Spec Me A .......... Mechanical Keyboard ...

Infam0us

Infam0us

Infam0us

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Joined
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Birmingham
Budget is £100

Who here uses one?

Are they noticeably better than a G110 Logitech which I currently use?

Which would you recommend and why?

Are there any benefits to use them for gaming?

Please post your thoughts as I'm looking into getting one ...
 
the pc i game on i use one by filco
its kind of old i think and not backlit

its small, i like small, i think there is a benefit, if u need to be sure you made a key press
but then sometimes i wish it was backlit^^
it has special keys for wasd but that doesnt help me much for LoL :)
 
Thanks,

I'm ideally after one that is backlit, the CM Storm has caught my eye. Is it truely worth the £100 upgrade from my G110?
 
I have a QPAD MK-50. Before that I had a Saitek Eclipse.

Mechanical keyboards are good. But I don't think you should replace a perfectly fine keyboard. Just get one when yours dies.
 
Often the way people talk about it is like that you should get one as soon as possible no matter what, they are that good. Is the difference not night and day between them both?
 
Yes - if you're doing a product review it's night and day.

If you're an actual person, using an actual computer, probably for gaming. You'll be down some money, and you'll have to adjust to using a new keyboard. If you're getting on fine with your existing keyboard, you might regret jumping on the bandwagon.
 
All decisions need a negative view so here is mine.

This is just based on the Razer Blackwidow Ultimate having previously used a Saitek Eclipse 2.

Noise is a main factor.

The keys are not really loud but are much louder than normal keyboards and if you do late night gaming/share a room or just generally play anywhere other people are then this will become an issue. It annoys me and the one other person in my house who can hear me typing a floor up.

Key presses are one of the big selling points saying you only have to press the key down a quarter of the way as you would on a normal keyboard and the click tells you it has been pressed.

This is correct but the tactile response feels strange and I am forever checking what I have typed because of the feel. In it's favour I have never missed a keystroke but the tactile response makes me check over what I have typed more often than I did with the Saitek.

This next one may just be the Blackwidow but the backlighting is way too bright. It has 5 settings. Off, low, medium, high and pulse. I love backlighting and mine is set to off. Even the lowest setting is too bright.

Also again maybe just the Blackwidow but the m keys on the left are too close to ctrl, shift e.t.c and you will press them by mistake more than once.

The Blackwidow looks very nice and I'm sure it has it's fans just as mechanical keyboards in general have but I would strongly recommend going to a shop and trying one out for more than a few minutes - the feel is completely different and the noise....

I myself after using the Blackwidow since April 2011 have finally had enough and ordered a Logitech G19.

Hope this helps in your decision.
 
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Yeah you should definitely go with Black or Red switches if you do choose to get one. I think the Blackwidow has Blue switches, which is a completely different ball game.
 
theres for sure a gap in the market for small backlit ones :)
apart from the noise there is the weight too if you ever moving it about a lot
 
Well i've recently got a Corsair K90.

Pro's:

1) From the get go, I found it easy to use. Nice to type on and not too loud either. Cherry MX red switches by the way.
2) Nice backlighting. Blue only at 3 different light levels. Works very nicely.
3) Keys are put on in such a way that there isn't a 'bin' beneath the keys where crumbs can get. They are elevated to prevent that. Not an issue for typing at all. Still the same height as a usual keyboard.
4) Nice wristrest in my opinion.
5) Media keys are nicely placed and adequate.
6) Nice build quality. I feel like i've got my money's worth.
7) Also has UK layout keys if you want :) I love my full size enter and backspace keys.

Cons:

1) The F keys, the 3*3 key area where the delete keys etc are, and the G keys (the 18 macro keys down the left side of the board) are not mechanical. They feel nice enough for membrane keys though, and most of the time aren't used. No real issue there unless you use these keys a lot.

Really nice keyboard in my opinion.
 
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Katsumoto said:
Well i've recently got a Corsair K90.

Pro's:

1) From the get go, I found it easy to use. Nice to type on and not too loud either. Cherry MX red switches by the way.
2) Nice backlighting. Blue only at 3 different light levels. Works very nicely.
3) Keys are put on in such a way that there isn't a 'bin' beneath the keys where crumbs can get. They are elevated to prevent that. Not an issue for typing at all. Still the same height as a usual keyboard.
4) Nice wristrest in my opinion.
5) Media keys are nicely placed and adequate.
6) Nice build quality. I feel like i've got my money's worth.

Cons:

1) The F keys, the 3*3 key area where the delete keys etc are, and the G keys (the 18 macro keys down the left side of the board) are not mechanical. They feel nice enough for membrane keys though, and most of the time aren't used. No real issue there unless you use these keys a lot.

Really nice keyboard in my opinion.
Click to expand...

Have Corsair fixed this keyboard now? I was going to get one but their support forums were page after page after page of K90 issues. Blown LED's, lock ups (bricked = RMA), erratic behaviour etc. That was only a couple of months ago too. :(
 
BuffetSlayer said:
Have Corsair fixed this keyboard now? I was going to get one but their support forums were page after page after page of K90 issues. Blown LED's, lock ups (bricked = RMA), erratic behaviour etc. That was only a couple of months ago too. :(
Click to expand...

Didn't even know that :P Only got the K90 because the Microsoft sidewinder was out of stock lol. Well so far mine seems ok, i'll post if anything goes on.

I certainly hope that's all fixed now I have one!
 
Posters above,

Would you say you could never go back to a non mechanical keyboard after your expierence of using one now.
 
Infam0us said:
Posters above,

Would you say you could never go back to a non mechanical keyboard after your expierence of using one now.
Click to expand...


for gaming yeh, even tho the one i use i wouldnt call perfect
for chatting online and general stuff i think they are lame, they all feel like they were made in the 80s, why cant they be small, light, backlit, goodlooking, hygienic..2012

most my time online i spend on a laptop
 
qpad mk80 is a fine weapon. uses blue switches though. depends on whether you bash the living granny out of the keyboard or not i suppose!
 
Infam0us said:
Posters above,

Would you say you could never go back to a non mechanical keyboard after your expierence of using one now.
Click to expand...

Not really sure. The difference is very notable. What i'd say is, if you're used to membrane and are happy enough with it, providing you don't use the keyboard for huge hours then stick with membrane. Apart from anything if you go to work and use a mech board at home it'll make work less satisfying lol. Once you have one though, I don't think i'd go back to membrane out of choice. Only if on a super tight budget.

I think it might be another of those classics cases. Buy cheap buy twice. Buy quality buy once. Providing none of these issues (which appear software related?) for the K90 prop up, I highly doubt i'm going to need to replace it in the forseeable future.

Incidentally, K90 noise is significantly reduced with the wrist rest on.
 
Infam0us said:
Posters above,

Would you say you could never go back to a non mechanical keyboard after your expierence of using one now.
Click to expand...

Yes I can safely say never back to a standard keyboard again. The feel is superior, typing is such a pleasure (personal opinion) and it is extremly responsive. You're likely to find it annoying going back as the keys will need to be fully depressed to engage.
 
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