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With the desktop market shrinking and a lot of brick and mortar PC stores going out of business, I wouldn't expect a weird resurgence of mechanical keyboards places like Best Buy, or even Target. I got into the mechanical keyboard craze back in 2010, where it was impossible to find mechanical keyboards in any store. Asking people about mechanical keyboards got you weird stares. Nowadays though, I can go into my local Best Buy and have a variety of options to play with (granted its all Razer/Logitech/Corsair). Price points went way down too. My first and only mechanical keyboard was a DAS keyboard ultimate which was like $120. Now I can nab one for $60? I ended up giving away my mechanical to a friend just because I wanted something wireless and easy to move around ( I went from a full tower ATX machine to a mITX gaming machine, so lighter weight and portability become things I focused on.). I still game and enjoy a fine ~pc gaming battlestation~, but lately my favorite keyboard has been the Logitech K480 which I got for $26.  Keeping on the theme of light and portable, this keyboard is pretty impressive given my usage. It connects to three devices through Bluetooth, and you can switch on the fly with very little delay. Right now its paired with my PC, iPad, and iPhone. Makes texting and using iOS apps infinitely less painful because touchscreen will never be as fast as a physical keyboard. Better yet, I'm able to dock my iPad on there and look at guides when playing controller-games like Dark Souls. I'm stoked with how useful this thing is. In a dream world, it would have mechanical keys. But also, the thought of a wireless Bluetooth mechanical keyboard with a dock, settings dial, and battery operation seems like something that will likely never happen, especially for less than $50. But I can dream right?
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Jul 25, 2017 09:37
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redeyes posted:That is badass! I need to convince myself I actually need it. I only have a phone and tablet. One major gripe I have with it is that theres a bit of plastic creak when you pick it up or flex it. I think its because the front end part (where the tablet slot is) is weighted. But for 26 dollars we cant all be winners 
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Jul 27, 2017 21:26
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Picked up an Aukey 87 key for 30 bucks. Feels incredibly solid for the price. But good god this thing might be able to awaken the dread from their slumber. Not entirely sure if I like the noise level yet. Also, Aukey forgot to package in the 9 orange keys and the key puller. Guess i'll have to contact support and see if they can send me those.
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Dec 24, 2017 01:22
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I’m committing heresy but after three whole days of ownership i fully believe blue keycaps are deafeningly loud holy crap just playing shooter games alone is enough noise to wake the dead
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Dec 25, 2017 21:38
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The Unlife Aquatic posted:If it bothers you too much you can try o-rings and sound dampening clamps. Thats what I was thinking. But also it seems like getting decent o-rings is going to be half the cost of my keyboard (Aukey 87 key). I used to have a DAS brown back in 2011 which was cool but not really satisfying to type on because there was no click unless I bottom out. Trying to find a nice (and most importantly cheap) in-between of volume.
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Dec 25, 2017 22:49
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How stupid am I if I get that space grey mac keyboard for my windows PC that i'll also be playing videogames on? I'd really like a nice high quality keyboard to type on and be able to clean almost instantly.
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Dec 5, 2018 20:35
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I've been looking for a gaming keyboard that is much less loud than my rgb razer mechanical blue but also equally as easy to clean (because the switches are "raised" on a flat plane with no lowered area for the keys, there's literally no place for gunk or dust to get trapped). I was looking for a chiclet-styled kb with silence and easy-clean in mind. My roommate mentioned she had an old keyboard in her closet from her ~gamer days~, and it turns out its a razer deathstalker, which is essentially everything i wanted on paper. Unfortunately it's...just not a great keyboard. Lots of flex. The plastic not-removable wrist rest creaks when you use it. Some of the keys wont register unless you're pressing on the dead center of them. Some of the function keys like Ctrl & Alt are kinda screwy too unless you tap them from directly above. But at least all the positives are there? It's almost quieter than my generic rubber dome I use at work, and piss-easy to clean with a lysol wipe. If you guys have suggestions for an alternative to the razer deathstalker, i'd be really happy to hear them! Doesn't really have to be a gaming keyboard either, I just want something that feels quality. The Logitech K360 I used to have also fit this bill, but quality was pretty poor.
