# Sexy Mechanical Keyboard Thread



## ALMOSTunseen (Aug 6, 2013)

The people wanted it, why not. Please upload images via techpowerup.org so people can view them as some image sites are blocked at work/school.


In the future I will hope to get a "recommendation" list of mech keyboards.

Starting it off,
Corsair K60


Spoiler


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## Peter1986C (Aug 6, 2013)

Qpad MK-50 with Cherry MX brown switches. The pictures in this post are from the TPU review. BTW, the keyboard is way darker than it appears on the pictures.


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## GamerGuy (Aug 6, 2013)

ALRIGHT! Let the mechanical keyboard orgy begin! 
Ducky DS II 78Version (7 LED/8 switch types)




Stripped for your viewing pleasure ....




Ducky DS II Special Ed with white key caps




A close up of the switches on my Storm Trigger Green




For you gents who enjoy older models that have mellowed nicely.....Model M




When it comes to these beauties, I don't discriminate....black or white, they're all beautiful to me. Two Filco MJ Ninjas with black and white cases, swapped out the key caps....




My Topre Realforce 103UB-55G, the skull clack is a temp thing....




My Ducky DK9087G2 Pro TKL with white PBT key caps with my HHKB Pro2




A CM Quick Fire TK, all lit up




This is one of my first mech KB, an Armaggeddon MKA-3 Cherry Red




There was some controversy in another forumas to whether it uses authentic Cherry Red switches, I'd posted this...





FYI, IIRC, it's the Armaggeddon MKI-3 that uses 'China made' Red switches.....not this one.


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## Peter1986C (Aug 6, 2013)

That is a lot of MKBs you got there...


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## Black.Raven (Aug 6, 2013)

I like the A CM Quick Fire TK  well anything with blue leds


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## GamerGuy (Aug 6, 2013)

Black.Raven said:


> I like the A CM Quick Fire TK  well anything with blue leds


Just to clear things up, it's a CM (Cooler Master) Quick Fire TK.....since 'a' was the first letter in that sentence, it had to be in capital, right?

Anyway, forgot to include a couple more, here's one of a Ducky DK9008, I'd sprayed it white, added a coat of clear lacquer to protect it. I'm using a set of Ducky white on white key caps on it for now, awaiting a set of custom key caps which would go nicely with a white KB case. Meanwhile, the white key caps does give it the 'Mac' look, doesn't it? BTW, it's pure white, doesn't look it due to the bad lighting I guess....




Last but not least, my CM Storm Trigger Cherry Red, all lit up!





Oh yes, this is a shot of my 78Version with the original black key caps with LED all the way up, it's pretty bright......understating it somewhat.


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## Ahhzz (Aug 6, 2013)

/nice
will try to get a shot of my corsair, plain jane, but I want to /tag the thread anyway


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## GamerGuy (Aug 8, 2013)

Here's yet another one which I had just gotten, liked it because it's a Keycool (which I'd always wanted to try), it's an 84 key MKB with white back light and simply looks cool....to me anyway. Typing this post with it, it's a tad dusty (didn't realized this before taking this pic) but I'll clean it up later. It was a display set and I got it with a nice discount...plus, I'm beginning to really like these diminutive keyboards.


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## Wrigleyvillain (Aug 8, 2013)

Lots of great pics and info at /r/mechanicalkeyboards on Reddit.


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## GamerGuy (Aug 9, 2013)

Swapped out most of the black key caps on my HHKB Pro2 with yellow ones, the yellow key caps really do stand out.....very vibrant.


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## HammerON (Aug 10, 2013)

Here is my current (and first) mechanical keyboard. Corsair K70:


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## AlienIsGOD (Aug 10, 2013)

Its not the best out there, but i picked up my Levetron Clicker for $35  no camera so have to settle for interwebz pic


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## GamerGuy (Aug 10, 2013)

Whao, 35 bucks only? That's a hella deal, better than the Monoprice MKB that I see going for about 60USD. I think it uses a sort of ALPS switch, still, it's a mechanical keybaord......nice find btw. I don't see such KB's in my neck of the woods. Anyway, been mucking around with the key caps for my Topre and HHKB....


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## manofthem (Aug 10, 2013)

AlienIsGOD said:


> Its not the best out there, but i picked up my Levetron Clicker for $35  no camera so have to settle for interwebz pic
> 
> http://www.custompcreview.com/wp-co...-pc-review-azio-levetron-clicker-review-2.jpg



I like it, looks amazing for the price!  I too have a Levetron, and I fancy it quiet well.  

I'll post some pics of mine later on; I keep forgetting and then remembering when I see the thread pop up lol.


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## r9 (Aug 10, 2013)

GamerGuy said:


> Swapped out most of the black key caps on my HHKB Pro2 with yellow ones, the yellow key caps really do stand out.....very vibrant.
> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v333/mikeysg/20130809_182936_zpsd11ecd4a.jpg



What you did there is practically cheating. Everybody knows that there isn't bad looking HHKB.


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## GamerGuy (Aug 10, 2013)

r9 said:


> What you did there is practically cheating. Everybody knows that there isn't bad looking HHKB.


LOL! Too true! Hell, you can put unicorn vomit key caps on it, and it'd still look good!


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## GamerGuy (Aug 11, 2013)

Well, since my Topre has yellow key caps, I'd no choice but to change the LED color on my Roccat Kone XTD to match it....


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## Compgeke (Aug 12, 2013)

Sexy if you absolutely love Serious Business Beige, and semi-mechanical to some. The Model M. The one on the left is from August of 1987, and the one on the right is from December of 1986. Both work great 24 years later, although the '86 one is in serious need of a bolt mod. This image is fairy old, and my desk doesn't have the XT on the right.

I do have Model Fs and some Beamsprings as well, but Model M is easiest to use on a modern system without dealing with a crappy layout.


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## GamerGuy (Aug 16, 2013)

Always wanted a Ducky YOTD, passed on a couple due to them having red switches. Stumbled on this just now and my inner geek burst forth.....I'm so weak!


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## Wrigleyvillain (Aug 16, 2013)

Very nice. Stumbled upon where? Used?

I'm in the market for my first mech but taking my time deciding which to get first. Though I do want tenkeyless and I think black or brown switches. Bought a 'tester kit' from WASD already...


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## radrok (Aug 16, 2013)

HammerON said:


> Here is my current (and first) mechanical keyboard. Corsair K70:
> http://img.techpowerup.org/130810/Keyboard.jpg



How did you get used to the red wasd12345 keys?

I tried them once and couldn't use them more than 10 seconds


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## GamerGuy (Aug 17, 2013)

Wrigleyvillain said:


> Very nice. Stumbled upon where? Used?
> 
> I'm in the market for my first mech but taking my time deciding which to get first. Though I do want tenkeyless and I think black or brown switches. Bought a 'tester kit' from WASD already...


I was in the local tech mall yesterday, walked into a shop which was selling CM, Ducky and Rosewill KB's. I wasn't thinking of buying anything as I have already reserved and paid for my YOTS. I saw a brown box among the pile of other keyboards.....thought it rather odd and that it was prolly some cheapo non-branded KB. 

When I opened it up, the inner box had the Dragon logo on it and I knew I was in trouble. When I saw that it had Cherry Brown switch, I told myself that although I had promised myself to NOT buy any more, I rationalized that the YOTD was something I would have gotten earlier IF I had found the right switch type. So, in a way, it would gave been part of my collection IF the right switch type was available earlier, hence my buying it was something that I would have done earlier had the right switch type been available. Amazing how we can talk ourselves into anything, eh?

BTW, if you're going to get your first Cherry MX keyboard, be sure to get a good one, something like Ducky, Filco, Leopold and other mechanical keyboard specialist makers. I hope you haven't fallen for the marketing hype of 'gaming' mechanical KB's. Unless you absolutely need macros, go with more simply and elegantly designed MKB's from the above-mentioned brands. Also, have you decided on what form factor KB you'd want, 60% or TKL (80%) or full-sized? Switch type?


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## GamerGuy (Aug 18, 2013)

Soemone in another forum had asked me to take a pic of all my keyboards in a single picture, a challenge but I was game.....


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## GamerGuy (Aug 27, 2013)

Hmmm, this thread needs a little lovin'.....my latest, a DS3 YOTS edition, Cherry Blue.


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## AlienIsGOD (Oct 22, 2013)

my local store is having a sale on CooleMaster Mech Keyboards, what would you suggest for gaming? red, blue or brown switches?


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## crazyeyesreaper (Oct 22, 2013)

Blue is great for typing just recently tried browns and they were pretty damn awesome.  I myself use Reds they are very light weight and take getting use to do but with dampeners under the keys they feel good are easy to push and nearly silent which was what i was looking for.  Its really more personal taste but i would take Browns or Reds.


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## AlienIsGOD (Oct 22, 2013)

ya i was leaning on brown or red after googling the differences between the 3 also after using this Levetron clicker, im more used to a minimalist style keyboard as coming from a g510 to a levetron was a huge change for me.  The keyboard in question is a CM Storm Quickfire Rapid


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## crazyeyesreaper (Oct 22, 2013)

reds are really light weight think rubber dome but no squishy mushiness its a good combination of light weight easy to press mixed with quick response. It takes time getting use to them due to this but once you are they become great all around keys i can type faster on reds than I can blue or brown. The linear nature also makes them good for twitch gaming. But I suggest trying them out physically if you can.


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## Peter1986C (Oct 23, 2013)

I have browns (Qpad MK-50) and I like their versatility. Blues are in the same boat but make a clicky noise as feedback and are a little stiffer.
Red is not equally good for all games are not as good to type on AFAIK. They are very light but do not come with tactile feedback so with reds you might be bottoming constantly because you sink beyound the actuation point so easily (this is based on "hearsay", BTW). And they are getting quite rare too.
Blacks are quite stiff and do also miss tactile feedback, so they are less relaxed to type on and only really good for FPS games.
Clear switches are as stiff as blues, but like the browns they are not clicky. They usually are only used in Point-Of-Sale KBs though.

I do not know about Cooler Master KBs, but odds are high they come with over the top "gaming" feats like backlighting while lacking must haves like a wrist rest. Check before you buy.


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## ALMOSTunseen (Oct 23, 2013)

Chevalr1c said:


> I have browns (Qpad MK-50) and I like their versatility. Blues are in the same boat but make a clicky noise as feedback and are a little stiffer.
> Red is not equally good for all games are not as good to type on AFAIK. They are very light but do not come with tactile feedback so with reds you might be bottoming constantly because you sink beyound the actuation point so easily (this is based on "hearsay", BTW). And they are getting quite rare too.
> Blacks are quite stiff and do also miss tactile feedback, so they are less relaxed to type on and only really good for FPS games.
> Clear switches are as stiff as blues, but like the browns they are not clicky. They usually are only used in Point-Of-Sale KBs though.
> ...


The keyboard I'm using currently is a POS keyboard which I salvaged. Cherry Blacks, works like a charm.


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## Hilux SSRG (Oct 23, 2013)

My Ducky Shine II:

 with mx browns, 
 white leds, and 
 english + chinese keycaps





Sorry I suck at taking pictures!


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## crazyeyesreaper (Oct 23, 2013)

Chevalr1c said:


> I have browns (Qpad MK-50) and I like their versatility. Blues are in the same boat but make a clicky noise as feedback and are a little stiffer.
> Red is not equally good for all games are not as good to type on AFAIK. They are very light but do not come with tactile feedback so with reds you might be bottoming constantly because you sink beyound the actuation point so easily (this is based on "hearsay", BTW). And they are getting quite rare too.
> Blacks are quite stiff and do also miss tactile feedback, so they are less relaxed to type on and only really good for FPS games.
> Clear switches are as stiff as blues, but like the browns they are not clicky. They usually are only used in Point-Of-Sale KBs though.
> ...



Yes its easy to bottom out on reds but there is a very very easy work around. http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/index.php/cherry-mx-rubber-switch-dampeners.html

Also for those that dont know what they want heres a perfect way to spend $12 and find out.

http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/index.php/products/sampler-kit-1.html


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## Random Murderer (Oct 23, 2013)

crazyeyesreaper said:


> Yes its easy to bottom out on reds but there is a very very easy work around. http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/index.php/cherry-mx-rubber-switch-dampeners.html
> 
> Also for those that dont know what they want heres a perfect way to spend $12 and find out.
> 
> http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/index.php/products/sampler-kit-1.html



I have the black rings on a K70. I like the feel of the MX Reds, they have the minimal press effort of rubber umbrellas, but the perfectly linear and sturdy feel of the classic "clicky" mechanical switches minus the actuation feedback(which I miss, but the keyboard is my dad's anyway and he loves it). Other than bottoming out, the keys are almost completely silent. Great for typing, which he does a ton of, and pretty good for gaming once you get used to the actuation point.
I wouldn't mind trying some MX Blues, Browns, and Clears. I really loved my old school mechanical keyboards that had tactile and auditory feedback.
Going to have to dig out some of my old school mechanical keyboards and see what type of switches they have, but judging by age, probably ALPS switches.


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## Hilux SSRG (Oct 23, 2013)

crazyeyesreaper said:


> Yes its easy to bottom out on reds but there is a very very easy work around. http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/index.php/cherry-mx-rubber-switch-dampeners.html
> 
> Also for those that dont know what they want heres a perfect way to spend $12 and find out.
> 
> http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/index.php/products/sampler-kit-1.html



That's a great way to feel your way around all the mx switches.


I hope Cooler Master comes out with this switch sampler kit, cause I would buy it in a heartbeat!  Those greens!!

http://lanoc.org/review/input-devices/6663-picking-your-keyboard-key-switch?showall=1&limitstart=


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## Delta6326 (Oct 23, 2013)

I have never had a mechanical keyboard any suggestions on what type to get?(Key color)
I currently have a Saitek Eclipse II, and I like the sounds and feel.

I really want to get the ROCCAT Ryos MK Pro.


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## Peter1986C (Oct 23, 2013)

Hilux SSRG said:


> That's a great way to feel your way around all the mx switches.
> 
> 
> I hope Cooler Master comes out with this switch sampler kit, cause I would buy it in a heartbeat!  Those greens!!
> ...



Greens may be very good for space bars because many people tend to hit those relatively hard.

@delta: tell us what kind of stuff you do on your PC please.


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## Hilux SSRG (Oct 23, 2013)

Chevalr1c said:


> Greens may be very good for space bars because many people tend to hit those relatively hard.



I want to try them out, as I've read they are a much stiffer brown.  Wonder if they would be good for regular wasd use in fps games. 

Once I got a mech keyboard, I tended to hit the keys harder but now with regular use I ease up once I hit the actuation point.


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## Peter1986C (Oct 23, 2013)

I think they are a bit stiff for WASD if you still want to type a little on the KB (inconsistency in "toughness") and assuming finger fatigue when playing e.g. FPS games alot.


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## DanishDevil (Oct 23, 2013)




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## Delta6326 (Oct 23, 2013)

I do gaming, mostly stratagy . and just surfing the web/email.
When I game I use keyboard more for hot keys. Most my games use some sort of gampad/stick.


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## Random Murderer (Oct 23, 2013)

DanishDevil said:


> http://img.techpowerup.org/131023/Capture023969.jpg
> 
> http://img.techpowerup.org/131023/Capture024985.jpg
> 
> ...



Year of the Snake model?


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## Hilux SSRG (Oct 23, 2013)

Chevalr1c said:


> I think they are a bit stiff for WASD if you still want to type a little on the KB (inconsistency in "toughness") and assuming finger fatigue when playing e.g. FPS games alot.



What are your thoughts regarding "clears" as a step up from browns, rather than greens.  I really need to get a sampler to try the varieties out.


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## Peter1986C (Oct 23, 2013)

Delta6326 said:


> I do gaming, mostly stratagy . and just surfing the web/email.
> When I game I use keyboard more for hot keys. Most my games use some sort of gampad/stick.



I think something with MX Brown switches might be the way to go. Qpad MK-50 or a Ducky Zero might be nice choices, unless you want backlighting. I got firstmentioned and it is great so far.

I never tried nor used Clears (only MX Browns and bucking springs in my teens), but based on the wiki at deskthority.net it might be worthwile for WASD use. You need to get a few to try it though, so I guess you could get these? --> http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/index.php/cherry-mx-clear-keyswitch-mx1a-c1nn.html I do not know how to attach those to a KB properly though.


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## Hilux SSRG (Oct 23, 2013)

Delta6326 said:


> I do gaming, mostly stratagy . and just surfing the web/email.
> When I game I use keyboard more for hot keys. Most my games use some sort of gampad/stick.



I would recommend the browns as a nice all-around choice, unless sound is an issue.




Chevalr1c said:


> I never tried nor used Clears (only MX Browns and bucking springs in my teens), but based on the wiki at deskthority.net it might be worthwile for WASD use. You need to get a few to try it though, so I guess you could get these? --> http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/index.php/cherry-mx-clear-keyswitch-mx1a-c1nn.html I do not know how to attach those to a KB properly though.



Thanks for the advice, I love using my ducky w/ browns [esp. for BF3 and soon BF4] but 
I'm getting the itch for another keyboard that's smaller, possibly without the number pad, 
but definitely with a stiffer resistance.


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## Iceni (Oct 23, 2013)

I'm on a Tesoro G1N.

Apparently it is MaxKeyboards budget company although I have only seen a couple of reviews that state that. 

MX browns, And nothing fancy.


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## Peter1986C (Oct 23, 2013)

Hilux SSRG said:


> I would recommend the browns as a nice all-around choice, unless sound is an issue.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



If sound is an issue, I cannot see why browns are a bad choice (unless the user tends to bottom out a lot). More silent mech switches probably do no exist.

I believe the CM Storm series has some tenkeyless boards, but I doubt you can get them with "clear" switches. Maybe a POS keyboard by Cherry comes with them on Amazon or Ebay.

That Tesoro board looks nice enough to me, BTW.


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## Delta6326 (Oct 23, 2013)

Ok, I will probably get the browns thats what I was thinking would be best in my researching.

Edit:
Wow I was just looking at Ducky DK9008 Shine 3 and that thing looks awesome, I like the LED colors can change, unlike the ROCCAT Ryos MK Pro.

DanishDevil where did you buy yours from?


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## Red_Machine (Oct 23, 2013)

Here's mine, a Dell AT102W that I got NOS on eBay two years ago for a tenner.






Uses complicated black Alps CM switches and is REALLY loud.  I got complains from my mother about it in the past.


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## DanishDevil (Oct 24, 2013)

Random Murderer said:


> Year of the Snake model?



Yes, sir.



Delta6326 said:


> DanishDevil where did you buy yours from?



Mechanicalkeyboards.com. BTW, only the spacebar's LED color can change on the Shine 3's or the YotS. You've got to order the LED color you want on the Shine 3 and live with it (YotS is always white LED).



*I am honestly having mixed feelings about this keyboard right now.* I've been on a Year of the Dragon for a couple of years, and its USB Mini B connection failed, so it had to be replaced.

The Year of the Snake feels mushy, and sometimes I will get a key to snag on the way up or down if I don't hit it square on. I'm trying to figure out if this is due to the keycaps being ABS instead of PBT (like on my YotD), or if it needs to be broken in.

I love the aluminum top plate, but if I don't end up liking it quite as much as my YotD, it's going to be up for sale very soon.


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## Hilux SSRG (Oct 24, 2013)

Red_Machine said:


> Here's mine, a Dell AT102W that I got NOS on eBay two years ago for a tenner.
> 
> http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd55/Dominar_Rygel_XVI/P5270001.jpg
> 
> Uses complicated black Alps CM switches and is REALLY loud.  I got complains from my mother about it in the past.



That's like the nicest Dell keyboard I've ever seen!


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## MilkyWay (Oct 24, 2013)

I have an old Cherry board with MX Blues this has an AT din style plug on it so i know its pretty old. I also have a Corsair K90 with MX Red switches and a Zowie Celeritas with MX Browns.

MX Browns are my absolute favourite, the right amount of force and feedback. I prefer the actuation point and the no noise of the Browns to the Blues. Reds are very nice, much better than blacks but linear switches feel empty to me.

Id love to try a buckling spring switch.


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## johnnyfiive (Oct 30, 2013)

I'm very jelly gamerguy, that is an awesome collection!

Here's mine












- Filco Majestouch 2 / Ten Keyless / Cherry MX Brown Switches
- Custom keycap set made at wasdkeyboards.com

And here is the wrist rest I made.





















I'm interested in purchasing a backlit 10keyless but I'm still debating on which ones to look at. Keycool, or possibly the 10keyless CODE clear switch from wasdkeyboards.


