Is a mechanical worth it??

[chubbyfatazn]

Well,Roccat is focused on gaming peripherals,not office etc.The keyboard does need a processor (Although 2 of them seems overkill and gimmicky) to have all the features the Ryos has,like the backlight effects etc.Most of them are gimmicks,I'll give you that,but they're nice to have nevertheless.I could pay 130 and get the regular Ryos,which isn't illuminated so meh,or pay 160 and get the Ryos MK Glow,which is illuminated but doesn't have audio jacks and USB passthrough (Neither does the regular Ryos),things I want and probably need,because I sit far (>2m) from my PC and such things make life easier.Still,190?Can't easily justify that.
On the switches topic,I think I'll be going with browns.They seem to be the most balanced.I like the noise,but not too much of it.I don't really care about the click as long as I have the tactile feedback at the actuation point and I don't want to simulate the feel of membrane keyboards that I've come to consider duds over the years.So no blues and reds probably.Blacks,I think,are too stiff for my tastes,so it seems like browns are for me.Greens?Never.Bad thing is,no store here seems to have a mechanical keyboard on display.Even a cheap one will suffice.I just want to try out the different switches.Pfff...

Fair enough. Although I still think stuffing a Cortex in there is... overkill, lol. Plenty of other manufacturers such as Ducky have backlit keyboards without the added expense of something as powerful as a Cortex inside.

Browns were actually too light for me (45 cN actuation force iirc). Blues, 55cN; greens, 80cN. I know Cooler Master and I think WASD Keyboards sells a little switch tester kit. It's just each of the Cherry switches mounted side-by-side.

At this point I'd probably tell you to figure out what oem makes the keyboard. All those features are gonna be useless if you get a poorly-made keyboard that breaks after a few weeks of use. Of course, for that price I'd expect it to be reasonably well-made, but after getting burned by Rosewill I've gotten pretty anal about who makes my keyboards. They're expensive for just being keyboards.

 

[tolis626]

Fair enough. Although I still think stuffing a Cortex in there is... overkill, lol. Plenty of other manufacturers such as Ducky have backlit keyboards without the added expense of something as powerful as a Cortex inside.

Browns were actually too light for me (45 cN actuation force iirc). Blues, 55cN; greens, 80cN. I know Cooler Master and I think WASD Keyboards sells a little switch tester kit. It's just each of the Cherry switches mounted side-by-side.

At this point I'd probably tell you to figure out what oem makes the keyboard. All those features are gonna be useless if you get a poorly-made keyboard that breaks after a few weeks of use. Of course, for that price I'd expect it to be reasonably well-made, but after getting burned by Rosewill I've gotten pretty anal about who makes my keyboards. They're expensive for just being keyboards.

Well,if you look past the fact that 80% of the comments related to the Ryos are about how ugly it is (Whereas I want it mainly because I love its looks-Yes,I am an adult,but judging by the beliefs of some,the overdone styling of gaming peripherals appeals to not only 14 year olds) and how overkill the ARM processors are (I think they're M0,not something like A15 in smartphones),it seems it's a solidly built keyboard,with lots of features and very good software (Can't say the same about Razers).At least according to reviewers,that is.

Also,according to Roccat,the ARM processors are about handling all the "features" without compromising performance and becuase there is an SDK to go along with the keyboard.That way,no matter what the hell you do,the keyboard will do what you want.I've used gaming-oriented keyboards with crap software in the (admittedly distant) past,and nuiansces like being late in registering keystrokes after using macros were a pain.It's also supposed to work with the user-defined profiles stored in its memory without the need of all software/drivers from Roccat.

To be honest,I too think it's overkill.I'd go for the Ryos MK Glow for like 40€ less (Not the regular Ryos,I want illuminated keys this time around).However,Roccat's engineers were either very smart or very stupid to incorporate headset support and USB passthrough in anything but the MK Pro.And,because of my setup here at home,I want both.Only keyboards I know of in similar price ranges that are mechanical and have these are Gigabyte's Aivia Osmium (The most bad-looking one around) and some Razers,but I'm told to avoid Razers on top of me not liking them.There's also Logitech and Corsair with their backlight issues (And Logitech doesn't even have audio jacks on the G710+),but meh.

