I want an illuminated mechanical keyboard but I'm overwhelmed.

[balane]

I've decided to make the bump up to a mechanical keyboard. I really, really wanted to play with some in person but neither Best Buy or Frys has any in the stores for me to examine.

My budget is up to $150 or around there. I very much want it to be illuminated, I prefer white or blue but can also deal with red or green if need be.

I want a full size keyboard with the numerical keypad and function keys. Volume control would be nice. USB would be my first choice.

I play a lot of MMO's (GW2 currently.) and I also type often. I write a lot, very long technically oriented documents which are called Internal Controls. These can be dozens of pages long, even closing in on a hundred pages at times. I would say fast, mistake-free typing is my number one priority but MMO gaming is also important to me. (I move with the mouse, attack with the keyboard.)

I genuinely don't know what I want out of a mechanical keyboard, mostly I'm just interested in improving my keyboard interaction. I've only used cheaper membrane keyboards in my lifetime. I don't mind a clicking sound, in fact I think I may like it but could live without it if something else works better for me.

In the end I suppose I'm looking for the best all around switch. From my reading it seems like the MX Browns might be my best bet and then the blues just after that. Do you agree with that assessment? I've read a lot on mechanical keyboards but I guess I would like some personalized feedback from experienced users on my particular needs. (Which strike me as typical.)

Thanks for any help you can give.

 

[Viper GTS]

http://tigerimports.net/sunshop/index.php?l=product_list&c=117

That's probably a reasonable place to start.

Take your pick of all of the Cherry switches with your choice of LED colors.

I use Blues (Razer BlackWidow) and love them. Yes they're noisy. No, they've never been a problem even in an office environment.

Viper GTS

 

[moonbogg]

Corsair K90 all the way for me and it was made with MMOs in mind. It has a ton of macro buttons, blue illuminated keys etc. Cherry red switches are fabulous and smooth. Read the reviews.

 

[balane]

I know that Corsair board is highly recommended but I just don't care for all the light that shines out under the keys. I'm hoping to find a keyboard where only the marking on the key itself is illuminated and none bleeds out elsewhere.

I believe I'm trying to nail down the switch type I want first and then go from there.

On the blue switches, which is what I think I'm leaning towards, you have no issues gaming? No issues with double tapping? (That's my dodge move.) The clicking won't annoy me a bit and the typing on blues sounds very inviting, it's the issues I read about gaming on blues that concerns me at this point.

Edit: Also, who makes the Rosewill keyboards? Is it Ducky? They look remarkably similar, at least from photos.

 

[Blain]

Buy the white Ducky and be happy.
* White backlit (keys only)
* Mechanical switches
* $150 range

 

[balane]

Buy the white Ducky and be happy.
* White backlit (keys only)
* Mechanical switches
* $150 range

Looking at Duckies but I don't know what switch will best serve me; blue, brown, red or black. Right now which keyboard isn't as difficult as choosing a switch I'll like.

I know you guys can't tell me which switch I'll like best but since I can't test them all, or any of them really, I'm asking for personal feedback as far as typing and gaming goes on each type.

 

[alkemyst]

Keep in mind many mechanical keyboards unless also partially membrane will not have any of the modern keys for volume, mute, etc.

I like my logitech K800...it's got a good typing feel and one of the nicer membrance keyboards I have tried.

 

[Pia]

Switch type is truly personal preference. That said, I'd say brown switches are the safest bet if you can't try any switches in person before buying. I don't remember reading anyone being unhappy with browns - at most, people say they like something else more - whereas a number of people do find blues too loud, have trouble double tapping or do not like that amount of tactile bump. Some, including me, feel blacks are unresponsive and uncomfortably heavy. Some find reds too light. Reds are fine for most people; that said, when keys turn out to be too light for you, it can instantly destroy the usability of a keyboard. I have been forced to abandon a very nice keyboard (which has considerably lighter keys than the reds...) because I would type stuff accidentally when I was intending to just rest fingers on top.

My daily driver keyboard is a Filco with browns. If I needed to add a backlit board, I'd buy a Ducky with either blues or reds. But if I could only have a single keyboard for the future, I'd stick with browns.

 

[balane]

Thanks for the good advice. I'm thinking Browns will be the way to go for me since I can't test the differences in person. Looks like it's a nice all around switch that, you're correct, nobody seems to dislike.

Plus, that works out nicely for me because the new Logitech G710+ uses Browns and has all the features I want plus it slips right in at my budget cap. I keep reading that it's overpriced but it seems to be the one keyboard that has everything I desire.