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## freakshow (Oct 30, 2013)

AlienIsGOD said:


> Its not the best out there, but i picked up my Levetron Clicker for $35  no camera so have to settle for interwebz pic
> 
> http://www.custompcreview.com/wp-co...-pc-review-azio-levetron-clicker-review-2.jpg



i have one of these not to bad but,  after couple of days the D key broke or somthing and it would be like this "ddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd" none stop lol but i still have it. maybe it can be fix i don't know lol


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## Random Murderer (Oct 31, 2013)

johnnyfiive said:


> I'm very jelly gamerguy, that is an awesome collection!
> 
> Here's mine
> 
> ...



Ha, I remember when you posted this in the sexy hardware thread with your custom keycaps you had just received. Love it.


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## sneekypeet (Nov 6, 2013)

Look what just arrived!!!!!!


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## crazyeyesreaper (Nov 6, 2013)

If only they offered it with Red led etc..


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## sneekypeet (Nov 6, 2013)

crazyeyesreaper said:


> If only they offered it with Red led etc..



was that directed at my image? 
If so I would suggest you got look on site or youtube for videos....color is in no way an issue with this keyboard!


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## Ahhzz (Nov 6, 2013)

sneekypeet said:


> Look what just arrived!!!!!!
> 
> 
> http://img.techpowerup.org/131106/DSC02787.jpg




Pbbbbttttt 


grats 


now sell it to me cheap!


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## crazyeyesreaper (Nov 6, 2013)

sneekypeet said:


> was that directed at my image?
> If so I would suggest you got look on site or youtube for videos....color is in no way an issue with this keyboard!



Yes it was directed at the image, and if that model offers other color choices I might pick one up. Used to most of their stuff just being black / blue and thats it.


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## sneekypeet (Nov 6, 2013)

crazyeyesreaper said:


> Yes it was directed at the image, and if that model offers other color choices I might pick one up. Used to most of their stuff just being black / blue and thats it.



I have yet to play with it, but at CES it could be any color, and it does offer per-key illumination, so even if a bit of a pain you could set them all to whatever color. Pretty sure with their software, it would be as easy as clicking on the color to set the whole board one color somewhere


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## crazyeyesreaper (Nov 6, 2013)

Sounds like a winner then, but this is why sticking to one theme can bite a company in the ass. With almost everything they do being that one theme for so long. I stopped following their products. Good to see they are changing things up. Looking forward to the review on it Sneeky.


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## sneekypeet (Nov 6, 2013)

I cannot argue that! But on that same note, I think the lighting has a lot to do with the hype of this solution. If things have changed since I last saw what they planned to offer, I will pipe up here, even if it is prior to the review.


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## FreedomEclipse (Nov 6, 2013)

Just got a new Corsair K70 with MX brown switches on monday
















Upgraded from a K90 which was sold to a UK TPU member almost instantly


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## f22a4bandit (Nov 6, 2013)

sneekypeet said:


> Look what just arrived!!!!!!
> 
> 
> http://img.techpowerup.org/131106/DSC02787.jpg



I've been waiting to purchase a mechanical keyboard for a while, and I went with your choice as well. I just ordered it, and excited for my first mechanical experience.


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## Random Murderer (Nov 6, 2013)

sneekypeet said:


> Look what just arrived!!!!!!
> 
> 
> http://img.techpowerup.org/131106/DSC02787.jpg





f22a4bandit said:


> I've been waiting to purchase a mechanical keyboard for a while, and I went with your choice as well. I just ordered it, and excited for my first mechanical experience.



May have to pick one up for myself as well. Been looking to get myself a mechanical replacement for my Isku, specifically with MX Browns. Not only does the Ryos have the Browns, but it's basically a more ergonomic Isku. Win freakin' win, baby!


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## FreedomEclipse (Nov 7, 2013)

no love for Corsair K70s? :/


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## AsRock (Nov 7, 2013)

FreedomEclipse said:


> Just got a new Corsair K70 with MX brown switches on monday
> 
> http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Jo8xikMDK1g/0.jpg
> 
> ...



I love that keyboard if only it was a fully programmable keyboard


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## Random Murderer (Nov 7, 2013)

FreedomEclipse said:


> no love for Corsair K70s? :/



I like my dad's, but wouldn't own one myself. I like the extra programmable keys on "gaming" keyboards, especially the thumb buttons on my current Isku.


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## Ahhzz (Nov 7, 2013)

FreedomEclipse said:


> no love for Corsair K70s? :/



Enjoying the hell outta mine, Freedom


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## HammerON (Nov 7, 2013)

FreedomEclipse said:


> no love for Corsair K70s? :/



Posted mine on the first page. Love it so far


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## f22a4bandit (Nov 7, 2013)

FreedomEclipse said:


> no love for Corsair K70s? :/



I was debating between both the K70 and the ROCCAT. I love Corsair products, but chose the ROCCAT for the extra features.


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## sneekypeet (Nov 8, 2013)

Digging the red PCB....


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## sneekypeet (Nov 29, 2013)

What about hybrid switches?


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## AsRock (Nov 29, 2013)

sneekypeet said:


> What about hybrid switches?




They less prone to key wobble ?.. Looks like they have more surface area when they are pressed than cherry's do..


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## sneekypeet (Nov 29, 2013)

They still wobble a bit, but the idea, as Topre puts it, is to remove the part on part grinding that happens with say a Cherry Switch. So no drag, or that slight gritty feel you get when Cherry switches are pressed off center.


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## GamerGuy (Dec 10, 2013)

Hi guys, forgot my login detail here, so I posted in other forums.....but, decided to come back here and wasdetermined to get my password right. Anyway, I have gotten some colored LED covers for my Ducky Shine 3 YOTS, was a little tired of all white LED, so I decided to jazz it up a little.






The Miami key caps arrived, was short of the F12 key, so I installed the key caps on my Keycool 87........





And my latest acquisition, a Ducky SHine 3 Yellow Edition with MX White, yep, you heard right....MX White. Proof's in the pudding, a shot of the switch...


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## AsRock (Dec 10, 2013)

sneekypeet said:


> They still wobble a bit, but the idea, as Topre puts it, is to remove the part on part grinding that happens with say a Cherry Switch. So no drag, or that slight gritty feel you get when Cherry switches are pressed off center.



BTW how you liking the Ryos mk pro ?, i my self enjoying mine.. Had 0 software \ drivers issue's either which is always nice.

I do however wish the back feet were taller although been thinking of modding some from a old keyboard though.


----------



## sneekypeet (Dec 10, 2013)

It is fine, issues...not anything worth mentioning. Had not considered the feet as I do most typing on my lap with my feet on the desk


----------



## sneekypeet (Jan 14, 2014)

So did anyone see that NZXT is partnering with Ducky for a keyboard this year, or that Thermaltake has made their own switches from the ground up for their new mechanical boards?


----------



## Random Murderer (Jan 14, 2014)

sneekypeet said:


> So did anyone see that NZXT is partnering with Ducky for a keyboard this year, or that Thermaltake has made their own switches from the ground up for their new mechanical boards?


I had heard something about TT making their own switches, but not the part about Ducky and NZXT partnering.


----------



## sneekypeet (Jan 14, 2014)

Taken from Facebook (I think it is the Shine 3)...


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## Random Murderer (Jan 14, 2014)

sneekypeet said:


> Taken from Facebook (I think it is the Shine 3)...


Whoa, so *very* limited production.


----------



## sneekypeet (Jan 14, 2014)

seems so, I asked, and was told they are unsure of samples, so these may all go to the retail market.


----------



## ALMOSTunseen (Jan 14, 2014)

If you do get a sample though.... Chuck us a Pm over


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## sneekypeet (Jan 14, 2014)

sure, if I remember


----------



## AlienIsGOD (Jan 14, 2014)

my K60


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## Hilux SSRG (Jan 15, 2014)

AlienIsGOD said:


> my K60
> 
> View attachment 53972


 
Nice looker!  I'm looking at the your version but tkl or the Ducky mini, one day.


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## AlienIsGOD (Jan 15, 2014)

i really like the feel of the Red switches, great for gaming and also easy for typing once you get used to them (i was having problems double pressing keys as my keys are raised and there is no clicky sound at all like my Levetron clicker had)


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## FreedomEclipse (Mar 12, 2014)

I dont know if this has been shared  here (or anywhere else on these forums) but I order some rubber O-rings to dampen the noise from my K70.

they look a little like this.






Money definitely well spent. they dont reduce the clickettyclack completely but they do reduce the sound quite a lot.

Id highly recommend it. Only thing i need to worry about now is removing them if i ever need to RMA the keyboard.


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## HammerON (Mar 12, 2014)

FreedomEclipse said:


> I dont know if this has been shared  here (or anywhere else on these forums) but I order some rubber O-rings to dampen the noise from my K70.
> 
> they look a little like this.
> 
> ...


 
I have the K70 and might have to try these out. I really like the keyboard, but it is a tad bit loud...
Thanks for letting us know how they worked for you


----------



## ALMOSTunseen (Mar 12, 2014)

Do you find that when bottoming out with the orings it's a squishy feeling?


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## Random Murderer (Mar 12, 2014)

ALMOSTunseen said:


> Do you find that when bottoming out with the orings it's a squishy feeling?


No, I have them on my dad's K90, and it's a solid feeling with some slight give. It doesn't really squish down as much as it just hits the bottom and then gives you some slight play to let you know you're at the end of key-travel. If you're typing like normal, you don't even notice the give, just the stop. If you really mash the key in (like during a high-adrenaline segment of a game) you'll notice the give, but it doesn't detract from the mechanical feel.


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## ALMOSTunseen (Mar 12, 2014)

Random Murderer said:


> No, I have them on my dad's K90, and it's a solid feeling with some slight give. It doesn't really squish down as much as it just hits the bottom and then gives you some slight play to let you know you're at the end of key-travel. If you're typing like normal, you don't even notice the give, just the stop. If you really mash the key in (like during a high-adrenaline segment of a game) you'll notice the give, but it doesn't detract from the mechanical feel.


"High adrenaline segment" aka me raging all the time when playing games 
Thanks for the reply


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## FreedomEclipse (Mar 12, 2014)

well, I have a nasty habit of bottoming out due to spending so much time on a keyboard that was using scissor switches (chiclet style keys like on a laptop) Ive spent over a year on mechanical keys but i honestly feel that having the rubber O-rings help not just to dampen the sound but they shorten the  amount of travel in the keys by about 1-2mm which is great if you're the kind of person that can type moderately fast. I have definitely saved myself a few seconds when it comes to typing.

It doesnt feel squishy at all. All you feel is just a soft 'bump' and the occasional sound of the spring when you release the key. 

I feel a little retarded when i compare my fingers to spiders legs resting on their threads and waiting for that telltale vibration to come from something caught in its web. Bottoming out is like a indicator to me that tells me i can carry on typing. Thats why I have never got over bottoming out. I used to do it anyway when i was using logitech rubber dome keyboards and its just something ive gotten used to. 

I dont know if everyone else feels the same way. but I sense through my fingers as i dont look at the keyboard when i type,


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## Ahhzz (Mar 13, 2014)

I almost bought some when I got my Corsair last year, but I find that I enjoy the "thunk" from the impact, and besides, I never could find the ones I wanted to get  Not sure if I'll try them on my new Roccat, but probably not either.


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## FreedomEclipse (Mar 13, 2014)

well their fairly cheap anyway - Im sure they can be had for around $10 or something. Im willing to spend $10 now and again on  gamble to see if i will like something.

somebody mentioned the rubber rings to me before but i never really thought much of them and totally forgot about them till i was bored and decided to find out how much they were. Bought some Prolimatech PK-3 to try out while i was at it.


Just thought id pass over a helpful tip cuz i know people can find the noise a mechanical keyboard makes quite offputting.


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## ALMOSTunseen (Mar 13, 2014)

FreedomEclipse said:


> well, I have a nasty habit of bottoming out due to spending so much time on a keyboard that was using scissor switches (chiclet style keys like on a laptop) Ive spent over a year on mechanical keys but i honestly feel that having the rubber O-rings help not just to dampen the sound but they shorten the  amount of travel in the keys by about 1-2mm which is great if you're the kind of person that can type moderately fast. I have definitely saved myself a few seconds when it comes to typing.
> 
> It doesnt feel squishy at all. All you feel is just a soft 'bump' and the occasional sound of the spring when you release the key.
> 
> ...


This is exactly the same way I type. I used a logitech G19 for like 2 or 3 years, and got used to bottoming out on the domes. But now after using my mechanical it still feels weird. I may have to try out the orings after all.


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## FreedomEclipse (Mar 13, 2014)

It almost feels like a dome keyboard this way. Its really a nice experience.


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## Solaris17 (Mar 13, 2014)

ill try to get some better quality ones later of my DKS3 blue w/ blue switches.


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## Peter1986C (Mar 13, 2014)

So with the rings applied, the noise and feel do not differ much as long as you do not bottom out? I very rarely bottom out on my MK-50 with MX brown keys (it happens less and less, even when gaming).


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## FreedomEclipse (Mar 13, 2014)

If you dont bottom out i guess it doesnt matter. then again I think the noise itself is exacerbated by the fact that the keys are tapping on the aluminium base of my K70 when i bottom out. I dont think it would be as loud for a keyboard thats mainly made out of plastics.

People will bottom out because theyre just used to that way of typing or they have extreme cases of OCD. Everyone types differently. I guess my typing is can be construed as 'heavy typing'????


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## Random Murderer (Mar 13, 2014)

Chevalr1c said:


> So with the rings applied, the noise and feel do not differ much as long as you do not bottom out? I very rarely bottom out on my MK-50 with MX brown keys (it happens less and less, even when gaming).


Exactly. They are sort of "training wheels," if you will. The travel is reduced slightly, but I would say 1.5mm at most.


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## FreedomEclipse (Mar 13, 2014)

Well ive read a lot about people installing these rings on their keyboards to great effect. I wouldnt go as fair as calling them 'training wheels' that would mean something entirely different.

blindfolding someone and teaching them to type just by feeling and instinct - now that would be a 'training wheel'. It doesnt matter if youre new to mechanical keyboards or not, if you hate how loud they can be then theres a solution for it.


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## Random Murderer (Mar 13, 2014)

FreedomEclipse said:


> Well ive read a lot about people installing these rings on their keyboards to great effect. I wouldnt go as fair as calling them 'training wheels' that would mean something entirely different.
> 
> blindfolding someone and teaching them to type just by feeling and instinct - now that would be a 'training wheel'. It doesnt matter if youre new to mechanical keyboards or not, if you hate how loud they can be then theres a solution for it.


That's what I mean, depending on the switch used, the only sound coming from a mechanical KB is from bottoming out. Solution? Stop bottoming out.


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## FreedomEclipse (Mar 13, 2014)

Well i dunno what mechanical keyboard you type on that lets you type in complete silence

but even with these rubber rings you can still hear the sound of the spring, the action of the keys & your fingers when they move across the keyboard. You will never be completely rid of the sound of typing, I think even dome keyboards make a noise and so do scissor switches you get on a laptop to a certain extent but you can type pretty quietly on those. 

MX Blue switches?


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## FreedomEclipse (Mar 13, 2014)

Another way to look at it...

Think of the rubber rings as a suppressor on a gun, It will silence the sound of the shot but won't silence the mechanics/cycling of the gun. Every time you pull that trigger the cycling of the gun can be heard, shell ejection loading another round in the chamber etc etc.


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## Random Murderer (Mar 13, 2014)

FreedomEclipse said:


> Well i dunno what mechanical keyboard you type on that lets you type in complete silence
> 
> but even with these rubber rings you can still hear the sound of the spring, the action of the keys & your fingers when they move across the keyboard. You will never be completely rid of the sound of typing, I think even dome keyboards make a noise and so do scissor switches you get on a laptop to a certain extent but you can type pretty quietly on those.
> 
> MX Blue switches?


Of course, no keyboard is completely silent, aside from those stupid laser keyboards(even then, the sound of your fingers on whatever surface you're using is there). I think you're taking me too literally, so let me be as clear as possible: the only sound a mechanical keyboard makes that is not present on other keyboards, including membrane, is that of the switch assembly(depending on type), and the key bottoming out. The keys on non-mechanical keyboards still move slightly when your fingers move across them, there is still the sound of key travel, the supporting structure of the key(membrane, scissor, or spring) is going to make a sound, but far and away the loudest sound I deal with when typing on mechanicals is that of bottoming out. It bugged my dad and him constantly bottoming out(and hard, at that) bugged me, hence the O-rings. The damn thing probably won't last much longer. He's had it for just under a year and it's already acting up. He is hell on keyboards.
MX Reds, by the way, but I prefer Browns and Clears for MX switches, and my absolute favorites are the old ALPS switches.

Now please, let's get back to the pics. I don't feel like arguing over a stupid misunderstanding.


FreedomEclipse said:


> Another way to look at it...
> 
> Think of the rubber rings as a suppressor on a gun, It will silence the sound of the shot but won't silence the mechanics/cycling of the gun. Every time you pull that trigger the cycling of the gun can be heard, shell ejection loading another round in the chamber etc etc.


Now _that_ is a good analogy. I couldn't come up with one better than the training wheels, lol.


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## sakai4eva (Mar 26, 2014)

Oh boy... Can I join? 

KBT Oni (MX Browns) and Filco Majestouch (MX Blues) here. Pictures to follow when I get home to my rig.


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## sneekypeet (Mar 26, 2014)

Random Murderer said:


> Now please, let's get back to the pics.









There ya go bro! 

@sakai4eva sure you can join, but stop teasing with the I don't have images...


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## sakai4eva (Mar 26, 2014)

I'll post some imgur remnants then. Warning, massive imgur photos taken with a potato with potato farmer's shaky hands:


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## Compgeke (Mar 26, 2014)

I don't know that I ever posted my slightly modified Desko. Bit of an interesting board as it has a magswipe reader, for the opposite sides of cards (if I could figure out how to make the damn feature work), integrated mouse and the ability to work over PS/2 or serial via SITA. Bit uncommon as I have mine with the box, first person to ever use it whereas you really can't buy one as a one-off, I got it through a trade.






Has MX Black switches.


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## Vario (Apr 19, 2014)

Heres my Filco Majestouch II Ninja TKL (brown cherrymx) with red WASD keycaps, corsair mm600 mousepad, microsoft mouse


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## Solaris17 (Apr 19, 2014)

does anyone know any good distributors for custom caps for MX switches? I found a few but they werent that great usually with only a selection of like 5


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## sakai4eva (Apr 19, 2014)

Solaris17 said:


> does anyone know any good distributors for custom caps for MX switches? I found a few but they werent that great usually with only a selection of like 5


What exactly are you looking for? 

Whole sets or just a few keys? 

I suggest that you look through signature plastics as a starting point. 

p/s; I'm an avid MKBer (is that a thing?) so you can ask me anything about MKBs.


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## sneekypeet (Apr 19, 2014)

Solaris17 said:


> does anyone know any good distributors for custom caps for MX switches? I found a few but they werent that great usually with only a selection of like 5



I go to WASD Keyboards for a lot of gear for mechs, and they have a ton of custom caps.
http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/


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## ensabrenoir (Apr 19, 2014)

looking for a white mechanical keyboard..... any good suggestions?


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## sneekypeet (Apr 19, 2014)

I know Rosewill and Thermaltake made some, may be out of stock at this point though. My favorite white mech has to be the Matias Tactile Pro 3, but you will have to spend near $200 to get that board.


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## Peter1986C (May 28, 2014)

I modded my Qpad MK-50 for the looks and because I want to encourage typing blindly. The grey is a medium grey that seems a bit lighter on the pics because the pics are only quick shots with bad lighting and a phone cam.


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## FreedomEclipse (Jun 6, 2014)

While I deal with another K70 RMA courtesy of Corsair whose Rep on here wont even reply to me anymore when i messaged him two weeks ago about the replacement K70 I got back a few months ago having the same dead/dying LED problem as the first one i sent back...


Ladies and gents, may I present my new Ducky Shine III - Also with my recently purchased Logitech G502 which i am quite enjoying though it feels like theres hardly any difference between the G500 and 502 apart from a few buttons missing/moved.






















The Ducky is a lot pricier than the K70 but the build quality is solid. I was expecting some cheap POS resembling an 80's keyboard but it feels like theres a sheet of steel hidden inside to give it a good weight and strength and even though the outside & base of the keyboard is obviously made of plastic, It feels really good.

Its a good keyboard but just doesnt look as classy as Corsair's sheet of aluminium.


now to head to the other forums & retailers to spread some hate about Corsair peripherals....


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## tom_mili (Jun 19, 2014)

I have been pretty curious about these mech keyboards since I first built my PC but back then I had no money left since all of them went into the PC to get all the horsepower...
I just bought this little Leopold  FC700R TKL with yellow keycaps and my first impression was it wasn't yellow at all... It is more like orange if I compare it with my "yellow" Lumia 520 and it weights much more than my cheapo Logitech K100 which was full layout keyboard 











And yes, that is my cat sleeping on top of the case


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## FreedomEclipse (Jun 19, 2014)

Looks like a ragdoll cat. I love ragdolls!


