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Is a mechanical worth it??

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If mechanical keyboard makes that loud and clean CLICK! after each pressed key, then I did own one in past, and was not really impressed. They keys took too much force to press, and the constant clicking was annoying. That much just be me, though 😛
Plus, I like how I can remove a few screws from a classic keyboard, and shower it clean 😛
 
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Octopuss said:
If mechanical keyboard makes that loud and clean CLICK! after each pressed key, then I did own one in past, and was not really impressed. They keys took too much force to press, and the constant clicking was annoying. That much just be me, though 😛
Plus, I like how I can remove a few screws from a classic keyboard, and shower it clean 😛
Click to expand...

By your description--the sound and the required force--it sounds like you tried a buckling springs board. That is one type of mech, but there are many others which range widely in sound and amount of force required to depress the keys.

I've tried the common Cherry switches, and I like blues the most. I use a WASD keyboard with low-profile PBT caps at work. It's loud, and my coworkers make fun of me.

My favourite is my Realforce 87u 55g, which is comparable in noise to a dome keyboard but feels ever so much better.

Mechanical keyboards are a lot of fun IMO compared to other types of computer gear, at least if you're the kind of person who's into tactility and clicking (etc.). People will spend hundreds for a few more FPS in their games... I figure it's worth a few bucks to get a fun keyboard that actually feels nice when you press the buttons.
 
It was very nice to dust off my old IBM Model M13 after 15 years for use at work.
Quite a difference from the Saitek Eclipse II that I was using before, and no one has complained about the noise ... yet 😛
 
birthdaymonkey said:
By your description--the sound and the required force--it sounds like you tried a buckling springs board. That is one type of mech, but there are many others which range widely in sound and amount of force required to depress the keys.

I've tried the common Cherry switches, and I like blues the most. I use a WASD keyboard with low-profile PBT caps at work. It's loud, and my coworkers make fun of me.

My favourite is my Realforce 87u 55g, which is comparable in noise to a dome keyboard but feels ever so much better.

Mechanical keyboards are a lot of fun IMO compared to other types of computer gear, at least if you're the kind of person who's into tactility and clicking (etc.). People will spend hundreds for a few more FPS in their games... I figure it's worth a few bucks to get a fun keyboard that actually feels nice when you press the buttons.
Click to expand...
Hm, I have no idea. This was like 12 years ago 😀
How difficult is cleaning a mechanical one? I bet you can't just take away the cover and put it in a shower, which is a problem, because stuff does and will end up inside, no matter how careful one is.
I wouldn't mind a keyboard that's sturdier and lasts longer, but the clicking is something I really don't like, even if it's quiet.
 
Octopuss said:
How difficult is cleaning a mechanical one? I bet you can't just take away the cover and put it in a shower, which is a problem, because stuff does and will end up inside, no matter how careful one is.
Click to expand...
It's not so hard to keep 'stuff' out of keyboards. I just wash my hands if they are dirty, and use a keyboard roof to prevent dust build-up when I'm not at the computer. If I'm drinking, I don't set the drink down right next to the keyboard.

For cleaning, you can wipe the keyboard, vacuum the keyboard, or pick off individual keycaps (this takes a while) and then vacuum underneath. Once detached, the keycaps can be washed. Obviously you can't wash the PCB with water, but I don't see how that would ever be necessary if you don't pour liquids into the keyboard.

I don't really do any cleaning on a regular basis. My other keyboard without roof does gather dust, so I wipe and vacuum it superficially once in a blue moon.
 
Octopuss said:
How difficult is cleaning a mechanical one?
I wouldn't mind a keyboard that's sturdier and lasts longer, but the clicking is something I really don't like, even if it's quiet.
Click to expand...
I don't think its too difficult if you bought ones that are somewhat similar to Corsair's design. The conventional base is shaped like a tray, easy to trap dust. Shouldn't be the case with a flat base like Corsair K70, or at least it'll make cleaning much easier.

There are linear or tactile switches that has an audible thud rather than a click. It should be a hair less annoying than blues if you hate clicks.
 
It depends on your preference, usage and budget.

I got a mechanical keyboard, and I estimate that it has to outlive me to be a reasonable investment.
Heirloom keyboard 😵
 
Well I ended up getting one. Got the CM Storm QuickFire TK, with blue keys, it was on sale + rebate. So far I like it. I like the way it feels, though I'm not sure how I liked the numpad being combined with the arrow keys and delete/home/end/pg up/down, etc...Takes some getting used to, but it does make the board shorter.

I do wish it was a bit quieter, but it's not much of a bother really. Still getting used to keyboard as a whole at the moment

One question though, how would you go about removing the keys to clean them off?
 
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lilrayray69 said:
Well I ended up getting one. Got the CM Storm QuickFire TK, with blue keys, it was on sale + rebate. So far I like it. I like the way it feels, though I'm not sure how I liked the numpad being combined with the arrow keys and delete/home/end/pg up/down, etc...Takes some getting used to, but it does make the board shorter.

