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After trying and returning a few keyboards, I finally settled on a Logitech G915 TKL with their red linear switches. I知 in love. This is exactly what I wanted. Wireless, mechanical, and not loud. Thankfully I had a gift card and it brought the price down to $150.
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Dec 23, 2020 02:54
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Anti-Hero posted:Gotcha. They have the board assembled with all the parts in China for pennies on the dollar as opposed to paying US workers to retrieve and pack separately all the individual pieces.
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Dec 23, 2020 18:56
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GnarlyCharlie4u posted:They have the board assembled with all the parts in China for pennies on the dollar as opposed to paying US workers to retrieve and pack separately all the individual pieces. That's what I figured, and I presumed the parts and bits are the same between both "options", so I went with the cheaper one. I'm stoked!
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Dec 23, 2020 20:32
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Also when I ordered my Ctrl a few weeks ago the special sale discount didn't apply to the build tool. Still waiting for it to arrive but it cleared Japanese customs yesterday so should be here any day now. How much can I mod this thing before voiding the warranty? I've got some non-adhesive neoprene fabric that should be easy to remove if I have to RMA but I imagine lubing and clipping the stabs will probably void my warranty.
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Dec 23, 2020 23:44
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Pegnose Pete posted:Also when I ordered my Ctrl a few weeks ago the special sale discount didn't apply to the build tool. Still waiting for it to arrive but it cleared Japanese customs yesterday so should be here any day now. I can't imagine any of that would void your warranty. They're pretty standard and common mods and the stabs are easily replaced. Neither of those mods have any realistic chance of ruining anything else, either.
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Dec 24, 2020 00:02
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runawayturtles posted:Hey thread, I'm looking into getting my first mechanical keyboard now that I'm working from home permanently. This is basically what I'm looking for: Hey, so I posted the above a few weeks ago and got some good feedback. Since then I ended up being able to try a friend's BlackWidow Chroma TKL for a while to better solidify my preferences, and also got my office to pay for my future keyboard, thereby increasing my budget to around $150-175. Regarding the board: - I don't mind the plastic or the fact that it's high profile, I don't have a strong preference there especially if it reduces noise at all - The lighting is gorgeous, even just keeping it on a solid white, but would have liked a simple function key to turn it on and off - None of the symbols on the bottom half of the keys are backlit, which I would really prefer given how often I use them while coding - The non-standard key sizes on the bottom row threw me off a few times, and standard sizing would be nice if I want to change keycaps at some point - The wrist rest is nice and comfortable Regarding the orange switches: - Turns out I like tactile, so that's good to know, would maybe even prefer slightly more of a bump than these have - Not sure if it's due to not being new or Razer QC, but a few switches don't have a noticeable bump at all - They are indeed a bit loud, and bottoming out is part of it, but I think the most noise is from releasing keys instead of pressing them (or is that actually a keycap issue?) Last time the suggestions ranged from Tecware on the low end, to GMMK in the middle, to Ducky and Drop on the high end. Do you guys have any more specific recommendations given my expanded budget and thoughts above? I think my budget could now support a hot swappable board, so if the best choice is some switch that's not just "[insert brand] browns", that's definitely something I'd like to know and consider. Thanks for the help.
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Dec 24, 2020 19:41
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I think with your backlighting requirements, tactility, hotswappability etc. a Drop CTRL with Halo Clears would work nicely.
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Dec 24, 2020 20:35
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runawayturtles posted:Regarding the orange switches: Drop CTRL with clears as suggested or drop/gmmk with pandas would be more tactile quote:- They are indeed a bit loud, and bottoming out is part of it, but I think the most noise is from releasing keys instead of pressing them (or is that actually a keycap issue?) Silent switches are dampened on the upstroke as well, can't get that with o-rings or dampening clips
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Dec 24, 2020 21:56
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Yeah if you have high $100s to spend then a Ducky or Drop with Clears is the winner.
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Dec 25, 2020 05:35
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I just got my Ctrl with Halo Clears. Haven't had time to plug it in yet but the switches seem nice. At first I couldn't tell there was a tactile bump at all, but I think it's just so high up it felt like a natural part of the springs resistance. I've heard lubing the springs helps with noise so I may do that in the future.
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Dec 25, 2020 05:40
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When I got my Drop I couldn't decide between the clears or trues, so I instead went the box whites and I have no regrets.
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Dec 25, 2020 07:08
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Eric the Mauve posted:Yeah if you have high $100s to spend then a Ducky or Drop with Clears is the winner. On this note- I've been using MX Browns on a K-70 mk2 and the frame is super loud. Given I don't use the numpad I've been looking at TKL options.... haven't been able to find any RGB backlit Ducky or Vortex 65-75s... I keep hearing somewhat negative things about Drop though because of something to do with the PCB or plate? I've gone back in this thread about 15 or so pages, and read the OP but haven't turned up much. Any suggestions?
