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[Mechanical Keyboards] Clickity Clack! We build them ourselves now!

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Posts

  • DarmakDarmak RAGE vympyvvhyc vyctyvyRegistered User regular
    Welp, the night I made that last post one of our cats threw up into the keyboard and no matter how I cleaned it, it wouldn't work again.

    So here's my new keyboard with some more new keys! (and your advice for the stabilized keys worked wonders, thanks a ton GnomeTank!)
    10256287_742070702482816_2906444929510640706_o.jpg

    JtgVX0H.png
    mightyjongyotsmvengyGnomeTankSoggybiscuitInfidelminor incidentmsmyatoloveistorebel
  • GnomeTankGnomeTank What the what? Portland, OregonRegistered User regular
    It's a monstrosity, in the best way possible.

    Sagroth wrote: »
    Oh c'mon FyreWulff, no one's gonna pay to visit Uranus.
    Steam: Brainling, XBL / PSN: GnomeTank, NintendoID: Brainling, FF14: Zillius Rosh SFV: Brainling
  • SoggybiscuitSoggybiscuit Tandem Electrostatic Accelerator Registered User regular
    Darmak wrote: »
    Welp, the night I made that last post one of our cats threw up into the keyboard and no matter how I cleaned it, it wouldn't work again.

    So here's my new keyboard with some more new keys! (and your advice for the stabilized keys worked wonders, thanks a ton GnomeTank!)
    10256287_742070702482816_2906444929510640706_o.jpg

    motherofgod.jpg

    Steam - Synthetic Violence | XBOX Live - Cannonfuse | PSN - CastleBravo | Twitch - SoggybiscuitPA
    schusstoloveistorebel
  • DehumanizedDehumanized Registered User regular
    where'd you get those keys?

    asking for a me

  • hsuhsu Registered User regular
    While I don't know where Darmak got all his keycaps, you could replicate most of his keyboard from:

    http://www.keypop.net/
    http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/
    http://www.maxkeyboard.com/
    http://imsto.cn/

    And your best bet at finding new keycaps is: http://geekhack.org/index.php?board=80.0

    iTNdmYl.png
    Darmak
  • DarmakDarmak RAGE vympyvvhyc vyctyvyRegistered User regular
    hsu wrote: »
    While I don't know where Darmak got all his keycaps, you could replicate most of his keyboard from:

    http://www.keypop.net/
    http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/
    http://www.maxkeyboard.com/
    http://imsto.cn/

    And your best bet at finding new keycaps is: http://geekhack.org/index.php?board=80.0

    That's exactly where I got most everything from. I think some from Amazon as well.

    JtgVX0H.png
  • hsuhsu Registered User regular
    Darmak wrote: »
    That's exactly where I got most everything from. I think some from Amazon as well.
    Darmak, where did you get the colored alphabetic keys? I've never seen that color combination sold by themselves, not part of a rainbow keyboard meant for kids.

    iTNdmYl.png
  • msmyamsmya Being Fabulous Registered User regular
    Hi! I'm looking into purchasing a mechanical keyboard. It seems like a cherry brown would be a good purchase for a "first-timer" mechanical key board user such as myself. I type a lot, and plan to game a lot as well. I like games from FPS's to League of Legends and RPG's, (not mmorpgs though) etc. I like playing games in genera;..
    price range around $100-120 is what I'd like to spend.

    Thanks for the help and suggestions!

  • Eat it You Nasty Pig.Eat it You Nasty Pig. tell homeland security 'we are the bomb'Registered User regular
    I like my quickfire xt a lot; it's not exactly feature rich but it's well built and has the kind of basic keyboard look that I wanted. I read some unflattering stuff about build quality on the rest of the CM boards, but supposedly the XT is actually a rebranded filco and have much better reps for durability. I got it for 80 bucks on newegg a while back, so you might be able to find one cheaper now.

    NREqxl5.jpg
    hold your head high soldier, it ain't over yet
    that's why we call it the struggle, you're supposed to sweat
  • frenetic_ferretfrenetic_ferret wildest weasel East Coast is Best CoastRegistered User regular
    I like my quickfire xt a lot; it's not exactly feature rich but it's well built and has the kind of basic keyboard look that I wanted. I read some unflattering stuff about build quality on the rest of the CM boards, but supposedly the XT is actually a rebranded filco and have much better reps for durability. I got it for 80 bucks on newegg a while back, so you might be able to find one cheaper now.