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Dec 10, 2018 17:57
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Dang the Roccat and the Corsair are close. Wish they were a bit more understated. Looks incredibly hard to avoid the RGB craze in anything computer related nowadays. I guess I could shut them off. How are Cherry Reds compared to browns with sound? The browns I had in my DAS were a fair deal louder than the OEM membranes I was used to, but that's because I cant break out of my bottoming out habit. Are O-Rings generally useful? e: oh my K-70 comes in silver :o buglord fucked around with this message at 23:44 on Dec 10, 2018 |
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Dec 10, 2018 23:40
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ALRIGHT, SCREW IT. Looks like im already getting back into the swing of things ordering a real goons keyboard. What are good options for MX Clears, with switches that aren't "nested" in the keyboard that allow for easy cleaning? Bonus points if its on Amazon. Don't care about backlighting. Would like keycaps that don't show dirt easily. Quietness is key. I'll consider 80%, but no smaller because I need number and function keys as separate keys. e: crap the 96 key keyboards look amazing. I basically want a keyboard with minimal frame. a lot of these keyboards im finding look nice, but have huge bezels/frames. how does this rabbit hole key going lower buglord fucked around with this message at 19:19 on Dec 13, 2018 |
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Dec 13, 2018 19:12
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Thanks for the suggestions guys. I have a little keyswitch tester coming in the mail today, so I'll get to try out the clears and others. Are there other switches similar to mx clears, but less rare? Or non-cherry?
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Dec 13, 2018 19:40
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god damnit my key switch tester came in and I really like the the "bounciness" of the black switch. The clear feels fine too, but i'm starting to think that maybe I don't like the bump? I guess that opens up a lot more doors, which is a good thing and bad thing because I thought I was finally narrowing it all down.
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Dec 14, 2018 02:14
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Yeah I figured. I dunno. I’m kinda set on the blacks because with my old Das brown, the sound of bottoming out still made the keyboard loud. It was nearly impossible to train my fingers to only apply actuation force. I’ve sorta entertained the idea of buying two first picks and returning the one I preferred least. That’s if I go the amazon route at least.
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Dec 14, 2018 04:44
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Yeah when I bottom I tend to see a lot of brown too unless I’m thoroughly cleaned
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Dec 14, 2018 21:28
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clockwork automaton posted:I have a problem What keyboard is this bottom one?
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Dec 15, 2018 06:10
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I think I narrowed down my keyboard options to two contenders: The Hyper X gaming keyboard https://www.hyperxgaming.com/us/keyboards/alloy-fps-mechanical-gaming-keyboard and the much more expensive Vortex Race 3 which everyone itt knows how it looks like. I tried the former out at Best Buy and was pretty surprised how much I liked it, and how quiet the keys were. The muted design, floating keys, and removable cable are fantastic. Then, for an almost $100 premium, I get to use an MX Clears keyboard if I go the Vortex route. But christ, im having trouble convincing myself that a change in switches could justify that much money. I'm less enthused about the design for the Race 3, but I don't want any other Vortex keyboard thats missing dedicated function keys. I seem to have the weirdest luck playing games that have keybinds in the oddest places.
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Dec 17, 2018 20:00
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My Vortex Race 3 arrived. It's really nice. Clear switches are quiet too. I kinda wish the F and J had little bumps on them so I can feel them better. Maybe i'll get used to it as time goes on. The build quality is staggeringly good though.
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Dec 22, 2018 21:51
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teethgrinder posted:Did it not come with alternative dished versions? Yeah the dished ones are in. I’ve always liked the little raised bumps though. The clears are shockingly heavy. I ordered a red one off amazon too so I can see which one I like most. We’ll see how that goes.
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Dec 22, 2018 22:52
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Oddly, I think I prefer the Vortex Race 3 with Cherry MX Reds. I really really thought I would like clears, especially after trying them on the little switch tester, but I love how smooth the reds feel as they go down. I guess I saved $5 feeling this way. Although now I have to go through the effort of returning the MX Clear keyboard.
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Dec 24, 2018 02:56
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please I have two keyboards now don’t send me through the hell of having a third one and needing to return 2
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Dec 24, 2018 04:25
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if i come back to this thread before 2022, its too soon
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Dec 24, 2018 04:49
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you people make me sick!
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Dec 25, 2018 01:52
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Vortex Race 3 on MX Reds is great and a pleasure to type on. The keyboard is silent, quieter than or equivalent to my rubber dome at the office. The build and weight feels stellar, the plastic keys feel great on the fingers, the design is elegantly minimalist. At 4 days of ownership I'll probably have more opinions as time goes on, but it's a real winner for me currently. If I had to nitpick, it would be on the accessories. Keycap puller would have been a nice addition, the bundled micro-USB cable looks awfully generic. Would have been nice to have a braided cable. Thank god its removable. For $155, a keycap puller and a higher quality cable shouldn't be a huge ask. Nitpick aside, great purchase.
