mechanical keyboard advice

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dan0543

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England
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dan0543
Hi guys
I'm replacing my current keyboard due to sticking keys and other problems, and was looking at getting a mechanical one. I'll use it mainly for gaming and some college work now and then, but most of that is done now (phew). Has anybody got experience with the different types of switches or have a opinion on which is best?
I'm leaning towards brown or blue switches, but a friend of mine has blue ones and they're really loud, almost distracting.
 
There are a number of members that use mechanical keyboards that I'm sure will give you plenty of information about them. Unfortunately I'm not one of them. :lol:

Off the top of my head:

@Terronium-12
@Azuremen
@Brett
@Sureboss
 
I use a keyboard with blue switches and while they are loud, you do get used to them - after a week or so they stop being annoying. Use browns if you want a quieter keyboard with the same tactile bump though. Also, the tactile bump may be a hindrance if you do a lot of double tapping in your games, in that case go for the reds or blacks which don't have the bump. The blacks require more force to depress though.
 
If you want the tactile feedback without the *click* then pick up a board with brown switches, if you want a smooth typing experience where it feels as if you're typing on air, pick up a board with red switches.

What are you looking into at the moment?
 
looking into a Qpad mk80 with brown switches and blue led backlit, although the cm storm trigger with brown switches also looks nice. It's sounding like browns would be best for me after all
 
Both are great and you'll be happy either way.

You might want to look into Filco and Das Keyboard as well, not exactly geared toward gaming but the build quality begets that.
 
I only have experience with Blue switches. The Blue switches can be fairly loud. However, the sound does not bother me. I actually find the sound to be somewhat pleasing. Whatever you end up choosing, mechanical is definitely the way to go and you are making a great decision on making the plunge.
 
The clicking is pleasing to hear and very reassuring, but I completely get why some would be annoyed by the continuous clicking. :lol:
 
dan0543
looking into a Qpad mk80 with brown switches and blue led backlit, although the cm storm trigger with brown switches also looks nice. It's sounding like browns would be best for me after all
Click to expand...

I've got the Mk80. I almost went for the Storm Trigger but really wanted a blue backlight over red, as I use it for both gaming and work, I can't remember if the CM board has variable brightness on the backlight, the MK80 has 4 different settings. I cannot fault the MK80 in the 4-5 months I've had it, great bit of kit.

I've got blue switches and like Brett it's the only ones I've used. You get used to the sound and it's a sound I want when I'm touch typing.

Read this:
http://www.overclock.net/t/491752/mechanical-keyboard-guide
 
Brown switches are the safe option if you are concerned about sound. I personally prefer the resistance found in Blue switches as it is just a touch more noticeable, and the clicking is just a nice reassurance when touch typing. Do keep in mind that Browns will have some noise as a result of bottoming out, but you'll eventually get over that; small o-rings can also be used to dampen the impact of bottoming out, which can help with the learning curve.

As for other switch types, despite being sold as "the" gaming switch, Blacks are annoyingly stiff and I often found myself pressing just not quite enough to register the key stroke. Reds are very much like typing on air and a bit too light for me in that I just end up bottoming out non-stop. Clears are an interesting experience, but the boards I've tested running them have always felt a bit coarse and just not as smooth as Browns or Blues. And then there are Topre switches and buckling springs, along with Alps, but those are a bit less common.

For brands, most anything is fine, depending on what you are looking for. My preference is the cleaner Filco and Leopold tenkeyless boards, but I also run blank key caps and don't much care about back lighting or macro keys. I'm a Comp Sci student that plays League of Legends and was playing StarCraft 2 in Masters, so I've spent quite some time mashing the Filco I currently use, which I've had for a couple of years now. If you want to get a mechanical board on a budget, the Razer Blackwidow models often go on sale for $40 to $60, though not sure what price the backlit ones end up at.
 
I use a corsair K70 and have used a corsair K90.

I like them.

They both have cherry red switches.
 
I use a QPAD MK-50 with blues, which is the MK-80 without the fancy bits (backlighting, usb ports, audio jacks). It's pretty good quality, although I'm looking at switching to a Filco Minila Air since I'd like a more compact footprint on my desktop and I also want to have something for my Mac.
 
well, decision is made, buying tomorrow. going for the cm storm trigger with brown switches. no LEDs because I fear I may change the colour scheme of my rig completely with a future upgrade.
Old keyboard now out of comission, typing on a standard dell one which just works. Never again, that peripherals company whose name starts with R and rhymes with maser...
 