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## tom_mili (Jun 20, 2014)

I think she is a calico and she likes being there if the room gets hotter.. I also have a ragdoll cat but she is even lazier and won't even climb up to the desk


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## Random Murderer (Jun 20, 2014)

Completely forgot this thread existed. I may post up some pics of my new KB


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## sneekypeet (Jun 20, 2014)

Random Murderer said:


> I may post up some pics of my new KB



well.....?


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## Random Murderer (Jun 20, 2014)

sneekypeet said:


> well.....?


Well what? You want me to take a picture of my keyboard at home while at work?


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## FreedomEclipse (Jun 20, 2014)

Random Murderer said:


> Well what? You want me to take a picture of my keyboard at home while at work?



Do it fggt


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## Random Murderer (Jun 20, 2014)

FreedomEclipse said:


> Do it fggt


Lol, you make me feel like I'm back on 4Chan.
I'll take a pic and post it tonight. It's one of the many that Sneeky has posted in this thread.


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## sneekypeet (Jun 20, 2014)

Random Murderer said:


> Well what? You want me to take a picture of my keyboard at home while at work?



Don't go getting all technical on us....lol
Also this isn't about who did what already, add some mech-pron and keep the thread alive


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## Random Murderer (Jun 22, 2014)

sneekypeet said:


> Don't go getting all technical on us....lol
> Also this isn't about who did what already, add some mech-pron and keep the thread alive


Ok, ok, so it didn't happen last night, as we had a power-outage for a while, so I ended up going to bed.
Anyway, here are the pics as promised. MX Browns, by the way.


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## FX-GMC (Jun 26, 2014)

The keyboard isn't that sexy, but i LOVE the green switches.












sneekypeet said:


> I am a huge fan of green switches too, it's just too bad they are so rare!



Tell me about it.  My options were very limited.  Wish my keyboard at home had green switches.  The blues just don't feel right anymore.


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## sneekypeet (Jun 26, 2014)

I am a huge fan of green switches too, it's just too bad they are so rare!


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## Random Murderer (Jun 26, 2014)

Is that one of the new Rosewill KBs?


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## sneekypeet (Jun 26, 2014)

Random Murderer said:


> Is that one of the new Rosewill KBs?



I assumed it was. Reminds me of a CM board, but none of the things that make them an obvious CM board like logos on the ALT keys.


----------



## FX-GMC (Jun 28, 2014)

sneekypeet said:


> I assumed it was. Reminds me of a CM board, but none of the things that make them an obvious CM board like logos on the ALT keys.



CM logo is on the usb cable.


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## THE_EGG (Jun 28, 2014)

FX-GMC said:


> CM logo is on the usb cable.


Yeh and the font on the keys matches the font on the keys on my kb. Very nice!

I have to admit my CM kb has really impressed me ( I have a storm trigger). Especially compared to my old Tt one.


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## FreedomEclipse (Jul 2, 2014)

Anyone using blue switches here?

I got my RMA back from Corsair and they gave me a K70 with blue switches. Im not sure if i love it or hate it tbh. Probably hate because this keyboard is NOISY. Get and get down with the clickiness......


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## Random Murderer (Jul 2, 2014)

FreedomEclipse said:


> Anyone using blue switches here?
> 
> I got my RMA back from Corsair and they gave me a K70 with blue switches. Im not sure if i love it or hate it tbh. Probably hate because this keyboard is NOISY. Get and get down with the clickiness......


I like blues better than, say, reds, but that's because I like tactile feedback. Personally, after having typed with an IBM KB older than me with ALPS switches that are noisy as hell(every keystroke is a Ka-chung sound) for years, I'm used to the audible feedback and it doesn't bother me anymore, but it's definitely understandable that some people don't like the audible feedback, especially when they're not even the one using the keyboard 
Bottom line, it's just personal preference. If you like the feel and the audible feedback doesn't bother you, I think you'll end up loving the KB.

BTW, was that last line a Disturbed reference?


----------



## FreedomEclipse (Jul 2, 2014)

Random Murderer said:


> I like blues better than, say, reds, but that's because I like tactile feedback. Personally, after having typed with an IBM KB older than me with ALPS switches that are noisy as hell(every keystroke is a Ka-chung sound) for years, I'm used to the audible feedback and it doesn't bother me anymore, but it's definitely understandable that some people don't like the audible feedback, especially when they're not even the one using the keyboard
> Bottom line, it's just personal preference. If you like the feel and the audible feedback doesn't bother you, I think you'll end up loving the KB.
> 
> BTW, was that last line a Disturbed reference?




Thats why i decided to give the keyboard a go rather than not touching it and selling it instantly. I think i do prefer MX Browns as a whole but these dead LEDs seem to be a widespread issue and not just tied down to one keyboard manufacturer. Maybe Cherry used bad LEDs paired with their switches, because at this point I can hardly call my Ducky shine 3 with 4 dead LEDs a coincidence.

I may just have to go back to using MX Reds i think. 

and yes that was a disturbed reference


----------



## Random Murderer (Jul 2, 2014)

FreedomEclipse said:


> Thats why i decided to give the keyboard a go rather than not touching it and selling it instantly. I think i do prefer MX Browns as a whole but these dead LEDs seem to be a widespread issue and not just tied down to one keyboard manufacturer. Maybe Cherry used bad LEDs paired with their switches, because at this point I can hardly call my Ducky shine 3 with 4 dead LEDs a coincidence.
> 
> I may just have to go back to using MX Reds i think.
> 
> and yes that was a disturbed reference


Yeah, my dad's K70 w/ reds has quite a few dead LEDs. None on my Ryos MK Pro, hopefully it stays that way.
Also, I don't think you can blame Cherry for the LED issues. They simply make the switches with a space for a 3mm LED, but I don't think they actually ship the switches to manufacturers with the LEDs already in place. I could be wrong, though. Maybe somebody with a bit more knowledge could chime in here?


----------



## erixx (Jul 2, 2014)

DasKeyboard.com sells earplugs for 5 $, LOL


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## FreedomEclipse (Jul 2, 2014)

the Ryos MK Pro is available here but that seems quite a big keyboard and i dont need all the fancy macro stuff. thats why the K70 was so appealing to me.  I dont know what im gonna do now. I might give the Gigabyte Osmium a go a hope for the best depending if i can get another Ducky Shine III because it seems they are rare'ish here in the UK. probably only a handful of retailers sell them


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## sneekypeet (Jul 2, 2014)

Rosewill RGB80, pretty impressive little TKL.... will do full lighting of course, oh and any color you desire!


----------



## FreedomEclipse (Jul 2, 2014)

sneekypeet said:


> Rosewill RGB80, pretty impressive little TKL.... will do full lighting of course, oh and any color you desire!


 

This looks sexy as hell. Pitty you cant get here in the UK yet but theres a lotta choice in the TKL range... Just that most of them seem to be sold out at the moment


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## sneekypeet (Jul 2, 2014)

FreedomEclipse said:


> This looks sexy as hell. Pitty you cant get here in the UK yet but theres a lotta choice in the TKL range... Just that most of them seem to be sold out at the moment



I really starting to favor them honestly. I rarely use the number pad section of a keyboard, and its just so handy to have a more compact keyboard for the desk, and my lap since I do most of my typing with my feet on the desk.

Sucks availability is so low in general on TKL boards. I also noticed it does take a while for Rosewill to offer stock to other retailers since it is Newegg's in house brand. I do know Thermaltake has the Poseidon TKL about to release in the wild, maybe that will be more widely available, and it uses Kailh blue switches too if that is your thing. Also Tt carries a 5 year warranty, where the Rosewill's is only a year!


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## xvi (Jul 2, 2014)

Reading through this thread, I don't like the sounds of Corsair's support on keyboards. I picked up a K95 a while back and quickly noticed that the letter on the "H" keycap was crooked. I was hoping to get them to mail me a replacement, but I'm worried about my chances now.

It doesn't help that I *HATE* the red switches it came with too. They're supposed to be "gaming" switches, but I don't know how accidentally jumping because I put too much pressure on the space bar improves my ability to "pwn noobs", as it were.
(..or not being sure if I pressed a key enough for action X to be performed.)
(...or accidentally strafing.)

*character unexpectedly jumps in-game*
Me, frantically looking around, swinging melee: "AAAH!"
Nothing near me, nothing happened.
MX Reds strike again.


----------



## sneekypeet (Jul 2, 2014)

Corsairs were cool as they were one of the first to bring mechs mainstream. Thing is my first sample had a bad LED from the jump, the second did the same thing over a bit of time. The other thing is, build quality is much better from everyone else really, Corsair mechs are sort of cheap-ish in the frame, and IIRC they always allowed way too much torsional flex, which could be why LEDs are going out.


----------



## FreedomEclipse (Jul 2, 2014)

sneekypeet said:


> Corsairs were cool as they were one of the first to bring mechs mainstream. Thing is my first sample had a bad LED from the jump, the second did the same thing over a bit of time. The other thing is, build quality is much better from everyone else really, Corsair mechs are sort of cheap-ish in the frame, and IIRC they always allowed way too much torsional flex, which could be why LEDs are going out.




how can you explain the dead LEDS on a  DUcky shine III then?


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## sneekypeet (Jul 2, 2014)

There is always the chance of a bad LED out of the hundred or so they install. Everyone I know that has owned a ducky loves it and has not one bad word to say about them. I think it was just luck of the draw, or lack of luck as it may be.


----------



## AsRock (Jul 2, 2014)

FreedomEclipse said:


> This looks sexy as hell. Pitty you cant get here in the UK yet but theres a lotta choice in the TKL range... Just that most of them seem to be sold out at the moment


Although it's a great keyboard for those who want to or need to program any key on the keyboard.

Great for those games were the key setting are just not at your liking.


----------



## FreedomEclipse (Jul 2, 2014)

Ive asked for an RMA with my retailer anyway but they dont have any stock and even when they did it was only like 1 or 2. I dunno wut im gunna do if deh dont giffs me mah replacements.

I might just go buy a shitty Xenta keyboard and say FML


----------



## sneekypeet (Jul 2, 2014)

FreedomEclipse said:


> Ive asked for an RMA with my retailer anyway but they dont have any stock and even when they did it was only like 1 or 2. I dunno wut im gunna do if deh dont giffs me mah replacements.
> 
> I might just go buy a shitty Xenta keyboard and say FML



Cannot go directly to ducky?


----------



## FreedomEclipse (Jul 2, 2014)

sneekypeet said:


> Cannot go directly to ducky?




not tried yet. but Im afraid of going to them because they're from china/taiwan and they might not english good.....


----------



## sneekypeet (Jul 2, 2014)

they might English gooder than you think. A lot of the things I see come from there, and rarely do I have any language barriers


----------



## FreedomEclipse (Jul 2, 2014)

with that being said though, Ive contacted Edimax & Also TP-Link and their english has been pretty good.

Since ive started an RMA with my retailer, i might as well see what they have to say first.


----------



## Random Murderer (Jul 2, 2014)

sneekypeet said:


> they might English gooder than you think. A lot of the things I see come from there, and rarely do I have any language barriers


Agreed. I've actually spoken directly to customer service in Taiwan, China and South Korea, and all of them spoke very good English. The Taiwanese woman even English'd better than me, and I'm pretty sure it's not her native language. Speaking from a customer support perspective, it seems to be the Middle East and western Asia that don't English good.


----------



## tom_mili (Jul 3, 2014)

I am really interested in those Kailh switches but looking up on mech keyboard forum like GH and Deksthority always gives me bad impression about those switches.
I am aware that they are copying Cherry's design but are they really bad ? Yes, they are a bit cheaper than Cherry MX equipped mech keyboard but not something that I would call "cheap" since membrane keyboards dont cost as much as they do.
I am interested in 84-key or 60% mech keyboard right now and Keycool brand is on my list but apparently they started using Kailh switches in their newer keyboards.

More shots of my keyboard


----------



## FreedomEclipse (Jul 13, 2014)

Back to using my Ducky Shine III with MX Browns!!!! oh man, it feels so good i might even masturbate and shoot a load all over it. I cant stand the noise of blue switches!!!!


----------



## sneekypeet (Aug 11, 2014)

Cool keyboard.....yes pun intended!


----------



## GamerGuy (Nov 15, 2014)

Just got the Galaxy key set from Techkeys, installed it on my CoolerMaster Novatouch...


----------



## ALMOSTunseen (Nov 16, 2014)

Picked up a topre the other day!


----------



## ChaoticG8R (Nov 16, 2014)

Random Murderer said:


> Ok, ok, so it didn't happen last night, as we had a power-outage for a while, so I ended up going to bed.
> Anyway, here are the pics as promised. MX Browns, by the way.
> 
> 
> Spoiler



I took this awhile back, and while it's not exactly the high-def pr0n shots that most users are posting here, it does speak well to this keyboard.   (Sorry if the music is not to your specific liking, it just did a reasonable job showing off the keyboard/mouse TalkFX functions)


----------



## Hilux SSRG (Nov 16, 2014)

GamerGuy said:


> Just got the Galaxy key set from Techkeys, installed it on my CoolerMaster Novatouch...


Very nice  set.  How are you liking the Novatouch?


----------



## vega22 (Nov 16, 2014)

FreedomEclipse said:


> Back to using my Ducky Shine III with MX Browns!!!! oh man, it feels so good i might even masturbate and shoot a load all over it. I cant stand the noise of blue switches!!!!



as wrong as it sounds, it is good to hear as i have one of those in the mail to replace this zalman with knock off reds i have.


----------



## Solaris17 (Nov 16, 2014)

I contacted ducky and my DKS3 will be on its way back to me starting this week. im pumped! Does anyone know a good palce to get custom keys that will fit the cherry switches?


----------



## THE_EGG (Nov 16, 2014)

Solaris17 said:


> I contacted ducky and my DKS3 will be on its way back to me starting this week. im pumped! Does anyone know a good palce to get custom keys that will fit the cherry switches?


^this I must know.


----------



## vega22 (Nov 16, 2014)

afaik all mech switches (not the scissor ones) are the same fitting.

http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/

looks like a good bet on your side of the pond.


----------



## Compgeke (Nov 18, 2014)

Dolch PAC-486 Keyboard. Dolch keycaps are some of the best MX keycaps imo.










Has MX Blues


----------



## GamerGuy (Nov 18, 2014)

Hilux SSRG said:


> Very nice  set.  How are you liking the Novatouch?


It has that Topre feel, though somehow, it feels a little more refined on my HHKB 2's. But, I have no complaints or reservations whatsoever with regard to the Novatouch. If I had, I'd not have bought two, would I?


----------



## AhokZYashA (Nov 19, 2014)

i got a KB paradise V80 greens and a daskeyboard ultimate S blues
gotta take pics later


----------



## freakshow (Nov 21, 2014)

Got this in today Rosewill RK-9100


----------



## FreedomEclipse (Dec 3, 2014)

freakshow said:


> Got this in today Rosewill RK-9100



youre gonna cry like a pussybitch when LEDs start to die.


Im trying to get a Corsair RGB K70 Brown to replace my Ducky Shine with butt tonne of LEDs. Problem with that is stock straight out does not exist, even with all the major retailers. They aint even sold on AMAZON and the only way to get them is to have it imported via ebay and the prices are so bad....


----------



## freakshow (Dec 3, 2014)

FreedomEclipse said:


> youre gonna cry like a pussybitch when LEDs start to die.



why would i cry like a pussybitch? if the LED's die they die, either just get a new keyboard or replace the LEDs in it...


----------



## FreedomEclipse (Dec 3, 2014)

freakshow said:


> why would i cry like a pussybitch? if the LED's die they die, either just get a new keyboard or replace the LEDs in it...




Because thats a nice keyboard.

Also, replacing LEDs isnt a straightforward job and most people lack the technical expertise to replace the dead LEDs in their own keyboard.

Ive had LEDs die within a week to a month of ownership and its gotten to a point where ive replaced so many keyboards that its not worth sending them off for RMA anymore as the money ive spent on shipping alone could buy me another mechanical keyboard or two.


----------



## BiggieShady (Dec 3, 2014)

GamerGuy said:


> Just got the Galaxy key set from Techkeys, installed it on my CoolerMaster Novatouch...


Does enter key on the numeric side say "Make it so"?


----------



## freakshow (Dec 4, 2014)

FreedomEclipse said:


> Because thats a nice keyboard.
> 
> Also, replacing LEDs isnt a straightforward job and most people lack the technical expertise to replace the dead LEDs in their own keyboard.
> 
> Ive had LEDs die within a week to a month of ownership and its gotten to a point where ive replaced so many keyboards that its not worth sending them off for RMA anymore as the money ive spent on shipping alone could buy me another mechanical keyboard or two.



very true.. but i can replace them if need to be, and plus i got a back up mech keyboard also


----------



## DanishDevil (Feb 13, 2015)

Jumping onto this Massdrop!





These are not your average backlit capable keycaps, these are PBT!!! 

I have been using a mixture of ABS backlit and PBT non-backlit keycaps on my Ducky Year of the Snake, and it's embarassing. I love the feeling of PBT keycaps, and now you can get them backlit for only $30 (+tax&ship)!


----------



## Random Murderer (Feb 13, 2015)

DanishDevil said:


> Jumping onto this Massdrop!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Welp, looks like I'll finally be grabbing some aftermaket keycaps for my Ryos MK Pro.


----------



## Ahhzz (Feb 17, 2015)

Das Keyboards on sale, refurb.... $119

http://computers.woot.com/offers/das-keyboard-4-professional-ultimate-1?ref=gh_cp_3_d_ph

amazon bought Woot several years ago, and this is where they clear out their inventory. Occasional SNAFU where they run out and sell more than they have (stupid airlines), and slow-as-hell shipping, but mostly good products, and decent customer service... almost up to @sneekypeet  level


----------



## FreedomEclipse (Feb 17, 2015)

Right lads, Prepare for some porn!



Spoiler


----------



## FreedomEclipse (Feb 17, 2015)

I may just trade out my Ducky Shine III for one of these beasts.


----------



## DanishDevil (May 2, 2015)

Here's my Ducky Year of the Snake with my new double-shot PBT keycaps from MassDrop! Sorry for the cell phone pic, if there's more interest, I can take some with the SLR. They didn't come with the top right 4 shortcut keys (didn't expect them to) nor a properly sized caps lock (this was a little shocking to me), so I had to use the short shift key upsize-down in its place. All other keys are working!






I started out with a Ducky Year of the Tiger with etched but not colored PBT keycaps and I have to say that I miss those caps the most. They had the most texture (read: grit) on the caps. These double-shot MassDrop caps feel smoother, almost closer to ABS than PBT, but I can tell that they are more firm and shouldn't shine after extended use. Overall I'm happy for what I paid.


----------



## Compgeke (May 2, 2015)

If you like textured try out a Type Heaven some day, they're like 800 grit sandpaper.

$30 for those caps isn't bad though, I'm tempted to grab a set of blue on white but I'd probably never use them.


----------



## erixx (May 4, 2015)

I am wondering.... The thread is called "sexy", but many pics, and specially the last one (hey Danishdevil : ) ! aren't sexy at all, or at least not sexier that any other arbitrary object...!
There are sexy keyboards AND there are sexy ways of making pics, but a frontal pic of a square and boring and not so clean keyboard, pluieassssssssssse !!!!


----------



## sneekypeet (May 4, 2015)

erixx said:


> I am wondering.... The thread is called "sexy", but many pics, and specially the last one (hey Danishdevil : ) ! aren't sexy at all, or at least not sexier that any other arbitrary object...!
> There are sexy keyboards AND there are sexy ways of making pics, but a frontal pic of a square and boring and not so clean keyboard, pluieassssssssssse !!!!



All the complaining and no image?  Just Kidding of course.

Just to stay on topic.....


----------



## ALMOSTunseen (May 4, 2015)

TopreTopre TopreTopre, I love the clunk!


----------



## erixx (May 5, 2015)

Pete: Nice! Keyboards run by an orc! 
QuasiUnseen: the windows key uncover that one as a recent replica


----------



## DanishDevil (May 10, 2015)

erixx said:


> I am wondering.... The thread is called "sexy", but many pics, and specially the last one (hey Danishdevil : ) ! aren't sexy at all, or at least not sexier that any other arbitrary object...!
> There are sexy keyboards AND there are sexy ways of making pics, but a frontal pic of a square and boring and not so clean keyboard, pluieassssssssssse !!!!


If you don't think a full brushed aluminum cased limited edition mechanical keyboard with backlit PBT keycaps is sexy, then this thread isn't for you... 

I can manage to take a sexier picture of it though.