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Dec 25, 2020 15:17
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OhDearGodNo posted:On this note- I've been using MX Browns on a K-70 mk2 and the frame is super loud. Given I don't use the numpad I've been looking at TKL options.... haven't been able to find any RGB backlit Ducky or Vortex 65-75s... I keep hearing somewhat negative things about Drop though because of something to do with the PCB or plate? I've gone back in this thread about 15 or so pages, and read the OP but haven't turned up much. The Drop CTRL is really good, if a bit pricey. There's also a GMMK Compact and GMMK TKL that are around $150 with switches and caps. There's also a GMMK Pro coming in a couple months that appears to be excellent value, but the build quality is still a mystery. Beyond that there's a TON of custom-run 65% and 75% boards but they're all usually $300+. Some are cheaper, but it's a popular size range so there are probably hundreds of boards that are between 65% and 75%. If you have a budget in mind I can probably suggest some other boards that are in that price range.
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Dec 25, 2020 15:55
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Nam Taf posted:When I got my Drop I couldn't decide between the clears or trues, so I instead went the box whites and I have no regrets. this is also what I did and they are fuckin sweet
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Dec 25, 2020 21:11
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Pegnose Pete posted:I just got my Ctrl with Halo Clears. Haven't had time to plug it in yet but the switches seem nice. At first I couldn't tell there was a tactile bump at all, but I think it's just so high up it felt like a natural part of the springs resistance. Lubing and putting film in the halo clears makes them a awesome thoc sound on the crtl. It also removes the metal pinging as well.
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Dec 25, 2020 21:16
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Whiskey A Go Go! posted:Lubing and putting film in the halo clears makes them a awesome thoc sound on the crtl. It also removes the metal pinging as well. I'm definitely thinking about doing at least the switch springs, but the comments online about the Clears have chatter issues on the CTRL make me feel a little hesitant about going all out modding them just yet. I'm gonna do neoprene and see if it makes a difference, I've only ever typed on pingy boards so it's not driving me crazy at the moment.
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Dec 26, 2020 00:05
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In my experience if you don稚 want a mechanical keyboard to make noise, you need to learn to not bottom out. It痴 easiest with linear switches but can be done with tactile switches, with lots of practice. If not bottoming out is just too painful to contemplate, you can try dampeners/o-rings, but in my opinion they ruin the feel and you end up spending way too much time and money for what ends up feeling only marginally better than a rubber dome to type on. In this situation you池e best off just getting a keyboard with scissor switches IMO (what most laptop keyboards have). If anyone knows any mechanical keyboards you can bottom out on without any clacking, that would be helpful knowledge.
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Dec 26, 2020 02:50
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I definitely enjoy the clack, just hoping to decrease a bit of the ping. But again, stock isn't driving me crazy so I imagine time and money will have diminishing returns
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Dec 26, 2020 03:57
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O-rings are good for the ping, but I agree they feel like poo poo.
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Dec 26, 2020 04:55
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epic Kingdom Hearts LP posted:After trying and returning a few keyboards, I finally settled on a Logitech G915 TKL with their red linear switches. I知 in love. This is exactly what I wanted. Wireless, mechanical, and not loud. Thankfully I had a gift card and it brought the price down to $150. Mine isn't wireless or quiet, but I picked up a G815 Clicky today on sale and I'm extremely pleased with it so far. I've been using Logitech gaming keyboards since the G15 and I liked all of them - until back in February I replaced a worn-out G710+ with a G910 Orion Spectrum, and it sucked. The Romer-G switches were a big downgrade and the overall construction was lovely too. The G815 is great, though. I'm not a mechanical keyboard hipster, I've just kept buying Logitech stuff just for the macro keys and media controls. This is the first time their high-end gaming keyboard felt like a genuine upgrade and high-quality product for the price. I got mine for $150 which is solid, MSRP is asking a bit much - but if I had just bought it for $200 in February instead of the G910 I wouldn't have been keyboard shopping this Christmas. FBS fucked around with this message at 07:46 on Dec 27, 2020 |
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Dec 27, 2020 06:21
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That makes me very happy then that I got my G910 for 15 bucks. I was very hesitant about whether I would like it, as I have been using some variation of Cherry Blue's for 4-5 years now, but I am really liking the keystroke on the thing. While I can't ever swap the keycaps due to this is when Logitech made their own, so they aren't a stem setup, overall I am very happy and comfortable with it.