 

[Remobz]

Thanks for the good advice. I'm thinking Browns will be the way to go for me since I can't test the differences in person. Looks like it's a nice all around switch that, you're correct, nobody seems to dislike.

Plus, that works out nicely for me because the new Logitech G710+ uses Browns and has all the features I want plus it slips right in at my budget cap. I keep reading that it's overpriced but it seems to be the one keyboard that has everything I desire.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcE26W6Swzs


""The world's leading hardware solution provider, Rosewill announced their newest member of the family to the best-selling Rosewill RK-9000 mechanical keyboard series; making its world debut is the new Illuminated RK-9100 series mechanical keyboards. You can now type away for hours in the dark while keeping your swagger.""

 

[Blain]

Keep in mind many mechanical keyboards unless also partially membrane will not have any of the modern keys for volume, mute, etc.

I like my logitech K800...it's got a good typing feel and one of the nicer membrance keyboards I have tried.

My K800 arrived yesterday. I really like it's operation so far.
I was using the wired Logitech Illuminated KB.

 

[ripster55]

Thanks for the good advice. I'm thinking Browns will be the way to go for me since I can't test the differences in person. Looks like it's a nice all around switch that, you're correct, nobody seems to dislike.

Plus, that works out nicely for me because the new Logitech G710+ uses Browns and has all the features I want plus it slips right in at my budget cap. I keep reading that it's overpriced but it seems to be the one keyboard that has everything I desire.

Check out the disassembly pics here. Looks good quality to me.

http://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalK...tech_g710_disassembly_pics_and_mod_to_remove/

 

[balane]

That looks pretty nice. I wonder if that paint will hold well on that plastic. It does look better and you're right, that looks like a very well constructed keyboard. I'm very happy to see that the O-Rings come off easily, that was my only concern should I not like the dampened feel/sound.

I have my list down to three keyboards now.

Logitech G710+
Rosewill Illuminated with Brown switches
Rosewill Illuminated with Blue switches

Been watching videos, reading, anything I can find. Those G710+ photos were really a boon for my selection process so thanks for posting the link.

Edit: On a side note, it's high time that keyboards started having USB 3.0 ports on them. It's a shame the Logitech couldn't be the first to offer this. I wonder how long until this becomes commonplace.

.

 

[jmachin]

Yeah I'm looking for something similar. My criteria are:

• Mechanical with brown switches
• White backlit keys that don't bleed
• 10keyless (so it doesn't include the numpad area)
• Isn't ridiculously chunky with panels added for no reason
• Preferably a USB 3.0 socket or two (although that's probably pushing it)

The closest I've found is this ducky one, but it doesn't have backlit keys ;/.

 

[balane]

That Ducky has USB 3.0? It doesn't specify, just says USB in the specs. I would be stunned if it was 3.0 because I haven't seen one yet and I just can't believe it.

 

[jmachin]

That Ducky has USB 3.0? It doesn't specify, just says USB in the specs. I would be stunned if it was 3.0 because I haven't seen one yet and I just can't believe it.

Oh no sorry it doesn't have USB3.0 either

 

[balane]

I ordered the Rosewill Illuminated keyboard with MX Blue switches. I'll see how I like it. The deciding factor was value driven. It was only $110 shipped and it has excellent reviews everywhere I look. The Rosewill keyboards seem to be very well made.

 

[Broheim]

webhallen.com (swedish e-tailer) just got ducky shine 2s in stock so I'm probably gonna pick one up with blue switches today.

 

[Remobz]

I ordered the Rosewill Illuminated keyboard with MX Blue switches. I'll see how I like it. The deciding factor was value driven. It was only $110 shipped and it has excellent reviews everywhere I look. The Rosewill keyboards seem to be very well made.

Looking forward to your review.

Hope you like it.

 

[Fallen Kell]

Keep in mind many mechanical keyboards unless also partially membrane will not have any of the modern keys for volume, mute, etc.

I like my logitech K800...it's got a good typing feel and one of the nicer membrance keyboards I have tried.

To which I call BS. The only reason most do not is for cost reasons because the mechanical switch and key adds to the cost of the keyboard (at about $1-2 per key). Plenty of mechanical keyboards have solutions to this, either taking a clue from laptops and utilizing a FN key to allow alternate functions for keys, or biting the bullet and simply adding the additional keys.