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Dec 26, 2018 20:22
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Addamere posted:Another question here is "why mechanical"? I've read the OP, and I get the keystrokes thing. But you know what's finally failing on my G110? It's not the keys. It's the USB connector or firmware or whatever, causing it to sometimes randomly disconnect/reconnect to Windows. Troubleshooting has isolated it to the keyboard, not to the specific machine or USB port. So when there's this noise about how a mechanical keyboard will last longer than bubble dome, I'm kind of like meh whatever? If that makes sense. Eh, I'm inclined to agree. Something is only as reliable and sturdy as as its weakest link. Kinda reminds me of when I bought a $70 logitech mouse rated for a zillion clicks but had to toss it because the cord became damaged over time which made the rest of the mouse build quality irrelevant. If you're buying mechanical for sake of longevity or perceived savings, you're probably not going to get a return on investment unless you keep the thing for a few decades. Or worse, you'll do what some of us do and buy multiple mechanical keyboards because of brain worms. You'll probably never beat the value of buying a $8 Verbatim Slimline Keyboard every 5 years. I think most folks here are hooked on the typing feel though. And if you're spending $100-200 on something that by and large operates the same as a $8 device, build quality will likely be a bit better, yeah. At that price point, there will probably be a few features that will be uniquely useful to yourself, which might make you want to hold onto the keyboard as long as possible. Like the OP also says: you use it literally all the time, why not invest a little? Some of the mechanical keyboards out now include a removable USB cord which removes a failure point. Definitely a fan of that new trend. Anywho, I came back to the thread to talk about my Vortex Race 3. I think it's been a month of ownership now? I love it to bits. I'm still pretty shocked that I ended up preferring the cherry reds over clears. Oddly, I feel like I type quieter and bottom out less on linear keys. I was easily louder on my old Das Keyboard with cherry browns because I kept trying to hit the actuation bump but not bottom out. But yeah, this keyboard is a joy to type on. Smooth keystrokes, the nicely textured caps, whisper silent typing, lovely weighted feel with no frame flex. Totally good purchase.
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Jan 21, 2019 19:57
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CRAYON posted:The Race 3 is a nice looking board that I have come close to getting a couple times. I'm just not sure about the big escape key. I think other posters are right regarding the odd escape key size (and I think delete being longer too). I don't really intend to replace the keycaps soon so that won't be a huge deal for me, but I get where others might be concerned if planning to switch them out. The only thing I dislike about the keycaps are the F and J keys having too subtle of a difference. Maybe I'll be able to feel in a few year's time, but I'm still putting my fingers on the wrong keys every now and then. Liking the linears was a huge surprise for me. 2011 me liked loud, forceful, and stiff, whereas 2019 me prefers just the opposite.
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Jan 21, 2019 22:01
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shovelbum posted:stuff unrelated and sorry in advance for the weirdness, but are you in archaeology/CRM? your username and all. e: sorry to hear man. my buddies are going through that same trajectory right now. good money for me while I was working between semesters, but yikes otherwise. buglord fucked around with this message at 22:24 on Jan 21, 2019 |
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Jan 21, 2019 22:19
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I decided to upgrade from my Vortex Race 3 w/ cherry reds (below) last month into something that was wireless, could support multiple bluetooth connections (for desktop, work computer, iPad), and was quieter.  That journey took me a lot of places, but in the end, after it was all said and done, I think i'm happy with the notably non-mechanical Logitech MX Keys. It was goofily priced at $120, probably wont ever feel as good as a mechanical, but its dead silent and I think that's what I missed the most from a keyboard. The mechanical keyboard market still seems to be getting bigger as time goes on, so optimistically I can enter the market again when there's BT-connected mechs that are similar to Keychron but also dead silent straight out of the box, but that seems unlikely because even the Logitech MX Mechanical felt too loud with the brown switches. Let me pray to the lord that im good with this keyboard and dont need to spend this much money on a peripheral again for, at minimum, 5-7 years.
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Mar 20, 2023 05:45
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My weeb coworker is going to Japan soon and is gonna take advantage of the weak yen to get a fancy made in Japan mechanical keyboard. He has several requests: 1)made in Japan 2)high quality, no flex, wobble. Incredible manufacturing processes. 3)ten key 4)hot swappable ideal because he doesn’t know what switch type he’s gonna be into. 5) preferably wireless. I’d say the first 3 asks are the most important, with 2 being a dealbreaker if not sufficiently met. I could have sworn ducky was Japanese but it’s Taiwanese but they’re apparently high quality right? High quality enough to hit #2?
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Mar 1, 2024 00:37
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