Azuremen
Did you have a Lycosa then, because those were notoriously crap from my experience.
Click to expand...
A deathstalker. immediate buyers remorse to be honest, a glorified laptop keyboard with LEDs which couldn't work without 'synapse' software on my pc. unfortunately whenever the pc starts up or wakes up after being on the screensaver, when it asks me for my password the software is not active and the keyboard is useless.
 
That sounds profoundly obnoxious. For the most part, Razer makes fairly crap products, but the Blackwidow boards my friends have picked up have held out for a couple years without trouble now - it is their only product I can say is worth the money (when on sale) out of their selection of hype.
 
I don't doubt it, with them being mechanical they would last a while. A friend of mine has only just got rid of a 2011 black widow, and just because he wanted a change. Of course my main problem with my deathstalker right now is the sticky keys. physically they do move back up, but the pc thinks they're still pressed down. Pressing the keys again doesn't help.
 
Azuremen
For the most part, Razer makes fairly crap products, but the Blackwidow boards my friends have picked up have held out for a couple years without trouble now - it is their only product I can say is worth the money (when on sale) out of their selection of hype.
Click to expand...
I use a BlackWidow Ultimate Stealth (Cherry Browns with blue LED backlighting, audio passthrough and a USB port) that I purchased late February 2012 and it's still chugging along great guns. The backlight on the 'O' key has a tendency to flicker on and off every now and then but it's been flawless otherwise - all in all it's a superb keyboard. Can't vouch for the 2013 model, but I don't think Razer would've made the keyboard worse...
 
I have a Blackwidow Tournament Edition that I bought earlier this year and it has been solid enough.
 
well, i've got the cm storm trigger with brown switches and red back lighting. Part of me just wants to keep typing because it feels so good :D. Backlights are actually really nice. I can set them to illuminate just 'wasd' and the macro keys, the whole keyboard or have it pulsing. The whole thing just feels very sturdy, very happy with it overall:tup:
 
dan0543
well, i've got the cm storm trigger with brown switches and red back lighting. Part of me just wants to keep typing because it feels so good :D. Backlights are actually really nice. I can set them to illuminate just 'wasd' and the macro keys, the whole keyboard or have it pulsing. The whole thing just feels very sturdy, very happy with it overall:tup:
Click to expand...

Glad to hear it, now make peace with the fact that you're soon going to want another, and then another, and then another. :lol:
 
Terronium-12
Glad to hear it, now make peace with the fact that you're soon going to want another, and then another, and then another. :lol:
Click to expand...
Oh god this. I went from "how could you spend $100 on a keyboard?" to spending $80 on a keyboard and considering spending another $100 on another one, and looking for IBM Model M's every time I'm at a yard sale or thrift shop :lol:
 
I might just hijack this thread, as I'm looking into mechanical keyboards myself, mostly for christmas. Right now, I've got my eyes set on the Corsair K70. Seems nice enough and most reviews I've seen do praise it. I'd go with brown switches, I've never enjoyed the typical clicking sound that much... I just want something that offers more tactile feedback than my membrane keyboard with the low-profile keys... Which isn't bad or uncomfortable or anything, just not quite it.

On Razer: I've got a Deathadder 2013 as well as a Sabertooth game pad and I'm happy with both, just as happy as I was with the Copperhead I used for years before getting the Deathadder. Hadn't had any issues with their stuff (Synapse aside), and, frankly, I wouldn't know which other manufacturer would suite me better (mouse wise), as I dislike Logitech and a few others purely due to how their mice feel.
 
That sounds like a good solution, I haven't used a Corsair board but as mentioned the reviews seem to be positive. I'd probably recommend that you try a board with MX Blues somewhere (not sure if a retail store would somewhere near you would stock a Blackwidow or something), as it's a bit of a different thing in real life when you're actually typing compared to just hearing it. The sound goes from irritating to satisfying :P

Don't think I personally would go with Browns as a primary board but I'm probably going to buy one some time with a numpad to use in the offices I'll inevitably work at. They certainly aren't silent but they won't bother others like Blue switches will.
 
I've been visiting the retail stores around here, but mechanical keyboards just aren't mainstream enough, so they're not stocking them :indiff: The only kind of 'expensive' (for a membrane keyboard) keyboards that seem to sell well are the ones with a bajillion extra keys and fancy lights. Especially fancy lights. Most people seem to fancy that more than anything else *cough* Roccat *cough*
 
Many mechanical keyboards are backlit.

Only downside is they can only use a single color LED, were they able to use multi color ones they would be better.
 

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