I use a Tesoro Durandal Ultimate G1NL. I don't know if I would recommend it to the OP as it uses red led backlight and he said he was really looking for white or blue. But since you can get it for around $80-90 now, you might want to consider it. I love it, but I also love the brown switches over all the others. To me they are the best compromise between typing and gaming. They do not suffer the issues that blues have with a difference in press depth for activation and de-activation (i.e. when you press the key down, it will activate at a certain depth, but to deactivate, the depth is higher up then the activation depth, so hovering at a depression depth and simply quickly jiggling your finger slightly will not result in multiple key strokes being registered). With the brown switches, the activation and de-activation depths are almost identical.

See this for details:
http://techreport.com/review/23405/rosewill-rk-9000-series-mechanical-keyboards-reviewed/3

As I said, I find the browns to be the perfect mix for both gaming and typing. I also like this keyboard as almost every key can be re-assigned or configured as a macro. It has sound adjustment, and media player keys (by way of using the FN key+F1-12). The backlight level is adjustable, and you can even turn it off and still read the keys (unlike many where it almost looks like black on black silkscreening, but some people like that look). It also is one of only 2-3 keyboards that are NKey rollover using a USB connection (and not converted to PS2). The only other ones I know of are Ducky keyboards, and of those, neither have a numberpad. This means there is no ghosting issues that the Corsair Kxx series have (which is still not fixed months after Corsair said they would fix).

 

[alkemyst]

You can call BS, but a FN+key <> dedicated media keys that many are used to having.

Do some have them? Yes.

 

[jhansman]

I wonder if that paint will hold well on that plastic.

You are wise to take note of this point. It's one of the reasons I got the WASD; it offers laser etched or engraved keycaps, along with a slew of other choices (keycap color, O-rings, etc.). Excellent value. BTW, I use a RAZR Black Widow at work, and it is loud, but well put together.

 

[naisanza]

http://tigerimports.net/sunshop/index.php?l=product_list&c=117

That's probably a reasonable place to start.

Take your pick of all of the Cherry switches with your choice of LED colors.

I use Blues (Razer BlackWidow) and love them. Yes they're noisy. No, they've never been a problem even in an office environment.

Viper GTS

I second this. The Ducky was going to be my first choice, but then I found the KBT Pure and loved it more. Naturally, because my first mechanical keyboard is the Happy Hacking Keyboard.

KBT Pure that I got - https://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=109
HHKB2Pro non-print - http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=pfu_keyboards,hhkbpro2&pid=pdkb400bn

 

[naisanza]

You can call BS, but a FN+key <> dedicated media keys that many are used to having.

Do some have them? Yes.

The keyboard that's coming in soon will

Previously, I've bound F6 and F7 to volume down and up.

 

[naisanza]

To which I call BS. The only reason most do not is for cost reasons because the mechanical switch and key adds to the cost of the keyboard (at about $1-2 per key). Plenty of mechanical keyboards have solutions to this, either taking a clue from laptops and utilizing a FN key to allow alternate functions for keys, or biting the bullet and simply adding the additional keys.

I use a Tesoro Durandal Ultimate G1NL. I don't know if I would recommend it to the OP as it uses red led backlight and he said he was really looking for white or blue. But since you can get it for around $80-90 now, you might want to consider it. I love it, but I also love the brown switches over all the others. To me they are the best compromise between typing and gaming. They do not suffer the issues that blues have with a difference in press depth for activation and de-activation (i.e. when you press the key down, it will activate at a certain depth, but to deactivate, the depth is higher up then the activation depth, so hovering at a depression depth and simply quickly jiggling your finger slightly will not result in multiple key strokes being registered). With the brown switches, the activation and de-activation depths are almost identical.

See this for details:
http://techreport.com/review/23405/rosewill-rk-9000-series-mechanical-keyboards-reviewed/3

As I said, I find the browns to be the perfect mix for both gaming and typing. I also like this keyboard as almost every key can be re-assigned or configured as a macro. It has sound adjustment, and media player keys (by way of using the FN key+F1-12). The backlight level is adjustable, and you can even turn it off and still read the keys (unlike many where it almost looks like black on black silkscreening, but some people like that look). It also is one of only 2-3 keyboards that are NKey rollover using a USB connection (and not converted to PS2). The only other ones I know of are Ducky keyboards, and of those, neither have a numberpad. This means there is no ghosting issues that the Corsair Kxx series have (which is still not fixed months after Corsair said they would fix).

Unless it's a topre, because it's a hybrid, no membrane keyboard feels better than a mechanical. imo