Which mechanical keyboard should i buy?

Thin_J wrote:
Edwin wrote:

I use the Kinesis Ergo with MX Brown switches at work. It's much better than my CM Storm with MX Blues at home.

IMAGE(http://www.kinesis-ergo.com/images/kb_adv-blk720x471.jpg)

"Much better" maybe in comfort for you.

Not any better on build quality, in general, unless you bought one of those Trigger boards.

Well yeah, it's all relative. This is a keyboard for work where the most tasking thing I am going is typing emails in Outlook. The thing about it is that it prevents RSI and carpal tunel thanks to the shape of it. I used to leave work with my hands in agony and now it's all fine.

I did try playing TF2 on it and it was a bit difficult at first since I had to fit everything on one half of the board. Also the F-row keys are rubber keys, not mechanical switches.

Malor wrote:

When my third Kinesis Ergo board died, I stopped buying them. They're unforgivably fragile considering how much they cost.

I got mine used on Amazon and luckily, their HQ is down the street from me. If I ever have a problem, I can walk it down to them and get it swapped.

I'm considering picking up the Razer Blackwidow Ultimate to replace a mechanical keyboard of mine that got trashed. Anyone here own one of these, and if so what's your experience with it?

mikeohara wrote:

I'm considering picking up the Razer Blackwidow Ultimate to replace a mechanical keyboard of mine that got trashed. Anyone here own one of these, and if so what's your experience with it?

I had an early model (I think they've revised the things at least twice since then), and it was great until a couple of keys stopped working. Which was shortly after the warranty expired.

I have no idea how representative my experience is, or how reliable current models are. I can say nice things about their tech support, though. They were friendly all through the process of determining that yep, it was a hardware failure and yep, it'd have to be replaced at my expense.

There have been some quality control complaints leveled at Razer over the Black Widow but there's just as many people that swear by them and are perfectly happy.

I think they're a little overpriced for what you get compared to various boards from CM Storm and Corsair, or even going import on something like a Ducky Shine, but if you want all the macro keys and other features too... the only real options are the Razer, Corsair, and Logitech boards. Nobody else does the backlit + macro keys stuff.

If you're worried about durability, Logitech usually has pretty good build quality. I don't like their speakers much, but their other peripherals have tended to be very solid.

Malor wrote:

If you're worried about durability, Logitech usually has pretty good build quality. I don't like their speakers much, but their other peripherals have tended to be very solid.

I've never bought a logitech product that hasn't lasted for ages and ages. Both razer devices I've owned have fallen apart within the first 12 months of ownership

I have years of use on products from all of them and have quite literally never had one break. My years and years old MX518 is still kicking, on either a PC I gave my sister or one I built for my parents. One of them got the MX518 and the other got a G5. I dunno which went where.

I have a Deathadder Black Edition from whenever that first came out that I used exclusively for a couple years and it's still fine.

I had a Razer Tarantula keyboard that I sold to a friend ages and ages ago and he's still using it. In fact I think he actually works at Razer now.

I dunno. I've just never had a problem with keyboards or mice breaking no matter who made them. I have a hard time putting any weight in complaints about QC for any of those companies really. My own experiences just don't jive with that.

Working at Razer seems to be nice

mikeohara wrote:

I'm considering picking up the Razer Blackwidow Ultimate to replace a mechanical keyboard of mine that got trashed. Anyone here own one of these, and if so what's your experience with it?

I've got one(needed an emergency replacement, couldn't wait on something to ship) and while I've got no complaints with it, I'd rather have something a bit less expensive.

I've got a Black Widow 2013 and I've got no complaints. It is a little clicky-clacky.

On my keyboard a button sometimes triggers two times although i press it just one time? Does the keyboard got a defect or do i have to get used to a mechanical keyboard?

Revo wrote:

On my keyboard a button sometimes triggers two times although i press it just one time? Does the keyboard got a defect or do i have to get used to a mechanical keyboard?

If it's always the same key, and you're sure you're not hitting it with another finger, that keyswitch is probably defective.

Is there any difference between mechanical keyboards and regular ones in terms of responsiveness or how quickly the keystroke registers?

Revo wrote:

On my keyboard a button sometimes triggers two times although i press it just one time? Does the keyboard got a defect or do i have to get used to a mechanical keyboard?

Could be a faulty keyboard. If you're a fast typist where each key stroke is short that would be my guess. If not try adjusting the key repeat or key delay settings for your input devices in your OS preferences

Miashara wrote:

Is there any difference between mechanical keyboards and regular ones in terms of responsiveness or how quickly the keystroke registers?

Well, maybe a little. It kind of depends on the mechanical switch in question. You'd probably want to avoid MX Blues, which have a click that isn't where the actuation point is: it clicks before the key actually registers. The non-clicky mechanicals might be a little quicker, and buckling springs are very likely quicker, and certainly more reliable.... but you can't get anything more than 2KRO in buckling spring, so that advantage is useless, at least for gaming.

If you're wanting to just hammer away quickly at a key, I suspect the non-Blue MX switches are probably better than most, because the action is smooth and the spring is strongest at the bottom of the stroke, so it will recover fastest. Rubber domes are weakest at the bottom of the keypress, so they recover slower. Topres are probably in-between; they're rubber domes with springs underneath, so I suspect recovery speed will also be something of a hybrid between the two.

A linear (red, black) MX would probably be the best for super quick keystrokes (and has been in my limited experience).
You can hover the key over the activation point and just wiggle it up and down a touch.

You can even modify the keys with O-Rings, which you put under the keys For example this lowers the clicky sound by typing

Is there a simple explanation for what the various color switches mean and the differences?

