs and give it a go.

For as long as I have used computers, I have used the Microsoft Ergonomic line of keyboards, starting with my dads old Win95 box at six years old. Currently I am using the Ergonomic 4000 board, and i tend to replace it every 8 months or so when i spill a drink on it or the keys just wear out enough to feel janky.

Image for referance:

So my needs are kinda mixed, because I will be doing a lot of typing on the keyboard and some casual gaming. I really have no need for macro keys or functions, and I require the tenkey.

I have ordered a sampler kit from MaxKeyboard.com and it should be here by Friday. I am really unsure what I will like most but I expect it to be blue or brown for the feedback.

On the Ergo 4000, the media controls along the top are very nice to have, and I wouldnt mind losing alot of it, but some basic playback controls would be nice to keep.

Lighting would be cool but not a dealbreaker.

A black coloration is something I would really like to get, all of my gear is black with silver/grey accents and blue lighting. Right now the Corsair K70 is looking like my best choice, except the brushed aluminum and the Cherry Red.


If anyone could give me some advice or link some candidates I would really apreciate it. Also any personal experience of brown/blue vs red for typing, I would love to hear it. EDIT: Also the effect of O-ring dampening keys, how much does it affect the noice levels, and does it make the keypresses feel different?

Thanks again!


EDIT: didn't want to double post, I just looked over the offerings on MaxKeyboard and the Nighthawk X8 seems like a good choice as well, anyone here using that? Also liking the look of the Gigabyte Aivia Osmium.

The K70 will be available in blues and browns now. http://www.corsair.com/k70

If you want an ergonomic layout with mechanical keys there is this. http://www.trulyergonomic.com/ But at $250 it is rofl expensive for what it is.

As for o-ring dampeners I don't like the way they feel. It feels like there is nasty hair or something stuck at the bottom of the keys. Some people seem to like them though.

 

[I3ig Al]

Hey thanks for the link, I didn't know they were going to offer blue/brown, thats my top choice now because I love corsair headset speakers case ram and cooling, but I couldnt give up my Logitech G500.

Now if only they would offer it in black instead of brushed aluminum... maybe I can anodize it myself. (By black I mean black keyboard with blue lighting, I don't like the black and red combo or the blue and silver)


Any other advice/experiences/input is still very welcomed, please help me!

 

[I3ig Al]

So I just got my sample kit and toyed around with it for a while, I was really surprised at how much I liked the Red. I was also surprised to find that the noise of the switches is definitely better than I was expecting, although I'm not sure how that would chance being mounted to a backplate or with full on typing.

However Brown is my favorite by far especially with the O ring on it. I even tested it with two O rings to see if they would fit and they do, does anyone else do this?

In any case, any suggestions with the above criteria and Brown switches would be most welcome!

Thanks again for having me on your forum.