Tenkeyless mechanical keyboard - Corsair, CoolerMaster or Razer?

[boren]

I need more room on my desk (to fit a Logitech G13 game keypad) and am looking at tenkeyless keyboards. So far the following options caught my eye:

Razer BlackWidow Tournament Edition
Corsair k65
Cooler Master Storm QuickFire Rapid

The Razer uses blue Cherry MX switches and is relatively cheaper; the Corsair uses red switches and is new and more expensive; the CM price is in between these two and has versions with red/blue/black/brown/green switches. Other than this aspect (which I'm still researching), are there other differences to take into consideration?

Thanks!

Edit: Here's a picture of each keyboard (not from the exact same angle, so the CM looks larger).

 

[Puffnstuff]

While I don't use a compact kb I do use a blackwidow ultimate and razor support has been excellent for it.

 

[bononos]

If Razer hasn't changed their oem for their mechanical kb then you should be warned that their quality is poor for the money (same their other products).
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2300481

 

[Wall Street]

CM Storm Quickfire Rapid is the best TLK available for a reasonable price. The newer version also doesn't have the CM Storm branding all over it. The only complaint some people have is that they use an aggressive "gamer" font and some people may prefer more traditional lettering.

 

[birthdaymonkey]

Quickfire Rapid all the way. It's pretty comparable to a Filco at a little over half the price (albeit a lot uglier than a Filco). I wouldn't even consider Corsair or Razer for a mechanical keyboard.

 

[boren]

CM Storm Quickfire Rapid is the best TLK available for a reasonable price. The newer version also doesn't have the CM Storm branding all over it. The only complaint some people have is that they use an aggressive "gamer" font and some people may prefer more traditional lettering.

The branding and font don't bother me. I don't usually look at my keyboard. It needs to be comfortable to use, functional and of good quality. The problem is that all of these keyboards seem to fit this description.

Quickfire Rapid all the way. It's pretty comparable to a Filco at a little over half the price (albeit a lot uglier than a Filco). I wouldn't even consider Corsair or Razer for a mechanical keyboard.

Why wouldn't you consider a Corsair or a Razer? Their keyboards typically get as-good reviews as the CM.

While I don't use a compact kb I do use a blackwidow ultimate and razor support has been excellent for it.

I have to admit that in 25 years of owning many membrane keyboards, I've never needed support for any of them. What would you need Razor support for?

 

[boren]

If Razer hasn't changed their oem for their mechanical kb then you should be warned that their quality is poor for the money (same their other products).
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2300481

That's good to know and certainly doesn't add any points to Razer, but when comparing the two specific keyboards that interest me (using Amazon) the Razer BW Tournament doesn't seem to get a smaller percentage of 1 and 2 star reviews than the the CM Quickfire Rapid.

http://www.amazon.com/Razer-Blackwid...owViewpoints=1

http://www.amazon.com/CM-Storm-Quick...owViewpoints=1

Edit: Similar results in Newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16823129002

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16823114029

In both sites the CM is much more popular than the Razer. I wonder what the reason for that is, beside better marketing. In terms of functionality and features these are very similar keyboards, and the Razer is a tad cheaper which should give it an edge.

 

[boren]

I added a picture of the three keyboards to the first post. I notice that the CM keys at the bottom row are of the same size, while the Corsair and Razer use large buttons for some keys. Is there any preference for one over the other?

One other difference I notice that I do like is that the space between the F-keys row and the numbers row is slightly larger in the CM, which is similar to all other keyboards I'm used to.

 

[Wall Street]

The CM Storm is popular because, as mentioned earlier, it uses the same stabilizers and backplate plate as the filco which is $150 for a TKL board. If you don't want to learn about this stuff you can keep thinking that all mechanical keyboards are the same. If you do want to learn, you can google Geekhack.

 

[bononos]

That's good to know and certainly doesn't add any points to Razer, but when comparing the two specific keyboards that interest me (using Amazon) the Razer BW Tournament doesn't seem to get a smaller percentage of 1 and 2 star reviews than the the CM Quickfire Rapid.
.......

In both sites the CM is much more popular than the Razer. I wonder what the reason for that is, beside better marketing. In terms of functionality and features these are very similar keyboards, and the Razer is a tad cheaper which should give it an edge.

CMs probably get more reviews from people who actually use their keyboards for serious work rather than just goofing on games which is why the number of -ve reviews are higher. I don't think Razer keyboards get any consideration outside of the gaming community.

 

[dkm777]

I use a Razer, because it was the only tenkeyless widely available locally and since I don't game that much anymore I wanted MX blue swithces. Can't say I'm disappointed, because it does what I need - comfortable typing and takes less space. I don't thrash it around so I hope it won't break any time soon. My brother uses a first gen Blackwidow and it's been to hell and back, had a taste of some tea, coffee, red wine and who knows what else. It still works if you're wondering.

 

[birthdaymonkey]

Why wouldn't you consider a Corsair or a Razer? Their keyboards typically get as-good reviews as the CM.

I'm a bit of a keyboard enthusiast (although not to the extent of many of the regulars at Geekhack or Deskthority).

