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

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    LD50LD50 Registered User regular
    I don't see why people hate clicky switches so much. The sound is so pleasant. I don't understand how people use brown switches either; they feel like your keyboard is full of sand.

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    HounHoun Registered User regular
    Different strokes for different folks.

    Literally.

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    wonderpugwonderpug Registered User regular
    Icemopper wrote: »
    Looking back through the thread, it sounds like Das Keyboards have sort of fallen out of favor. Is that still the case?

    I'm going to try to get to a Best Buy today to click-clack and see what's going on there. And if not a Das Keyboard, I might try to find a Ducky or WASD Keyboard. They seem quite nice.

    I bought a Das Keyboard with browns about 3 years ago, and I liked it so much I bought a second one on my own dime to use at work. Both are still working great and I've had no complaints with either.

    If I somehow needed yet another keyboard, I'd probably stick with Das again just because I've been plenty content with these.

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    hsuhsu Registered User regular
    I had 2 Das keyboards with cherry browns (work and home, on my own dime), but gave both away as gifts to relatives. Nothing wrong with the keyboards themselves, but once I went with a tenkeyless Leopold, and later a 75% sized Noppoo, I couldn't stand the larger keyboards.

    iTNdmYl.png
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    IcemopperIcemopper Registered User regular
    That's another debate I keep having. I use the tenkeys a lot at work, and I might use it at home, but then again I might not. I suppose I could just learn to type with the top row of numbers.

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    wonderpugwonderpug Registered User regular
    I think my ideal keyboard would have a detachable section with both the tenkey and the arrows and PgUp/PgDn stuff, but that looked and felt like a normal fullsize keyboard when put together.

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    LD50LD50 Registered User regular
    I like my ten-keys.

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    minor incidentminor incident expert in a dying field njRegistered User regular
    #teamtenkeyless

    #butwilltoleratetenkeys

    #itsmoreofapreferencereally

    Ah, it stinks, it sucks, it's anthropologically unjust
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    hsuhsu Registered User regular
    I spent 2 summers as a traveling store auditor, with a keypad attached to my hip, so my keypad speed is crazy fast. But I still gave it up, and learned how to touch type the number row instead. It found it so much more comfortable keeping my mouse hand closer to my keyboard that learning to touch type the number row was the lesser of 2 evils. But if I actually had to type numbers all the time, I would buy a detached keypad in a heartbeat.

    iTNdmYl.png
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    frenetic_ferretfrenetic_ferret wildest weasel East Coast is Best CoastRegistered User regular

    LD50 wrote: »
    I don't see why people hate clicky switches so much. The sound is so pleasant. I don't understand how people use brown switches either; they feel like your keyboard is full of sand.

    You will drive your spouse, coworkers, roommates nuts with them.

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    LD50LD50 Registered User regular
    Is that not part of their draw?

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    IcemopperIcemopper Registered User regular
    My wife's reaction when she tried my little sampler board was basically, "Oohh!!" in excitement, then "eewww" in noise reaction.

    I think the browns will be my flavor, but I still have plenty of time to decide.

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    Steel AngelSteel Angel Registered User regular
    LD50 wrote: »
    I like my ten-keys.

    So do I but for a tenkeyless is the only way to fit a mechanical keyboard into my work laptop's bag. This is not a situation that everyone has to consider.

    Big Dookie wrote: »
    I found that tilting it doesn't work very well, and once I started jerking it, I got much better results.

    Steam Profile
    3DS: 3454-0268-5595 Battle.net: SteelAngel#1772
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    FremFrem Registered User regular
    LD50 wrote: »
    I don't see why people hate clicky switches so much. The sound is so pleasant. I don't understand how people use brown switches either; they feel like your keyboard is full of sand.

    I understand the blue hate, but the feel of browns gets to me. I first heard browns described as "blues, but quiet," but they really do have a distinctive grindy feel that is rather different.

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    Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    Frem wrote: »
    LD50 wrote: »
    I don't see why people hate clicky switches so much. The sound is so pleasant. I don't understand how people use brown switches either; they feel like your keyboard is full of sand.

    I understand the blue hate, but the feel of browns gets to me. I first heard browns described as "blues, but quiet," but they really do have a distinctive grindy feel that is rather different.

