'Best' keyboard for typing

[Phenomenologica]

I've decided that for my next upgrade I want to replace my cheap nasty keyboard with something a little more usable. I have a fairly reasonable budget to throw at it (£50-£100 if you want some arbitrary figures), and I'm looking very much in the direction of a mechanical keyboard. But between choosing a switch type and finding somewhere that sells the darn things it's proving challenging. So I thought I'd pick your collective brains.

I do a reasonable amount of gaming, however much more time is spent typing with it, so I'm looking for a keyboard that's extremely comfortable for prolonged use (3+ hours of typing per day, more at the weekend). This seems to push me in the direction of the MX Blue switches, possibly the Razer Black Widow. However I'm not sure if the noise would irritate me, in which case finding a nice keyboard using the Browns would be a better bet. Youtube can only help so much, and there are no places nearby I can try them out.

So for those of you who have used one or more mechanical keyboards, which would you recommend for typing? Does the noise of the blue switches get to you or do you like it/tone it out? Any advice you can give would be appreciated!

 

[Phenomenologica]

dont think it's mechanical but i use a Apple aluminium keyboard, keys are very very nice and very easy to type on for hours on end

Thanks but I'm really looking towards mechanical at the moment!

Happy reading

GUIDE

I've had a good read through that already, I'm more looking for user opinions here.

I use a Filco Majestouch keyboard with the MX brown keys. Like you, I was worried by the sound the blue keys make. The brown keys seem to be a good compromise. Filco also do versions of the keyboard with the blue and black keys, as well as versions without the numeric keypad. I liked mine so much I bought a second one to use at home.

I've had a look at the Filco ones, they look nice but are somewhat hard to get from common shops over here it seems. I'll browse the one you mentioned however I imagine it is a competitor so should probably be removed from your post.

 

[Phenomenologica]

My assessment - I absolutely love it. I am certainly typing faster and i'm finding it easier to type. The keys are certainly more noisy than my G15 (standard dome switches I believe) but it really doesn't bother me - it's just some nice feedback on pressing the key. That said, if you live with someone and they are within earshot when you are using the PC then it may well drive them batty.

Nobody is nearby when I'm doing any typing so that shouldn't be a problem. The only reservation I have about the widow is the font on the keys. It sounds petty but it's the kind of thing that would bug me if it wasn't right.

 

[Phenomenologica]

Thanks all for the input you've given! I've definitely decided to go with the blues as I have come to the realisation I quite like the sound, and I'm extremely tempted by the black widow. It's very reasonably priced and since I wouldn't be getting the backlit version even if the keys wore down they wouldn't go clear. With the exception of the key wear the build quality seems to be solid from all I can see, plus I would make good use of the macro buttons. As to losing the font off the keys, from the looks of it the sooner the better!

I'm still umming and erring a bit over the model but that's the way I'm leaning at the moment.

Update for those concerned: I ordered the Black Widow. Got it for £66.50 shipped with guaranteed delivery by Thursday, so can't really argue! Will post back here then with my verdict I imagine.