[Mechanical Keyboards] Clickity Clack! We build them ourselves now!
cardboard delusions
USAgentPSN: USAgent31Registered User regular
USAgentPSN: USAgent31Registered User regular
This thread started as a small question as to what others use for Mechanical Keyboards and I feel I should do it some justice and post some info for those looking.
The main thing to think about when considering a mechanical keyboard is how much do you care about typing. I feel like if you've gotten this far, you care a good deal and you should. If you built a PC or spend many hours a day in front one, do yourself a favor and treat your fingers to something worth typing on. Some people have used a mechanical keyboard back from 20-30 years ago, possibly remembering your old IBM Model M, or worked at a retail location that still uses Cherry keyboards at the register, but many others are less familiar with mechanical keyboards.
The big difference from keyboards today and a mechanical model is that a mechanical will have individual switches under each key. Most keyboards you pick up off the shelf today utilize a rubber dome or a scissor switch, which is very common in laptop keyboards. These both give a similar resistance on key press and require the key to be fully depressed or actuated to recognize keystroke. With a mechanical keyboard, each key has a switch with different actuating force required to log the keystroke. Some prefer a firmer touch, while others like a light tap, it is all preference so when choosing, try and base your decision on testing out a few different types of switches as every person will like something different. Another thing to consider is if the keystoke is tactile (whether or not you feel physical resistance when you press). Lastly, you should consider sound - if you live with someone who may be agitated by the clicky-clacky noises of typing be cognizant of how that may affect your relationship with them. :P
The Switches
Please note these are the four most common switches you will find. These are not the only types available, but for most people this should suffice as a guide.
Cherry MX Blue Switches
Tactile: Yes, precise
Clicky: Yes
Actuation Force: 50g
Key Travel: 2mm to actuation, 4mm to bottom
Considered the best for typing, blues will have a resistance similar to a standard keyboard with a noticeable tactile bump and distinguishable clicking sound.
Cherry MX Brown Switches
Type: Tactile Switch
Tactile: Yes
Clicky: No
Actuation Force: 45g (55g Peak Force)
Key Travel: 2mm to actuation, 4mm to bottom
Cherry browns can be considered a middle ground between typing and gaming as they offer tactile resistance but not so much that you can't repeatedly press keys for quick movement or actions.
Cherry MX Black Switches
Type: Linear Switch
Tactile: No
Clicky: No
Actuation Force: 60g (40g-80g overall)
Key Travel: 2mm to actuation, 4mm to bottom
Cherry black keys will have a smooth feel the whole way through the push, but require more force than any of the other boards. Some may find this tiresome in longer gaming sessions.
Cherry MX Red Switches
Type: Linear Switch
Tactile: No
Clicky: No
Actuation Force: 45g
Key Travel: 2mm to actuation, 4mm to bottom
Cherry reds are quickly becoming a favorite for gamers as they offer the same smooth feel as the cherry blacks, but with much less actuation pressure required.
Cherry MX Clear Switches
Type: Tactile Switch
Tactile: Yes
Clicky: No
Actuation Force: 55g (65G peak force)
Key Travel: 2mm to actuation, 4mm to bottom
Cherry clear are considered to be stiffer than browns but offering the same tactile bump, so you get more resistance from bottoming out.
Common Mechanical Keyboards
There are quite a few brands of mechanical keyboards, here are a few more popular ones:
Cooler Master
Rosewill
Steel Series
The main thing to think about when considering a mechanical keyboard is how much do you care about typing. I feel like if you've gotten this far, you care a good deal and you should. If you built a PC or spend many hours a day in front one, do yourself a favor and treat your fingers to something worth typing on. Some people have used a mechanical keyboard back from 20-30 years ago, possibly remembering your old IBM Model M, or worked at a retail location that still uses Cherry keyboards at the register, but many others are less familiar with mechanical keyboards.