----------



## erixx (May 12, 2015)

yeessssssssssssssss i waaaaaaaaaaant moaaar


----------



## Solaris17 (Jun 4, 2015)

DKS 4 Silver ED in Magenta mode (blue switches)


----------



## sakai4eva (Jun 5, 2015)

Hmm... Any custom board owners here?


----------



## broken pixel (Jun 5, 2015)

My first mechanical keyboard, K70.


----------



## Random Murderer (Jun 5, 2015)

broken pixel said:


> My first mechanical keyboard, K70.


That's a cool keyboard accessory, is that Corsair official?


----------



## FreedomEclipse (Jun 8, 2015)

youre gonna cry like a bitch when that bird drops a load, specially if it gets on the brushed aluminum. that stuff can be hard to clean.


----------



## broken pixel (Jun 8, 2015)

Lol! Frank was only on the keyboard a short time.


----------



## Jaffakeik (Sep 5, 2015)

Bought today


----------



## AsRock (Sep 5, 2015)

Send it back ASAP, key wear is terrible, mine the key went shiny which is expected to some degree but they went all weiredly bumpy looking and be careful taking the caps of as if it's don't slightly wrong the plastic shatters.

How ever i hope you don't have any issue's with it,  there warranty still only a year ?.


----------



## Solaris17 (Sep 5, 2015)

im bias I love purple and pink backlights. As a user that had blue for years its a really nice change and its very easy on the eyes at night.

and to be honest it looks great.


----------



## Jaffakeik (Sep 5, 2015)

AsRock said:


> Send it back ASAP, key wear is terrible, mine the key went shiny which is expected to some degree but they went all weiredly bumpy looking and be careful taking the caps of as if it's don't slightly wrong the plastic shatters.
> 
> How ever i hope you don't have any issue's with it,  there warranty still only a year ?.


1 year warranty, so I gonna use it for one year will see how it works out, but so far I like it.


----------



## AsRock (Sep 5, 2015)

Jaffakeik said:


> 1 year warranty, so I gonna use it for one year will see how it works out, but so far I like it.



This goes for any mech keyboard, when cleaning it don't try blowing dust out, better to take the key caps off and using a cap remover and which it being a BW better of with the metal key cap remover due to the keys being really close to each other as the plastic key cap remover will push the next to it key..


----------



## vega22 (Sep 5, 2015)

i really thought i posted this ages back :s


----------



## Go To Sleep (Sep 5, 2015)

*Jaffakeik has the same as me *


----------



## Solaris17 (Sep 5, 2015)

marsey99 said:


> i really thought i posted this ages back :s



Nice I recently sold my DKS3 YOTS and got a DKS4 the guy I sold it too loves it and I loved it too. Nice too see some ducky support.


----------



## vega22 (Sep 5, 2015)

with the shine 2 caps i can not fault this dude. shine 3 caps had the alt symbols lit up but the older ones do it the right way for me.

funny thing is i nearly went for the purple one, had enough of blue too :lol:

then i got the g502....on the upside i can turn of its blue light xD

how are you finding the 4?


----------



## Solaris17 (Sep 5, 2015)

marsey99 said:


> with the shine 2 caps i can not fault this dude. shine 3 caps had the alt symbols lit up but the older ones do it the right way for me.
> 
> funny thing is i nearly went for the purple one, had enough of blue too :lol:
> 
> ...



I like the 4 the feet surface area seem like it would make it slip a bit more but to be honest I haven't had an issue, I can just see it being an issue if someone has a dusty desk. The elevation is nice and more too my liking than the 3. The LEDs are great but a bit on the dimmer side compared to the 3. That may make it or break it for some but its a bit easier for me to deal with late at night. but it is 100% visible under bright light during the day.


----------



## zithe (Sep 5, 2015)

I don't currently own a mechanical keyboard but I'm curious about them. Why are they so big lately?


----------



## Jetster (Sep 5, 2015)

zithe said:


> I don't currently own a mechanical keyboard but I'm curious about them. Why are they so big lately?




Its the feel, remember the old typewriters? There is a distinct feel you get having to apply pressure and feel or hear a click. After getting use to one, the old rubber dome keys feel like a broken switch. They do take some getting use to. Then there is the reliability. The switches will last forever almost and can be replaced if they don't.
They come in different color switches for different feels and sounds

http://www.daskeyboard.com/blog/mechanical-keyboard-guide/


----------



## 95Viper (Sep 5, 2015)

Just got a G710 (not a plus model; this one has the cherry blue keys and blue ring around the G-keys) for the un-believable price of $59 USD, at my local WALwart... it was in the clearance area.
So far, I like it; and, I seem to be able to type better on it. Not counting that my typing sucks.

Only shortcoming, for me, would be the indicator lights (for num lock and such) are not adjustable... they are blinding white. Going to tone them down a bit when I get around to it.


----------



## BiggieShady (Sep 6, 2015)

95Viper said:


> Just got a G710 (not a plus model; this one has the cherry blue keys and blue ring around the G-keys) for the un-believable price of $59 USD, at my local WALwart... it was in the clearance area.
> So far, I like it; and, I seem to be able to type better on it. Not counting that my typing sucks.
> 
> Only shortcoming, for me, would be the indicator lights (for num lock and such) are not adjustable... they are blinding white. Going to tone them down a bit when I get around to it.


Just be gentle with it generally, not very durable plastic is used for key caps, people are breaking CTRL and TAB key by hitting them sideways.



http://forums.logitech.com/t5/Logit...ops-Where-to-get/td-p/1075449/highlight/false
https://forums.logitech.com/t5/Logitech-G-Keyboards/G710-Keys-cracking-underneath/td-p/1085483


----------



## Jetster (Sep 6, 2015)

Is it refurbished? Logitech would probably send you a whole new one if you break it but the refurb have a short warranty


----------



## AsRock (Sep 6, 2015)

BiggieShady said:


> Just be gentle with it generally, not very durable plastic is used for key caps, people are breaking CTRL and TAB key by hitting them sideways.
> View attachment 67833
> http://forums.logitech.com/t5/Logit...ops-Where-to-get/td-p/1075449/highlight/false
> https://forums.logitech.com/t5/Logitech-G-Keyboards/G710-Keys-cracking-underneath/td-p/1085483



When the on my Razer BW the part shattered in to 4 pieces.


----------



## 95Viper (Sep 7, 2015)

Jetster said:


> Is it refurbished?



Nope, brand new.



BiggieShady said:


> Just be gentle with it generally, not very durable plastic is used for key caps, people are breaking CTRL and TAB key by hitting them sideways.
> View attachment 67833
> http://forums.logitech.com/t5/Logit...ops-Where-to-get/td-p/1075449/highlight/false
> https://forums.logitech.com/t5/Logitech-G-Keyboards/G710-Keys-cracking-underneath/td-p/1085483



Yep had read that in a review... we will wait and see.
Hope, I don't have a problem with it.

I have had two RMAs with Logitech and they have been good experiences both times.
Mussels even ended up with some extra mouse feet they sent me.


----------



## tabascosauz (Feb 9, 2016)

Does this count as necro?

I'm not super nitpicky with my keyboards, but I do enjoy myself a good typing experience. I've had the Ducky Mini 2014 (MX Blue) as my daily driver for some time now. The ABS caps that come with it are, well, Ducky caps and there's not much to be said of them, but I recently received some PBT DSA blanks from Signature Plastics. It wasn't until recently that I discovered SP; they are highly specialized and have a lot of experience with DSA (Granite, Pulse and nearly every artisan DSA set on the market is made by them).

 

DSA felt a little strange at first due to its lack of profile from row to row, but it feels great now (especially the spherical top). I had the Miami PBT set from Tai-Hao before, but that's gone into storage because of the really stupid Anti-Biosis coating that they put on the caps. It's supposed to prevent bacterial buildup, but all it does is attract dirt and grime and ruin the feel of PBT.


----------



## PP Mguire (Feb 22, 2016)

95Viper said:


> Nope, brand new.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I've used my 710+ for over a year with no issues. My only complaint is the plastic used greases up very easily.


----------



## Red_Machine (Feb 23, 2016)

Here's my new keyboard, a GAMDIAS Hermes Ultimate.  Cherry MX Blues.


----------



## AsRock (Feb 23, 2016)

Whats the softwar elike for it and is the del and back space programmable ?.  I know they say it's fully programmable but it's not always the case.

It is a keyboard i would swap for but i have 2 fully working so their probably be a RGB at least before i swap.


----------



## Red_Machine (Feb 23, 2016)

Yes, you can re-assign both backspeace and Del.  The software's okay, you just need to manually install it (i.e. copy the folder somewhere and put a shortcut to the .exe in your Startup folder) and it won't launch minimised, so you need to minimise it every time you boot up.  It has to load the software, so you could be waiting up to a minute before you can minimise it.  It notifies if there's a new version available, and also checks for firmware updates.

Keep in mind that the keyboard has a rubber webbing under the keys to minimise the noise, though this is removable if you take the keys off.  Just leave the webbing under the macro keys, because there's just bare circuitboard beneath them and I don't feel comfortable pressing on them like that.


----------



## AlienIsGOD (Feb 25, 2016)

not the greatest but i picked up a MADCATZ S.T.R.I.K.E. TE with Kailh brown switches, my K60 kicked the bucket


----------



## Toothless (Feb 25, 2016)

Yeah yeah I can't take pictures well sue me since I just got my coffee while uploading.

G.Skill KM780 and MX780, both RBG and both sexy.





Yes that is my wireless card plugged into the keyboard. It works really well there.


----------



## Terentino (Feb 26, 2016)

Hi guys

not sure if this is the right place to post but I hope I can get some help from you.
I am looking to buy my first mechanical keyboard which I will use for mainly for gaming but also as main keyboard (surfing etc.)

What I own now is a Logitech K750 and a K800. I like more the K750.
Is there such a keyboard that uses low profile/short key caps , similar or close to notebook key caps?

Doing some research I could narrow it down to the following:
- Corsair Strafe RGB Silent (I like the idea of silent switches)
- Razor Blackwidow Ultimate Stealth 2016 (also silent switches)

Can the key caps on the corsair be changed to some shorter ones?

As you can see I want something with silent switches and at least 1 USB pass-through.

Thanks.


----------



## AlienIsGOD (Feb 26, 2016)

I like the STRIKE TE so far, feels a bit different then my K60 w/ cherry reds. But overall im pleased with the keyboard at the price i paid


----------



## PP Mguire (Feb 27, 2016)

Here's mine.


----------



## Terentino (Feb 27, 2016)

Anyone here having the SteelSeries Apex M800? I had the opportunity to use it for a couple of hours today and I must say it's amazing`! The switches feel perfect! The key caps are exactly what I am looking for.
Never tested Cherry MX Red/Brown but those QS1 switches from SteelSeries are amazing.


----------



## sneekypeet (Feb 27, 2016)

Alpha-Zulu yellow switches and a red Stryker top plate


----------



## R-T-B (Feb 27, 2016)

My KBTalking/Vortex One (Basically a Vortex branded specialty keyboard made by some dude in Taiwan) w/ Cherry MX Greens was undergoing a cleaning when I spontanously discovered it had the ability to be modded to support proper numlk and scrolllk LEDs (it lacks them, to my constant irritation).  Here's the photo log as I did it:

So I was cleaning my keyboard for the first time (look at all those beautiful, hard to get MX greens, eh?)






What's this?  Are those actually terminals for Num Lock, Caps Lock, and Scroll lock leds?  Why the heck aren't they using them?  Do they work?






We've got to get in there and investigate!  (Cleaning can come later)  These screws should do!






Yep, it lifts right out!






Back of the PCB reveals it's a generic development board for keyboard modders of sorts.  Very simple, everything is labeled.  And a quick multimeter tests confirm that those ARE indeed functional status LED controls!






Ok, so this keyboard appears to work by opening the negative terminal (left) as appropriate to power the status leds.  Current is applied from the right.  In theory, obliterating the LED ground/negative contacts with a razer blade should disable the leds on num lock and scroll lock.  Then we just jump them with jumper wires to the switched status led grounds.  Then they only turn on when the num lock or scroll lock function is on, as appropriate, becoming proper indicator lights!

That's a lot of talk.  I could fry my keyboard...  maybe I shouldn't do this...

*Too late!*






Yes, I solder like a pregnant walrus that assembles PSUs in a Deer-brand PSU factory.  Who cares, I have bad hands ok?  Lets see if this works!

All LEDs on, ok, that's like normal (and very pretty):






Let's try turning them all off now by tapping them once, and see if the status updates"






It does!  Now lets put the pretty thing back together and see if it still works!






Ok, all on, lets try them off now again:






Still working!  Let's try everyone off but numlock to test that they are independent.






They are!

tl;dr:  I just did my first mechanical keyboard mod and I feel awesome.  No, it may not be entirely sexy (my soldering may even be ugly) but it's awesome and I think it belongs here.


----------



## AsRock (Feb 28, 2016)

R-T-B said:


> My KBTalking/Vortex One (Basically a Vortex branded specialty keyboard made by some dude in Taiwan) w/ Cherry MX Greens was undergoing a cleaning when I spontanously discovered it had the ability to be modded to support proper numlk and scrolllk LEDs (it lacks them, to my constant irritation).  Here's the photo log as I did it:
> 
> So I was cleaning my keyboard for the first time (look at all those beautiful, hard to get MX greens, eh?)
> 
> ...



Cool, good to remove solder and replace with your own as a lot use little lead which makes it harder to do.  But nice and well done.

I thought you might of just put the leds in for the 3 led holes, i did wounder if the plastic cover had the markers on the inside too.

Noticed one of the fake switches were missing on the enter key


----------



## R-T-B (Feb 28, 2016)

AsRock said:


> Noticed one of the fake switches were missing on the enter key



Manufacuring defect.  It came all merged together with the surrounding plastic and would not press down, so I had to pry it out.  For whatever reason, it seems to work fine without it.


----------



## AsRock (Feb 28, 2016)

yeah it's to help to stop the key from being pressed un evenly. if it was my keyboard and it was on the right side of the enter key it would end up damaging the switch.


----------



## R-T-B (Feb 28, 2016)

AsRock said:


> yeah it's to help to stop the key from being pressed un evenly. if it was my keyboard and it was on the right side of the enter key it would end up damaging the switch.



Hmm...  any ideas how to avoid that fate?  Or do you think it's ok?  I obviously can't return it now... lol


----------



## AsRock (Feb 28, 2016)

press the button in the center , dunno if you can buy them or any thing.


----------



## R-T-B (Feb 28, 2016)

AsRock said:


> press the button in the center , dunno if you can buy them or any thing.


I will figure something out, always do.


----------



## manofthem (Feb 28, 2016)

sneekypeet said:


> Alpha-Zulu yellow switches and a red Stryker top plate



Despite liking simpler keyboards lately, I'm strongly attracted to this one. Low and behold, I just saw that it's a Das!   Oh I like!


----------



## AlienIsGOD (Mar 4, 2016)

Picked up a razer blackwidow ultimate classic with three missing keycaps, took the keycaps from my corsair k60 and it's looking pretty good.   Pics to follow


----------



## AlienIsGOD (Mar 7, 2016)

here's my 2 keyboards 

MadCatz STRIKE TE



 

Razer BlackWidow Ultimate (kids)


----------



## jboydgolfer (Mar 7, 2016)

AZIO MGK1 RGB Mech KB. got it on sale for $60  my only complaint is the Punctuation keys being upside down, and the "AZIO" badge is sharp as a MoFo. since its machined aluminum


----------



## AlienIsGOD (Mar 7, 2016)

jboydgolfer said:


> my only complaint is the Punctuation keys being upside down



could you not use a keycap puller and switch them the right way?


----------



## jboydgolfer (Mar 7, 2016)

AlienIsGOD said:


> could you not use a keycap puller and switch them the right way?



nope. this KB, and many other as far as i know are Shaped...keys tend to be "beveled" so that they slope downward towards the user..meaning the back or Far side of the key, is higher IF the key is removed from the KB and viewed or laid down on a flat surface...Like this..even if i COULD do that, the symbols would ALL be upside down then, and that would look weird IMO. I THINK they printed them like this , so the LED's light BOTH punctuations marks on the key equally well, instead on one or the other, but I could CERTAINLY be wrong.


----------



## AlienIsGOD (Mar 7, 2016)

Ahh my   bad.   That's certainly annoying then


----------



## jboydgolfer (Mar 7, 2016)

AlienIsGOD said:


> Ahh my   bad.   That's certainly annoying then


no bad, i thought EXACTLY that , but i discovered what i posted when i went to switch them around  i reached out to the Maker, and asked WTF did they do it for...awaiting a reply, it likely wouldnt bother many users, but I look @ the Board when i type, and It always throws me off, to see them reversed....but ALL of the ones Ive seen from this maker are this way, so it was intentional.


----------



## GamerGuy (Mar 16, 2016)

I'd been on a hoatus from buying mechanical keyboards for more than a year as I'd shifted my focus to audio. But, I was at a PC mega sale event recently and the Armaggeddon MKA-5R RGB Hornet caught my eyes. Seeing that although I have a large number of keyboards, I did not have a single RGB keyboard......didn't go for the Duckys (my usual)  because they came in full-sized flavors. Anyway, although the RGB Hornet uses Kailh switches, I gave them a try and I quite like the 'click' and 'tock' when struck, so I went for it......along with a RGB mouse in the SRO-5 Havoc III (also from Armaggeddon) which has an Avago A3310 optical engine/sensor.


----------



## AlienIsGOD (Mar 16, 2016)

My madcatz has kailh browns and I quite like them


----------



## sneekypeet (Mar 16, 2016)

jboydgolfer said:


> no bad, i thought EXACTLY that , but i discovered what i posted when i went to switch them around  i reached out to the Maker, and asked WTF did they do it for...awaiting a reply, it likely wouldnt bother many users, but I look @ the Board when i type, and It always throws me off, to see them reversed....but ALL of the ones Ive seen from this maker are this way, so it was intentional.



A few companies have been reversing the icon placement due to the LED location under the caps. This way the light shines through the numbers rather than the less used icons that typically ride the top of the key caps.


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## Solaris17 (Apr 25, 2016)

Ordered a Lolita Spyder for work. So I dont have to use the trash wireless microsoft keyboard.

Its my phone cam so bare with me. I got the reds so that and the switch type are different from my MX blues on my DKS4 at home so far I like it though.


----------



## jboydgolfer (Apr 25, 2016)

Solaris17 said:


> Ordered a Lolita Spyder for work. So I dont have to use the trash wireless microsoft keyboard.
> 
> Its my phone cam so bare with me. I got the reds so that and the switch type are different from my MX blues on my DKS4 at home so far I like it though.




I almost ordered one of those for a Giveaway...i was > < this close  Personally, i dont think i could get used to TKL. tho .  just the same, a VERY beautiful KB.


----------



## Solaris17 (Apr 25, 2016)

jboydgolfer said:


> I almost ordered one of those for a Giveaway...i was > < this close  Personally, i dont think i could get used to TKL. tho .  just the same, a VERY beautiful KB.



Its definitely Different but I dont use the calculator app or really much number data entry at work. At home I have a full size Duckshine 4. Its really different but I'm really digging it so far and it looks nice.


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## xvi (Apr 25, 2016)

I picked up a cheap mechanical 10-keyless for work. They kept giving me wireless mice/keyboards and they'd never work reliably the 2-3 feet between my keyboard and computer. $60 for a Rosewill RGB80 (Khali Blue) keyboard and some Rosewill "gaming" mouse and it just feels so much better.

I certainly miss the 10-key, but I've gotten around it well enough.


----------



## jboydgolfer (Apr 25, 2016)

xvi said:


> I picked up a cheap mechanical 10-keyless for work. They kept giving me wireless mice/keyboards and they'd never work reliably the 2-3 feet between my keyboard and computer. $60 for a Rosewill RGB80 (Khali Blue) keyboard and some Rosewill "gaming" mouse and it just feels so much better.
> 
> I certainly miss the 10-key, but I've gotten around it well enough.



i JUST ordered one of these over this past weekend
Got mine for $50


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## xvi (Apr 26, 2016)

jboydgolfer said:


> i JUST ordered one of these over this past weekend
> Got mine for $50


Yep, that's what I paid for this one (mouse was $10). Only quirk is that it makes you have a purple backlight if you have the Win key enabled. If you change to a different profile, it disables the Win keys. Apparently, when it first came out, Rosewill said they're going to fix that, but they haven't.
Other than that, it's a nice sturdy keyboard and I love the feel of the blue switches.


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## jboydgolfer (Apr 26, 2016)

xvi said:


> Yep, that's what I paid for this one (mouse was $10). Only quirk is that it makes you have a purple backlight if you have the Win key enabled. If you change to a different profile, it disables the Win keys. Apparently, when it first came out, Rosewill said they're going to fix that, but they haven't.
> Other than that, it's a nice sturdy keyboard and I love the feel of the blue switches.




yeah, i liked the look, and its reviews were good enough. I already have a good Mech KB, but I figured the deal was TOO good to pass up, so i ordered it for either a giveaway, or just to keep in storage for another time.


