Which mechanical keyboard should i buy?

Its that time of the quarter when this thread comes back to life and gets me 75% of the way to enabling me on getting a new keyboard, and I stop short.

SuperHiro wrote:

I also am really digging the Corsair K65, unique looking without being stupid. though that also has a non-standard bottom row.

I have had the K65 for a few months now, and I really like it. The only issue I have is that I occasionally don't recognize I've got a key pressed down since they are so sensitive.

If you're looking at the font of your keyboard, you're doing it wrong.

Carlbear95 wrote:

Its that time of the quarter when this thread comes back to life and gets me 75% of the way to enabling me on getting a new keyboard, and I stop short.

DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.

Spoiler:

DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.

I have the CM Storm QuickFire XT with MX Cherry reds (can't find that model on Amazon or Newegg at the moment). Don't let my keyboard hear this, but I think I would've preferred the browns. Ssssh. That said, it's a great feel all the same, and I might be less likely to prefer the browns if I weren't alternating between a crap Lenovo pack-in keyboard at work and my beauty at home.

I pulled it for $80 on sale and with a rebate just a few months ago. It's well worth it.

Do it.

Phishposer wrote:
SuperHiro wrote:

I also am really digging the Corsair K65, unique looking without being stupid. though that also has a non-standard bottom row.

I have had the K65 for a few months now, and I really like it. The only issue I have is that I occasionally don't recognize I've got a key pressed down since they are so sensitive.

I was worried about this very thing when I opted for MX Cherry reds, but I have yet to notice this issue. What you have in that K65?

Malor wrote:

If you're looking at the font of your keyboard, you're doing it wrong.

I like my things to be purty!

Yeah, I have Reds in the K70, and I have no problem with key activation. It works correctly, all the time. They're light throw keys, but you'd have to be pretty ham-handed to be pushing them accidentally, I think.

My K65 has reds. I guess I must be ham-handed? It usually happens when I'm just resting my hands on my keyboard, and turn my attention to something else. Perhaps I'm still getting used to how light the action is compared to the rubber dome boards I've used previously. In an office setting my typing is usually much louder than others around me. Perhaps I just need to learn to be gentler

Well, if it really bugs you, Blacks are much heavier throw than Reds, but feel the same otherwise. You shouldn't have any accidental keypresses with those.

During the brief window they were available, I picked up a WASD Code with the clears. I had a WASD with browns (and o-rings) before, and loved it, but I would very often double-press things. Not so on the much stiffer clears.

I got a Ducky Zero a few weeks ago after trying all the types out at Microcenter and even though I was thinking I was going to go for browns as I was primarily interested in typing (not much of a twitch gamer) I actually found I preferred the feel of the reds for typing. The click with the browns just felt artificial to me after feeling the reds. I suppose my brain just thought "why click when you don't have to?" My fingers have finally started to intuit just where the keys are activated (thanks in part to Typing of the Dead) so I'm not bottoming out as much anymore and typing is a much smoother experience. Maybe part of my preference is I've been using an iPad for work for the past 2.5 years and I've been typing on the touchscreen in coffeehouses etc. and have gotten used to touch-typing without much feedback. In any case I don't think reds are a bad choice for typing at all, it's just of course a matter of personal preference.

Also wanted to throw a shout out to the Ducky Zero. I was thinking I was going to get a Monoprice board as I wanted solid, weighty construction with no frills -- just a straight-up (but heavy) keyboard. After trying out the Ducky Zero I found it was exactly what I wanted and it was on sale when I got it (only $90) -- the only extra keys are a mute, volume up and volume down, and calculator key (keys I'll actually use).

Also, blacks would make my fingers tired.

boogle wrote:

I dig the blacks

Sigged.

I dig the blacks, but come on guys. For typing accuracy I gotta have my clicks (browns).

I suppose my brain just thought "why click when you don't have to?"

If they actually clicked right when the key triggered, I'd be all over those suckers, but since the click isn't related to the key actually triggering, it seems superfluous to me.

I learned to like the click on a Model M, where it meant something.

Arovin wrote:

Massdrop is doing another Ergodox run if anyone else is interested. Just put in my purchase order and dropped the price down to the 2nd tier it is currently $239 for the kit.

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/ergodox...

Hey, hey! My Ergodox kit just arrived. I ordered on the shipment that fulfilled at the end of march and it took about 10 weeks to ship to me. Will report on the build once I've got all the bits I need to assemble it

Not too much to add that hasn't been said, but a testimonial nonetheless.

I was on a Logitech G15 for about 5 years, and prior to that, random crap Dell keyboards I found.

I just upgraded to a Logitech Storm Quickfire TK with Cherry MX Brown switches.

Absolute game changer...never going back. I'd pay double for it.

Roccat's doing something kind of interesting. Making a mechanical couch keyboard with mousing area for gaming in the living room.