Finally,I'd buy a switch tetser to try out the different switches but I have some hurdles with international shipping...Damn Greek regulations!

 

[chubbyfatazn]

snip

I wasn't making a remark about its looks - as you've probably heard about 10564 times by now, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. There's bound to be someone out there who thinks Jessica Alba is butt ugly, and I couldn't care less.

You've done more research than I obviously have, and if that's what fits the bill for you, then go for it. Admittedly though you have me intrigued now by mentioning the inclusion of an sdk with it.

Also... smart for them, dumb for the consumer (aka you). Basic business principles! lol

 

[tolis626]

I wasn't making a remark about its looks - as you've probably heard about 10564 times by now, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. There's bound to be someone out there who thinks Jessica Alba is butt ugly, and I couldn't care less.

You've done more research than I obviously have, and if that's what fits the bill for you, then go for it. Admittedly though you have me intrigued now by mentioning the inclusion of an sdk with it.

Also... smart for them, dumb for the consumer (aka you). Basic business principles! lol

It's quite a lot of money for a student,of course I've done my research

Anyway,I'll agree with you on the looks comment,although I didn't mean that you had said something along those lines.However,the SDK part may prove very interesting,although most probably it'll end up useless.It's there nevertheless.We'll see...

Regarding the smart/dumb comment...Yeah,it's probably something like that.60€ more for a USB hub and audio jacks.Meh...

 

[cbrunny]

This thread is helpful. I've been debating between the Corsair Vengeance K95 and the Corsair Raptor K50. They're basically identical, except the K95 is mechanical.

$150 on a keyboard is pretty steep, so still not sure I want to plunge yet but man am I ever tempted...

Edit: Well, I guess that answers that... Direct Canada has the Corsair M95 on right now for $68 + Free Shipping. I've been looking for this mouse on sale and this is a pretty decent price especially with free shipping.
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11180ID6121&vpn=CH-9000025-NA&manufacture=CORSAIR

 

[Lat]

The reason why I initially bought a mechanical keyboard was for NKRO (n-key rollover), as I use my keyboard only for vehicles while playing Battlefield 4, which can require 6+ simultaneous keys.

Once I got my keyboard, I realized how lovely it is to touch type compared to my old rubber dome keyboard. Good thing the purchase of my one mechanical keyboard (Leopold w/ Cherry MX Browns) will likely last a long long time

 

[tolis626]

You've done more research than I obviously have, and if that's what fits the bill for you, then go for it. Admittedly though you have me intrigued now by mentioning the inclusion of an sdk with it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrWnyFhw2tA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZOqdZGUJZw

So that's what the processors and SDK are for...Still,2 ARM CPUs on a keyboard is overkill,but I must say I am impressed.I'll make sure to post my opinions here once/if I get the keyboard.Right now,it's not available in Greece,so I'm thinking amazon.de now.I just hope that there aren't any exorbitant shipping or customs fees for orders from an EU country to another...I guess there aren't,but does anyone have any idea?

 

[Remobz]

This thread is helpful. I've been debating between the Corsair Vengeance K95 and the Corsair Raptor K50. They're basically identical, except the K95 is mechanical.

$150 on a keyboard is pretty steep, so still not sure I want to plunge yet but man am I ever tempted...

Edit: Well, I guess that answers that... Direct Canada has the Corsair M95 on right now for $68 + Free Shipping. I've been looking for this mouse on sale and this is a pretty decent price especially with free shipping.
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11180ID6121&vpn=CH-9000025-NA&manufacture=CORSAIR

Do not buy corsair keyboards. They have many issues at the moment.

 

[cbrunny]

That's what I've heard. I'm holding off for now. It really is too bad though, since the Corsair Vengenace K95 is 100% of what I am looking for. No more, no less. And it doesn't look stupid like most gaming keyboards too.

 

[bononos]

Do not buy corsair keyboards. They have many issues at the moment.

What sort of issues other than the dying leds on the k70?

 

[Aldon]

I'm currently typing on a CM Storm QuickFire Rapid Stealth with MX blue switches. I can't be happier. Plus, you can always replace the keycaps, you get a keycap puller, and my typing speed has increased exponentially.

 

[tolis626]

What sort of issues other than the dying leds on the k70?