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## Solaris17 (Apr 27, 2016)

So been a day or so with the new KB. Works great. Really digging the feel, However the keys are painted and they are getting a bit light (I type alot so mech KBs are more needed than a Want for me) so Replacement keycaps are deff the way to go. Will probably get a set this paycheck.


----------



## xvi (Apr 27, 2016)

I keep seeing keycaps on massdrop, but they're usually $20-30+. I don't suppose that's normal, is it?


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## Solaris17 (Apr 27, 2016)

xvi said:


> I keep seeing keycaps on massdrop, but they're usually $20-30+. I don't suppose that's normal, is it?



I'd say thats a pretty normal price.

It's all about what type of keys they are for and what kind of caps they are. Dye sublimation? Double shot ABS?, Lazer etch? etc etc..


----------



## xvi (Apr 27, 2016)

Solaris17 said:


> Dye sublimation? Double shot ABS?, Lazer etch? etc etc..


Those sound like they go from least to most expensive. Here's Massdrop's only current deal at the moment. Seems fair for doubleshot.


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## tabascosauz (Apr 27, 2016)

xvi said:


> Those sound like they go from least to most expensive. Here's Massdrop's only current deal at the moment. Seems fair for doubleshot.
> 
> View attachment 74035



Tai-haos caps are pretty mediocre IMO. They are usually, if not always doubleshot ABS or PBT (doubleshot being the most durable type of legends that you can get) but are very inconsistent and can have rather poor quality control.

It all depends on what your preference is. The Miami caps from Tai-hao on Massdrop were my first set of keycaps but OEM profile isn't for me. Might be exactly what you want though, and the new colors seem quite pretty. At that price, it doesn't hurt to try.

Basically ABS and PBT (and rarely POM) are the materials of choice, and the legends go from

pad printed <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< laser etched <<<<<< dye-subs ≈ doubleshot

Dunno if you live in Washington state or DC, but in the event that you live in the former, check out pimpmykeyboard.com / Signature Plastics. They're up in Custer and manufacture caps in DCS profile (similar to OEM profile of Tai-Hao and usually ABS doubleshot), DSA (PBT/ABS, dye-sub and sometimes doubleshot) and SA (unfortunately not available in the usual way from their website).

I wonder if anyone has actually tried to reason with SP and skip out on their USPS shipping charges by driving up to their Custer facility  seems reasonable enough


----------



## puma99dk| (Apr 27, 2016)

Solaris17 said:


> Ordered a Lolita Spyder for work. So I dont have to use the trash wireless microsoft keyboard.
> 
> Its my phone cam so bare with me. I got the reds so that and the switch type are different from my MX blues on my DKS4 at home so far I like it though.



haha DAT NAME


----------



## xvi (Apr 27, 2016)

tabascosauz said:


> They're up in Custer


Washington State and I *live* in Custer. o__O

Edit: Custer as in population 300-500-ish Custer? That's me.

Edit 2: It's an 8 minute drive.


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## sneekypeet (Apr 27, 2016)

I got a set from WASD, full custom in colors, legend placement/font, even grabbed a coupe of their random caps. Pretty pleased, but pricing is a bit more than the massdrop sets. http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/index.php/products/keycap-set.html

Also, just because i thought this thread needed more images:


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## tabascosauz (Apr 27, 2016)

xvi said:


> Washington State and I *live* in Custer. o__O
> 
> Edit: Custer as in population 300-500-ish Custer? That's me.
> 
> ...



Hahah I only happen to know Custer because of SP located in Custer and the fact that Blaine, Custer and Birch Bay are literally the first 3 **towns* I pass coming over the border. Technically it's like a 20 minute drive for me, assuming not many people are making the rounds across the border.

Anyways PMK's keysets are considerably more expensive (even just the generic DSA/G20 Blank and Dyesub sets which cost around $50), and DSA and G20 are unique and not for everyone, so Tai-hao is a great place to start with a lot of familiarity in key profile to most off-the-shelf keyboards. modern selectric cost me $145USD + shipping and troubled minds cost me $125USD; $30 is good.


----------



## Solaris17 (Apr 27, 2016)

Whats the deal with massdrop you buy in but dont get the product unless x amount of people commit. Otherwise you get your investment back?

What sets do people recommend, figure I'll test peoples experiences before I buy a new set for my lolita.


----------



## tabascosauz (Apr 27, 2016)

Solaris17 said:


> Whats the deal with massdrop you buy in but dont get the product unless x amount of people commit. Otherwise you get your investment back?
> 
> What sets do people recommend, figure I'll test peoples experiences before I buy a new set for my lolita.



Yep it's a group buy site, for products with pricing tiers you get slight discounts with more people joining the drop. the MOQ (minimum order quantity) is generally low for Massdrops and they are quite popular so MOQ is usually not a problem. Most of the novelty and original keysets on Geekhack for example always come in group buys, because the individual designers never have the resources to manufacture and have to go to manufacturers such as Signature Plastics or GMK, which in turn require a MOQ and are expensive to do small numbers of products...so group buys and large numbers of orders are the only way to go.

If drop doesn't reach MOQ, you get refunded. Otherwise it would be nothing less than a scam

What kind of keycaps are you looking for? Do you like cylindrical keycaps or would you like to try sphericals for a change? Flat and uniform throughout all the rows, stepped like regular keycaps or curved? Colourful or subdued? ABS or PBT?


----------



## Solaris17 (Apr 27, 2016)

tabascosauz said:


> Yep it's a group buy site, for products with pricing tiers you get slight discounts with more people joining the drop. the MOQ (minimum order quantity) is generally low for Massdrops and they are quite popular so MOQ is usually not a problem. Most of the novelty and original keysets on Geekhack for example always come in group buys, because the individual designers never have the resources to manufacture and have to go to manufacturers such as Signature Plastics or GMK, which in turn require a MOQ and are expensive to do small numbers of products...so group buys and large numbers of orders are the only way to go.
> 
> If drop doesn't reach MOQ, you get refunded. Otherwise it would be nothing less than a scam
> 
> What kind of keycaps are you looking for? Do you like cylindrical keycaps or would you like to try sphericals for a change? Flat and uniform throughout all the rows, stepped like regular keycaps or curved? Colourful or subdued? ABS or PBT?



Curved. I hate stepping. ABS prefered though Id like to Try POM.


----------



## tabascosauz (Apr 27, 2016)

Solaris17 said:


> Curved. I hate stepping. ABS prefered though Id like to Try POM.



Unfortunately, the only curved keycaps (that I know of) are SA profile. And SA can only be found in the form of expensive, beautiful groupbuy sets like Penumbra/Pulse/Carbon/Nuclear/Modern Selectric that are a one-time thing. PMK only sells replacement caps to existing owners and add-on sets. AFAIK Modern Selectric and Troubled Minds are the only sets you can get a hold of, on the Clueboard shop (shop.clueboard.co because skullydazed who runs the shop designed the MS set) and Originative (originativeco.com) respectively. A word of warning, however, they are expensive, and some people don't like that SA is very tall (it is very *high profile* compared to even common OEM profile). SA caps only come in ABS, there are no PBT molds for SA.

The only SA keycaps that are not directly affiliated with Signature Plastics is this peculiar set that Filco sells as "doubleshot keycaps" over at The Keyboard Company (keyboardco.com). It is an SA set, ABS, doubleshot, and looks a little more traditional. *EDIT found it: http://www.keyboardco.com/product/double_shot_filco_104_key_usa_keyset.asp*

If you like sphericals but hate very very tall keycaps, however, DSA could be for you; DSA does not have any stepping or curve (all rows all caps the same height) and is slightly less expensive. On the other hand, you must buy one of the named sets (as opposed to the generic DSA Blank or DSA Sublimated) as in Dolch or Eve to get ABS caps as the Blank and Sublimated kind come in only PBT. DSA is available on Signature Plastics (pimpmykeyboard.com).

G20 is a unique type of keycap manufactured by Signature Plastics that is completely uniform like DSA, but is completely flat like laptop chiclet keyboards. I believe you can still get a hold of Blank and Sublimated sets on PMK; they are quite niche, like DSA though.

Mechanicalkeyboards.com is also a good place to look for keysets, though they will usually only have a wealth of caps in OEM profile.


----------



## Solaris17 (Apr 27, 2016)

Sorry I thought you were talking about the normal curve (inner) of standard keys. I'm not looking for adventure and I'm not sure id be excited about dome or exterior curvature in keys.

Are there some pretty solid sites for custom key sets? Im looking for some tone. Figured id give it a shot. instead of one uniform color.

EDIT: looks like mechkeyboards has a good amount of setz to keep me busy. I'v delt with them before for my duckies, probably should have looked at them haha.

Have you guys bought any sets you recommend me looking at?


----------



## tabascosauz (Apr 27, 2016)

Solaris17 said:


> Sorry I thought you were talking about the normal curve (inner) of standard keys. I'm not looking for adventure and I'm not sure id be excited about dome or exterior curvature in keys.
> 
> Are there some pretty solid sites for custom key sets? Im looking for some tone. Figured id give it a shot. instead of one uniform color.



My bad. Here are the ever popular candidates.

1. *mechanicalkeyboards.com*

There are virtually billions of keyboards and keysets on this site and although I don't fancy most of them, surely everyone will find something that they like.

For colour, you are looking at Vortex PBT and Ducky PBT sets. Vortex sells plenty of doubleshot PBT in your standard OEM profile, and they are nice thick PBT too. Ducky has nice colours, but you must be careful as they have these funky legend printing methods including "engraved legends", which are literally carved physically into the keycap without any ink.

Lots more. Tai-hao sells nice ABS and PBT, but *beware of Tai-hao PBT* as it has a coating called Anti-Biosis on the outside of each key, which attracts grime and gets sticky. You can remove it with isopropyl alcohol like I did, but it takes a whole damn day with a toothbrush and a bowl of ISA, and is very tiring. Tai-hao ABS never comes with the coating.

2. *wasdkeyboards*

WASD now sells "doubleshot PBT" sets which, at $40 are arguably the stars of the show. They are actually made by Vortex (virtually the same you see on MK.com).

The "custom" sets are problematic because no one knows how the legends are printed. They could be lasered, which is subpar compared to dyesubs. Also there are reports that they have a UV coating that wears off an makes the keys look extremely ugly. But if you want 100% custom colors there are no other options.

3. zealpc

Zealpc makes the custom "Zealio" switches, but they also sell keysets from time to time. They sell what I think is the only POM set around. I have not tried POM but apparently this Cherry POM set is an original from Cherry Corp. and is fantastic while different from both ABS and PBT.

4. Originative

You will find some very expensive SA and GMK sets on Originative. GMK sets are manufactured in Germany and are in Cherry profile, which is shorter than regular OEM profile. They are ABS and doubleshot and I don't understand the hype and price, but some people swear that they are the ultimate in quality keycaps.

The "Dolch" that you find here is made by GMK and is I guess considered closer to the "original" Dolch, while the Tai-Hao "Dolch" is considered by some to be a cheapo clone.

5. Clueboard

Skully's site is mainly for Clueboards, but he also sells Modern Selectric because he designed it. Earlier last year the group buy for Nantucket Selectric finished, and later after all of the orders have shipped he may have extras for Nantucket on his store as well.

This ain't an exhaustive list; I'm sure there are plenty of sites out there that I've missed. In the US there are tons of options.

EDIT @Solaris17 the Tai-Hao dolch is a nice place to start, if the coffee brown scheme is for you. It is quite cheap if you can find it. I'm not sure if MK.com stocks it. Otherwise, the Ducky and Vortex sets are quite nice but I have not owned them like I have the Tai-Hao Dolch.


----------



## manofthem (Apr 28, 2016)

I have a few pics to share that may look slightly familiar.  This keyboard is pretty fantastic!!!  The switches are a nice change from blues on my other Das, so much quieter, but the other one is awesome too.














sneekypeet said:


> I got a set from WASD, full custom in colors, legend placement/font, even grabbed a coupe of their random caps. Pretty pleased, but pricing is a bit more than the massdrop sets. http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/index.php/products/keycap-set.html
> 
> Also, just because i thought this thread needed more images:



That's pretty amazing.


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## jboydgolfer (May 3, 2016)

xvi said:


> Yep, that's what I paid for this one (mouse was $10). Only quirk is that it makes you have a purple backlight if you have the Win key enabled. If you change to a different profile, it disables the Win keys. Apparently, when it first came out, Rosewill said they're going to fix that, but they haven't.
> Other than that, it's a nice sturdy keyboard and I love the feel of the blue switches.



You like that KB?
its a total software nightmare running on Win 7 for me. When i install the driver it stops my mouse, and itself from working . in the process of sending this P.O.s back. VERY unhappy.
hopefully its working better for you. Physically is seems fine tho.sadly thats like having a ferrari with no wheels.


----------



## xvi (May 3, 2016)

jboydgolfer said:


> You like that KB?
> its a total software nightmare running on Win 7 for me. When i install the driver it stops my mouse, and itself from working . in the process of sending this P.O.s back. VERY unhappy.
> hopefully its working better for you. Physically is seems fine tho.sadly thats like having a ferrari with no wheels.


I'm decently happy with it, yeah. That whole mouse thing sounds really weird though. Haven't had any issues like that.
This purple-only backlight (when in "PC-mode") is getting old fast and is the only issue I've really had with it, which is kind of as-designed, but was supposed to be fixed long ago.


----------



## sneekypeet (May 4, 2016)

jboydgolfer said:


> You like that KB?
> its a total software nightmare running on Win 7 for me. When i install the driver it stops my mouse, and itself from working . in the process of sending this P.O.s back. VERY unhappy.
> hopefully its working better for you. Physically is seems fine tho.sadly thats like having a ferrari with no wheels.


I am on the phone ATM, so I don't have the link handy, but that sounds like a ghosted USB device issue. I got the link from @erocker. He may offer it up before I am done with beers and sunshine. If not I will try to return later with a link that helps to remove them. Could help.


----------



## jboydgolfer (May 4, 2016)

sneekypeet said:


> I am on the phone ATM, so I don't have the link handy, but that sounds like a ghosted USB device issue. I got the link from @erocker. He may offer it up before I am done with beers and sunshine. If not I will try to return later with a link that helps to remove them. Could help.



really?! 
yeah, im totally dumbfounded as to the cause, but HAVE been able to find Lots of complaints regarding the Software bundled with that KB online with a simply "RGB80,driver problem" search.
If i open device manager, it just keeps refreshing like its trying its damdest to figure out what i have plugged into it, and as i posted above, if i leave it with no driver it Seems to work okay, but the second i install the proper software, it goes to hell quick, and locks all peripherals up.


----------



## tabascosauz (May 4, 2016)

jboydgolfer said:


> really?!
> yeah, im totally dumbfounded as to the cause, but HAVE been able to find Lots of complaints regarding the Software bundled with that KB online with a simply "RGB80,driver problem" search.
> If i open device manager, it just keeps refreshing like its trying its damdest to figure out what i have plugged into it, and as i posted above, if i leave it with no driver it Seems to work okay, but the second i install the proper software, it goes to hell quick, and locks all peripherals up.



Sorry to hear all that. Though it does look as if it's a pretty bog-standard TKL, so perhaps it could do well without drivers?

I dunno your stance on Win 10 but 10 does a pretty good job of fetching drivers for me automatically. On the other hand, using peripherals with Win 7 was quite painless for me with regards to it automatically installing device drivers upon connection...


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## jboydgolfer (May 4, 2016)

tabascosauz said:


> Sorry to hear all that. Though it does look as if it's a pretty bog-standard TKL, so perhaps it could do well without drivers?
> 
> I dunno your stance on Win 10 but 10 does a pretty good job of fetching drivers for me automatically. On the other hand, using peripherals with Win 7 was quite painless for me with regards to it automatically installing device drivers upon connection...




tried it on my Win 10 machine, same issues. it wouldnt even light up, or show up in Dev Manager


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## sneekypeet (May 4, 2016)

jboydgolfer said:


> tried it on my Win 10 machine, same issues. it wouldnt even light up, or show up in Dev Manager



maybe i just got lucky, I never had an issue with my RGB80. Even gave it to @AthlonX2 , and he had no issues either, but I am not sure he use the software.

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/ff184583.aspx There is the link to try removing ghosted USB devices. Although it seems that even with a new OS you still had issues, might be worth a try.


----------



## tabascosauz (May 28, 2016)

Snatched an essentially new G80-3700 off eBay this week, I think it may have been for £30. Apparently this keypad was surplus for a UK bank, even though it is technically the French version, G80-3700HQAFR.

Has MX Black switches, a PS/2 connector, and a PS/2 passthrough. The keycaps are classic ABS doubleshots in Cherry profile, made by Cherry.

Cherry Corp. (German maker of original Cherry MX switches and boards since the 1980s) made this specific pad in January of 2000, which, IIRC is actually quite young amongst the elder generation of G80-3700s which were manufactured in the 90s (the older generation has white/beige high quality thick doubleshot ABS from Cherry, while the newer ones just have white lasered ABS caps).











Overall a great improvement over my former rubberdome and cheap MX knockoff numpads.


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## tabascosauz (Jul 4, 2016)

Just dropped an order for Sky Dolch keyset and the accent kit. This was like the 3rd time in mere months it had gone in and out of stock and it was like dangling a steak in front of a starving man so I had to . Dat price thostill better than $$$$$GMK Hyperfuse$$$$$ though



​
There goes my plans I guess. No NCase M1 this year then.


----------



## Solaris17 (Jul 4, 2016)

tabascosauz said:


> Just dropped an order for Sky Dolch keyset and the accent kit. This was like the 3rd time in mere months it had gone in and out of stock and it was like dangling a steak in front of a starving man so I had to . Dat price thostill better than $$$$$GMK Hyperfuse$$$$$ though
> 
> View attachment 76294​
> There goes my plans I guess. No NCase M1 this year then.



that legend color is beautiful


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## Solaris17 (Jul 16, 2016)

My Miami set came in! I put them on Lolita Spyder I use at work.


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## tabascosauz (Jul 16, 2016)

Solaris17 said:


> My Miami set came in! I put them on Lolita Spyder I use at work.



Very nice! My first custom keyset was Tai-Hao Miami as well. It's a great place to start, although I had to use rubbing alcohol to remove that "Anti-Biosis Coating 99%" of theirs. I dunno if they still put it on their caps, but back then it would attract all sorts of dirt and grime.


----------



## Solaris17 (Jul 16, 2016)

tabascosauz said:


> Very nice! My first custom keyset was Tai-Hao Miami as well. It's a great place to start, although I had to use rubbing alcohol to remove that "Anti-Biosis Coating 99%" of theirs. I dunno if they still put it on their caps, but back then it would attract all sorts of dirt and grime.



I have seen that coating before and I am not fond of it but thankfully this set came without it.


----------



## Jetster (Jul 17, 2016)

Guess I'll put this here


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## Solaris17 (Jul 17, 2016)

I really like your WASD keys are those maroon metallic?!


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## Jetster (Jul 17, 2016)

There like an etched metallic red and I also have 5 number keys. Ill do a closer pic when I get home


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## Jetster (Jul 18, 2016)




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## Locksmith (Jul 29, 2016)

Did the Red LED mod to my dying blue led Roccat Mk Pro..

s/w got it set full brightness for pic.


----------



## silkstone (Jul 29, 2016)

Got me some new keycaps . . .


















I really want some nice metallic black WASD keys, but I have no idea where to get them from


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## tabascosauz (Jul 29, 2016)

@silkstone GeekKeys may sell metallic WASD clusters. I bought my GMK RGBY from them but they have a lot of metal key caps. They are located in China but shipping to the UK is never a hassle as it's cheap and doesn't incur import fees (UK customs has enormous bias towards Asian countries). Also check out MK.com.

Is this "metallic" plastic as in @Jetster 's Corsair WASDs or actually metallic? Corsair's are just rubberized plastic and that's not what geek keys is selling.

Be careful of what you buy. Some zinc keycaps have reportedly become discoloured after extensive use, but others have not.


----------



## silkstone (Jul 29, 2016)

I must admit, I saw Jetster's WASD cluster and thought it looked really cool. I'd like something similar but, possibly in black. I took a look at geekKeys, but they have nothing similar. I also scouted around on eBay, also nothing.


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## tabascosauz (Jul 29, 2016)

silkstone said:


> I must admit, I saw Jetster's WASD cluster and thought it looked really cool. I'd like something similar but, possibly in black. I took a look at geekKeys, but they have nothing similar. I also scouted around on eBay, also nothing.



