Mechanical Keyboards

CM Storm Quickfire Black arriving shortly. Going to use it to gauge which switch I like best.

Blues are just too loud. I was torn between them and Blacks as I could justify Blues for typing (forums, emails etc). I quite like the tactility so perhaps browns would be a winner. The Blues' 50g actuation force is also pretty light.

Am used to linear and bottoming keys, so I reckon Black/Red will be good.

Measured my Logitech Illuminated today and the keys require around 65g to actuate. MX Black at around 60g then shouldn't be too tiring.

Main reason for the CM Storm Black was price and laser etched keys. Checked the Thermaltake Meka G1 and it has printed keys which fade.
 
That CM Trigger looks cool. It's a bit more toned down than the Razer and you get to choose the switch type! :). I love how they market stuff with "ultra low latency gold connectors". Please. The fastest typist in the world probably wouldn't benefit from that. And in any case, when it comes to games, you ain't that good, buddy :erm:
 
Hehe. Anything to increase perceived value right? :)

Typing from the CM Storm Black now. Really enjoying it! The keys feel a touch stiffer at first in comparison to previous kb but I'm already used to it and am not experiencing any strain typing. Super build quality with a nice weight. WPM and APM up. SC2 registering more keys and not missing any. Keyboard isn't too loud and makes a fairly pleasant sound. Sorta missing the palm rest. Will probably miss the Numpad when doing work.
 
Ok, when I actually saw the price on the CM Storm Quickfire I changed my mind.

R748 from Titan Ice: http://titan-ice.co.za/product_info.php?products_id=6082

Geekhack photos and review: http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:24273

While I don't currently own a Filco, the build feels as solid as the ones I did. There's no flex, the board has the weight one expects of a plate mounted tenkeyless and the curves strike me as more Filco than Leopold.
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hort of some horrible debilitating problem emerging later on, I would easily recommend this over a Filco unless you find the two logos on the keyboard especially bothersome.

You can use some of the savings on a set of PBT or doubleshot keycaps. It'll still be cheaper than a Filco and you'll have an equally well built board with more features and much better keycaps.
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Seems legit. I'm buying one.
 
They're made by the exact OEM as Filco and others in the same Taiwanese factory.

So, Blues or Blacks? ;)
 
I have the black one and am very happy. Not sure how much louder the blue would have been but couldn't take the chance.

Did get a little fright with the resistance of the keys at first but its growing on me and they do sound cool.

Amazing quality and a great price. The Trigger looks great but is double the price. I don't know if I'll ever spend more than R1000 on a keyboard
 
I got the blues :p. It's more for typing so I want the tactile feedback and I don't want the stiffness of the blacks. I can't believe the price, importing a Filco costs upwards of R2000 last time I checked. I can't wait, clickety click :D
 
Questions? :p :D

tvoq3z2qe17rkvxnokze.jpg
 
I'm typing this from the one I just picked up about 20 minutes ago :D

The force is a lot lighter than I expected. I remember the Razer Blackwidow feeling a bit stiffer. So I'm glad I got the blues and not the browns, any lighter and I think I wouldn't feel the force at all.

The tenkeyless is very weird at first. I means I can actually position the board in front of me and have space for the mouse. But it also means that when I reach for the arrow keys or home/end/delete I miss because I'm used to reaching a bit further. There's also very little "frame" between the keys and the edge of the board. Oh well, it makes my screen look bigger in comparison :P

PostmanPot, seeing as you have the blues and the blacks, what's your take on the difference between them? I know I want the tactile for typing but still, how is it for you?

All in all the feel is a lot more "subtle" than I expected. But I think if I use this for a week and then go back to my old Logitech I'll feel the difference for sure
 
I know that when I switch between my BW and say my Logitech, it's a huge difference to get used to. Sure, the adjustment time is a few hours at best, but once you go mechanical you won't go back to those little rubber pads :p
 
A word that I've often heard used to describe rubber domes is "mushy". Like typing on mud. I think if you hear this sharp "click" for long enough that would make a lot of sense. I should have done some measured typing before the switch though so I can see whether or not there actually is an improvement in accuracy/speed :/

But I did often mess up because I wasn't sure if a key was pressed or not. With the click and actuation hopefully that will get better. I still swap letters around often though, like teh isntead of the. (See, I did it right htere. Twice. ****sakes). And sometimes I spacebar too soon. Nothing a keyboard can do about that :D
 
AnthIste said:
I'm typing this from the one I just picked up about 20 minutes ago :D

The force is a lot lighter than I expected. I remember the Razer Blackwidow feeling a bit stiffer. So I'm glad I got the blues and not the browns, any lighter and I think I wouldn't feel the force at all.

The tenkeyless is very weird at first. I means I can actually position the board in front of me and have space for the mouse. But it also means that when I reach for the arrow keys or home/end/delete I miss because I'm used to reaching a bit further. There's also very little "frame" between the keys and the edge of the board. Oh well, it makes my screen look bigger in comparison :P

PostmanPot, seeing as you have the blues and the blacks, what's your take on the difference between them? I know I want the tactile for typing but still, how is it for you?