The big difference from keyboards today and a mechanical model is that a mechanical will have individual switches under each key. Most keyboards you pick up off the shelf today utilize a rubber dome or a scissor switch, which is very common in laptop keyboards. These both give a similar resistance on key press and require the key to be fully depressed or actuated to recognize keystroke. With a mechanical keyboard, each key has a switch with different actuating force required to log the keystroke. Some prefer a firmer touch, while others like a light tap, it is all preference so when choosing, try and base your decision on testing out a few different types of switches as every person will like something different. Another thing to consider is if the keystoke is tactile (whether or not you feel physical resistance when you press). Lastly, you should consider sound - if you live with someone who may be agitated by the clicky-clacky noises of typing be cognizant of how that may affect your relationship with them. :P
The Switches
Please note these are the four most common switches you will find. These are not the only types available, but for most people this should suffice as a guide.
Cherry MX Blue Switches
Tactile: Yes, precise
Clicky: Yes
Actuation Force: 50g
Key Travel: 2mm to actuation, 4mm to bottom
Considered the best for typing, blues will have a resistance similar to a standard keyboard with a noticeable tactile bump and distinguishable clicking sound.
Cherry MX Brown Switches
Type: Tactile Switch
Tactile: Yes
Clicky: No
Actuation Force: 45g (55g Peak Force)
Key Travel: 2mm to actuation, 4mm to bottom
Cherry browns can be considered a middle ground between typing and gaming as they offer tactile resistance but not so much that you can't repeatedly press keys for quick movement or actions.
Cherry MX Black Switches
Type: Linear Switch
Tactile: No
Clicky: No
Actuation Force: 60g (40g-80g overall)
Key Travel: 2mm to actuation, 4mm to bottom
Cherry black keys will have a smooth feel the whole way through the push, but require more force than any of the other boards. Some may find this tiresome in longer gaming sessions.
Cherry MX Red Switches
Type: Linear Switch
Tactile: No
Clicky: No
Actuation Force: 45g
Key Travel: 2mm to actuation, 4mm to bottom
Cherry reds are quickly becoming a favorite for gamers as they offer the same smooth feel as the cherry blacks, but with much less actuation pressure required.
Cherry MX Clear Switches
Type: Tactile Switch
Tactile: Yes
Clicky: No
Actuation Force: 55g (65G peak force)
Key Travel: 2mm to actuation, 4mm to bottom
Cherry clear are considered to be stiffer than browns but offering the same tactile bump, so you get more resistance from bottoming out.
Common Mechanical Keyboards
There are quite a few brands of mechanical keyboards, here are a few more popular ones:
Cooler Master
Rosewill
Steel Series
cardboard delusions on
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The only mechanical keyboard I have to compare it to is my 1987 IBM Model M, and I much prefer the linear action of the blacks.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823201044
Super boring to look at, but the Cherry MX Red keys are sublime. Have it hooked up through PS/2 port so I get full n-key rollover, which is really nice to have in games (the main reason I got a mechanical KB). Keyboard is built like a tank, and the keys are not really any louder than your typical rubber dome KB (if you don't bottom them out, they're even quieter).
Only a few cons to speak of: Space bar squeaked when I first got the KB (common problem, easy fix). Printed keys get dirty fairly easily, though I'll probably be replacing some of the frequently used ones (WASD). Had to get a separate wrist rest, but that is pretty typical with most mechanical keyboards because of their height. Also no media keys, but there's 3RVX for controlling volume, so who needs those :P
Overall been very happy with my purchase, and plan on keeping this keyboard for many, many years.
I remember reading about reds being a betweener of black and brown with an emphasis on the lightness of browns (whereas clears have the toughness of blacks) so they always intrigued me.
Yeah, Browns would have been my second choice, and would have gone with those had I need a keyboard more for typing than gaming.
NewEgg has the Quickfire that has blues, they also have Razer Blackwidow around the same price, I want to try blues too, just don't know if I want one more than a having reds.
I do both, a lot of typing and a lot of gaming. I'm a software engineer, so typing comes with the territory. In that sense, I find the Browns to be the perfect compromise switch. I found I liked the Blues a TAD better for gaming, but nearly as much for typing.
Speaking of which does anybody know of a store that has them on display so you can try these? Best Buy doesn't carry any that I'm aware of. I'm in the Seattle area.
I suppose I could order one and just ship it back if I don't like it but that can be a hassle sometimes (also expensive in some cases).
Unfortunately the noise (CLICKER-CLACK) was getting to be a bit much for my wife since my PC is now in the bedroom, so I switched to a Corsair K90 with Cherry Reds and I absolutely love it. It's a bit lighter of a touch than the Blackwidow which took a little getting used to, but now I love it, and it's so very quiet. It's totally fine for gaming, and even better for typing than the Blues were.