Not sure if it will be a financial success, but at least it's interesting.

IMAGE(https://col128.mail.live.com/Handlers/ImageProxy.mvc?bicild=&canary=smTlQv559tW96IaPFWCQ9lUIaM3kwMxsJ5Q2s0yOwig%3d0&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.roccat.org%2fnewsletter%2fimg%2fnewsletter-77%2fimg01.jpg)

Looks kind of cool, at first, but then I thought, "Oh, wait, no num pad, so no Crawl. Hmm, well, this is for the couch, so maybe...."

But then I looked again, and not only does it not have no tenkey, it has no cursor keys.

Yeah, no.

DanB wrote:
Arovin wrote:

Massdrop is doing another Ergodox run if anyone else is interested. Just put in my purchase order and dropped the price down to the 2nd tier it is currently $239 for the kit.

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/ergodox...

Hey, hey! My Ergodox kit just arrived. I ordered on the shipment that fulfilled at the end of march and it took about 10 weeks to ship to me. Will report on the build once I've got all the bits I need to assemble it

Ok, so I'm now typing this on my ergodox board. I'm inordinately pleased with how this has turned out.

All in all the build process was fiddly but not too complex. The assembly guide is clear and there is an excellent assembly video on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1ir.... Before I started the assembly I made a little flashing LED kit just to ensure I understood how to solder as the keyboard is really the first thing I've ever soldered. All but one of my keys worked when I first managed to boot it with the keyboard firmware, and that just required a little reflow on the solder joint to fix.

I made some build photos, sorry some are a little blurry:
http://imgur.com/a/rwPAj

I went with non-clicky white cherry MX switches and they feel real good, I might even buy some dampening rings just to make it even quieter.

Right now typing on it is very weird. There's no home keys with a raised bumps. It is odd moving return and the delete keys under your thumbs. Also the fact that the 2 boards lie completely flat is strange having mostly used an MS ergonomic for 10+ years. I'm going to get some suguru and mod them to angle the keyboard up in the middle a bit and maybe add a bump to the home keys. Everything else I guess is just practice.

This was not a cheap thing however, about $200 for the kit and another $60 for tools and solder

Who is looking forward to the K70 and K95 RGB?

They are supposed to be out this month with an MSRP of $169 and $189. Cherry Red is the only option for the first batch, with brown and blue due out end of August.

The older K95s have been on sale for $129 at amazon for awhile, but they have backlight LED issues that were fixed with the new RGB versions. The prior versions had LEDs sensitive to electrostatic shock which would cause them to frequently go out. The new RGB switches are shielded.

I had whichever the MMO emphasis model of the Vengance keyboard. I liked it well enough, it was big and heavy and didn't move around a bit. Never had any electrostatic issues with it, and the only reason I don't still have it is due to multiple beverage related issues. Currently rocking a G710+ and rather like it, but then, I've always been kind of a sucker for Logitech stuff. $170 does seem a bit steep, although I'm sure that the price is pretty in line with the cost of those switches.

Heh, I turned the backlight off completely on this K70.

The way I figure, if you need backlighting, you're doing it wrong! Mavis Beacon is cheap and very, very effective. 30 total hours of practice will usually get you touch-typing about as fast as most two-finger typists, and then you'll steadily improve on your own after that, just by typing.

30-hour time investment: lifetime payoff. Short of courting someone who will become a spouse, I don't think there is any other use of such a short span of time that can have more of an impact on your life.

I'm telling my wife tonight that she's the long-term payoff for my short-term investment.

Aww yeah, bring the love.

MannishBoy wrote:

Roccat's doing something kind of interesting. Making a mechanical couch keyboard with mousing area for gaming in the living room.

Not sure if it will be a financial success, but at least it's interesting.

IMAGE(https://col128.mail.live.com/Handlers/ImageProxy.mvc?bicild=&canary=smTlQv559tW96IaPFWCQ9lUIaM3kwMxsJ5Q2s0yOwig%3d0&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.roccat.org%2fnewsletter%2fimg%2fnewsletter-77%2fimg01.jpg)

Yep. This. I want this.

Right now I use a laptop stand with a wireless Logitech keyboard and mouse for my Steam box.

This, provided it works well, would be a great replacement for that.

GoldenDog wrote:

Who is looking forward to the K70 and K95 RGB?

They are supposed to be out this month with an MSRP of $169 and $189. Cherry Red is the only option for the first batch, with brown and blue due out end of August.

The older K95s have been on sale for $129 at amazon for awhile, but they have backlight LED issues that were fixed with the new RGB versions. The prior versions had LEDs sensitive to electrostatic shock which would cause them to frequently go out. The new RGB switches are shielded.

You can get 10% off of these at Newegg with code: MASTERPASS23 if you use the Masterpass service to check out. That knocks the blue down to $99.