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Dec 27, 2020 08:46
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Constellation I posted:I think with your backlighting requirements, tactility, hotswappability etc. a Drop CTRL with Halo Clears would work nicely. mewse posted:Drop CTRL with clears as suggested or drop/gmmk with pandas would be more tactile Eric the Mauve posted:Yeah if you have high $100s to spend then a Ducky or Drop with Clears is the winner. Thanks guys, will look into the Drop + clears. Correct me if I'm wrong though, but since clears aren't silent, I would expect them if anything to be slightly louder than the orange due to the heavier weight and metal board?
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Dec 28, 2020 19:39
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runawayturtles posted:Thanks guys, will look into the Drop + clears. Correct me if I'm wrong though, but since clears aren't silent, I would expect them if anything to be slightly louder than the orange due to the heavier weight and metal board? I can't find a teardown so I can see the stems but I don't think razer orange are dampened. I think they call them "silent" because they're not clicky like cherry blues. The heavier chassis of whatever drop keeb we're discussing should make it quieter than that razer keyboard which looks like it had a plastic bottom case.
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Dec 28, 2020 19:52
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mewse posted:I can't find a teardown so I can see the stems but I don't think razer orange are dampened. I think they call them "silent" because they're not clicky like cherry blues. Yeah, razer orange isn't silent, I was just a little confused since your post made it sound like halo clear is. Although I do wonder about actual silent tactile switches, are the few that exist not great or just out of my price range? Good to know that a heavier metal keyboard should be quieter than a lighter plastic one, I think someone else implied the opposite so I didn't realize that was the case.
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Dec 29, 2020 08:52
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Tbh you sound kind of obsessed with silence and so I知 not confident any mechanical keyboard will make you happy. Better built boards will be a LITTLE better in this regard but there is no such thing as a mech that is as quiet as rubber domes/scissors can be. e: unless you use o-rings, but that just makes your expensive mechanical keyboard feel like a cheap rubber dome. Eric the Mauve fucked around with this message at 15:41 on Dec 29, 2020 |
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Dec 29, 2020 15:39
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runawayturtles posted:Although I do wonder about actual silent tactile switches, are the few that exist not great or just out of my price range? They're niche, you'd be looking at zilents or gazzew boba U4, you could pick them up once you have the drop keyboard since it's hot-swap - halo clears are a good starting point coming from browns (or whatever those oranges are, still havent seen the stem)
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Dec 29, 2020 16:21
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Eric the Mauve posted:Tbh you sound kind of obsessed with silence and so I知 not confident any mechanical keyboard will make you happy. Better built boards will be a LITTLE better in this regard but there is no such thing as a mech that is as quiet as rubber domes/scissors can be. Actually the Niz Plum has EC switches which are like knock off Topre's. They DO feel and sound like rubber dome but so so much better. So quiet, so smooth. Verrrry nice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULWrHKzmepU&t=304s
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Dec 29, 2020 16:53
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mewse posted:They're niche, you'd be looking at zilents or gazzew boba U4, you could pick them up once you have the drop keyboard since it's hot-swap - halo clears are a good starting point coming from browns (or whatever those oranges are, still havent seen the stem) Gazzew Boba U4s are super good switches and very affordable for their level of quality. I'd recommend them for anyone looking for a silent tactile switch.
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Dec 29, 2020 16:58
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I kind of want to know if the RGB variant of those has a different sound profile with the clear top versus the original opaque ones, I have a tester of of those and they sound lovely.
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Dec 29, 2020 18:15
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ijyt posted:I kind of want to know if the RGB variant of those has a different sound profile with the clear top versus the original opaque ones, I have a tester of of those and they sound lovely. I think the RGB ones have also been more consistently smooth, whereas I got a handful of slightly crunchy opaque ones, but that could just be a batch thing and obviously has more to do with the stem than housing. Having used both Zealios (caveat: not Zilents) and Bobas for a while now, I do think that Zealios are worthy of their rep as one of the absolute best tactile switches. But if you don't want to spring for the premium, Bobas are an excellent alternative.
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Dec 29, 2020 18:58
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https://twitter.com/dtemkin/status/1342801322089861120?s=21
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Dec 29, 2020 20:09
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Eric the Mauve posted:Cherries are still Cherries. Other switch brands have improved. How is Outemu? I see that in the OP they are listed as "Nope", but I have a friend who is interested in a value-oriented entry-level board that is well-built and will last. I was looking at the Redragon Surara K582 (comes in Outemu Quiet Red, Brown, and Blue: https://redragonshop.com/collections/redragon-mechanical-keyboard?sort_by=price-ascending). Should be the 3rd, 4th, and 5th items in that list. For someone coming off of a membrane keyboard and is looking for something sorta similar in noise/feel, what switches would the thread recommend? Also, if there are better entry-level keyboards out there around that $45 pricepoint, I'd be glad to hear about them!