    Try clears. They feel like they have a much crisper "break" to them to me.

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    wunderbarwunderbar What Have I Done? Registered User regular
    Frem wrote: »
    LD50 wrote: »
    I don't see why people hate clicky switches so much. The sound is so pleasant. I don't understand how people use brown switches either; they feel like your keyboard is full of sand.

    I understand the blue hate, but the feel of browns gets to me. I first heard browns described as "blues, but quiet," but they really do have a distinctive grindy feel that is rather different.

    What browns have you tried? I know that Logitech puts rubber o-rings underneath their brown keyboards to try to mask some more of the sound. I think that contributes more to the feel on the browns I've tried. I originally hated them but not enough to remove every key cap to take them out, and I've eventually gotten used to it.

    XBL: thewunderbar PSN: thewunderbar NNID: thewunderbar Steam: wunderbar87 Twitter: wunderbar
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    Custom SpecialCustom Special I know I am, I'm sure I am, I'm Sounders 'til I die!Registered User regular
    edited April 2015
    I've got a CM Quickfire Rapid with browns at home that I enjoy. Now I'm looking to pick up a Ducky Mini somewhere with the gray frame and (probably) browns on it. Anyone know of a place that actually stocks it? MechanicalKeyboards.com is out of stock, but someone on reddit mentioned it should be back in a month or two.

    @schuss what switches does your tester have on it? I'm curious about blues and clears just to see how they feel compared to my browns.
    edit: I'm like 90% sure I'm team brown over team blue due to the racket, but just want to see how others feel/sound.

    Custom Special on
    XBL: F4ll0utBP | STEAM | PSN : CustomSpecial | Bnet: F4ll0ut#1636
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    schussschuss Registered User regular
    brown/black/red/green/white/blue
    It's this guy
    http://www.cmstore-usa.com/mechanical-key-switch-demo-board/

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    CampyCampy Registered User regular
    After many years of pondering, I've finally splurged on a mechanical keyboard. Ebuyer came at me with a Coolermaster CM Storm Quickfire TK for 60 pounds sterling and I couldn't resist.

    From what I've read, the Cherry Browns are a good middle ground between gaming and typing. Seems like it should suit me well!

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    BouwsTBouwsT Wanna come to a super soft birthday party? Registered User regular
    edited May 2015
    A Royal Kludge mechanical keyboard with RGB backlighting on Mass Drop... What's the general consensus on Greetech mechanical switches? I'm mighty tempted, given that I hate my current keyboard.

    BouwsT on
    Between you and me, Peggy, I smoked this Juul and it did UNTHINKABLE things to my mind and body...
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    Curly_BraceCurly_Brace Robot Girl Mimiga VillageRegistered User regular
    edited May 2015
    I recently picked up a pretty cheap mechanical keyboard for even cheaper thanks to a sale. Here is the model: Tt eSPORTS POSEIDON Z. It's made my Thermaltake, hence the name. It's a step up from my old one, to be sure! And the backlighting is nice & bright, as well as uniform. It is adjustable too. It's gonna take a while for me to re-learn how to type on here so I am not always bottoming out on most keystrokes. It was pretty low-cost and I may have gotten what I paid for... but we'll see how it holds up over time.

    Curly_Brace on
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    hsuhsu Registered User regular
    If you type fast, you'll still bottom out most key stokes, as nobody has perfect control whilst trying to type fast. The bump in the cherry browns mostly serves to let you release a fraction earlier than you normally would, meaning you just don't bottom out as hard.

    iTNdmYl.png
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    GnomeTankGnomeTank What the what? Portland, OregonRegistered User regular
    Anyone heard anything bad about the Ducky Shine 4? I'm about to order one. Can't really find the Shine 3 anymore, but I really want a Ducky board...and I spilled coffee in my three year old Das Keyboard last night, and some switches are now sticking, so it's time.

    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
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    GnomeTankGnomeTank What the what? Portland, OregonRegistered User regular
    edited May 2015
    Well after some internet review searching, I pulled the trigger on a Shine 4. Should be here this week. Not real particular to the Year of the Horse space bar, but it's a standard space bar, so I could replace it with a custom cap easy enough. I'll probably try and clean up this Das Keyboard and do something with it, but some of the switches definitely need some rubbing alcohol love. Luckily it's not any of the main typing switches, but still annoying.

