Mechanical Keyboard ~£100 (MX Brown )

PhoenixSP

PhoenixSP

PhoenixSP

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Currently looking for a replacement fro my CM storm Quickfire Pro, interested in brown switches and have a budget of ~£100.

Did some looking myself and pretty much have it pegged down to the

Qpad MK-80 -Brown Switches

though open to suggestions as OC don't have any brown switches in stock

Criteria is :

Backlit -Full backlit
Cherry MX Browns
Full keyboard - I actually use my numpad
English Layout and preferably uk based incase of RMA

Would appreciate any kind member to shed some light on my confusion.
 
There's a CM Storm Trigger which uses MX Brown, has a backlight, and is full with ten keypad. Not sure about how well they deal with UK RMAs though.

I personally use a Filco Majestouch 2 with MX Brown, and it's awesome, but doesn't have a backlight though, so probably isn't suitable. I've used a friends Corsair K90, which has a backlight, but uses MX Red, and I actually preferred that, but if you know you only want browns, I'm not sure what other options are available. Not sure if the Razer Blackwidow Stealth Ultimate comes in UK layout, otherwise that also fits the other criteria.
 
I would have gone for the trigger but i forgot to mention in the orignal criteria that i cant stand the extra switches on the side as it really messes with where on a keyboard i think the keys are ,

I chose brown as i don't want to keep up the rest of the house with blues as a house mate already has them and are very annoying in the early hours of the morning.
 
blacks and reds are just as quiet as browns, maybe more so, as far as I understand.
The animations on this page http://www.keyboardlover.com/switchanimations.php show how the mechanism of each switch works (couldn't find the thread with them in, so credit may be due somewhere!)

browns still have some tactile feedback (the little bump) whereas reds and blacks are linear (blacks are identical but with slightly stiffer springs!), so no indication of when the switch is actuated. (however, most people will just push the key all the way down anyway, so not a big deal. typically, blues are rated highly for typing, browns are similar but quieter, and blacks/reds are considered more a 'gaming' switch)

I've just gone for the qpad MK85 myself, with blacks. this has red backlighting, and seems to review very well. almost every key is programmable, but if you can live without macros, then the MK80 is pretty much the same physically, and with blue backlight, which I personally find more appealing! (if only they did the MK85 with blue LEDs, would have saved me 2 weeks of thinking!)

both models are available with your choice of blue/red/black/brown switch as well at OCUK!
 
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I just bought myself a Qpad MX-85 with cherry red keys, it is an absolute dream to use! The key strong compared to my old Black widow ultimate is much lighter and without the annoying clicky tactile sound which annoyed my girlfriend when she was trying to sleep lol.

I love the touch of the keyboard, its very soft.
 
I currently have cherry red switches and although nicer than the membrane keyboard i came from they're a bit too light for my liking (if anyone can understand that).

I considered going direct with Qpad but it is quite a bit more expensive and seems to ship from Sweden where Qpad is based. Would have gone straight for the mk80 if it wasnt for the quality issues that appear to of popped up recently.
 
I have reds currently , and prefer the browns i have tested over them , annoyingly the osmium isn't out with brown switches yet and the blacks are really bad for typing which will be the majority of use.

Currently narrowed it down to the

Ducky Shine 2 brown keys -£149

Qpad mk80 brown keys -£100
 
I have the MK80 with brown switches and its a very nice sturdy keyboard.

Reason i went for browns was because it was best all round for gaming/typeing.
 
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