check out my sweg new Keyboard *NOW MODDED*

[DigDog]

so i just bought myself a new keyboard; !ermagherd, you say, "another crazy expensive thing which does nothing better than a standard $8 keyboard?"
wait, my friend. wait.

i got myself a VicTsing keyboard.

apparently they don't earn enough to maintain a website, because the only google link i can find is to their amazon webstore (incidentally, the link is here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01D41O5P2/ref=s9_dcacsd_dcoop_bw_c_x_1_w )

(that's the promotional photo, but it's genuine)

this is a tenkeyless cherry-clone mechanical, in this case a mx blue. i've done a 5 minute google search and i suspect the switches are Outemu Blue:

the switch is similar to mx blue, i can't really tell the difference; there's a lot of bottoming-out sound (also due to the backplate) with the switch' satisfying dip after activation. i'm gonna update when i install the dampeners next week, i suspect it will make the sound much better.

the keyboard is VERY rigid, there is barely any twist at all in the body, even using force. the keys are raised against the plate (there is no "shell" between plate and keys, it only covers the plate, so the bottom of the switch is visible). the cable is soldered (which i prefer, since i have never, ever had a cable come loose on a keyboard, and it's firmly in place unlike my wobbly and expensive CODE keyboard) and it only comes on USB, with full NKRO. there is one Windows key (left) and one Function key to use the media commands integrated into the F-keys (which i am never going to use ever).

the caps are ABS but they feel substantially better than the ABS i had on my CODE, which was pathetic (had to buy a set of PBT because of how bad they were). there is no backlight on this model but there are models available with it. the larger keys are decently balanced (backspace, spacebar, etc).

ok.

the keyboard was 27GBP shipped.

or, for you traitors who hate the queen, $30.

I will update the thread during the next days over a month, to see what goes wrong and what goes well; for now, i would say this keyboard is a steal - if you were thinking about getting some MX Blue but didn't want to throw $100 on a switch that's not made for gaming (they really aren't .. plus, the sound is ridiculously distracting when i'm playing), get one right now.

 

[jman19]

Interesting, would be curious to hear what your experience is with the board after spending more time with it.

I've dabbled in a few different boards and switches but haven't gone totally obsessed (like the Geekhack folks ).

Currently using a CM Storm Quick Fire Rapid w/ MX Blue switches. Wanted to give clicky switches a try after using Browns (for work mainly) and Reds (tried this for gaming). Reminds me a bit of my old, gigantic IBM M buckling spring board, though the mechanics are different of course.

 

[DigDog]

back in the days i had a Dell version of a model M, and i can say that cherry are nothing like the buckling spring. The blue switches have a firm actuation point after which they bottom out immediately, as there is no resistance left. springs remain firm throughout and imho are far superior as a feeling. both are good for typing, i would say maybe the blues are even better for speed. when i say feeling, i mean the actual feeling you get from the resistance of the switch - kind of the same thing as popping a bubble of bubblewrap; buckling springs have that ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffflopp! actuation while blues are all tak! tak! tak!, very dry in comparison.
for gaming in general i would still go with browns.
the thing about mechanical keyboard, is that you don't know until you try. never mind those "switch tester" things, you need a proper keyboard to tell what a switch feels like. i don't regret buying these blues and i'm sure i can improve them with the dampeners - they are on their way, i'll have them in next week.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Ehh, sorry?

I hope some day you can afford the glory of a good keyboard, but you won't find one for $30 any more. (Though both of the model Ms I use daily were about $15 used in the 1990s)
http://www.pckeyboard.com/page/SFNT

 

[Murloc]

I managed to get a Roccat Ryos TKL keyboard for a similar price.

Also very sturdy, mx cherry keys, and it has a palmrest, very comfortable to use.

And I love the tenkeyless size for the FPS gaming ergonomics. I never used it anyway.

 

[DigDog]

well BurnIt, Chyrosran22 (google it) ripped a new one to the Unicomp; i would still buy one, and it's probably in my list two months from now, but i wanted to try the blues. Also, "good keyboard" is debatable. Does my CODE with MX Clear + PBT qualify as good keyboard? or do we all need to be on 1970s beam springs?
I'm not saying this keyboard is a viable alternative to a quality switch .. but ... i am.

A good mechanical keyboard will last 10+ years, so it's reasonable to spend a hundred bucks on it; right?
This also means that you spend $100 on day 1, and then live 10 years with a keyboard you hate, because the switch doesn't suit you.

£27 for a keyboard with a proper backplate and cherry clones is a very good investment. Hey, who knows, maybe the contacts will start failing in a week, but unless *that* happens AND the seller refuses a refund, it's a pretty good buy for someone who wants to have an idea of what mx blue are like, and in the meanwhile own a tenkeyless with what-looks-like good build quality. i bet the resale value on this thing is pretty high too.

incidentally, i DO NOT like blues for gaming. i find that 1) the noise actually distracts me 2) the actuation does not suit micro-taps (obviously, duh! and also it likely gets better once you get used to the switch)
i bought this kb to type on at work (which is also why i will dampen it), as i type about 5~10k words a day (educated guess).
typing, they feel good. more satisfying than browns / clears, but then again, the browns are better for gaming, which is what i do mostly at home.

 

[DigDog]

it took them 3 weeks to get here, but finally i got my $2 O-rings to mod the keyboard. the bottoming out sound is gone, and there is the typical bouncy feeling of dampened switches. tried my typing on it and can't break 50 WPM, although the keys do have a very satisfying feeling when typing.
between the fact that they are blue clones(clicky), and that the 65g spring feels better than the 45g, i would say i prefer my cherry mx clear (browns + heavy spring, slightly different actuation point). the fun factor of the clickyness wears out after a while, but i really want to see this in action, at my workplace.
i'd still say this is a great buy at $30 of not-traitors money.