    Stuck with Browns, because Browns are Best in my subjective opinion.

    GnomeTank on
    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
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    IcemopperIcemopper Registered User regular
    GnomeTank wrote: »
    Well after some internet review searching, I pulled the trigger on a Shine 4. Should be here this week. Not real particular to the Year of the Horse space bar, but it's a standard space bar, so I could replace it with a custom cap easy enough. I'll probably try and clean up this Das Keyboard and do something with it, but some of the switches definitely need some rubbing alcohol love. Luckily it's not any of the main typing switches, but still annoying.

    Stuck with Browns, because Browns are Best in my subjective opinion.

    Post impressions of the Shine when you get it. I'm interested in that one too.

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    DehumanizedDehumanized Registered User regular
    I have the Shine 3 and it's a fantastic keyboard. I didn't like their "year of the X" spacebar cap either, but the board came with a less flashy spacebar replacement included that I could swap in.

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    GnomeTankGnomeTank What the what? Portland, OregonRegistered User regular
    It seems the Shine 4 actually comes with red WASD caps, instead of a less flashy space bar, but again, you can easily get custom space bar caps for Ducky boards. If it bothers me that much, I'll get one.

    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
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    DehumanizedDehumanized Registered User regular
    My Shine 3 also had the red WASD caps in the box, they look terrible

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    GnomeTankGnomeTank What the what? Portland, OregonRegistered User regular
    Yeah, I figured those would get put away, I have no desire to highlight my WASD keys. Especially not with a garish red color.

    I am kind of excited about the red/blue LED's though. Going to adjust mine to be a nice purple color.

    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
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    GnomeTankGnomeTank What the what? Portland, OregonRegistered User regular
    Keyboard is here!

    Fit and finish seems nice, the keys and the chassis have a nice matte plastic finish. This is a welcome change over my Das, which had a shiny black finish on the shell, which was a fingerprint and grime magnet. Year of the Horse space bar is as garish as imagined, but I can just get another one, no big deal. Back lighting works well, and is incredibly bright at it's top level. Has a nice color palette between red and blue (mine is a nice royal purple right now). It's not terribly heavy, but the rubberized bottom keeps it from slipping around. It doesn't use clip feet as it's stands, instead it uses these twist in "hooves". Seems to be a nice solution over all, as it keeps the keyboard at the correct angle, but won't easily break or collapse. The shell bevel is nice and thin, and the overall footprint of the keyboard is a good bit smaller than my Das, even though they are both full keyboards.

    Can't really say much about the switches people don't already know. If you're in to mechanical boards, you know the type of switch you like already and are comfortable with it. For me that's Browns, so no surprises here from the switches. For a keyboard in this price range, I would have preferred PBT key caps instead of ADS, but I understand that translucent PBT key caps are nearly impossible to come by in bulk if you aren't Deck. If it bothers me that bad, I can always get a custom set of translucent PBT caps, but for now, the ADS are more than fine. The ADS caps on my Das lasted for over three years, so for the most part the argument is academic on black keyboards that aren't going to really show the normal ABS yellowing.

    Overall it feels like a great keyboard with a lot of features and a very nice back lit setup.

    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
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    GnomeTankGnomeTank What the what? Portland, OregonRegistered User regular
    edited May 2015
    The lighting options are extensive too. I now have mine setup to keep the WASD cluster highlighted in a soft red, and the rest of the keyboard is setup to be typing reactive with a royal purple color that fades out slowly (the speed is adjustable). You can have two separate custom lighting zones, so you can have the overall lighting configuration (in my case reactive purple with a slow fade), and then two custom zones (I use the first custom zone) where you can set individual keys in that zone to a particular color/style. It's a bit complicated to figure out at first, especially since their little manual is the bare minimum required documentation. After about ten minutes of fiddling I was able to get this setup, and so far I really like it. I don't need the board full back lit all the time, just having the WASD cluster highlighting is plenty for me to anchor my hand correctly on the board in the dark.