I'm tempted to get one of these, but I don't know which key type I would want. Since my PC is off the great room space where everybody watches TV, I might have to get one of the quieter options like the red or brown.

I've wanted a mechanical with backlighting and media controls for awhile. Now there's both this and the Logitech available.

I think the Reds are actually pretty good.

I love Model Ms, but I think clicky keyboards are silly when the click isn't necessary, and on the Blues, it doesn't even click at the point of actuation, but above it somewhere. On buckling spring keyboards, the click was required, but if you don't have to have it, it seems silly to make noise when you don't need to.

AnimeJ wrote:

Currently rocking a G710+ and rather like it, but then, I've always been kind of a sucker for Logitech stuff. $170 does seem a bit steep,

The MSRP on the G710+ is $150, so it's only a $20 difference. I am not expecting it to sell at MSRP with the amount of online retailer competition, although there won't be a "decent" sale until Winter.

What funny is I don't use backlighting. It's mostly the construction, angle, and where the wrist rest is that interests me. Sure I can buy an aftermarket rest (haven't found another mech with good wrist rest reviews), but then I am just at the same price point anyway, and it won't attach like the factory rest and angle to the keyboard properly.

I understand wrist wrests are not supposed to be used and I try not to use them when typing, but when I am just using WASD and 1-6 for a couple hours, it sure is nice to have a properly positioned and resting arm.

I looked at the ducky, quickfire, logitech, razer, and corsair. My opinion is:

Ducky gets the most praise for build quality, hard to find in NA and price is average ($150)
Quickfire wins on price to performance (cheapest, with decent build quality)
Logitech has the macro and factory O-ring, non-standard size keycaps make replacements tricky if broken
Razer is junk... ?? lol. It felt alright at the store, but low reviews for the software, non cherry switches
Corsair has a backlight shorting problem, good wrist wrest, average cost

Thoughts on my interpretations for reading reviews?

Ducky gets the most praise for build quality, hard to find in NA and price is average ($150)

I tried a Ducky Zero, but it didn't seem to like my machine BIOS, and since I didn't really like the feel of the Black switches, I ended up returning it for a K70, which I think is very nice. (I like the Topre switches better, but Reds work well.)

The Ducky was, however, built very nicely. On a physical basis, Ducky seems to do an excellent job, even on their cheapest boards.

My local Microcenter has a ton of the Ducky Zeros. (DK2108 and 2108S... I think the S had a mode that would have fixed my BIOS problem.) Worth checking out if you have one in the area.

Been looking for a nice mechanical keyboard. On my list is the G710+, K70 blue or red, and Black Widow Ultimate 2014.

I can't justify paying $140 for the Razer which uses Chinese knock offs, its the most expensive out of all these.

The K70 Blues are $110, while the reds are $120. If the reds are better, I'll be willing to shell out $10. G710+ are $110.

My question is, what's the best between the MX Brown with the G710+, MX Blue or Red? I don't know if I can handle loud clicks...

Also, G710+ has a lot of broken keys review, any experiences here?

EDIT: This is mostly for gaming. I don't type very much at all anymore.

I don't own any of them, but I have tried out the G710+ and Razer BW at Best Buy. They had display models set up.

The Logitech comes with preinstalled O-Rings which dampen the sound and the keys. It was far more silent than the Black Widow which felt more like Blue than Brown switches.

The Brown Switches are basically reds (same force), except they have a tactical "bump". This means as you press the key down, there's a very small feedback actuation point. This actuation point helps keep someone from "bottoming out" they key. Mechanical keys don't have to be pressed all the way down to register and in fact, it's not good to bottom them out (can hurt the keycap).

See the small bump on the left flange of the brown?

IMAGE(http://www.keyboardco.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Brown.gif)IMAGE(http://www.daskeyboard.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/CherryMXRed.gif)

I recommend going to best buy and trying one out. The G710+ also has smaller keys so it's easier to reach them for Real-Time-Strategy Games. If you got big ol hands though, you may want a more standard key-set with caps that can be easily replaced. You can order just caps (a whole set of standard) for like $15-$20.

Blue switch is like the red, but instead of being quieter or using a bump for feedback, it has a very loud "click". The click also isn't always at the register point:

IMAGE(http://www.daskeyboard.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/CherryMXBlue.gif)

Between the 3 (k70 g710 razer), I like the k70 because of the more standard key size and the better wrist wrest. But logitech has the macros and o-rings (until the k70rgb). You can get a K70 in brown switches. All G710 are brown.

You can install O-rings on any board, but it'll cost you another $20. I personally didn't like the O-ring feel. While it was more quite, it made the keys feel closer to using rubber domes (since you're bottoming out on rubber). Personal preference at that point. The G710 (key problems) and K70 (backlight issues everywhere) are pretty even in my book.

So find a best buy and play around with one. They will price match if you like it.