Mechanical Keyboard

I want to get a mechanical keyboard. It needs to be good for gaming and typing. I don't want it to be loud so blue switches are out. I am thinking brown but I am open to other switches. The only other thing is it needs to be stylish, backlighting would be a plus but not nessecary. Any help would be great thank you.

protip about mechanical keyboards:

they last foreeeeeever and dont wear out. especialy the old ones that were made in the good ol' U.S of A.

what i would do, is look on ebay for an old mechanical in the 20-30 dollar range. also, the "loud" switches are the tactile ones, which have the 'mechanical keyboard' feel to it. they rly are not that loud...

I want a stylish new one though. I'm not into white peripherals anyway.

Browns have the tactile feedback, although softer than the blues. They're generally for everyday typing but you can do lots of gaming on it.

The reds and blacks do not have the tactile feedback but they're both nonetheless, for gaming usually. One identifiable difference is that the reds do not need lots of actuation force since they're the lightest switch of all. Blacks are a complete opposite, being the heaviest of all. But there are other switches Cherry had made and I'm not sure about those ones. Some do have tactile feedback with lots of acuation required, while others are light.

 

ATM, I'm thinking of getting the browns since I read from several owners that the brown are the most preferable but I haven't had a chance to try them out since they're not available yet in NZ. I only tried the other 3.

 

If you need a happy balance between typing and gaming, browns are generally the way to go. Although, of course, it all comes down to personal preference.

Ok besides the razer Blackwidow stealth what other brown switch keyboards are out there.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=brown+switch+mechanical+keyboards

 

:D

Filco (I personally use this, awesome)

Das (almost as awesome if you can handle glossy finish)

Ducky

Happy Hacking Keyboard

And others that I can't think of right at the moment

 

Notice how none of these are marketed as "gaming" keyboards. I would recommend you look into it more, and please, for the love of God, don't buy the razer.

Here is a good website for mechanical keyboard info: http://geekhack.org/

It's probably out of your budget, but there's always the Deck Legend. They don't have browns though. They sell them with either clear or black. I've seen clears described as stiffer browns, becauser they're supposed to feel the same way, but they require slightly more force to actuate them. I have a Deck Legend with clear (tactile) switches because I'm both a gamer and a writer. It's definitely the best keyboard I've ever owned.

I do have to admit though that it takes a little getting used to while gaming just because it takes more force than your run of the mill membrane keyboard, but once you get used to it, you really can't go back to a cheap $5 keyboard.

i prefer white alps to any of the cherry switches..... but its all preference :)

Thought you would all appreciate what a good keyboard can and can't do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfiQYRn7fBg

Check out the following keyboards (all come in brown switches with backlighting):

-KBT Race

-KBT Pure

-Ducky Shining

-Keycool (comes in TKL and 84 key compact versions).

 

For sellers check out http://mechanicalkeyboards.com/ and http://www.vendio.com/stores/E-sports-Gaming-equipments

The vendio store is run by a guy named Qtan.  I've bought from him several times and he is a reputable seller in the keyboard community.  He will be the one to carry keycool keyboards very soon (within a few days).  He also carries Ducky Shining & KBT Race.  If you do buy from him, be sure to select expedited shipping because he ships most of his items out of China. 

Mechanicalkeyboards.com is run by a guy out of Tennessee iirc.  He ships incredibly quickly and has a huge selection.  He carries Ducky Shining, KBT Pure, & KBT Race.

Check out this thread for the keycool keyboards.  They are going to be priced below $100, which is an incredibly price for a mech kb with backlighting. 

KBT Pure

KBT Race

Ducky Shining

Keycool 84LED

Keycool 87LED


Keyboards without backlighting:

There are a ton more options for non-backlit mech kbs, more so than backlit ones.  "Stylish" is so subjective.  Check out CM Storm Quickfire & CM Storm Trigger (both are priced very well).  The CM Storm Quickfire is essentially a Filco (same guts as a Filco) but it has branding everywhere.  Leopolds are also good keyboards (elitekeyboards.com carries them).

Noppoo Choc Mini is another good non-backlit keyboard (84 key, not TKL) which is very cheap.

 

Go to WASDKeyboards.com and you can design your own keyboard from the ground up (switch type, keycap color, keycap legends, etc.)  The owner is an awesome guy and can do amazing keycaps designs.  You can even submit your own artwork and he will engrave or laser them onto the keycaps for you. 

Ztrain:  could you describe the feel of the alps switches compared with the verious cherry MX models?  I'm having trouble finding a good compadison between them elsewhere online.

no idea how you can stand 10key-less keyboards.... i <3 my number pad....

white alps:

Type: Clicky & Tactile Mechanical Switche
Tactile: Yes
Clicky: Yes
Actuation Force: 60g-70g (Force Diagram)
Key Travel: 3.5mm

 

cherry brown:

Tactile: Yes
Clicky: No
Actuation Force: 45g (55g Peak Force) (Force Diagram)
Key Travel: 2mm to actuation, 4mm to bottom

 

andjust wanted to say, i have a white alps keyboard, i have typed on various cherry switch keyboards, but i do not own any...

ill try to explain the white alps as best as i can... when you press down on the key, its a very light press at first, about 1/2 way down they key 'clicks' it then gets progresivly harder to push down the key, however the key responds when it clicks. becasue of this, you dont "bottom out" they keys (you dont have to press them all the way down). so when you type, as soon as you hear or feel the click ,your finger jumps to the next key. it takes a few days to get used to that switching from a membrane keyboard, but its much nicer to type, and i feel like i can type faster on this keyboard.

Ditto.  I only use TKL for gaming.  I've got an IBM Model FAT also hooked up that I use for typing, web surfing, paper writing, etc. 

Old school buckling springs (especially capactitatve buckling springs) are my favorite switch...they make blues & alps feel cheap in comparison. I love the tenkey layout on the Model F AT too...the escape key being on the tenkey is a throw back to the days that DOS reigned supreme.

I never use my numpad, so I like the space saving and the cleaner look of TKL.

Whatever you do don't buy blacks if you want to type. They're hard as a mutha fucker to press. At least on my mionix zibal. I like to press the buttons all the way down. I'm going with blues next. I like the click sound.