    Sigh, a Cherry Switch is a Cherry Switch. There are some variations in things like back plating, control boards, cabling, and total build quality but they are they are rather minor. It's a premium market for a very picky consumer base that knows it's shit. Plus given that one of the selling points of mechanicals is switch durability and ease of replacing one switch vs throwing the entire thing out and buying a new one, almost every company designs their stuff to outlast the switches or be damn well indestructible. You could smash a mans skull in with most mechanical keyboards.

    All companies do have bad batches of component XYZ at times though. Which leads to stuff like "company ABC makes bad products" but these are usually just a few runs of one model or series. They always get quickly sorted out and as long as you buy a large brand (Steelseries, Razer, Logitech) getting an RMA is pretty easy, and they all like customers in the over 100 bucks for a keyboard game. Even the smaller more boutique brands typically stand by their product and will RMA it for you in a nanosecond as well. Because their sales on an expensive niche product are drive by word of mouth.

    Just figure out the switch you want and pick a brand for reasons like visual appeal, theme of the build, personal favoritism, urge to have a unified driver suite, customization, anything really. And you can be confident it should be OK and if not they will send you a fixed/updated one.

    A lot of companies are cursed or damned by other products anyways. Corsair could release an exploding keyboard and people would still praise it because of their memory and PSU's are top notched. This is also why people will pay extra cash for liquid cooling systems from them that tie with high end air. Cooler master gets crap because a lot of it's other line, from liquid coolers to cases is good... but not really high end compared to other offerings so people look for a reason to poop on them.

  • minor incidentminor incident expert in a dying field njRegistered User regular
    Yes, the cherry switches are basically all the same, but having owned mechanical keyboards from Corsair, Logitech, CM, Razer, Ducky, Das, WASD, and a handful of others, I can guarantee you that the build quality of the rest of the board makes a big difference. All of those use cherry switches, but they range from flimsy cheap bargain bin creaky plastic with lousy cabling to dense, tank-like boards with heavy metal baseplates and great stress relief on the cords.

    It makes a huge difference in feel and durability, and if I'm dropping over $100 on a keyboard to use long term, I want one that will hold up, and (equally importantly) will feel solid and not slide around on my desk.

    Everything looks beautiful when you're young and pretty
    Stormwatcher
  • Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    Soldering quality can vary wildly as well. A lot of the el-cheapo mechanicals come fresh from the factory with solder joints so dry they're starting to crumble...

    minor incidentStormwatcher
  • DarmakDarmak RAGE vympyvvhyc vyctyvyRegistered User regular
    hsu wrote: »
    Darmak wrote: »
    That's exactly where I got most everything from. I think some from Amazon as well.
    Darmak, where did you get the colored alphabetic keys? I've never seen that color combination sold by themselves, not part of a rainbow keyboard meant for kids.

    It's the ones I got from Amazon, actually

    JtgVX0H.png
  • StormwatcherStormwatcher Blegh BlughRegistered User regular
    edited June 2014
    I'm with @minor incident‌ and @chrishallett83‌.
    Build quality and solder quality can make a huge difference.

    Stormwatcher on
    Steam: Stormwatcher | PSN: Stormwatcher33 | Switch: 5961-4777-3491
    camo_sig2.png
  • cardboard delusionscardboard delusions USAgent PSN: USAgent31Registered User regular
    My Filco has been running strong since I started this thread, although I should really pull the keycaps and clean them... maybe.

  • jaziekjaziek Bad at everything And mad about it.Registered User regular
    edited June 2014
    Well... Razer synapse prompted me for a firmware update.

    1 bricked blackwidow later, and I've ordered a new Filco instead.

    And since uninstalling and reinstalling the razer cloud sync driver wank broke my deathadder as well, I've ordered a sensei.

    Fuck razer.

    jaziek on
    Steam ||| SC2 - Jaziek.377 on EU & NA. ||| Twitch Stream
    InfidelHounLD50GaslightStormwatcher
  • LD50LD50 Registered User regular
    Razer is worse at writing drivers than AMD. If you need a programmable mech, I'd say go for corsair.

    schussStormwatcher
  • davidsdurionsdavidsdurions Your Trusty Meatshield Panhandle NebraskaRegistered User regular
    I am typing this on a splurge purchased cherry brown cm quickfire stealth. And, um, I love it.