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/aAGesO8.png)

That's just Cherry switches. Topres and the Unicomps are a little different. Reddit has an /r/mechanicalkeyboards sub, and they have a nice buying guide.

I have been following this thread and another over on QT3. I bought a SteelSeries 6Gv2 with red switches. I like it, but it is taking abit of getting used to the miniscules amount of force required for a key press. I keep finding myself waiting for skills to reset on D3 because I pressed a key and did not even realize it.

I think if I did it again, i would look at Black or even Clear. I will likely get used to it, but it feels awkward for now.

Now to look for a new mouse. My Logitech M705 is showing its age and I think I want to get away from wireless again.

firehouse wrote:

Now to look for a new mouse. My Logitech M705 is showing its age and I think I want to get away from wireless again.

Been looking at anything in particular?

If you have one you know you're looking at there's a fair chance I either own one or have used one. There are some exceptions... but I've been searching for a perfect mouse for me for years and any time one releases that seems like it might fit the bill I order one. The end result is something of a collection of mice. I've gotten rid of a few here and there, mostly by giving them away but I still have quite a few. I figure when I find one I absolutely love and think is just right I'll order two or three of them just to have spares, and since I've never broken a mouse in my life that should last me.

It's a silly idea, but it's what I keep telling myself.

Thin_J wrote:
firehouse wrote:

Now to look for a new mouse. My Logitech M705 is showing its age and I think I want to get away from wireless again.

Been looking at anything in particular?

If you have one you know you're looking at there's a fair chance I either own one or have used one. There are some exceptions... but I've been searching for a perfect mouse for me for years and any time one releases that seems like it might fit the bill I order one. The end result is something of a collection of mice. I've gotten rid of a few here and there, mostly by giving them away but I still have quite a few. I figure when I find one I absolutely love and think is just right I'll order two or three of them just to have spares, and since I've never broken a mouse in my life that should last me.

It's a silly idea, but it's what I keep telling myself.

Thin_j, do you by any chance have really large hands?

And add that to the list of things I'd never thought I'd write.

Nothing in particular. Not a huge fan of tons of buttons. Left, right, center scroll. Thumb side for page forward/back. Other than that I am open to idea/suggestions. My Logitech i currently use is leftover from when I was laptop bound, now it it just for desktop. I need to go hit Best Buy or some other local place to see what I can touch.

Sadly, I was thinking large hands as well.

My advice would be to just buy an updated Logitech.

Miashara wrote:

Thin_j, do you by any chance have really large hands?

Hah. Um, my hands are weird. I think my palm is probably average size but I have very long fingers. Makes finding comfortable input devices of any kind a chore.

For example... the most comfortable console controller I've ever used is still the original Xbox controller that they called "the Duke". The huge one that Penny Arcade made fun of. My hands never hurt when I used that thing. It's the only controller to ever not cause some hand pain over time. The S controller was ok, like the 360 controller, in that it takes a while for it to get uncomfortable, but even those do eventually and I end up shifting my grip around a bunch trying to counter it. The Dualshock was created by the antichrist.

For mice, it's led to my slow switch away from a palm grip to fingertip. It's helped my wrists a lot because my arm wrests at a more natural angle.

Nothing in particular. Not a huge fan of tons of buttons. Left, right, center scroll. Thumb side for page forward/back. Other than that I am open to idea/suggestions.

My general opinion on the matter is this: unless you know otherwise, you want a Logitech G400. Wired, so no batteries or charging, excellent sensor, no angle snapping, 1000Hz polling if you want it, adjustable DPI.

But it's gotten more expensive; it looks like they discontinued the $30-$40 G400, and seem to have substituted the G400s, at ~$50 to $60. That's a bummer. Seems awfully expensive for what's on offer.

Malor wrote:

My general opinion on the matter is this: unless you know otherwise, you want a Logitech G400. Wired, so no batteries or charging, excellent sensor, no angle snapping, 1000Hz polling if you want it, adjustable DPI.

But it's gotten more expensive; it looks like they discontinued the $30-$40 G400, and seem to have substituted the G400s, at ~$50 to $60. That's a bummer. Seems awfully expensive for what's on offer.

Sounds like what I am looking for. Off to look now.

The Steelseries Rival is new, has an apparently flawless optical sensor (no acceleration, no angle snapping, etc) that has gotten it use on Pro Counter-Strike teams already, and is $40 on Amazon right now.

The CM Storm Spawn is $30, and uses a similar quality sensor. It's right handers only, but quite possibly the best fingertip grip mouse on the market.

The CM Storm Recon uses the same sensor as the Spawn and is $35. That one's an ambidextrous shape.

All better options than the G400S IMO, especially at current prices. What shape you would prefer the mouse in would be the best thing to base your decision on, out of those three. The Rival is closest to the G400 in form, overall.

I have all three of them, and the regular G400 before they hiked the price and added the S.

The Razer Abyssus is well liked in a lot of places and is barely over $30, but mine had the jitter issue and Razer never resolved that. Seems like blind luck whether you get it or not.

Yeah, I don't know what the heck Logitech is thinking, jacking up the price to that degree. At $40, the G400 was ... just, well, it was the mouse to buy. That's what you wanted, unless you had special requirements.

But at $60, that's just dumb. It's not any better, but it's 50% more? What the hell are they thinking?

I really like the shape of the G400, btw, so if I needed a mouse now, I'd be eyeing the Steelseries Rival.

Boy, I'm glad I grabbed an extra G400 when they were on some dynamite sale on Amazon. I think I got it for $20. Now I guess I know why it was on sale. Hopefully, between this one and the spare in my closet, I'm set for a long time.

Re: Logitech G400s.

On sale now for $48 at Amazon.

Is it a fairly large mouse?