Keyboard Recommendations

Anyone have good experiences with topre keyboards?

Heavy typing, with some moderate gaming.

I've been using a Deck (Cherry MX Clear) for quite a while, and while it's not a bad keyboard, it's getting a bit old (still in good condition though--that thing is incredibly sturdy).

 

I'm loving my Razer Blackwidow. Unlike most gaming boards that use MX Black switches, it uses Blues, which are better for typing from what I've read. The non-Ultimate version is also one of the cheaper mechanical boards out there. It also has media shortcuts and the ability to disable the Windows and Menu keys in-game to prevent accidentally minimizing. The Ultimate version has backlighting and USB and audio pass-through ports. They both also come in Stealth edition, which uses quieter MX Brown switches instead of Blue.

 

I think MX Blue is the more common, not black.

Blues are generally really good for typing, as long as your in a place where clicky is ok.

Id stay as far away from the black widow as possible though as it does the cherry switches attached to it so much unjustice with its crappy key caps, and quality control issues.

Get a solid well made keyboard like the Das Keyboard, they are literally built like tanks and have nice keycaps and stuff stock.

I find I like data entry on blues because I spend extended amounts of time looking at my source and not what I type and it helps me not make errors but for general typing the reds & browns are just as good.

Reds taking the lead after I spent a few days getting used to them everything is just so effortless now for typing that when I use my browns or blues I feel like I am being bothered to press the key far and hard enough to break the tactile point.

 

I'd also suggest Filco and ducky brands which are really good quality (a notch below das keyboards).

There's also mionix zibal 60 (which I currently use) which uses black cherry mx keys and backlighting also built like a tank.

 

Out of curiosity, what does "crappy key caps" mean?

 

really thin, poorly made abs keys.

when I had the BW besides the manufacturing defects due to poor molding the keys are very thin and not nearly as quality as most other keyboards.

its quite clear they cut cost at every turn on the keyboard, the only thing good about it is the switches and that is because they use the actual cherry brand switch and not there own in house stuff.

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vogal has had or does have topre, he is not a big mech keyboard fan he prefers his micosoft dome keyboard. I personally have not used them. I am quite pleased with the fully mechanical nature of cherry switches while topre actually are a hybrid between dome & mechancial.

 

"Thin" keycaps? With all due respect, you'd have to push down on a key with an unrealistically huge amount of force to even have a possibility of damaging it due to how thin the plastic is. Unless you literally type by smashing your keyboard with a hammer with every stroke, that's a non-issue.

With regards to quality, I guess I just don't see it. The keyboard is physically very solid, the keys move up and down very smoothly, and they're spaced very comfortably.

 

Its not that you will break the key, its about how it feels when you type. Thicker keys absorb more vibration and dont make as much of a cheapy hollow sound when you type on them.

 

I guess my point of view may be skewed by not having spent thousands of dollars on other brands of mechanical boards with different switches, but the keys feel rock-solid to me, and it's certainly a way better typing experience than I've ever had on any other keyboard I've owned or used. I still maintain that for $80, less than plenty of "high-end" rubber dome keyboards, you can certainly do way worse than the BW.

 

I always respect your opinion but yeah it is hard to give an objectionable view if you have not experienced other products.

My first mech keyboard was a Das Keyboard Model S and I got the Razer BW Ultimate DA2 SE because I really liked the design and red backlight.

Despite my anticipation for the keyboard it only took minutes of actually typing on it to experience, not a minor but a VAST difference in quality.

The keycaps were meh, but the play in the keys was extreme, and what pushed me over the edge and ended up getting the BW sent back was that I had the sticky key issue that many others have experienced where one key actually depresses a neighboring key. This is a combination of the formentioned key play (wobble) and the horrible keycap molding.

I couldnt accept a keyboard that cost well over $100 to have this type of quality control, plus as a mech keyboard I got it for the sole purpose of high quality else id settle for much cheaper membrane keyboards. So no way was I willing to accept the quality and it went away.

Since then I have broadened my experience by using other brands and other switch types as to not be brand blind to the Das.

I feel for the money the Das is still one of the best places to start, it's very basic though. Its sold on function and quality not flair or popularity like the BW.

 

Depends on what sort of feel you want really. It feels like a full-travel rubber dome with a totally predictable actuation point. It is absolutely suitable for heavy typing especially in terms of the end of keystroke feel in comparison to a Cherry keyboard - yes, even those 'enhanced' with the laughable addition of o-rings.

A lot of the posters above have new-mechanical-keyboard-itis so obviously they'll be ramming those down your throat. The Topre is a different kettle of fish. So yes - it depends on what you feel you don't like about the Cherrys.

Personally, as I've said many times before, I prefer - for both typing and gaming (the latter, maybe a tad less when we're talking Reds but still preferred) - the Sidewinders. Yes, even compared to a Topre.

But if you have Q's ask away - I have every mainstream Cherry switched key type / mount type and variable / fixed Topres.

 

I would seriously consider the Razer Blackwidow if you're doing a serious amount of typing on it. Still, as many have said before me, it comes down a lot to subjective preference.

 

Go for a keyboard that has Brown switches. It's an in between blue and black. Since you'll do typing and gaming browns seem to match with your needs.

 

Disagree that Filco is a notch below das. If anything, Filco's are considered the king of mechanical keyboards, and ducky and das are a below them. I've had both das and Filco and the build quality and sturdiness of Filco's are unrivaled. Das (imo and many others) has cheap plastic, not to mention the shininess is a fingerprint magnet. I guess looks can be subjective, but the quality of Filcos are much better, hence the higher premium.

As someone suggested above, if you do a mix of gaming and typing, go with something with Cherry MX Browns. They feel amazing if you're coming from a cheap keyboard. Blues have a click and noise, which I find very therapeutic, so I went with a Filco 10keyless Cherry MX Blue.

I suggest you go to geekhack.org, its like the NBR of keyboards

 

Completely agree with the poster above. I bought a filco's for my first mechanical keyboard and it lasted me over 3 years!

They're the very best at keyboards

 

Any half-decent keyboard should last you three years. Mechs have to last for ~10 years (including cost of spare keycaps during that time) to actually make the claim of superior longevity worthwhile.

 

^ what he said, I mean I have stock dell keyboards which are nearly 9 years old, and could go for several more years. They're just rubber dome keyboards too.

 

Anyhoo, I see everyone's piling in with recommendations for Cherry stuff, but do any of you own a Topre, which is what I believe the OP asked?

 

BTW FWIW after much fiddling around with rubber feet I accidentally discovered my potentially perfect Topre typing angle when I sat one of my Realforces on the lip of a Filco wristrest. For me personally, a flatter profile works better for fast typing and the thickness / key angle of any of the Topre-based keyboards has never quite agreed with me 'as is'. So I've used various combos of sorbothane to compensate.

One of these days I'm going to have to see if I can sink a Realforce into one of my desks.