None I think.Apart from that everyone says it's a great keyboard,especially if the choice of switch suits you.Unless they find a way to isolate the LEDs from bursts of accumulated static (Corsair seem to think they did with the in-switch LEDs of their mechanical RGB keyboard they showcased at CES),LEDs are gonna die.Especially bad quality ones.
That said,I'm set on the Roccat Ryos MK Pro with blue switeches (Tried a Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2013 and loved the feel of the blues,especially the noise),but its MIA.Only 3 Greek retailers have it and only have the one with black switches.And I also couldn't find a US/UK layout one with blues all around Europe (I did find the German one but it's a no-go).America seems to be out of the question due to shippings costs to Greece and possible customs fees.Damn,I'm depressed...

 

[tolis626]

After trying to convince myself to not buy the Roccat (Yet :whiste: ),I ended up buying Logitech's G710+.I liked it,trust Logitech from experience and,well,it makes a nice set with my G500s mouse.

So what can I say..?Is a mechanincal worth it?Yeah.Absolutely.Maybe not 150€,but it's worth giving more money for one.Something like CoolerMaster's keyboards would be ideal for someone not wanting to break the bank,for example.There's not a whole lot more to say,other than that I hope to have no troubles with LEDs dying and stuff.

By April I'll hopefully have a friend bring me the Roccat Ryos MK Pro with blue switches from the USA (She'll go on a trip there).I'll make sure to post opinions about it.And I'm highly optimistic about it.

 

[Sydneye118]

I personally think so, I've gone through multiple wireless keyboards and haven't found the satisfaction I'd like in a keyboard using those. A mechanical keyboard should last for years, look into corsair they have great mechanical keyboards, always a sleek look and performance is incredible no matter what your using it for. I'm looking into the corsair vengeance K70 or K90/95 all incredible boards, average pricing is in the 100's but definitely worth the price, if you want quality and don't want to keep replacing your wireless boards, look into a mechanical for sure. So many customizable options, and what switch suits you best is important to think about as well. All in all Mechanicals are definitely worth purchasing.

 

[bononos]

I think the Corsair keyboards have a rubber coating on the keycaps which will eventually wear out and turn bad. And the layout of the bottom row is nonstandard so you can only get replacements from corsair unlike the large range of aftermarket parts for standard cherry keyboards. Changing the other rows except the bottom one might not work because the keycap profiles might not be compatible. It might not matter for gamers if they don't type much but for dual use gaming/work keyboards, its not good.

 

[tolis626]

I think the Corsair keyboards have a rubber coating on the keycaps which will eventually wear out and turn bad. And the layout of the bottom row is nonstandard so you can only get replacements from corsair unlike the large range of aftermarket parts for standard cherry keyboards. Changing the other rows except the bottom one might not work because the keycap profiles might not be compatible. It might not matter for gamers if they don't type much but for dual use gaming/work keyboards, its not good.

A good rubber coating won't wear off that easily I think.Even with heavy duty use,it should at least last a couple of years.At that point,even the fact that there are replacement keycaps is really nice.Consider a similar situation with a membrane keyboard.You would just throw it away.Sending it to the manufacturer for keycap replacement seems kinda stupid to me.Unless there are membrane keyboards with interchangeable keycaps,although I highly doubt that.

 

[birthdaymonkey]

I think the Corsair keyboards have a rubber coating on the keycaps which will eventually wear out and turn bad. And the layout of the bottom row is nonstandard so you can only get replacements from corsair unlike the large range of aftermarket parts for standard cherry keyboards. Changing the other rows except the bottom one might not work because the keycap profiles might not be compatible. It might not matter for gamers if they don't type much but for dual use gaming/work keyboards, its not good.

+1

Buy a keyboard from a company that specializes in mechanical keyboards (Filco, Ducky, Leopold, Das, WASD, Topre, etc.)... or at least one that uses Filco-compatible key layouts. There are so many to choose from.

I don't understand the hype for Corsair keyboards. I feel that Corsair is stretching themselves too thin with all of their product lines (memory, cases, fans, SSDs, peripherals, PSUs and more). Jack of all, master of none.

 

[tolis626]

+1

Buy a keyboard from a company that specializes in mechanical keyboards (Filco, Ducky, Leopold, Das, WASD, Topre, etc.)... or at least one that uses Filco-compatible key layouts. There are so many to choose from.

