I'm looking to buy a new keyboard soon, I've had my Logitech K350 for some time now. I'm looking for an upgrade and I've decided to go mechanical, I've tried a few in the shops and to me they do feel nicer than domes. The two links below are the ones which I've narrowed my search down to. I do have some parameters to fill, it must have a num pad and be available in a UK layout. I don't care about RGBs or any gamery gimmick, although it will be used for gaming. Ideally frameless and relatively small but also comfortable and I don't want to spend more that £80 (~$80 I'm guessing).
I'm leaning more towards the Roccat as I currently have a Roccat Kone mouse and I like the quality but at 80 quid, (to me) that is a lot to spend on a keyboard. I've never owned any QPAD equipment and so I don't what they are like build wise and I'm not sold on the aesthetics of the board but it is cheaper.
If anyone has had any experience with either of these keyboards, I would appreciate the comments or if anyone can recommend any keyboards which fit into my (admittedly specific) requirements, that would be great to.
Just to give my two-cents on the subject... I recommend only going with Cherry MX switches. Now this is just my preference, as I have used other switches, but the Cherry are the only ones that truly feel good under my fingers. As for @Thinking_Emoji's suggestion, I plus one that for sure, and @psycho_666 also has chosen a great series of keyboards. Either way, heading down the mechanical keyboard route is not one you'll regret!
First you should choose which switches you will use. You gave 2 keyboards but they are very different. One is with black switches which are linear and does not have physical actuating point ( the feel when you actually activate the button ) this means you will probably make more mistakes while typing and probably bottom out the keys which may hurt to your fingers after a long session on the computer.
The browns are the superior if you ask me because you have the tactile response when you actually activated the switch and that allows for faster double tapping or precise movement.
If you ask me first choose the switch then buy the cheapest with the extras you want.
Thanks for the suggestions and comments. That Das does look good, I just need to justify spending that amount (trust me, I've tried) as it's for my home PC, which is mainly used for internet browsing and gaming. Unfortunately the Logitech doesn't come in a UK variant, it's a small thing I know but I've tried US spec before and I couldn't get used to it.
I'm glad other people have found benefits with going mechanical and it's not just the case of the member berries. I did a little bit of research into the different types of switches and thought that either the red, blue or brown would suit me but with in my budget and spec, it's slim pickings.
The Gigabyte looks to be US layout but tempting. I can pick up the Roccat locally which sweetens the deal a little for me, so it's between the Roccat and Das. Now excuse me as I go to look down the back of sofa to try and find £22 (it's £5 delivery, my maths isn't that bad).
Those are 3 completely different types of switches... Red are quiet and linear with no feedback. Brown are quiet, but have tactile feedback, meaning they have bump when pressed, so they are not linear like the reds. Blues have both tactile feedback, meaning the bump and an audible click when pressed. So basically you want any mechanical switch, as long as it isn't really heavy for pressing.
In addition to this, if you're not sure what type of switch your fingers will prefer, they sell sample boards with one of each Cherry switch, so you can try them out before you buy a keyboard. I'm not sure how this will translate to typing on a full keyboard though, but it may be worth the investment before you dive into mechanical keyboards. There are probably samples of other switch brands, but I'm sure you'll be able to find them if you're inclined to see what else is out there.