    PwH4Ipj.jpg
  • kaliyamakaliyama Left to find less-moderated fora Registered User regular
    msmya wrote: »
    Hi! I'm looking into purchasing a mechanical keyboard. It seems like a cherry brown would be a good purchase for a "first-timer" mechanical key board user such as myself. I type a lot, and plan to game a lot as well. I like games from FPS's to League of Legends and RPG's, (not mmorpgs though) etc. I like playing games in genera;..
    price range around $100-120 is what I'd like to spend.

    Thanks for the help and suggestions!

    code/WASD keyboards are lovely. a little bit more, but worth it.

    fwKS7.png?1
  • Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    I'll never stop shilling Ducky Shine 3s. Mine is so great, and my sister has to take hers home from work every day to make sure no-one steals it.

    Bulliominor incidentDranyth
  • BullioBullio Registered User regular
    edited June 2014
    I'll never stop shilling Ducky Shine 3s. Mine is so great, and my sister has to take hers home from work every day to make sure no-one steals it.

    Definitely. I love mine so much. Except the right peg-thing for the spacebar has been sticking and I'm not sure why. I tried wiping it down in case something sticky got in there, but that didn't help. So I'm guessing the problem is somewhere underneath. I stuck a small wad of tissue over it and it's been fine. Spacebar's actually a little quieter now and doesn't seem to be noticeably less responsive or harder to press than it was when it came out of the box.

    Bullio on
    steam_sig.png
  • XeddicusXeddicus Registered User regular
    edited June 2014
    My friends Ducky Shine 3 had a handful of numpad LED's decide to chill out and dim out of the blue after a few months. Clearly their quality is slipping! Or his aura of electronic-death finally got to it. One of those. Waiting to see what the return does.

    Xeddicus on
    "For no one - no one in this world can you trust. Not men. Not women. Not beasts...this you can trust."
  • BubbyBubby Registered User regular
    edited June 2014
    So I'm looking for a mechanical keyboard, but one as silent as possible. I'm coming from a Logitech G15:
    Logitech_Gaming-Keyboard_G15.jpg
    , it's been loyal for many years and I love it, but I want something a bit more modern and slightly more satisfying to type on. I can't stand how noisy most mechanical's are, though. I checked out the Logitech G710+ the other day, it wasn't quite what I wanted and the orange on the left is annoying.

    I'd love something with an aluminum finish - I looked into Das keyboard but the glossy piano black is a huge turn off. The apple wireless keyboard is my favorite looking keyboard I've ever seen, probably, but it's too small and seems unsuitable for gaming.

    Bubby on
  • Eat it You Nasty Pig.Eat it You Nasty Pig. tell homeland security 'we are the bomb'Registered User regular
    if you know you like the logitech boards, you could just get one with reds or browns and put o-rings in them

    NREqxl5.jpg
    hold your head high soldier, it ain't over yet
    that's why we call it the struggle, you're supposed to sweat
    Donovan Puppyfucker
  • Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    Reds or blacks are the 'gaming' switch types with no detente. Browns and clears are the ones with the detente (bump), and blues and greens are the ones with the bump and the obnoxious clicking. I got reds, some folks might like a firmer switch for shooting mans, so go with blacks. O-rings are awesome, too.

  • Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    Bullio wrote: »
    I'll never stop shilling Ducky Shine 3s. Mine is so great, and my sister has to take hers home from work every day to make sure no-one steals it.

    Definitely. I love mine so much. Except the right peg-thing for the spacebar has been sticking and I'm not sure why. I tried wiping it down in case something sticky got in there, but that didn't help. So I'm guessing the problem is somewhere underneath. I stuck a small wad of tissue over it and it's been fine. Spacebar's actually a little quieter now and doesn't seem to be noticeably less responsive or harder to press than it was when it came out of the box.

    You can get replacement stabiliser things and swap them in. They just clip in and out, I believe.

  • minor incidentminor incident expert in a dying field njRegistered User regular
    As they say, once you go black you never something something.