I don't understand the hype for Corsair keyboards. I feel that Corsair is stretching themselves too thin with all of their product lines (memory, cases, fans, SSDs, peripherals, PSUs and more). Jack of all, master of none.

Well,Corsair will either flourish with their strategy or end up bankrupt.

In all seriousness though,they are doing well.I can't think of a Corsair product that isn't high quality.Yeah,they usually aren't THE best,but they always are among the best.Their cases are ok,their power supplies are ok (Made by SeaSonic I think,so pretty high quality) and their keyboards do have issues with the LEDs,but it's not as if they are the only ones with those.Even Logitech,a company that specializes in peripherals has similar problems.

As for keyboard suggestions...Well,I'll have to disagree partially.If your keyboard only serves as a typing device,then yes by all means,get one of the ones you suggested.But if you're like me and gaming and custimization options are important,then I don't think these are the keyboards for you.The one thing I love most in the peripherals I choose is the fact that I can customize them to my needs.So I can reload a website with a button on my mouse,I can have my frequently used passwords assigned to macros,etc.It's quite useful if you get used to it.I for one can't go back to having a plain keyboard and mouse.I feel like I've downgraded too much.

Then,there's the fact that I also prefer gaming peripherals in appearance.Although each time I say that the good looks/design of a keyboard are a factor in my decision I feel retarded.Maybe rightly so...

 

[bononos]

A good rubber coating won't wear off that easily I think.Even with heavy duty use,it should at least last a couple of years.At that point,even the fact that there are replacement keycaps is really nice.Consider a similar situation with a membrane keyboard.You would just throw it away.Sending it to the manufacturer for keycap replacement seems kinda stupid to me.Unless there are membrane keyboards with interchangeable keycaps,although I highly doubt that.

I doubt any rubberized surface especially on the keycaps can ever be considered good for serious typists/programmers. Good for gaming products which get junked in a few years time probably but not for something for long term use. And I wouldn't compare it with a membrane keyboard but with other mechnical keyboards.despite their poor quality.
I think alot of the hype is due to Corsair's edgeless design which is something new.

 

[tolis626]

I doubt any rubberized surface especially on the keycaps can ever be considered good for serious typists/programmers. Good for gaming products which get junked in a few years time probably but not for something for long term use. And I wouldn't compare it with a membrane keyboard but with other mechnical keyboards.despite their poor quality.
I think alot of the hype is due to Corsair's edgeless design which is something new.

Don't get me wrong,I don't have much love for Corsair anyway.I just bought my Logitech G710+ over their keyboards.

To tell you the truth,I've never used keyboards with rubberized coating.I don't know the fell.I just generally want grip and I also have sweaty hands,so it's something I think I would like.Maybe I'm alone in this...

Also the Logitech uses a standard key layout,so it's easy to buy a keycap set from e.g. MaxKeyboard and replace all the keys,except for the profile keys,media keys and G keys.Good stuff.

 

[bononos]

Some popular mice like Razer's DA have matte-like rubber coating.

 

[tolis626]

Some popular mice like Razer's DA have matte-like rubber coating.

Oh,it's definitely nice on mice.I've used quite a few with rubber coatings and loved it most of the time.I've just never used keyboards with rubberized keycaps.Although I suspect it's like with mice.Feels nice at first,but is maddening to see it wear off and become glossy and slippery...

 

[Hieumungous]

I bought a g710+ and love it. The O-rings help keep it quieter and you can remove them for a more tactile feedback.

 

[tolis626]

I bought a g710+ and love it. The O-rings help keep it quieter and you can remove them for a more tactile feedback.

Well,you can but it's too much work and they also don't include a keycap remover.I still can't understand why...It's an awesome keyboard though.Been using it for a couple of weeks now and I constantly search for things to type.Really pleasant to use.And it's got all the bells and whistles.

 

[cbrunny]

Eagerly awaiting the Cherry RGB switches in the Corsair Vengeance line. I don`t think we will be waiting that long: http://akihabaranews.com/2014/02/03...ard-cherry-mx-red-will-be-out-japan-820395045

Hopefully in the next few months, we`ll see a K95 RGB version!