I'm not a huge fan of this stuff (too spoiled by EnjoyPBT, GMK and SP ) as I don't game, but I can see the appeal. Unfortunately, I don't think black will be viable as I've never seen a WASD cluster keycap set of any material or profile in that colour. The closest you can get is probably one of the zinc/metallic keycaps, but in case you really want the Corsair one, they sell it on their website. http://www.corsair.com/en/fps-backlit-key-caps-keycap-puller-and-palm-rest

I mean, it is red, but I don't think you'll find "contoured" WASD caps like this anywhere else. Also comes with a left hand wrist rest (doesn't clip onto keyboard if yours isn't a K70) and a horrible keypuller that I would never let within 100 yards of my keycaps. For $14.99 that ain't too bad (well, again, my sense of "expensive" has been severely distorted after all this keycap craze ).


----------



## Jetster (Jul 29, 2016)

silkstone said:


> I must admit, I saw Jetster's WASD cluster and thought it looked really cool. I'd like something similar but, possibly in black. I took a look at geekKeys, but they have nothing similar. I also scouted around on eBay, also nothing.



http://www.corsair.com/en-us/fps-backlit-key-caps-keycap-puller-and-palm-rest


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## silkstone (Jul 30, 2016)

tabascosauz said:


> I'm not a huge fan of this stuff (too spoiled by EnjoyPBT, GMK and SP ) as I don't game, but I can see the appeal. Unfortunately, I don't think black will be viable as I've never seen a WASD cluster keycap set of any material or profile in that colour. The closest you can get is probably one of the zinc/metallic keycaps, but in case you really want the Corsair one, they sell it on their website. http://www.corsair.com/en/fps-backlit-key-caps-keycap-puller-and-palm-rest
> 
> I mean, it is red, but I don't think you'll find "contoured" WASD caps like this anywhere else. Also comes with a left hand wrist rest (doesn't clip onto keyboard if yours isn't a K70) and a horrible keypuller that I would never let within 100 yards of my keycaps. For $14.99 that ain't too bad (well, again, my sense of "expensive" has been severely distorted after all this keycap craze ).



Thanks. Yeah, i'm not too interested in spending lots of money. The $20 i spent on the Tai-Hao ABS ones is quite a lot for me. I actually liked the orange/black PBT ones they have, but they cost $40 and I also didn't fancy cleaning that coating off every key.

I've got to say that I am surprised at how the feel of the keyboard also changed with new keys. I like the new feel, though it will take some time to get used to. They also seem a little more noisy than before and I may go get me some rubber o-rings.


----------



## tabascosauz (Jul 30, 2016)

silkstone said:


> Thanks. Yeah, i'm not too interested in spending lots of money. The $20 i spent on the Tai-Hao ABS ones is quite a lot for me. I actually liked the orange/black PBT ones they have, but they cost $40 and I also didn't fancy cleaning that coating off every key.
> 
> I've got to say that I am surprised at how the feel of the keyboard also changed with new keys. I like the new feel, though it will take some time to get used to. They also seem a little more noisy than before and I may go get me some rubber o-rings.



With MX Reds? Wow you must bottom out *HARD* lmao

Tai-Hao apparently revised their approach to the Anti-Biosis coating recently. They're now applying a really thin layer that won't attract so much grime and they even do drops from time to time (of Miami only, sadly) without it. I agree though. My TH Miami came with a coating and I had to scrub it off with a toothbrush...a real workout! I have a TH Dolch copy set (ABS) and I liked it less than the Miami (PBT).


----------



## silkstone (Jul 30, 2016)

tabascosauz said:


> With MX Reds? Wow you must bottom out *HARD* lmao
> 
> Tai-Hao apparently revised their approach to the Anti-Biosis coating recently. They're now applying a really thin layer that won't attract so much grime and they even do drops from time to time (of Miami only, sadly) without it. I agree though. My TH Miami came with a coating and I had to scrub it off with a toothbrush...a real workout! I have a TH Dolch copy set (ABS) and I liked it less than the Miami (PBT).



Yeah. At the time of buying, I was looking for MX Browns.

I initially got a Zalman ($30 i think) with Kaith's browns, but some of the switches were broken! I went back to the shop to exchange it for something else, but the one I wanted wasn't in stock.
They had a single Quickfire XT that wasn't even advertised for sale, I think it was a sample from the manufacturer or something, but they offered to exchange the crapo Zalman to Quickfire for an additional $10.

It was a deal that I couldn't resist. $40 for a really nice KB. The only caveat, it came with MX-Reds. I use my computer a lot more for work than gaming, so it has taken a lot of getting used to. The switches are so sensitive, I have to be pretty precise when typing. It beat the hell out of the old Logitech rubber dome I had and now I'm used to it, I'd never go back to a non-mechanical.


----------



## BiggieShady (Jul 30, 2016)

silkstone said:


> Yeah. At the time of buying, I was looking for MX Browns.


Me too, went for reds instead ... they made me adjust my typing, now I'm typing much more lightly and get to bottom them out only when angry. Also, weirdly, the way reds conditioned me to type also makes my membrane keyboard at work feel less mushy.


----------



## STIG_ZA (Jul 30, 2016)

Got my first mech keybaord. Corsair K70 Lux rgb with cherry mx brown switches, sooooooo nice for typing and dem lights

mech is amazing, ill never go back to non mech again


----------



## Ahhzz (Jul 31, 2016)

K70's a nice one. When I get tired of my Roccat and the burned out LEDs, I'll probably swap back to that one  it's on my server right now


----------



## tabascosauz (Jul 31, 2016)

I used to long for a K65 because of the distinctive Corsair style. Not that it's any less desirable, but there are a few things that have kept me away. For one, the 1u winkey and menu as well as proprietary spacebar is a pain, as virtually no keyset will accommodate it. The aluminum plate is nice, but most if not all mass produced boards use a stainless or aluminum plate nowadays, (and Corsair's is just an extended version) and the rest of the board is still plastic.

I still don't understand why companies like corsair and TT stick to a senseless nonstandard layout. The only acceptable bottom rows in a full keyboard is 1.25-1.25-1.25 (standard) or 1.5-1-1.5 (retro winkeyless). It would save keyset enthusiasts so much trouble, simplify things for the manufacturer and make the K70 a perfect product. Love the media controls.


----------



## Locksmith (Jul 31, 2016)

Ahhzz said:


> K70's a nice one. When I get tired of my Roccat and the burned out LEDs, I'll probably swap back to that one  it's on my server right now


get some new LEDs in it pal, mine cost about £10 for all of them..


----------



## Ahhzz (Jul 31, 2016)

Locksmith said:


> get some new LEDs in it pal, mine cost about £10 for all of them..


That's true, I'm just not sure I'm up for the amount of tedium involved in de- and re-soldering all those lines heheh. It started dropping LEDs within about 3 months, and I'm down 23 at least, without lighting the entire keyboard to check.


----------



## AsRock (Jul 31, 2016)

Locksmith said:


> get some new LEDs in it pal, mine cost about £10 for all of them..



Yeah i did my MK Pro some time back, defiantly worth doing. The blue was driving me crazy.


----------



## Ahhzz (Jul 31, 2016)

AsRock said:


> Yeah i did my MK Pro some time back, defiantly worth doing. The blue was driving me crazy.


How bad was the process? How long did it take you? And what did you swap to from Blue?


----------



## AsRock (Jul 31, 2016)

Pretty long some 2 hours or so, although took my time . Although use one of these which i did 1/2 way though made life much easier, as the prosess it's easy just tedious \ repetitive.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00068IJSG/?tag=tec06d-20


----------



## FreedomEclipse (Aug 2, 2016)

Locksmith said:


> View attachment 77399 View attachment 77398 Did the Red LED mod to my dying blue led Roccat Mk Pro..
> 
> s/w got it set full brightness for pic.



was it easy to mod the LEDs? my DuckyShine III could use some new LEDs


----------



## Locksmith (Aug 7, 2016)

FreedomEclipse said:


> was it easy to mod the LEDs? my DuckyShine III could use some new LEDs



i found it simple enough, but i've been soldering 30+ years.

sourcing the LED's was a bigger task here in the UK.. They expensive at places like RS and Maplin, CPC.

Paid about £10 in the end for 150 of them.


----------



## FreedomEclipse (Aug 7, 2016)

Locksmith said:


> i found it simple enough, but i've been soldering 30+ years.
> 
> sourcing the LED's was a bigger task here in the UK.. They expensive at places like RS and Maplin, CPC.
> 
> Paid about £10 in the end for 150 of them.



If i was to send you my keyboard, would you fix it for me?


----------



## Locksmith (Aug 10, 2016)

FreedomEclipse said:


> If i was to send you my keyboard, would you fix it for me?



it is possible, but what do you need doing.

full led replacement or just a few ?

if you pay postage and cost of LED's and say bung me £25(if full replacement) for Labour then yes i will.


----------



## FreedomEclipse (Aug 10, 2016)

Locksmith said:


> it is possible, but what do you need doing.
> 
> full led replacement or just a few ?
> 
> if you pay postage and cost of LED's and say bung me £25(if full replacement) for Labour then yes i will.



£25 for labour? So no doing it for a few beers then?  yeah 'most'  of the leds are dead. I dont even bother using the backlight feature anymore and i havent done since last year sometime


----------



## Warrgarbl (Aug 10, 2016)

My new setup at work. I work in system engineering and I value a good keyboard. I think the G610 is a pretty nice, no frills mechanical keyboard for a good price (I work at a Logitech distributor, though...), but it does not play nice with KVM switches (speakers emit noises when lighting is active), is a tad high and has no O-rings. Other than that, I can quite recommend it.


----------



## Locksmith (Aug 11, 2016)

FreedomEclipse said:


> £25 for labour? So no doing it for a few beers then?  yeah 'most'  of the leds are dead. I dont even bother using the backlight feature anymore and i havent done since last year sometime



i Don't drink pal just work hard in IT/Repairs.

and £25 is a few beers in london..


----------



## FreedomEclipse (Aug 11, 2016)

Locksmith said:


> i Don't drink pal just work hard in IT/Repairs.
> 
> and £25 is a few beers in london..



I can get you 4 pints of Stella for under £9


----------



## xvi (Aug 16, 2016)

Made a little cup of delicious keyboard soup at work. Bought some o-rings for my Rosewill RGB80 (Khali blues) and decided I might as well give it a bit of a cleaning while I'm at it.


----------



## Ahhzz (Aug 31, 2016)

Ok, gotta question for all the Sexy People here, and thought I might get a little better response than in a separate thread. We've got 3 mechs in the house, and while my Roccat is annoying the hell outta me right now with the LEDs, I still love the feel. I forget what I got her, but she can't stand using anything else now. What I'm looking for, is a little something for Christmas for her: custom keycaps. She is completely a Dog person, so caps in a dog-theme are my search pattern (_I_ want glow in the dark, but that's another project  ). I can't seem to locate _anything_ useful out there at all. Does anyone have any recommendations, short of stickers, for a dealer who has something dog-like they provide?  Thanks!


----------



## sneekypeet (Aug 31, 2016)

Ahhzz said:


> Ok, gotta question for all the Sexy People here, and thought I might get a little better response than in a separate thread. We've got 3 mechs in the house, and while my Roccat is annoying the hell outta me right now with the LEDs, I still love the feel. I forget what I got her, but she can't stand using anything else now. What I'm looking for, is a little something for Christmas for her: custom keycaps. She is completely a Dog person, so caps in a dog-theme are my search pattern (_I_ want glow in the dark, but that's another project  ). I can't seem to locate _anything_ useful out there at all. Does anyone have any recommendations, short of stickers, for a dealer who has something dog-like they provide?  Thanks!



https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=70816.0

That would be my best guess to a way of obtaining what you want. I did once get a kitty keycap from WASD; it seems if you provide the image, they will make what you want. http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/index....cap-singles/custom-art-cherry-mx-keycaps.html

I am sure you may find more completely custom options, but I do not recall seeing anything mainstream which was dog related in the past.


----------



## tabascosauz (Aug 31, 2016)

Ahhzz said:


> Ok, gotta question for all the Sexy People here, and thought I might get a little better response than in a separate thread. We've got 3 mechs in the house, and while my Roccat is annoying the hell outta me right now with the LEDs, I still love the feel. I forget what I got her, but she can't stand using anything else now. What I'm looking for, is a little something for Christmas for her: custom keycaps. She is completely a Dog person, so caps in a dog-theme are my search pattern (_I_ want glow in the dark, but that's another project  ). I can't seem to locate _anything_ useful out there at all. Does anyone have any recommendations, short of stickers, for a dealer who has something dog-like they provide?  Thanks!



What will this dog-theme look like, may I ask? It sounds nice and is definitely an original idea, but do you want an artisan (custom, hand-crafted sells keycap that sells for anything from $25-125 for just that keycap) to go on Escape (where it always goes if you only have one artisan), or do you want something across the whole board? If you do indeed want something that makes the whole board convey your love for canine companions, it's hard to think of something that might fit the bill unless every key was to have simply a sprite(?) of a dog. That might impair the functionality of the board though.

There's nothing that corresponds to a "dog" theme, but I suppose you could have a custom keycap from WASD (with a little image of a dog) on Esc and the rest of the board in a brown-on-white or pink-on-white or some color scheme like that. Royal Kludge ABS caps could work if you're looking for the pink-ish colors, but it just dropped on Massdrop and will be a while before it comes back. If you'd really want to go off into the deep end then PBT Valentine from Originative is still up...about the highest quality (dye-subbed PBT, comparable to EnjoyPBT, and in Cherry profile too) but it'll cost you. https://www.massdrop.com/buy/royal-kludge-doubleshot-abs-keycaps https://www.originativeco.com/products/pbt-valentine?variant=17866564357

Back to the idea of the artisan, there's no one that makes a paw-shaped artisan at the moment. Frustrating, yes, and I would've thought that someone would offer one eventually due to all the dog lovers out there. Lootkeys' thread has not been active on GH for almost 6 months now.  Although he did show a bit more originality with experimenting with different profiles and concepts, straying from the usual skull-shaped or demon-themed artisans, he was last active on GH July 30th and doesn't have a website outside of Geekhack. You can try making an account and sending him a PM, it doesn't hurt.

On r/mk there is a list of Artisan makers (active and non-active, I presume, so you gotta go and visit each page), located here https://www.reddit.com/r/Mechanical..._artisan_keys_.28handmade_in_small_batches.29

----------------

I stumbled upon this old artisan maker on GH from the reddit thread called *ArtKeycaps*. From his sample photos, there are artisans that roughly resemble a dog (a chihuahua is what he was aiming for). See for yourself






(I can't tell which one is the demonic dog and which one is the regular dog )

If these are too demonic-looking for you, it shouldn't matter as there are unfortunately no sales in his shop anymore though, and I don't know if he's still taking custom orders. He's not been on since October 2015, and the thread has been dead since May 2015 .

-----------------------

I hope you do find something that suits your needs. In the mk community it can be a bit frustrating if you want something that no one has done before/is doing.

*ALSO @Ahhzz *Be aware that the Roccat Ryos MK does not have a standard bottom row.

The standard bottom row is 1.25u Ctrl, 1.25u Win, 1.25u Alt - 6.25u Space - 1.25u Alt, 1.25u Fn or Win, 1.25u Menu, and 1.25u Ctrl.

Standard Winkeyless (an older layout from the IBM Model M and older 90's Cherry G80 keyboards, which you will find support for if you buy into expensive keysets such as EnjoyPBT or anything made by GMK) is 1.5u Ctrl, 1u Win, 1.5u Alt - 7u Space - 1.5u Alt, 1u Win, 1.5u Ctrl.

The Ryos MK is 1.5u Ctrl, 1u Win, 1.5u Alt - 6u Space I think??? *(biggest problem is whether space is a regular 6.25u, a nasty proprietary 6u, or a nasty proprietary 6.25u)* - 1.5u Alt, 1u Menu, 1u Win, 1.5u Ctrl, and it will throw a wrench into the works if you buy cheap(er) keysets from WASD or Tai-Hao or Royal Kludge for example, where the standard layout is the only one that is supported.

I'm afriad it will also be difficult to find keys to fill the 5 macros on the left hand side of the board, which are of varying "row" profiles.


----------



## Ahhzz (Sep 1, 2016)

Corsair K95 on sale at Woot, $99.


----------



## Jetster (Sep 1, 2016)

Warrgarbl said:


> View attachment 77753
> My new setup at work. I work in system engineering and I value a good keyboard. I think the G610 is a pretty nice, no frills mechanical keyboard for a good price (I work at a Logitech distributor, though...), but it does not play nice with KVM switches (speakers emit noises when lighting is active), is a tad high and has no O-rings. Other than that, I can quite recommend it.



Hey I almost bought the 610 on sale. Beautiful keyboard  Reviews say it has a plastic frame, is it solid? No flex?


----------



## Ahhzz (Sep 1, 2016)

tabascosauz said:


> What will this dog-theme look like, may I ask? It sounds nice and is definitely an original idea, but do you want an artisan (custom, hand-crafted sells keycap that sells for anything from $25-125 for just that keycap) to go on Escape (where it always goes if you only have one artisan), or do you want something across the whole board? If you do indeed want something that makes the whole board convey your love for canine companions, it's hard to think of something that might fit the bill unless every key was to have simply a sprite(?) of a dog. That might impair the functionality of the board though.
> 
> There's nothing that corresponds to a "dog" theme, but I suppose you could have a custom keycap from WASD (with a little image of a dog) on Esc and the rest of the board in a brown-on-white or pink-on-white or some color scheme like that. Royal Kludge ABS caps could work if you're looking for the pink-ish colors, but it just dropped on Massdrop and will be a while before it comes back. If you'd really want to go off into the deep end then PBT Valentine from Originative is still up...about the highest quality (dye-subbed PBT, comparable to EnjoyPBT, and in Cherry profile too) but it'll cost you. https://www.massdrop.com/buy/royal-kludge-doubleshot-abs-keycaps https://www.originativeco.com/products/pbt-valentine?variant=17866564357
> 
> ...



Holy cow what a post!!  Thanks very much for the info (those are some scary dogs....).

I may just have to move back to my old Corsair if I want anything for me. She's running a CM Storm, which should be a little more standard.

For a theme, I really don't know. My original thought process was very simple (and simple-minded): I have a glow in the dark fetish; I want glow in the dark Keycaps. My Baobei loves dogs. She needs dog keycaps. I originally was thinking paws, but not too sure ... Now what?   As much as she uses the keyboard, I think I really only need a few of them capped, like maybe the function keys. The thought of a single cap for the esc key is starting to seriously appeal.... I guess I've seen the Hello Kitty themed stuff, and skulls, etc, and the complexity of the process didn't really sink in.


I'll dig thru your links, thanks again , you and Sneaky . Appreciate the effort!! You really had a lot of thoughts about it. Thanks!

*edit I'd hit Valentine before in my search, and the reddit, so I don't feel quite so stupid, but for some reason, I hadn't found that particular reddit page. Thanks


----------



## xvi (Sep 1, 2016)

Ahhzz said:


> Corsair K95 on sale at Woot, $99.


I actually don't like my K95. I've already RMA'd it once due to dying LEDs and I need to do it again. Turns out it's a *very* common problem.
Corsair accepted the RMA very quickly and it was mostly painless, but I think it's *very* safe to assume that you *will* need to RMA this board eventually due to dead LEDs, probably more than once.

First keyboard had three that died and a fourth that was failing. Second keyboard has one dead one now and two failing. They usually only last a few months for me.


----------



## Bob Loblaw (Sep 1, 2016)

sneekypeet said:


> I got a set from WASD, full custom in colors, legend placement/font, even grabbed a coupe of their random caps. Pretty pleased, but pricing is a bit more than the massdrop sets. http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/index.php/products/keycap-set.html
> 
> Also, just because i thought this thread needed more images:



Hi, what keyboard is that? I've been looking for one that has interchangeable switches.  Thanks.


----------



## tabascosauz (Sep 1, 2016)

Bob Loblaw said:


> Hi, what keyboard is that? I've been looking for one that has interchangeable switches.  Thanks.



Epic Gear's Defiant.

The feature is called hot-swapping switches.

1. 62/60, not currently available as it is a group buy and Round 1 has not yet started https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=81548.0 compatible with virtually every MX-style switch

2. Team Wolf Zhuque, is a group buy on Massdrop and will have to wait until next round https://www.massdrop.com/buy/team-wolf-swappable-switch-mechanical-keyboard uses Gaterons

3. Epic Gear Defiant, is available for pretty cheap, roughly $79.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FJGJY5Q/?tag=tec06d-20 virtually unknown self-branded MX-style switch however ("EG" brand)



Ahhzz said:


> --



Hm. Glow in the dark might be something you'd have to undertake on your own into uncharted waters  as it's not a widespread trend in the mk community. I did, however, see this on eBay http://www.ebay.com/itm/Glow-in-the...Doubleshot-Cherry-MX-Keycap-Set-/171098489228 but I'm not sure about it as I don't see a manufacturer, and it appears white when normal but green in the dark?  The linked site is keypop.net, which I am somewhat familiar with, but have no personal experience with them.