Of course, my one deal-breaker requirement for a keyboard is backlighting, since I do most of my gaming in a dark room, so my choices are limited with regards to mechanical keyboards.
If you have a Microcenter near you, they keep all their keyboards out on display to try out.
Best Buy's around here (Portland Oregon area) have the Razer Blackwidow, which is Cherry Blue's, but that's it. Do you have a Microcenter or a Fry's up there? Those would be your best bet.
It has a year warranty, and I bought it directly from Razor, which originally could be considered a bad move, but it might come in handy now. Maybe they'll let me change it out and I'll pay the different on an Ult.
That's one of the reasons I went with the Ultimate (non-stealth) a year or so ago. The lettering won't rub off like on the printed keys.
For what it's worth, I loved my Ultimate for like a year, but it eventually got to be too annoying for my wife since the computer is now in the bedroom where she likes to watch movies and sleep (of all things).
That being the case, I recently bought a Corsair K90, which uses Cherry reds, and it's backlit. It's very quiet. No audible click at the actuation point, only a thud when the key bottoms out. The backlighting is as perfect as the Black Widow, and it's got a nice batch of macro keys. It's very industrial and sexy looking. It's basically a slab of aluminum with the keys on top. It doesn't have the audio pass-through, but I've never actually used that. The only other thing to note on the K90 is that while MOST keys are mechanical, a few are not. The main keyset, arrows, and numpad are all mechanical, but the esc, f-keys, and home/end/pageup/pagedown block are membrane domes. I don't personally mind, but it's something that should be pointed out.
So yeah, it you otherwise love the Black Widow, the Ultimate is a solid piece of hardware, and is probably exactly what you'd expect. If you'd like to try something new, the Corsair K90 is about as good as you're likely to find in backlit mechanical keyboards. It's rock solid and looks fantastic.
I didn't think the laser etching could rub off, I thought it just got really dirty.
You'd think, but I've tried everything to clean them out. Wet cloth, Clorox wipe, qtip with peroxide...I still have several keys that are either very faded, or very dingy.
Alright. If Razer says piss off I'll consider that a major alternative. Also, I have Amazon Prime, so that would be a favored retailer.
The stealth is not a bad keyboard. Maybe I'll keep it and move to my workdesk someday...
Loving it so far.
But it occurred to me: I've only replaced the weakass keys of a laptop keyboard, not a desktop keyboard, let alone a heavy duty mechanical keyboard. Is it simple?
The switch ends in a + shaped post, there's a corresponding hole molded into the underside of the keycap. They're held on entirely by friction and gravity. Just pull up!
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
What Aioua said. Almost all (at least cherry-style) mechanical keycaps are nothing more complicated than pulling straight up. Way, way easier than laptop keys.
I have some Dye sublimation keys that I have used for a long time and I don't think they will wear out. I think double shots look better though and they will not wear down either. Thats the great thing about the cherry switches as its pretty easy to find keys that will fit them.
Well. I'd just taken the thing apart and I knew I'd probably break the thing if I tried to replace the switches with new ones. So with nothing to lose, I started swabbing isopropanol directly into the switch itself, while mashing it over and over. They loosened up considerably! After a day they were kind of sticky again, so I repeated the process. I do this for a few more days, and they're almost as good as new. And now, a week later, you can't tell at all!
So good job to Razer for making the thing not short and burn out, and a double good job to Cherry for making switches that not only survived that ordeal, but actually fully recovered!
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
I love it and I want it BUT the cherry blue one is 65$- cherry blues for gaming? I hear not great things? Anyone comment to that?
otherwise i guess ill eat it and get the reds.
I mostly play swtor and bf3 as far as games go, and this board has been serving great so far
I personally don't really like reds, too light.
Dont know what to do as i have no way to go feel what the differences are.....
edit: they're definitely not feathery. They have a nice amount of resistance and plenty of clackity clack.
Blue is actually the preferred switch type in the StarCraft 2 community. I am personally more of a fan of browns...but honestly, you really need to try them to know. You're best bet is to find a place that has a few different keyboards out you can try, or order from a place that you can do an exchange if you hate the feeling of the switch.