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Dec 29, 2020 23:15
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Oetemus have vastly improved over the last 5 years and are now at least as good as Cherries IMO. (Cherries are still the standard in high end boards though, so if you care about swappability and customization they're still what you need.) The best Babby's First Mechanical Keyboard is the Tecware Phantom (which has Oetemus). If you want something that feels like a rubber dome, your best bet is a rubber dome. (  ) You should try reds (linear) and browns (tactile) if you can, but you'll probably prefer reds.
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Dec 29, 2020 23:19
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Eric the Mauve posted:Tbh you sound kind of obsessed with silence and so I’m not confident any mechanical keyboard will make you happy. Better built boards will be a LITTLE better in this regard but there is no such thing as a mech that is as quiet as rubber domes/scissors can be. This is simply not correct. Properly dampened linear switches with built in bumpers (and lubrication applied of you want to go all the way) are significantly more quiet than generic rubber domes or any other switches that have only O-rings installed. They also feel better to use. The downside is price. The good silent switches are 60-120 cents per switch, vs 30c or so for good non dampened varieties.
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Dec 29, 2020 23:54
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Penisaurus Sex posted:Keychron K4 This is from a while ago, but I got this for my wife for christmas and she absolutely loves it. Thanks for the recommendation.
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Dec 30, 2020 01:50
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Stroop There It Is posted:I have both--clear top 62g and opaque top 68g so I could friggin tell them apart when I put the lighter ones on my alphas--and they sound pretty much the same to me. However I am also not super picky about clacks (yes with clicks though for some reason) so I may just not be as attuned to it. Zealios would be nice but honestly I'm just real tired of having the keyboard get picked up on mic and playing with sensitivity, and Bobas feel nice enough to me in terms of tactility and silence, looks like I'll order in some RGB's then! ...and hope that Rama release a TKL in their plastic housings.
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Dec 30, 2020 03:15
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Eric the Mauve posted:Tbh you sound kind of obsessed with silence and so I知 not confident any mechanical keyboard will make you happy. Better built boards will be a LITTLE better in this regard but there is no such thing as a mech that is as quiet as rubber domes/scissors can be. Eh, I'm really not, but given the money They are pretty expensive though, those cents really add up when multiplying by 87 or whatever, heh...
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Dec 30, 2020 06:57
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well if anyone was ever considering Zealios, now is the time to buy. They're having their end of year sale - 15% off. Still hella pricey though.
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Dec 30, 2020 08:31
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Might be a little abnormal for the thread, but - looking at ergonomic keyboards. Diagnosed cubital tunnel syndrome in both arms and hints of carpal tunnel, surgery is in my future but I'd like to both mitigate current issues & prevent this from coming back in the future. That said, I've done some research, and split keyboards seem much more suited to what I'm after - and also absurdly expensive & take longer to get used to than the average return window, so I can't afford to gently caress up. My home keyboard works fine without issues thanks to my overall setup, I'm looking for one for work specifically; I spend pretty much my entire day in Excel or similar environments, some mouse usage and a lot of tenkey use, but I can probably learn my way away from tenkey as needed. Very limited desk space (my work-issued keyboard is a cheap HP SK-2025 and it's on the upper end of what fits), if I can replace the mouse in the process like I've seen some do then that's an extra bonus. Mechanical is fine, but semi-open office plan so I'd rather not have something loud like my home keyboard is. Work computer isn't PS/2 compatible so we're looking at USB (it *might* have Bluetooth functionality but I have yet to test that). I'm really leaning split, and the Ultimate Hacking Keyboard (dumb as hell name) has pretty much everything I'm looking for except the numpad; not a dealbreaker but it's also way outside of my comfortable price range. Likewise with Kinesis and their higher end stuff, though the lack of adjustability isn't great. There's always the cheap options like MS's Sculpt or Surface 4000, but I'd hate to go "cheap" and get something that still isn't going to help and have to sink the money all iver again for the "real deal". I am too poor for the ErgoDox. Trust me, I looked. Does anyone have experience with... any of these, really, to offer some commentary? I'm well out of my depth in this regard, and resources besides paid review sites are a bit thin.
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Dec 30, 2020 20:12
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So, for a cheap and quiet option, I've used the Kinesis Freestyle 2 and thought it had the best membrane keys I've ever used. I guess my concern really is around the space you have - do you have space for a split keyboard like that, plus a mouse to the left/right? If you do, I think you could combine that with a cheap external numpad placed in between the two halves. Also absolutely not an expert on RSI or anything, so I can't say for sure if a Freestyle 2 is "enough" for what you're looking for. You might want to purchase it with tenting accessories if you think the tilt would help:  Also, if you have diagnosed RSI, depending on where you live, you should almost certainly be able to get your employer to cover at least some of the cost.
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Dec 30, 2020 20:21
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