$25.99 for 9 blank glow-in-the-darks is ridiculous  and is beyond the level of Originative's price gouging (my wallet still feels the $180 I paid for Sky Dolch ). But then again, not a lot of people make glow-in-the-dark keycaps. If any of your keyboards (Ryos MK does have it) have backlighting, I _guess_ LEDs could count as glow-in-the-dark... and that would certainly be easier as there are definitely backlit (even doubleshot PBT if you're into durability) sets out there, particularly from Vortex. I could've sworn that there were tons of Vortex SKUs on MK.com but they don't seem to be there now https://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1579 is the closest they have.
*EDIT: https://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1578* is the black version of the shine-through ABS doubleshot Ducky set above and it is in stock, if you are interested.

GeekKeys does have a huge selection of keycaps, as opposed to keycap sets. They sell HolyOOPS aluminum keys, some of which are modeled after traditional keysets like GMK RGB/RGBY/CMYK/etc., and some of which are more creative and superhero-themed. You may find something in there that suits you (Baymax anyone?  Aluminum 2u armored Baymax?). Maybe there's a paw-print aluminum Row 1 keycap in there?

I personally don't buy artisans because IMO pairing $125 artisans with anything less than a gorgeous, timeless and incredibly expensive GMK keyset like Sky Dolch, Hyperfuse or Triumph Adler is utter keyboard heresy  but seriously, artisans are a very slippery slope so if you do decide to go that route, beware of the prices my friend.



xvi said:


> --



I guess that's the gamble with LEDs. If it's off-the-shelf, it's going to be the tall, rounded generic kind regardless of brand. The Ducky Mini that I put away doesn't have any dead LEDs after all this time, but the Ducky Shine 3 that came out at roughly the same time is plagued with reports of dead LEDs. Sucks that backlighting is so big with mks yet manufacturers don't give half a damn about picking some better quality, more innovative LEDs. In the GH/reddit/DT communities, I think SMD LEDs are starting to make an appearance en masse. Winkeyless has always used it in their B.face/B.mini X2 PCBs for underglow on the bottom of the PCB and some other peeps are using it as a replacement for traditional LEDs. But unless manufacturers use it  nothing will change


----------



## Bob Loblaw (Sep 1, 2016)

tabascosauz said:


> Epic Gear's Defiant.
> 
> The feature is called hot-swapping switches.
> 
> ...



Wow, Thanks for responding.


----------



## BiggieShady (Sep 1, 2016)

tabascosauz said:


> Epic Gear Defiant, is available for pretty cheap, roughly $79.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FJGJY5Q/?tag=tec06d-20 virtually unknown self-branded MX-style switch however ("EG" brand)


Nice stuff ... is there a way to buy these modular EG switches somewhere (cant find it on amazon)


----------



## sneekypeet (Sep 1, 2016)

BiggieShady said:


> Nice stuff ... is there a way to buy these modular EG switches somewhere (cant find it on amazon)



This is what I am seeing for the multi-switch packs: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...gclid=COGal5z57s4CFQQGaQodmz8PRQ&gclsrc=aw.ds

there are also quite a few of the "all one switch" packs on eBay


----------



## tabascosauz (Sep 1, 2016)

BiggieShady said:


> Nice stuff ... is there a way to buy these modular EG switches somewhere (cant find it on amazon)



I didn't even know they sold them separately 

I hope you're thinking of getting them strictly for keyboard science as EG's switches appear to be proprietary. There appears to be an LED integrated into every switch and even though it's one of the highly rated low-profile "cube"-type LEDs, that will complicate things if trying to use them to replace broken switches in another board or building a new board. I was hoping that they'd just be another option in the sea of MX clones (Gateron, Kaihl, Outemu) but sadly that does not appear to be the case. It might have been my mistake putting it in the same list as the 62/60 and Team Wolf as those two don't use a proprietary mount type for the hot-swap switches.

That said, this board might be more durable in the end...in the 62/60 thread it was generally agreed that hot-swappable switch keyboards are the wrong place to look if one is looking for durability compared to even the most ordinary "normal" MX keyboard. EG makes some pretty tasty claims as to the longevity of the hot-swap mechanism. Of course the 70 million keystroke rating for the actual switches is complete BS lol...first it was 30M? then it was 50M for genuine Cherry switches then all these rip-off Kaihl-Razers of observably lower quality claim 60M and now EG 70M. One can't even get a genuine Cherry switch to 50M in a reasonable amount of time.


----------



## BiggieShady (Sep 1, 2016)

tabascosauz said:


> I hope you're thinking of getting them strictly for keyboard science as EG's switches appear to be proprietary.


It just seems logical when buying keyboard with replaceable switches to buy a pack of matching switch replacements


----------



## erixx (Sep 7, 2016)

Big shit! Das Keyboard releases a LED "13" version.... without Volumne knob like their Pro board!!!! WTF guys!!!!!! I have the money ready and you do not notice!


----------



## Warrgarbl (Sep 27, 2016)

Jetster said:


> Hey I almost bought the 610 on sale. Beautiful keyboard  Reviews say it has a plastic frame, is it solid? No flex?


It seems to be exceptionally solid to me. I notice no flexing, though ymmv. The only thing that takes a little getting used to (for me, at least) is the height. It's a rather high keyboard, which is exaggerated by no palm rest.


----------



## tabascosauz (Sep 27, 2016)

Speaking of *exceptionally solid*, here is my Filco Majestouch 2 that I just finished putting back together. The caps are just EnjoyPBT US Black + GMK RGBY, but what's special about this board is the Tex case that it's been put in. 100% 6061 CNC + anodized aluminum, no plastic whatsoever in the frame. Tex also makes a 6061 CNC-ano aluminum case for 60% keyboards which I have and is anodized to a better standard, but obviously that one can't hold a candle to the sheer heft of this guy. No discussion necessary about "flex"; one's bones will flex before this case flexes. Typing is also sheer bliss.



 
 ​
For those who need a refresher, the Majestouch 1 TKL was regarded as the "OG" TKL board, at least on the mass market. The MJ2 continues that legacy. Even with its stock plastic case, I am willing to be that the MJ2 TKL weighs more than _any_ tenkeyless on the market (save for Korean customs like the LZ-GH and LZ-FE of course), and it's probably due to the sheer heft of the plate it comes with. So with this full suit of aluminum (quite a few mm thick in every part, sides are quite a bit thicker), you can imagine how much it weighs. When I hold it in my hands, it reminds me much more of holding my old SG05 mini ITX rig than the rest of my 60% keyboards 

The joke that you can use a IBM Model M for home defense is now obsolete. The Tex-clad Filco is now the mass-produced home defense weapon to end all home invasions.


----------



## Warrgarbl (Sep 27, 2016)

Maybe I should have written exceptionally solid for a plastic keyboard


----------



## tabascosauz (Sep 28, 2016)

+              GMK HyperFuse is legendary, was only run as a group buy once, and never comes below $300 second hand because it's rare, and this is a sale, not a group buy so I don't have to wait. 
+               I won't be buying another keyset again. 
-                I am a weak-willed bastard, and seriously need help with this GMK addiction. My GMK Sky Dolch is a day away and my GMK Carbon doesn't ship until end of next month. 
-                My walletsays that we will never be buying another keyset again.  






On the plus side, I can *really* now get around to selling the sets I don't need (all the sets that aren't in Cherry profile, all the sets save for EnjoyPBT and GMK and one or two SA sets for TPU giveaway).

They say "endgame" does not exist, but I know exactly where it is: somewhere between the letters *G       M       *and      *K*.


----------



## AsRock (Sep 29, 2016)

Their nice but they are not that nice, shit! 1/2 the functions of these really exspenive keyboards are missing for my needs.


----------



## tabascosauz (Oct 3, 2016)

GMK Sky Dolch - 1 down, 2.5 to go.





There's a magnificent cyan glow to it that I cannot quite explain or capture.


----------



## tabascosauz (Oct 17, 2016)

Will put up photos of GMK Hyperfuse, as well as GMK Carbon when it gets here, but stay tuned for something different this week (fingers crossed)!

I managed to catch an eBay deal for an old (but allegedly functional) Triumph Adler CE 700 DS typewriter. The keys looked rather dirty, but I will have denture cleaner on hand.

The CE 700 DS was a typewriter from either the 1980s or 1990s, manufactured by the venerable Triumph Adler GmbH. The keycaps are what makes it potentially highly valuable.
The high quality keys are in Cherry profile, made of PBT, and have dye-sublimated blue legends. They are compatible with Cherry MX switches, and certainly far superior to any dyesubbed Cherry profile PBTs to come out of China nowadays.


----------



## sneekypeet (Oct 18, 2016)

tabascosauz said:


> GMK Sky Dolch - 1 down, 2.5 to go.
> 
> View attachment 79633
> 
> There's a magnificent cyan glow to it that I cannot quite explain or capture.



When you start into that 2.5 can I borrow one?


----------



## jboydgolfer (Oct 18, 2016)

tabascosauz said:


>



thats a gorgeous KB. Damn.Not a fan of TKL, but the scheme and coloring is spot on.


----------



## tabascosauz (Oct 18, 2016)

sneekypeet said:


> When you start into that 2.5 can I borrow one?



If you live in SW of England, sure


----------



## sneekypeet (Oct 18, 2016)

tabascosauz said:


> If you live in SW of England, sure



I do not  Fair enough though!


----------



## xvi (Oct 21, 2016)

Interested in everyone's thoughts on this news article.


btarunr said:


> German private investment company GENUI and the Cherry management has announced the acquisition of the international Cherry Group from ZF Friedrichshafen AG. Excellent growth prospects for the computer input device manufacturer and its employees will result from the investment.
> 
> "It was very important to us to find a new owner for Cherry that would offer the company and its employees a solid future with good prospects," explains Michael Hankel, ZF member of the Board of Management responsible for Cherry. "GENUI offers precisely such a future and is therefore an outstanding partner for Cherry." ZF will sell its 100-percent share in the subsidiary as it concentrates investment in its core business. The Cherry Group posted sales of roughly €80 million in 2015. It has 380 employees worldwide, 280 of whom work at the company's headquarters in Auerbach, situated between Nuremberg and Bayreuth.


----------



## Ahhzz (Oct 21, 2016)

xvi said:


> Interested in everyone's thoughts on this news article.


I'm always concerned whenever a smaller company is bought up by a larger one. It almost always ends in people losing jobs, and the original vision for the company being lost for "the big picture"....


----------



## AsRock (Oct 21, 2016)

Ahhzz said:


> I'm always concerned whenever a smaller company is bought up by a larger one. It almost always ends in people losing jobs, and the original vision for the company being lost for "the big picture"....



Some leaders a proud and leave due to having the need of more cost cutting which all so cut's the quality of the product too.

Cherry are not made as well as they were but that's just like every thing these days.


----------



## cornemuse (Oct 21, 2016)




----------



## tabascosauz (Oct 21, 2016)

xvi said:


> Interested in everyone's thoughts on this news article.



Interesting. A little while ago there was some fuss made about ZF getting Cherry Corp and how it might change. It didn't end up changing much, except that ZF wanted people to stop calling Gaterons and Kaihls Cherry switches and instead call them "MX-style mechanical switches" to distinguish them from the real thing. Which is quite ironic since Gaterons and Gateron-based custom switches have largely displaced "genuine" Cherry MX switches in terms of keyfeel.

Honestly, unlike GMK, Cherry seems to be having a hard time staying relevant in the face of Gateron. Furthermore, even GMK is starting to make its own keyboards (and high-quality ones at that with stellar keysets from none other than GMK, search for Uniqey), while Cherry hasn't really made any decent boards since the G80 series. 

Their MX Board lineup didn't make a splash at all, and even the newer versions of G80s like the 3000, 3700, and 1800 come with cheap lasered keycaps, quite the departure from the classic thick Cherry profile doubleshots and dyesubs. Their switches have been inferior for many years ever since they switched to rougher-feeling materials in the 1990s. The only thing I can think of going for Cherry Corp is the fact that some manufacturers still make "genuine Cherry MX" a selling point of their keyboards. 



cornemuse said:


> snip



Likely only ticks half of the boxes. Those keycaps scream ergonomic *rubber dome*. This ain't the rubber dome club


----------



## AsRock (Oct 22, 2016)

tabascosauz said:


> Interesting. A little while ago there was some fuss made about ZF getting Cherry Corp and how it might change. It didn't end up changing much, except that ZF wanted people to stop calling Gaterons and Kaihls Cherry switches and instead call them "MX-style mechanical switches" to distinguish them from the real thing. Which is quite ironic since Gaterons and Gateron-based custom switches have largely displaced "genuine" Cherry MX switches in terms of keyfeel.
> 
> Honestly, unlike GMK, Cherry seems to be having a hard time staying relevant in the face of Gateron. Furthermore, even GMK is starting to make its own keyboards (and high-quality ones at that with stellar keysets from none other than GMK, search for Uniqey), while Cherry hasn't really made any decent boards since the G80 series.
> 
> ...



Well they could be fake = rubber dome HAHA.


----------



## xvi (Oct 22, 2016)

cornemuse said:


>





tabascosauz said:


> Likely only ticks half of the boxes. Those keycaps scream ergonomic *rubber dome*. This ain't the rubber dome club


..and what kind of layout is that? Worse than Dvorak.


----------



## AsRock (Oct 22, 2016)

xvi said:


> ..and what kind of layout is that? Worse than Dvorak.



Layout is called feely touchy, but get permission before using as it "may" come with a slap.


----------



## jboydgolfer (Oct 22, 2016)

cornemuse said:


>



can someone hand me a key cap puller please?


----------



## AsRock (Oct 22, 2016)

jboydgolfer said:


> can someone hand me a key cap puller please?



Yes as some ones obviously put 2 keys over the mini joysticks.


----------



## tabascosauz (Oct 22, 2016)

As I promised, here are the vintage (well, circa early 1990s) Triumph Adler caps:









Ebay buyer delivered as promised an impossibly filthy but operational TA SE 700 DS typewriter with Cherry MY switches. The typewriter sucks big time because of those MYs, but the caps are super nice. Thick dyesubs in Cherry profile, beautiful navy blue legends on grey. Took me a while to wash off the grime though. A few keys like T were completely black from grime.

Goes well with GMK Purple Mods.


----------



## tabascosauz (Nov 12, 2016)

Stockpiling parts for my next project  building my first custom keyboard in December, a beautiful 60% B.face X2 from the one and only Winkeyless:





(well, technically I am using only the PCB from the B.face, but it's still a B.face).
It's not going to be the build to end all builds, but I am putting effort into making it the best board I've used yet. Selling my old POK3R and one of the V60s to fund these parts.

- FMJ case: I have a black FMJ case coming in from originative; it's an extremely rare and high quality CNC aluminium 60% case, super pumped for it to arrive.

- Cherry MX Reds: although Gaterons are smoother, I opted to roll with stock MX Reds due to reports of incompatibility between certain Gateron batches and GMK keycaps, which is a deal-breaker since I don't use anything other than GMK these days. Too lazy to open up all 61 switches and lube them up, so they'll be stock. I don't actually mind the roughness. And I have the switches already.

- B.face PCB: as said before, there's nothing better on the custom 60% market than the B.face. And I'll finally get to say that I have a Korean keyboard  I'll be going for a classic layout, so "winkeyless" bottom row (1.5 + 1 + 1.5 + 7 + 1.5 + 1 + 1.5), and stepped capslock.

- Blue anodized aluminium plate from UKKeycaps, it's exactly what it sounds like

- GMK Carbon: my GMK Carbon keyset from the earlier group buy finally shipped from Massdrop earlier this week. Super pumped for its arrival; the GMK collection is coming along nicely with Carbon soon joining Sky Dolch and Hyperfuse. Just waiting for GMK Originative to ship in January, which will be the best complement colour-wise to the FMJ case.

Just gotta get through this grueling law coursework and I'll be putting together this board in no time. Collecting some soldering equipment right now, all I gotta do is take it slow, steady and by the book, and there should be no problems.


----------



## jboydgolfer (Nov 13, 2016)

tabascosauz said:


> As I promised, here are the vintage (well, circa early 1990s) Triumph Adler caps:
> 
> View attachment 80321
> 
> ...



thats one beautiful KB


----------



## R-T-B (Nov 13, 2016)

tabascosauz said:


> As I promised, here are the vintage (well, circa early 1990s) Triumph Adler caps:
> 
> View attachment 80321
> 
> ...



You make my baby unicomp (with original IBM keycaps) cry.

Trump had better make my America great again, so I can make my keyboard great again.


----------



## tabascosauz (Nov 13, 2016)

R-T-B said:


> You make my baby unicomp (with original IBM keycaps) cry.
> 
> Trump had better make my America great again, so I can make my keyboard great again.



Did you used to have a Vortex board with DSA?

Buckling springs are awesome. Nothing compares (I'd kill to have one of those hefty Model Fs though). The Triumph Adler keycaps here are super nice, but the typewriter itself was garbage  Cherry MYs (MYs are like typing on stiff, wet newspaper), filth, weird keysizes, filth, super heavy, filth, yellowed, filth...


----------



## R-T-B (Nov 13, 2016)

tabascosauz said:


> Did you use to have a Vortex board with DSA?
> 
> Buckling springs are awesome. Nothing compares (I'd kill to have one of those hefty Model Fs though). The Triumph Adler keycaps here are super nice, but the typewriter itself was garbage  Cherry MYs (MYs are like typing on stiff, wet newspaper), filth, weird keysizes, filth, super heavy, filth, yellowed, filth...



xvi has the Vortex now, I could not afford two keyboards, lol...


----------



## tabascosauz (Nov 17, 2016)

Finished building my first custom board today, a B.face X2. Essentially a quick and dirty introduction to the world of custom boards.






MX Reds, blue plate from UKKeycaps (terrible btw, was bent, half the screw holes too small for Tex case screws, and right Alt messed up due to the excessive space for a 7u spacebar stab in the same spot), tried and true layout with stepped capslock and split right shift, and Hyperfuse alphas with Purple and RGBY mods.

The B.face has fantastic RGB underlighting on the underside; I don't intend to use it though as none of my cases are acrylic. I did test it and it works, looks great.

Will take better photos once the venerable FMJ case gets here.


----------



## tabascosauz (Nov 19, 2016)

As promised.


----------



## tabascosauz (Dec 16, 2016)

Got another build for y'all, this time with a GH60revC PCB and Gateron Yellows. Opted for a winkeyless (1.5+1+1.5+7+1.5+1+1.5) bottom row.

The case is a bit special though. I bought it off of Taobao at the recommendation of another Geekhack user. It was only $50 (+ proxy fees), but is supposedly CNC'd out of a higher quality alloy (7075-T6) and the anodization is superb. Just wish I had bought a silver case instead, because there are some minor scuffs that would show less on silver. Has nice aluminium feet and a cool attachable aluminium weight. All in all a good deal since I paid $119 for my Tex 6061 case a while back.


----------



## cdawall (Dec 16, 2016)

This is what I use at work. I picked it purely for the sheer amount of noise the kale blue switches make. Lol


----------



## xvi (Dec 16, 2016)

cdawall said:


> I picked it purely for the sheer amount of noise the kale blue switches make. Lol


Me too! 
Had to switch to a keyboard with greens because I really needed a 10key, but now everyone nearby knows I'm not asleep. Also nice for when I'm on the phone. Customers think I'm writing a novel for them.

Edit: I bottom out my keyboards almost all the time, so I put o-rings on it, not that it made much difference.


----------



## cdawall (Dec 16, 2016)

xvi said:


> Me too!
> Had to switch to a keyboard with greens because I really needed a 10key, but now everyone nearby knows I'm not asleep. Also nice for when I'm on the phone. Customers think I'm writing a novel for them.
> 
> Edit: I bottom out my keyboards almost all the time, so I put o-rings on it, not that it made much difference.



I would have gone with greens, but we do not carry any at the store. I actually grabbed the 10 key less version of this for my home PC. It isn't bad at all. I like it better than a couple of the ducky's I have used, but those also had poop switches in them IMO. One day I might care enough to build a keyboard with all greens, but eh.


----------



## R-T-B (Dec 16, 2016)

cdawall said:


> I would have gone with greens, but we do not carry any at the store. I actually grabbed the 10 key less version of this for my home PC. It isn't bad at all. I like it better than a couple of the ducky's I have used, but those also had poop switches in them IMO. One day I might care enough to build a keyboard with all greens, but eh.