    Everything looks beautiful when you're young and pretty
  • FoomyFoomy Registered User regular
    edited June 2014
    Anyone else see the Qwerkywriter kickstarter? Not so interested in the entire keyboard, but those keycaps are really nice looking, good chance that they will add in a keycap only reward tier if the project actually gets funded or close to funded.

    Did some quick searching and I think these would be the first round shaped Cherry MX keycaps around, no idea if they would feel good for typing though.

    Foomy on
    Steam Profile: FoomyFooms
  • Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    edited June 2014
    Foomy wrote: »
    Anyone else see the Qwerkywriter kickstarter? Not so interested in the entire keyboard, but those keycaps are really nice looking, good chance that they will add in a keycap only reward tier if the project actually gets funded or close to funded.

    Did some quick searching and I think these would be the first round shaped Cherry MX keycaps around, no idea if they would feel good for typing though.

    Firstly, what the fuck?

    Secondly, in the pictures of the keyboard on the computer table, that is a $2000 headphone amplifier.

    EDIT: Thirdly, their product planning schedule has QA begin AFTER they begin packing and shipping the completed keyboards to customers. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that ass-backwards?

    Donovan Puppyfucker on
    schussminor incident
  • minor incidentminor incident expert in a dying field njRegistered User regular
    edited June 2014
    That looks like a big, expensive endeavor for something that looks like a cheesy steampunk keyboard mod.

    minor incident on
    Everything looks beautiful when you're young and pretty
    Donovan Puppyfuckertsmvengy
  • GaslightGaslight Registered User regular
    I happen to think it looks really cool.

    But I wouldn't buy one or want to type on it every day.

  • FoomyFoomy Registered User regular
    Gaslight wrote: »
    I happen to think it looks really cool.

    But I wouldn't buy one or want to type on it every day.

    that's what I thought, but I wouldn't want to buy a $300 keyboard just for that. $50, maybe $75 for a keycap set would be something else though.

    Steam Profile: FoomyFooms
  • minor incidentminor incident expert in a dying field njRegistered User regular
    Gaslight wrote: »
    I happen to think it looks really cool.

    But I wouldn't buy one or want to type on it every day.

    Not exactly a ringing endorsement.

    Everything looks beautiful when you're young and pretty
  • LD50LD50 Registered User regular
    It seems pretty... hipster... Like that guy who's typing on his authentic antique typewriter in his local organic coffee shop hipster.

  • sacratoysacratoy Colorado, USARegistered User regular
    edited June 2014
    Wow, I didn't know there was a thread like this :smile:

    I have a Ducky Shine 3 TKL (Cherry MX Brown) and a Poker II (Cherry MX Brown), and I absolutely love mechanical keyboards. Both are great for gaming.

    Here is a pic of my Poker II :heart_eyes:

    wP0Vi9Yl.jpg

    sacratoy on
    PAX Prime 2014: Pass [x] Hotel [x] Flights [x] Vacation Days [x]

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    minor incidentmightyjongyoDonovan PuppyfuckerStormwatcher
  • Eat it You Nasty Pig.Eat it You Nasty Pig. tell homeland security 'we are the bomb'Registered User regular
    I mean, as a total conversion that typewritier/keyboard thing is super cool

    I can't imagine there's much of a market for them, but who knows, the internet regularly surprises me

    NREqxl5.jpg
    hold your head high soldier, it ain't over yet
    that's why we call it the struggle, you're supposed to sweat
  • DarmakDarmak RAGE vympyvvhyc vyctyvyRegistered User regular
    I mean, as a total conversion that typewritier/keyboard thing is super cool

    I can't imagine there's much of a market for them, but who knows, the internet regularly surprises me

    http://www.datamancer.com/cart/

    JtgVX0H.png
  • GaslightGaslight Registered User regular
    :neutral_face:

    Well compared to that shit the Kickstarter thing looks reasonably priced.

  • Eat it You Nasty Pig.Eat it You Nasty Pig. tell homeland security 'we are the bomb'Registered User regular
    see, I knew it

    NREqxl5.jpg
    hold your head high soldier, it ain't over yet
    that's why we call it the struggle, you're supposed to sweat
  • BubbyBubby Registered User regular
    Fuck me I want The Diviner though.

    Donovan Puppyfucker
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