Cherry MX Black, Brown, or Blue? And what keyboard?

My BlackWidow Ultimate (the clicky Blue version, not Stealth) doesn't have any of those issues. *shrug*

 

Yours doesnt but I can point you to over half a dozen people that did, and for me to so easy find and see this same issue over and over obviously points to a poor product with sub par quality control.

The issue is not new its years old and they still manufacture it the same way today because they dont care.

Until people wisen up and stop purchasing stuff like this and instead look outside the box at lesser known branded products they wont care and it will continue.

 

What's the alternative for my particular needs though? I'm super hesitant about this thing given the problems, but I'm not aware of anything else.

 

Well first of all like I stated before in this thread, media keys are not a problem. Any keyboard can be given media key functions through a variety of ways.

I use a Das Keyboard both at home and at work and they do not have preset media keys however I have my media player setup with hotkeys and control it via that method.

You can use key binding programs to designate any key wanted or combination of keys to be global media controls, or you can even directly write a key that you do not use like some of the F keys to be a media key in the system registry.

For the money Das is great, its very solid. Sean Wrona one of the fastest and most known typist in the world uses a Das Keyboard as his standard so that says good things about it.

As I ventured out I found many other brands that are on par or close to the Das like Filco, Ducky, Mionix, Cherry, Cooler Master, QPad

There are even custom places like WSAD Keyboards. Then there are all the China brands like the KBC that I am typing on right now (comes in browns & has media keys)

The pro's & con's of each can vary. It comes down to price & availability more than anything. One thing is for sure though none of them exhibit the crap quality of the Razer keyboards.

The only issue I have seen with some of them is poor quality keycaps on say the early Noppoo with the lettering fading off but they fixed that. Razer has NOT fixed there issue and that is why they lose my respect.

Using some common sense the average Razer product always cost more than the competing product from a similar brand. Its not higher quality, or more advanced its just branded differently and more popular.

But the Black Widow is NOT priced more than the average mech keyboard unlike every other product they make. So the reason for this is quite simple your not paying for an equal product your paying for an inferior (cheaper) one and when they add the price inflation in, it comes out to be about even.

The china brands are the cheapest mechs out there, but now coming into the states are other great keyboards like the Cooler Master CM Storm that will give Razer a strong run for its money as they carry a known name and a better build quality & price.

The defacto standard of quality is pretty much the Filco keyboards like the Majestouch 2.

Over seas some other brands are more predominant, again based on price & availability.

 

I'd have gone for a K90 myself if you wanted something with dedicated media controls - which, despite what ViciousXUSMC says, is a useful thing.

Interesting opinion also about Filco's having the best build quality among the mechs. Not that I dispute it to any significant degree, they're very well put together - but I've RMA'd 3 Filco's so far in the last 2 years. Zero wired domes in the last ~5 years. A couple of FOA Topres (Until those did turn up I didn't even realise keyboards could turn up seriously warped these days - it's such a 90's problem) but apart from that the Realforces have probably had the best reliability among the 'mechs' - mainly because, I suppose, they are basically dome keyboards.

 

Why does no one ever try the Clears? It's always Brown Brown Brown. Clears are so much better imho.

I love my Deck Legend Tactile. Great for both gaming and typing. Sure, the keyboard doesn't look quite as nice as some of the flashier gaming keyboards that are popular right now (razer comes to mind), but the build quality is amazing. Also one of the few companies that even carries clears. And it's also backlit, if that matters to you.

Vogelbung:
Just bought a Topre. Hoping they're really as good as they're rumored to be.

 

Clears need more force? Like the force more of a blue, but less noise? Or something?

I'd heard of the switch, but hadn't seen anything that uses it.

My Razer Stealth FINALLY shipped today, so I guess this week or next I'll find out how I like it.

 

Clears are more rare is all. Deck used to be popular but then really started to get a bashing from lack of support from the manufacturer, people had defects and customer service issues.