    GnomeTank on
    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
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    mightyjongyomightyjongyo Sour Crrm East Bay, CaliforniaRegistered User regular
    My thoughts on kailh switches after using them for month: as loud as cherry blues, no noticeable quality issues so far. I think the real test will be how they feel three, six, nine months down the road.

    I also joined the infinity keyboard kit drop on massdrop and got gateron blues, so it'll be fun to try a programmable keyboard and another switch type. I hear gaterons are smoother than cherries though so I'm not too worried.

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    mtsmts Dr. Robot King Registered User regular
    my ducky zero came with dark grey wasd keys. looks spiffy but not too garish

    camo_sig.png
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    IoloIolo iolo Registered User regular
    GnomeTank wrote: »
    The lighting options are extensive too. I now have mine setup to keep the WASD cluster highlighted in a soft red, and the rest of the keyboard is setup with to be typing reactive with a royal purple color that fades out slowly (the speed is adjustable). You can have two separate custom lighting zones, so you can have the overall lighting configuration (in my case reactive purple with a slow fade), and then two custom zones (I use the first custom zone) where you can set individual keys in that zone to a particular color/style. It's a bit complicated to figure out at first, especially since their little manual is the bare minimum required documentation. After about ten minutes of fiddling I was able to get this setup, and so far I really like it. I don't need the board full back lit all the time, just having the WASD cluster highlighting is plenty for me to anchor my hand correctly on the board in the dark.

    I didn't know I wanted this in bold until now...

    Lt. Iolo's First Day
    Steam profile.
    Getting started with BATTLETECH: Part 1 / Part 2
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    GnomeTankGnomeTank What the what? Portland, OregonRegistered User regular
    Iolo wrote: »
    GnomeTank wrote: »
    The lighting options are extensive too. I now have mine setup to keep the WASD cluster highlighted in a soft red, and the rest of the keyboard is setup with to be typing reactive with a royal purple color that fades out slowly (the speed is adjustable). You can have two separate custom lighting zones, so you can have the overall lighting configuration (in my case reactive purple with a slow fade), and then two custom zones (I use the first custom zone) where you can set individual keys in that zone to a particular color/style. It's a bit complicated to figure out at first, especially since their little manual is the bare minimum required documentation. After about ten minutes of fiddling I was able to get this setup, and so far I really like it. I don't need the board full back lit all the time, just having the WASD cluster highlighting is plenty for me to anchor my hand correctly on the board in the dark.

    I didn't know I wanted this in bold until now...

    Trust me, I didn't either.

    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
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    finalbroadcastfinalbroadcast WisconsinRegistered User regular
    Anyone else have the Matias Ergo Pro? It's a split ergonomic keyboard with Matias' "quiet" ALPS switches. I've had for a bit and I like, but it is pricey. (~200) I'm also annoyed that the left side of the keyboard can't be used to wake the computer. I'm a fan, curious if anyone else likes it.

    finalbroadcast.jpg
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    chasmchasm Ill-tempered Texan Registered User regular
    So Massdrop has an interesting drop for a Ducky Shine going on right now... https://www.massdrop.com/buy/ducky-shine-4-special-community-edition

    steam_sig.png
    XBL : lJesse Custerl | MWO: Jesse Custer | Best vid ever. | 2nd best vid ever.
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    CuvisTheConquerorCuvisTheConqueror They always say "yee haw" but they never ask "haw yee?" Registered User regular
    edited June 2015
    Saw a really good deal on a refurbed Roccat Ryos MK on Woot... what are the thoughts on those? I guess it uses Cherry Black switches, but I'm still not entirely sure what the difference is between the different switch colors.

    CuvisTheConqueror on
    xderwsaxganu.png
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    mtsmts Dr. Robot King Registered User regular
    cherry blacks are the best, all the others are second best

    camo_sig.png
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    IcemopperIcemopper Registered User regular
    Saw a really good deal on a refurbed Roccat Ryos MK on Woot... what are the thoughts on those? I guess it uses Cherry Black switches, but I'm still not entirely sure what the difference is between the different switch colors.

    There's a lot of guides out there on what the switches do, but honestly the best way to tell the difference is to feel it yourself with a switch sampler, supplemented by a trip to Best Buy or something similar that has one on display.

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