All in all the feel is a lot more "subtle" than I expected. But I think if I use this for a week and then go back to my old Logitech I'll feel the difference for sure
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Probably the shape of the keys then with the BW. Btw, on the subject, I wish both stuck to normal keyboard characters. CM Storm characters are better though IMO... ;)

I'm thoroughly enjoying both! Blues are great to type on, as well as spam SC2 APM. It's easier to make mistakes due to the lower sensitivity. The main down side is noise, would be a problem for being in close quarters. Blacks feel more accurate, also perhaps due to the stronger feeling of bottoming out. Slight edge for gaming, but I've only been using the Blues a few hours. What's nice is just being able to swap between both boards with the detachable USB. :p

Experience has taught me that Browns are probably best for me. So will probably get a CM Storm Quickfire Brown if it comes out here. Missing keypad, palm rest not so much. Getting one of these http://www.logitech.com/en-gb/keyboards/keyboard/devices/6355:

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Yes! The whole "l337 gamer" feel is a bit annoying, I'd much prefer a plain board. I really liked the Filco Majestouch Ninja idea - instead of having plain keycaps (no lettering), they put the lettering at the front instead of the top. So if anyone else feels like using your keyboard they still can, but you get the nice plain goodness too. I agree on the Strorm lettering being better than the BlackWidow :P

I agree with you on the noise. It's louder than I expected. I'm still bottoming out quite a bit though because I'm used to mashing my rubber domes quite hard to make sure they register. With the linear switch do you have to bottom out to ensure that it registers? That sounds like you could get fatigue if you type long enough with them. The detachable USB is pretty awesome, I've never seen anything like that before.

What do you use the keypad for? I was honest with myself. I really don't use it. The last time I remember using it was changing the camera angle in X3... and nothing else. If you end up getting the browns post back :D
 
I cant decide which mechanical kb to go for.

What shop in joburg stocks the cm storm or the razer blackwidow stealth?

i want blue, brown or red switch - for typing only no gaming and would like wrist pad and multimedia keys.

been researching for hours but time to see in RL!!!
 
AnthIste said:
Yes! The whole "l337 gamer" feel is a bit annoying, I'd much prefer a plain board. I really liked the Filco Majestouch Ninja idea - instead of having plain keycaps (no lettering), they put the lettering at the front instead of the top. So if anyone else feels like using your keyboard they still can, but you get the nice plain goodness too. I agree on the Strorm lettering being better than the BlackWidow :P

I agree with you on the noise. It's louder than I expected. I'm still bottoming out quite a bit though because I'm used to mashing my rubber domes quite hard to make sure they register. With the linear switch do you have to bottom out to ensure that it registers? That sounds like you could get fatigue if you type long enough with them. The detachable USB is pretty awesome, I've never seen anything like that before.

What do you use the keypad for? I was honest with myself. I really don't use it. The last time I remember using it was changing the camera angle in X3... and nothing else. If you end up getting the browns post back :D
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I think distance to actuation is the same with all these switches - 2mm or so. So no, don't have to bottom out with the Blacks, but I do any way due to my style. Pure typists/touch typists would probably feel the need to bottom out which would probably lead to more fatigue. Since Blues/Browns etc. have the tactile bump, you know you've actuated, so less need to bottom out. Blues have the added "click" to confirm actuation.

Use numkey pad for crunching numbers and such - much easier then 1-0 above the letters.
 
tnero said:
I cant decide which mechanical kb to go for.

What shop in joburg stocks the cm storm or the razer blackwidow stealth?

i want blue, brown or red switch - for typing only no gaming and would like wrist pad and multimedia keys.

been researching for hours but time to see in RL!!!
Click to expand...

If you must have a palm rest then your only option would be the BlackWidow because Blue switches are intended for typists and it's the only one in SA with palm rest. They're a dream to type on.

BW Stealth w/ Browns is only available from the Razer store. For typing, Browns would be your next best bet, but they're currently not in SA.
 
PostmanPot said:
If you must have a palm rest then your only option would be the BlackWidow because Blue switches are intended for typists and it's the only one in SA with palm rest. They're a dream to type on.

BW Stealth w/ Browns is only available from the Razer store. For typing, Browns would be your next best bet, but they're currently not in SA.
Click to expand...

PostmanPot said:
If you must have a palm rest then your only option would be the BlackWidow because Blue switches are intended for typists and it's the only one in SA with palm rest. They're a dream to type on.

BW Stealth w/ Browns is only available from the Razer store. For typing, Browns would be your next best bet, but they're currently not in SA.
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Tx for the advice.

Think its between the BW with blues or the corsair k90, but im leaning towards BW.
Pity you must use fn key for multimedia keys on the BW, maybe i can use the macro keys instead.

Decisions decisions

Tx again
 
tnero said:
Tx for the advice.

Think its between the BW with blues or the corsair k90, but im leaning towards BW.
Pity you must use fn key for multimedia keys on the BW, maybe i can use the macro keys instead.

Decisions decisions

Tx again
Click to expand...

After comparing Blacks (60g) to Blues (50g) I reckon Reds (45g) will be too light as a typist's keyboard. Reckon Red is for people who like linear switches but find Blacks too resistant. Most of those people would be gamers because typists prefer clicky/tactile and non-linear.

Also was a pretty stupid move of Corsair to only have partial mechanical switches. None of the other brands use rubber dome for the less used keys, not sure why Corsair did this. :mad:
 
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