It used to be one of the few and only backlight keyboards but now there are so many more options that I think Deck has really lost its standing.

Red's with o-ring mod are by far my fav. I dont care for the tactile bump anymore feels gritty and dirty.

 

No they aren't. But they're OK. Enjoy your purchase anyway.

 

I just wanted to say that this thread has been very educational. I'm reevaluating my desire for a laptop-like keyboard in favor of a mechanical keyboard. From reading this and other threads, I THINK I want Cherry Brown. I need a number pad, but media buttons are optional. Back lighting highly desired (ideally white), non-gamer looks preferred and I'm pretty sure you'll laugh when I say I'd really love it to be wireless. Any suggestions based on my wishlist?

As far as compromising goes, the Das Silent keyboard looks great, I can get a discount as an educator and people seem to love it. But of course there is no back lighting or wireless options.

 

You can look into the XArmor U9W keyboard, mechanical (Cherry Browns), wireless but no back lighting though.

 

Cool. I also found a Ducky Shine where you can choose the switch and backlight color. But it is not wireless. So for now I can get everything I THINK I want other than having to choose between wireless or back lighting.

 

Has anyone heard of the Azio Levetron Mech4? It's quite "gamery" but the lower price and modular ten key pad are quite a draw. I've been considering giving mechanical keyboards a try and I keep looking at this even with its faults outside of its use for gaming.

 

Razer's taking pre-orders for that new $250 SWTOR keyboard. Don't think it's mechanical or anything, and certainly don't like the look of it, but I will admit that that whole touchpad/screen thing intrigues me a bit (though certainly not enough to part with $250 for it, especially since I can't really think of a an instance that I'd actually use that screen).

 

I believe it's actually mechanical it uses the same body/concept from the blackwidow aka blackwidow SWTOR edition

 

I'm not sure it does...Razer doesn't seem to market it as such ("tactile keys", which is a bit misleading IMO). From the pictures, it actually seems to have chiclets, which do look pretty cool but.....

The lights look pretty though!

The more I look at the pictures, the more it grows on me (aesthetically that is). Still not paying $250 for it though.

 

Yeah, 250$ is quite steep. I would probably only consider buying one if it was near the 100$ range.

 

I might buy one for the in-game black & green lightsaber crystal, then return the keyboard.

 

Because I was unable to find a mechanical wireless backlit keyboard, I decided to compromise on two fronts to save money and have taken your recommendation to try the Sidewinder X4. It should be here by the end of the week.

 

Hope you like it.

If you don't like the angle, I'd recommend fleabaying some small sorbothane feet to put at the back - they'll raise the keyboard a bit (depending on which you select) and also damp quite a lot keyboard noise as well, especially if you're using it directly on a desk. (In fact, this is a tip for any keyboard)

 

I got the X4 today. I was shocked at how narrow the key caps feel. The top of each is about 0.5in wide on the X4. On my laptop they are about 3/32in wider (at the top, they of course have identical on-center spacing). The difference sounds small, but you can feel a big difference in surface area. I sold my K800 for this exact reason, so I was pretty disappointed. I'm going to give it a few days anyway to see if it can win me over. The key action feels nice.

I already love the calculator button and dedicated volume buttons. I don't do too much gaming (I played ME2 and Portal 2 in 2011...that's it), so the macro keys are kind of a waste. Can I use them to launch programs or something more work related?

 

Maybe it's the shorter travel for a full-size keyboard that's throwing you off. The key caps are no different in terms of width (i.e. even if you count inside the bevelled edges) to e.g. a Filco - in fact, they're ever so slightly fractionally (like ~1mm across 12 keys) wider.

If you need wider then chicklet-scissor will likely be the only way to go.

And yes, you can either use the Intellitype software as is to launch programs, etc or you can use it with hotkeys feeding into AutoHotKey to do more complex stuff. I would recommend though not assigning any 'launch programs' etc or other actions which could break a gaming session to S4 & S5 for obvious reasons.