 

[Justinus]

A good mechanical keyboard will last 10+ years, so it's reasonable to spend a hundred bucks on it; right?
This also means that you spend $100 on day 1, and then live 10 years with a keyboard you hate, because the switch doesn't suit you.

I dropped $250 on a Topre Realforce that was worth every penny. I use it for work (programming) and while I'm not as quick typing on it as I am on something with MX Browns (I get ~110 on it while I can get 120+ on the browns), it's significantly more comfortable for typing large amounts.

I do get tired of it, but my hands don't. Usually after I'm finished working I switch to the other PC with MX Browns and clack away for a change of pace.

I feel like the MX Browns are much better for gaming, too.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I'm using a Gamdias Mech. Gaming Keyboard, with "rainbow" (non RGB adjustable color, although you can adjust the lighting pattern) backlight keys. Switches are "Blue", but not "Cherry MX Blue" (clones, apparently).

I like it a lot, it works pretty well, and I can usually type fairly quickly on it, but my fingers slip around a bit and I tend to make typos more often than I like, as compared to my IBM Model M keyboards. Unfortunately, the cables on the model Ms broke down at the entrance to the keyboard chassis.

 

[DigDog]

you can still fix it, if you have a welding tool.

@XabanakFanatik wow that is insane, i get 60 on a good day. i've recently started touch typing, although i prefer to look at the keyboard when i'm writing something which i don't have to copy or read off of elsewhere. OTOH, i dont need confirmation of what's on screen, so i dont need to look at what i'm writing. kind of "the other way 'round".

 

[BarkingGhostar]

One of these days I am going to find a place in retail to tease my fat and furious little sausage digits with on one of these cherry MX keyboards. I'm using an Apple keyboard instead of the el'cheapo PC boards. I do not mind spending the money but I have to ticking the pads of my fingers before spending the money. OK, enough innuendo.

 

[talueng]

I ordered the same keyboard because I wanted to try a mechanical keyboard without spending huge amounts of money. Not sure yet if I like it or not; while it's really sturdy, the loudness is kinda irritating. I feel like in an 80s office cubicle where everyone is typing on an IBM keyboard. Didn't try it for real typing/work yet though.

One question:

What o-rings are you using? What size do I need?

 

[Justinus]

I ordered the same keyboard because I wanted to try a mechanical keyboard without spending huge amounts of money. Not sure yet if I like it or not; while it's really sturdy, the loudness is kinda irritating. I feel like in an 80s office cubicle where everyone is typing on an IBM keyboard. Didn't try it for real typing/work yet though.

One question:

What o-rings are you using? What size do I need?

I ordered a bag of 400 of the 18 ga 3/16" diameter rings from here for about $10 shipped. It's about enough to outfit 3 keyboards. I added them to a Coolermaster Quickfire with MX Browns and really liked how it changed the feel. I also swapped out the nasty o-rings that came on my Logitech G710+ for these and it livened it up a lot.

I think they are a bit thinner than the o-rings that are being advertised for mechanical keyboards, so I think they affect the feel less but there's quite a nice improvement in my opinion.

 

[DigDog]

i don't know the exact size, but i know one thing: you don't need to buy o-rings "for keyboards", as you will be paying 10x what normal o-rings cost.
from what i can see here http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/index....mx-rubber-o-ring-switch-dampeners-125pcs.html you can use anything around 1.5mm thickness.
from overclockers.uk

Outer Diameter: 8,0 mm
Inner Diameter: 4,8 mm
Thickness: 1,6 mm

 

[Justinus]

i don't know the exact size, but i know one thing: you don't need to buy o-rings "for keyboards", as you will be paying 10x what normal o-rings cost.
from what i can see here http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/index....mx-rubber-o-ring-switch-dampeners-125pcs.html you can use anything around 1.5mm thickness.
from overclockers.uk

That's some good info there. That definitely shows the ~1mm rings I linked are much thinner. They don't dampen the bottoming outas much but provide a nice, crisp vibration dampening for the keystrokes that I appreciate.

 

[DigDog]

a quick update.

i've been using this kb steadily for 3 months now. here is what you want to know.

1) the caps are decent. there is a veeery tiny amount of shine on the WASD keys, which means you get about a year of life from the caps. consider that the caps on my CODE kb wore out immediately (a $150 keyboard), it's pretty decent. who wants ABS anyway.
also, consider that i'm a pig. i eat at my keyboard and .. well, i'm a pig.
2) the switch is clicky, and can be annoying for roommates. it's sharper and higher in pitch than a cherry, but the tradeoff is that it's really nice to type on. typing on these and typing on cherry clear is a totally different affair, and if i had to just type for work, i would go with these. much lighter, clear activation, nice return, you never need to bottom out. cherry clears are for gaming, and they take WAY more effort to use; but, they do give better results in FPSs.
i would not bring this in to work. not as loud as a unicomp, but still could be an issue.
3) that's it.

i would massively recommend this kb to ANYONE. but, i am also getting a NEW keyboard next week, which has .. drumroll ... OUTEMU BROWNS ! AND .. (imagine im typing in eve bigger caps here) IT COMES WITH PBT KEYCAPS ERMAGHERD!

and it's like, $50. so hang on for now because there's this new trend of people selling batch-made keyboards with cherry clones which means we can have everyone on a mechanical kb by the end of next year.