The Corsair and Razer are not widely compatible with things like replacement keycaps; they don't follow the industry standards. Furthermore, Razer's reputation for quality has never been great, and they're known more for their l33t gamerz colour schemes and fancy lights. Corsair lost points in my book when their first series of "mechanical" keyboards weren't 100% mech and actually included rubber dome switches on some keys. I like Corsair products in general, but I don't think they fit in the mechanical keyboard market.

CM's Rapid series is nice because it's 100% Filco compatible and built by the same OEM. I wouldn't buy any other CM keyboards, as they're all non-standard and made by other OEMs.

 

[aigomorla]

k95 or the CM mechanical keyboards are my top pick at the moment.
I was looking at a DAS keyboard tho.

The logitech's mechanical doesnt feel mechanical, nor do the K90.

 

[toyota]

sorry to necro here but those pics are not even close to scale. the K65 is much longer than the CM.

 

[boren]

Hey Toyota, since you bumped up the thread, I might as well provide an update. I bought the CM QFR with Blue MX switches, since these are considered everywhere as the best for typing. At the same time I also bought a Logitech G13 for gaming and an external numpad, which I placed to the right of the mouse for when I need to enter a lot of numbers.

So much for this plan. After a month of use I can say that I love the G13 and it's almost all I had hoped for (save for nitpicks), but I'm very disappointed with the QFR. The metallic sound of the Blue MX switches is almost cringe-worthy, and their "scratchy" feel doesn't help make things better. I also much prefer having the numpad as part of the keyboard and it turns out I use these keys much more frequently that I thought (I actually press the numpad-Enter with my right thumb while my right hand is still holding the mouse). I'm back to using an old Compaq keyboard (membrane-based, heavy and with standard layout) and am getting rid of the QFR.

I may get back to a mechanical keyboard, but it's going to have standard (full) layout, and it won't be based on Blue MX switches. I actually like the concept of an audible feedback (even more so than tactile feedback) and this is probably why I tend to bottom-out with force when using most keyboards. Assuming the audible feedback that I like comes from bottoming out, this leaves me with Cherry MY (which I use at work for many years and love) and Cherry MX black. But for now I'll just sit it out and use my old Compaq keyboard.

 

[Wall Street]

I may get back to a mechanical keyboard, but it's going to have standard (full) layout, and it won't be based on Blue MX switches. I actually like the concept of an audible feedback (even more so than tactile feedback) and this is probably why I tend to bottom-out with force when using most keyboards. Assuming the audible feedback that I like comes from bottoming out, this leaves me with Cherry MY (which I use at work for many years and love) and Cherry MX black. But for now I'll just sit it out and use my old Compaq keyboard.

I also use a Cherry MY switch keyboard at work. You can get a new in box G81 on EBay for less than $35 bucks shipped (although you need to make sure the listing is for qwerty and not an international layout). Definately a price where you can just pull the trigger and know you have one at home and one at work. I agree that the Cherry blue switches sound a little scratchy, that is why I use a Unicomp (same technology as IBM model M) at home for a more rewarding 'thunk' sound from the buckling springs.

 

[TheBigEarl]

I use a CM full size keyboard with the Cherry Red's and I couldn't be happier. Good mechanical feel but not a huge amount of noise. When you get used to it you will be able to type/game with a much lighter feel on the keyboard than you will ever get from a standard keyboard. There are a lot of videos online if you are worried about sound levels from the different switch types.

 

[Dizon]

Hey Toyota, since you bumped up the thread, I might as well provide an update. I bought the CM QFR with Blue MX switches, since these are considered everywhere as the best for typing. At the same time I also bought a Logitech G13 for gaming and an external numpad, which I placed to the right of the mouse for when I need to enter a lot of numbers.

So much for this plan. After a month of use I can say that I love the G13 and it's almost all I had hoped for (save for nitpicks), but I'm very disappointed with the QFR. The metallic sound of the Blue MX switches is almost cringe-worthy, and their "scratchy" feel doesn't help make things better. I also much prefer having the numpad as part of the keyboard and it turns out I use these keys much more frequently that I thought (I actually press the numpad-Enter with my right thumb while my right hand is still holding the mouse). I'm back to using an old Compaq keyboard (membrane-based, heavy and with standard layout) and am getting rid of the QFR.

I may get back to a mechanical keyboard, but it's going to have standard (full) layout, and it won't be based on Blue MX switches. I actually like the concept of an audible feedback (even more so than tactile feedback) and this is probably why I tend to bottom-out with force when using most keyboards. Assuming the audible feedback that I like comes from bottoming out, this leaves me with Cherry MY (which I use at work for many years and love) and Cherry MX black. But for now I'll just sit it out and use my old Compaq keyboard.

I think the G13s use Cherry MX brown. You might wanna try MX browns as your next mechanical keyboard if you dive into it again.

 

[Zap]

I currently use a CM Quick Fire full size with MX Brown, and I like it. The lettering is molded in (some keys backlit) so it shouldn't wear off like painted on keys.

My preference are the Brown, followed by the Red. I don't quite care for the Blue or Black.