 

Haha, I thought I would add in my own keyboard preference here, and in case it hasn't been mentioned HHKB Pro 2 has been the best ones I've used so far... but of course the Topre switches come at a hefty premium price.

The keyboards I've used previously were the Blackwidow ultimate, crossfire Blue and brown switches.

Personally I find the Brown switches a little on the heavy side so touch typings impossible for me on it...

 

Personally I think the Topres are way overrated but if you constantly type (as opposed to game) then IMO definitely makes more sense than a Cherry. Against a decent RD - once again, not sure. I still prefer banging out my mammoth reports on the Sidewinders than my Realforces.

 

I just did a follow up to the MX Red after the O-Ring mod and by far its my favorite for typing and gaming, it creates the perfect keyboard IMO.




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You have to hand it to Geekhack. Spend close to $200 to get a worse key feel than rubber dome.

 

If your referring to me I spent about $100 and I know what feels good and what doesn't. Don't stereo type me with others nor try to downplay my opinion and think yours is superior in some way. Of course your statement was not made as an opinion but rather a fact and that just makes you look like a.

 

Wow, this is later than I was expecting!

Have my Razer Stealth with Cherry MX Brown switches in use finally.

MX Brown is both much quieter and much "mushier" than I was expecting. Very similar to membrane actually, except mechanical. I'd probably grow to love it though.

I soooo wish stores carried all the types so you could actually try 'em all. I'm dying to try blue, red, etc...

 

Thanks for dredging this thread up, otherwise I'd never have seen this.

The difference between you and me in this instance is that

a) You've bought a keyboard of a certain type, O-ringed it, and think there's a functional improvement over other keyboards.

b) I've bought two keyboards of a certain type, O-ringed one, directly compared the two over an extended period as well as comparing it also against the twenty-plus different varieties that I still use from site to site and concluded that it's not a functional improvement over certain types of domes. Then furthermore went on to pad and O-ring the identical keyboards in different ways* to compare. The conclusion was that if you've adapted to mechanicals then the least functionally impacting mod is to use foam of a lower durometer (and profile) than the o-rings that e.g. WASD sells. Any more tends to impact return key behaviour.

It's exactly like when people mod headphones and go 'wow this is amazing!!!!'. I do the same mod, but what I do is to buy another as a control. I wade in with my opinion. Then everyone with one headphone who did the mod tells me I'm a.




*This is when a low-paid minion comes in handy

 

Anyone have a preference for 'feel' for typing between a Razer and a Das Keyboard? When I bought my first mechanical, Das Keyboard didn't have media controls, which I'm not giving up, but now they both do.

Not sure which to get.

I'm tempted to try Cherry MX Blue switches in this next one instead of brown, but I'm worried about the noise, even in the server room where I work!

 

I work at a law firm now and people are always messing with my keyboards. I get a ton of compliments and people asking if I will trade keyboards.

I still use the Poker w/ Reds as my full time keyboard but have my Das w/ Blue as a backup for people that need to use my computer that cant type without seeing letters.

I have like 5 others just at home "as controls" as one may call it not modified. But I much prefer the modified ones so much that I wont even use the others.

 

Do you wear a suit and tie?

Inquiring minds want to know.

I mean, given your handle and pic.

And that you seldom respond to followup posts like this.

That I can believe.

I went with Cooler Master. Key action isn't much different between blue and brown MX keys, but other stuff is.

I rather like the C.M. MX brown KB that I got (key action) but it's 18" wide which does not thrill me; the key action on my MX blue (14" wide) is similar and I LOVE it's smaller width.

For others, Newegg carries 13 different CherryMX keyboards, and I give the blue/brown models a plus vote.

 

I only have to dress up on client days other days I actually have more freedom now than I did when I worked as a hotel manager.

 

My 2c. Go with MX Brown + O-ring mod. Check out Max Keyboards.