I do wish it was a bit quieter, but it's not much of a bother really. Still getting used to keyboard as a whole at the moment

One question though, how would you go about removing the keys to clean them off?
Click to expand...

You can pull them off with your fingers if you can get a good grip, but buying a keypuller would be a good idea. I'm surprised your CM didn't come with one... my Quickfire Rapid did.

The wire type is good:

http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/index.php/wasd-wire-keycap-puller-tool.html

Or you can use a plastic one:

http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/8312/products/281-512-0049-large_grande.jpeg?0
 
Oh it did come with one, I just didn't know what it was lol. So far I'm liking the keyboard. Waitin to see if it'll make any difference in my hands getting sore after typing for a while or not.
 
Hmm you know I'm not sure how much I like this keyboard...I don't really like the way the arrow keys are whatnor are integrated into the numpad. I also don't think the Cherry Blue key types are for me...I can still return this one no problem though

I've heard good things about Rosewills RK-9000 keyboads, and they're reasonably priced. I like the tactile feel of these keys, but not so much the loud clickiness. I also sometimes find myself accidentally holding the button down and spamming a letter, or not quite pressing it hard enough to register a letter. I'm thinking the Brown type might be a better fit for me
 
birthdaymonkey said:
buying a keypuller would be a good idea
Click to expand...
If you can't be bothered to buy one, a heavy-duty paper clip is easy to twist into a passable key puller. You want to form two hooks which are easy to slide under the key and lift the key from opposite corners.
 
lilrayray69 said:
Oh it did come with one, I just didn't know what it was lol. So far I'm liking the keyboard. Waitin to see if it'll make any difference in my hands getting sore after typing for a while or not.
Click to expand...
What parts of your hands usually get sore?

For me, it was the little finger and the outer edge of the hand. Programming overexerts the little fingers pretty bad, and so does the QWERTY layout in general. Switching keyboard layouts from QWERTY to Colemak was a much bigger deal for me than getting a nice keyboard, though I'm sure my Topre's 35g keys on the little fingers are helping.
 
I just replaced my Saitek Cyborg V5 with a Qpad MK-50 with Cherry MX Red switches.

Actually I hadn't planned to get a mechanical board, but when the Saitek broke down I needed a replacement quickly, so I was limited by what the local computer stores carried. The MK-50 was one of the few quality, no-nonsense keyboards available.

So far I really like it. With the linear switches, it doesn't feel too different from a regular keyboard, just much smoother and more crisp than the mushy rubber domes. I have to get used to not mashing the keys all the way down - You can be really light on the keys with this board. I feel I already type faster, but still make a few more typos (double-tapping or accidentally hitting keys). The light feel makes it great for general use, such as alt+tabbing and entering other keyboard shortcuts, typing a few letters like the beginning of a URL, a filename etc. as well as for gaming. Maybe not ideal for writing walls of text, but certainly better than my old keyboard.
 
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I type with Cherry MX Blacks and I Game with Cherry MX Reds. I have a spare Corsair MX 60 in-case of returning for a problem. While I like the Blacks, I would get another Cherry MX Red if I could find an illuminated KB with Reds. It's not a pressing thing hence why I haven't really looked but mechanical keyboards are way nicer to type on than membrane boards. The only thing is the reliability. The Steel-series 6Gv2 had issues where a key would automatically repeat without even touching the key, and sometimes when being pressed. It gave ghosting a whole new level of a definition.

Glad to see you chose a mechanical. They are nice! I can't believe it's been this long before I became hip to them. What drove me to get one was the gaming scene, ultimately Unreal Tournament III which is still being played online: not a huge community but a fierce bunch of good players that've been playing since the beginning.

Good luck on your adventure!
 
IMO yes, I got a K70 at home (reds) for gaming and typing and purchased a Mech from Monoprice (blacks) for work

no one at work has complained about it yet
 
I have mixed feelings after owning a mechanical keyboard for 6 weeks.

One of the led lights burnt out after 4 weeks, then yesterday another burnt out.
Typing is loud, even tho they are red (non clicky) keys.
The neighbor's dog barks when I type.
Pressing the keys takes more time/effort than a membrane keyboard imo.
It's impossible to know when you reach the actuation point with the cherry red keys, so it's simpler to just bottom the keys out unless you want to miss characters in your sentences here and there.
Typing slows down because of this.
"2mm to actuation, 4mm to bottom." with a membrane keyboard, 1-2mm bottoming them out seemed more inline.

The positive points might be:
potentially the life of the keys (ie: max keypresses before failure).
My K70 has an aluminum top with the keys mounted on top, this helps reduce places for dust/debris to collect leaving the keys mostly safe/clean.
 
Yeah I tried out a CM Quickfire with MX Blues for about 1 week, didn't much care for it. Switched back to a ~$10 membrane keyboard that I find more comfortable.

I think if I were to get a new keyboard I'd try one of those ergonomic designs
 
LEDs in a keyboard should never burn out. I would contact the maker and let them know. Sounds like they got a bad batch of parts or they have a design error. Also check the voltage coming off your USB port that feeds the keyboard. It is possible it is too high. Should be 5VDC only
 
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