Green's are hard as hell to get in a premade.  What he has is a modded RTB-special, IIRC.  The board has been hacked on by me so many times but it still looks pretty decent.  Just don't open it up to look at my soldering on the back...  it's...  globby.  But on the bright side it isn't going anywhere.


----------



## cdawall (Dec 16, 2016)

R-T-B said:


> Green's are hard as hell to get in a premade.  What he has is a modded RTB-special, IIRC.  The board has been hacked on by me so many times but it still looks pretty decent.  Just don't open it up to look at my soldering on the back...  it's...  globby.  But on the bright side it isn't going anywhere.



Cooper Master has some, but I only paid $8 for the Thermaltake with kale blues. I'm not exactly complaining.


----------



## xvi (Dec 17, 2016)

R-T-B said:


> Green's are hard as hell to get in a premade.  What he has is a modded RTB-special, IIRC.  The board has been hacked on by me so many times but it still looks pretty decent.  Just don't open it up to look at my soldering on the back...  it's...  globby.  But on the bright side it isn't going anywhere.


I found your post from way back on this keyboard.  Still worth it though. I didn't know the greens were custom too!


----------



## tabascosauz (Dec 17, 2016)

R-T-B said:


> Green's are hard as hell to get in a premade.  What he has is a modded RTB-special, IIRC.  The board has been hacked on by me so many times but it still looks pretty decent.  Just don't open it up to look at my soldering on the back...  it's...  globby.  But on the bright side it isn't going anywhere.



How did you mod your greens? Curious as I'd like to start taking the tops off my B.face soon and start switch modding too.


----------



## R-T-B (Dec 17, 2016)

xvi said:


> I found your post from way back on this keyboard.  Still worth it though. I didn't know the greens were custom too!



Oh, I didn't solder the greens on.  Board came like that (was still hard to get!).  I just added status indicators.  I see how I wrote it was kinda misleading... lol. 

I fixed the bad enter key before you got it, by the way...  And by fixed, I mean "fixed properly"


----------



## silentbogo (Dec 24, 2016)

So, my patience finally ran out.
My ZM-K500 gets an emergency surgery TODAY.

All those red pieces of poop will be replaced with gateron browns. Dampers are already on the way.


BTW, what would you suggest for Caps Lock/Scroll Lock  LEDs?
Right now it has blue ones, but they look really out of place.
Somewhere in the box of spare parts I have tons of other colors (red, yellow, white, green etc.   ... even some infrared and UV ones).


----------



## okidna (Jan 27, 2017)

My newest daily driver :



Spoiler: keyboards



KBParadise V60 (Gateron Yellow, top) and Leopold FC980M (MX Brown, bottom)




 KBParadise V60 (Gateron Yellow, pictured top) and Leopold FC980M (MX Brown, bottom)





FC980M, great build quality with thick PBT keycaps :




KBP V60, I love Gateron Yellow switch, it's very comfortable for typing and coding usage :


----------



## tabascosauz (Jan 27, 2017)

@okidna Nice boards! A pair of V60s had the honour of being my last boards before moving onto customs, I loved them dearly. The 980M is a great board too. Currently 100% smitten with clear top Gat Yellows.


----------



## okidna (Jan 27, 2017)

tabascosauz said:


> @okidna Nice boards! A pair of V60s had the honour of being my last boards before moving onto customs, I loved them dearly. The 980M is a great board too. Currently 100% smitten with clear top Gat Yellows.



Thank you! 

It's the cheapest V60 and this is the first time I try Gateron switch. I found Gateron Yellow to be similar with MX Red, a tad heavier but a lot smoother which is perfect for me. They also seems to be less wobbly compared to MX switches.

And I just saw your keycaps collection in this thread..... those Sky Dolch and Hyperfuse , just beautiful.


----------



## silentbogo (Jan 27, 2017)

Finally managed to quiet down my Garteron Browns. I still get a full switch retraction noise, but the downward click is almost gone.
Perfect for late night gaming.


----------



## tabascosauz (Jan 27, 2017)

okidna said:


> Thank you!
> 
> It's the cheapest V60 and this is the first time I try Gateron switch. I found Gateron Yellow to be similar with MX Red, a tad heavier but a lot smoother which is perfect for me. They also seems to be less wobbly compared to MX switches.
> 
> And I just saw your keycaps collection in this thread..... those Sky Dolch and Hyperfuse , just beautiful.



Yes, I came from MX Red to Gat Yellow as well, and found it smoother with a stronger upstroke, although I find it a bit more wobbly.

Funny enough, I eat my words  I moved onto beige with OG Cherry doubleshots and GMK Classic Retro, about to sell Sky Dolch and get in on kekkon's new Dolch buy, and planning to get rid of Hyperfuse. Not enough contrast out of both those sets.

@silentbogo there are also Zealencios you could try; they reduce noise without making the keyfeel mushy and keytravel shorter like o-rings


----------



## okidna (Sep 9, 2017)

No need to worry when the screen says "Press *ANY KEY* to continue..."


----------



## micropage7 (Jun 3, 2018)

just miami color on sades with blue switch


----------



## R-T-B (Aug 16, 2018)

My black body WASD CODE Mechanical with white PBT, blue legend keycaps qualify?

Taken midcleaning, so maybe only 50% there...  :


----------



## Jetster (Aug 24, 2018)




----------



## SamirD (Aug 26, 2018)

I love looking at keyboard pics.


----------



## Frick (Sep 27, 2018)

Steelseries Apex M750 for €60, good deal or no? I have a Cherry Something with red switches now and I actually kinda like it. I really don't game much these days and when I do it's not keyheavy games, but backlight would be cool...


----------



## Zyll Goliat (Sep 27, 2018)

2  years ago I get myself FUNC KB-460.....so far so good.....


----------



## Aaron_Henderson (Sep 27, 2018)

Been using this super cheap "Ajazz AK33" board for about half a year now and still loving it...had a full size limited edition OCN Ducky for awhile, it eventually traded it for some Sega Genesis games...I regretted trading it until I got this board for $40 Canadian.  Uses a rip-off cherry blue switch and has blue backlight on white case and caps,  though also comes in RGB, and black case and caps.  Probably going to order a cheap keycap set for it over the next week or two...and then maybe if I remember I'll share some pics of my "budget mech" setup.


----------



## E-curbi (Sep 27, 2018)

Not sure if my keyboard qualifies as sexy, whoa! Some gorgeous boards here.

It is very comfortable to the fingers and hands working - typing long hours. Also extremely quiet with the HHKB custom noise absorption pad that sticks to the bottom.

Please excuse the mixed printed non-printed PBT keycaps, the gf uses the PC about twice a week and could not find certain seldom used keys like the tilde, so had to order a printed set and mount them until she learns all the strokes.

Realize I could dress the board up in some really nice colors and caps, but it's for getting work done and I'm a boring person. lol 


Update: These last 3 photos are like 8months old, so much has changed since then, yet they show the HHKB Pro 2 noise absorption pad that adheres your keyboard to your desktop and protective keyboard cover much better. Cool pics.

Also the keyboard (last pic) that began my career from an old comedy film titled "Her Alibi". The actor's keyboard from the late 1980s looks a lot like my current board, *white-gray blank keycaps. lol*

The 6th photo is work desk setup 2017. Still dope.


----------



## micropage7 (Oct 7, 2018)

E-curbi said:


> Not sure if my keyboard qualifies as sexy, whoa! Some gorgeous boards here.
> 
> It is very comfortable to the fingers and hands working - typing long hours. Also extremely quiet with the HHKB custom noise absorption pad that sticks to the bottom.
> 
> ...


very classic looks, like from 1990's
before RGB take over the world


----------



## SamirD (Oct 8, 2018)

micropage7 said:


> very classic looks, like from 1990's
> before RGB take over the world


I got old school love too so I liked it a lot too.  Too many people trying to make a Razer version of an HHKB when this one works great.


----------



## E-curbi (Oct 8, 2018)

The HHKB Pro 2 Silent Type-S with the noise isolated keycaps is the best overall typing experience in my humble opinion. Add on the noise absorbing adhesive mat to the underside about $40 to make it even less audible and more pleasant for long hours of work.

Yea, I'm always on the lookout for a brand new *HHKB Pro 3* to launch or even an HHKB BT in silent Type-S, I'd keep it wired though, have (2) Bluetooth wireless mice, and I understand the benefits of wireless operation, a wireless keyboard? Doesn't help me much. It just sits there stuck stable to my desk in one spot, wired vs wireless? LOL 

Only Razer component I'm using is the Invicta mousing mat in white. It's an extremely wonderful surface superslick, superfast and smooth, more glide than I've ever experienced before, so less effort for getting work completed faster over long hours. I'd say if you use your PC to feed your family, the $59.99 cost is easily worth it, pays for itself.


----------



## tabascosauz (Mar 16, 2019)

It's been almost two years since I last built a board, and those Klippe parts were looking awfully lonely having sat on the shelf for 7 months, so I decided to get back into the game. It sure is nice to live in a country where 60/40 leaded solder isn't banned, although I definitely need a better 120V station.






Case is the tried and true FMJ that's already seen three boards come and go. My main B.face has taken up residence in the Klippe case, having needed the extra support of the centre screw hole to buttress its flimsy aluminium plate. I did only have three screws remaining to use on this board, which poses no issue thanks to the stiffness of the brass plate. 

So far, I've taken a liking to MX Silent Reds. They work phenomenally quietly in my M-10B and now this board. Now to find some better equipment and Healios to prepare for the arrival of my X60-R, which I've been waiting on for nearly 3 years.


----------



## AsRock (Mar 16, 2019)

tabascosauz said:


> It's been almost two years since I last built a board, and those Klippe parts were looking awfully lonely having sat on the shelf for 7 months, so I decided to get back into the game. It sure is nice to live in a country where 60/40 leaded solder isn't banned, although I definitely need a better 120V station.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



If you don't  mind what's about cost to build one ?, like it for the nice space saving and the correctly made caps lock .


----------



## tabascosauz (Mar 16, 2019)

AsRock said:


> If you don't  mind what's about cost to build one ?, like it for the nice space saving and the correctly made caps lock .



Surprisingly, not much......but you get what you pay for, although your mileage may vary especially with switch choice. Just choose your components wisely.

1st board: *~$425* excluding caps. B.face PCB + alu plate + MX Red + Klippe. My joints were okay, but the alignment of the switches is poor due to the poor quality of the cheap plate I bought. I'm still using this board though, it's a real trooper. It currently resides in the Klippe case, so I factored in the price of that (minus the parts that came as a package).





2nd board: *~$230 *excluding caps. GH60revC + alu plate + Gateron Yellow + Tex low profile case. I tried to see how cheap I could go without resorting to questionable Taobao GH60Satan kits. The GH60 rev. C board is available from techkeys.us for about $35, and is a good board. You do need to configure and flash the firmware though. My handiwork did improve significantly, but multiple switches became unusable within a year so I retired it. The Tex 60% case is of good quality (far better than most mainland Chinese alu cases, Tex is Taiwanese) and is a versatile choice for both builds and off-the-shelf boards like the Pok3r; the Tex cost about $120, not sure if it's still available today.





3rd board: *~$550* excluding caps. Mekanisk/NerD60 + brass plate + MX Silent Red + FMJ. Most of the cost comes from the FMJ, which cost me $350 back in 2016. As for the rest, they are pretty cheap due to coming as a package with the Klippe (which I gave to the B.face instead). I swore off Gateron because of the poor reliability of my second board and my later KBD75 (dead as well), and I needed a quiet board so Silent Reds work great. Dunno what the meta is regarding switches in 2019, but r/mk probably covers that.

If you really want to push the limits, there are probably still kits out there similar to the GH60 Satan (not related to the GH60revC) that'll be around $100 or less for the whole shebang. Bigger boards like TKL and full-size generally don't exist outside of really prohibitive group buys with prohibitive prices, but there are 65% and 75% kits out there.


----------



## okidna (Mar 17, 2019)

tabascosauz said:


> So far, I've taken a liking to MX Silent Reds. They work phenomenally quietly in my M-10B and now this board. Now to find some better equipment and Healios to prepare for the arrival of my X60-R, which I've been waiting on for nearly 3 years.



I also like Cherry Silent switches, I currently use Silent Black stem in a Zealios housing with 72g spring on my KIRA EXS.
I use Zealios housing because I found that the default housing (Cherry RGB silent housing, milk bottom, clear top) were too scratchy and inconcsistent even when lubed. In a Zealios housing it's noticeably smoother (even when it's unlubed) and of course it lacks of Zeal signature high pitched clack because of the silent stem.


----------



## tabascosauz (Mar 17, 2019)

okidna said:


> I also like Cherry Silent switches, I currently use Silent Black stem in a Zealios housing with 72g spring on my KIRA EXS.
> I use Zealios housing because I found that the default housing (Cherry RGB silent housing, milk bottom, clear top) were too scratchy and inconcsistent even when lubed. In a Zealios housing it's noticeably smoother (even when it's unlubed) and of course it lacks of Zeal signature high pitched clack because of the silent stem.



I might be the only one who doesn't mind MX scratchiness. Part of the MX charm, I guess, lol. And to be honest, I have a 3700 with vintage Blacks and there really isn't that much of a difference to new Blacks. It's a bit better on retooled MX, goes away the longer you use the board, and I've never had a MX switch die on me. Gateron, on the other hand......even with a spring and stem replacement and some lube, the sticky Yellows still ended up sticky in less than a month, and died shortly thereafter. Maybe the tolerances were too loose and gunk kept getting in, I dunno.

My Silents aren't the RGB type. They're just the usual black opaque housing that I bought in bulk. As for Zealios, apparently the Gateron housing has been retooled to be less wobbly (a notorious Gateron problem), but I can't remember if my 65g Zealios were of the old or new type. For that matter, I can't even remember when or why I bought the Zealios...they are smooth, but way too tactile for my liking and way too loud. Too heavy, too. I only use Reds now because they fit my RSI-ridden hands perfectly. 

That EXS is a very nice board. Unfortunately, I'm too invested in 60% and G80 numpads to have any need for a bigger board anymore.


----------



## tabascosauz (Mar 26, 2019)

X60R arrived Monday - built it today. My last build for the foreseeable future, and I've been waiting more than 2 years.










I used Tealios on this one; they were restocked only yesterday. Crisp and smooth - I'll keep them stock for now, they don't need lube like the Silent Reds do. Now to wrap my head around QMK...


----------



## E-curbi (Jan 9, 2020)

We gotta breathe some life back into this awesome mechanical keyboard thread. lol

Looks like only tabascolovebrosauz has been keeping it alive. lol

Anyone? Anyone? Ferris Bueller Anyone? ok, I'll start. 

Switched my input setup from white and light gray aesthetic since 2016 to black and gunmetal, Woohoo!

Why did I choose white and gray way back in 2016 anyways? Well, at the time had a standard HHKB Pro 2 in black. It was a bit noisy, so after 3years in service, I wanted to upgrade to the HHKB Pro 2 Type-S "silent key" switches sku, and PFU Fujitsu ONLY made the Type-S in white and gray and that's the way it remained actually since 2006, the only color you could get a Type-S was in the white and light gray with or without labeled keycaps.

Well that all changed on December 10th 2019, when PFU launched their new Hybrid Series.

Hybrid in white and black
Hybrid Type-S also in white and black. YAY!

So, I returned to a black keyboard yesterday after FedEx overnighted this beautiful keyboard below.

Before and After pics:

Yea, went ahead and picked up a Logitech Master MX 3 mouse in graphite and a Razer Invicta mousing mat in gunmetal and black to complete the aesthetic. 








Could not get the keyboard to play nice with the EVGA Z390 Dark motherboard, went a bit crazy I did, pulled out all the usb devices thinking there may be a conflict, reinstalled Win10 and all the mobo basic drivers, lol ... then found the issue was the keyboard itself, had to reset back to USB-C connectivity from a previous bluetooth setting using the key combination Fn Cntl and 0. Why didn't I just read the instructions in the first place? Because I'm stupid.  

There's lots of input codes for the keyboard, since it offers USB-C and wireless bluetooth pairing for up to (4) devices.

They began selling this new keyboard series in the US on Monday morning January 6th, 2020 at 10am PST (1pm EST) and I didn't hear about it until 9pm Monday night and ordered immediately.

PFU sold out of all four Type-S variants in only 3days. I guess there's lots of HHKB fans in North America. 

The $40 introductory discount was pretty sweet since it's not an inexpensive keyboard at all.


----------



## SamirD (Jan 9, 2020)

Nice!  I liked the white setup as well.


----------



## silentbogo (Jan 9, 2020)

E-curbi said:


> We gotta breathe some life back into this awesome mechanical keyboard thread. lol


Yeah... it's been awhile  
Can't find any spare time to make me a new board, cause my modded Zalman is getting even more "tired".
Not sure if I posted pics in Ghetto mods thread, but some keycaps already have broken stems, and are "semi-perma-glued" in place using my favorite phone/tablet LCD adhesive 
Gateron browns are still holding up like champs, though, even after being drowned in coffee and washed with booze several times, relentlessly smashed during my Witcher 3 and Enderal playthroughs, and shamelessly abused with lengthy Quake Champions fragging sessions.


----------



## tabascosauz (Jan 9, 2020)

@E-curbi my X60 rebuild is coming up; extra parts for that are imminent and shipped together with my new T60 case in Hyper Red for the Silent Red NerD60. My Instant60 was also finished with GHv4 lubed Gateron Ink Reds (quite nice), and they're also both wearing new keysets. I'll probably put it up in my thread when the time comes - this thread seems a little inactive as of late.

I had no idea there was a new HHKB out! You already know that I love the look of it and all MX Masters, so rock on! I've been needing a board that can do Bluetooth, but I'm just not sure about having another board around.


----------



## E-curbi (Jan 16, 2020)

tabascosauz said:


> @E-curbi my X60 rebuild is coming up; extra parts for that are imminent and shipped together with my new T60 case in Hyper Red for the Silent Red NerD60. My Instant60 was also finished with GHv4 lubed Gateron Ink Reds (quite nice), and they're also both wearing new keysets. I'll probably put it up in my thread when the time comes - this thread seems a little inactive as of late.
> 
> *I had no idea there was a new HHKB out!* You already know that I love the look of it and all MX Masters, so rock on! I've been needing a board that can do Bluetooth, but I'm just not sure about having another board around.



The new Hybrid series were first available "Japan only" from December 10th last year. I do believe PFU first produced a Bluetooth HHKB back in 2016, but it wasn't very popular - had pairing and battery life issues, this new series is supposed to remedy those design faux pas. 

After one week of hard use, I'm in love, the domes are tight, the tactile bump is sharp and much more well defined than the last series the Pro 2. Switches seem lighter than 45grams, not sure why, and it's definitely a Speed Part. I like super-efficient Speed Parts.  Doesn't photograph well at all, the black on black legends - difficult to see, luckily I'm used to the blank keycaps of my last HHKB, so not a problem. Also, my last hhkb came with a 1yr warranty, this board from PFU Fujitsu USA direct has a 2yr advanced replacement warranty, so yay. 

Video below of the December 10th PFU HHKB meetup volume 3, in Japan is very cool.

One last little tidbit, the new Hybrid Series *does not arrive with a USB-C cable* in the box. In these photos below, I'm using the data/charging usb-c cable that came with the Logitech MX Master 3 mouse. It looks pretty ok lol. 

Oops, one last thing, there's remapping software that works extremely well, you could remap the entire board from Qwerty to Dvorak using the blank keycaps would make an ideal Dvorak speedboard.

And this new series, the spacebar is made from PBT like the keycaps, not ABS like the Pro 2 series, another plus.


----------



## silentbogo (May 8, 2020)

Finally got an upgrade, and quite unexpected one. 
My old modded Zalman finally gave up, so I took it to the office for future surgery and ordered a new board.
Always wanted a low-profile mech keyboard, but local options are very slim (pun intended). 
So, my eye fell on Modecom Volcano Blade. 
It was the least likely candidate, cause I had bad experience with Modecom re-branded crap for the past 10+ years and it uses Kailh Choc switches, which I had no familiarity with (and bad rep for Kailh overall). But to my surprise it was the most popular(and one of the cheapest) mech keyboards in our region, and had hundreds of 5-star reviews.... So, I took a chance and... holy s#$t!
It's tiny even by TKL standards, very slim, aluminium frame, monochrome backlight(which is a blessing for me), and switches are nearly twice as quiet as my old Gateron Blue with o-rings.

It's only my first day with this board, but comparatively it already screams "quality".
Plus, its price tag is just a tad shy of $60.


----------



## SamirD (May 8, 2020)

silentbogo said:


> It was the least likely candidate, cause I had bad experience with Modecom re-branded crap for the past 10+ years and it uses Kailh Choc switches, which I had no familiarity with (and bad rep for Kailh overall).   It's tiny even by TKL standards, very slim, aluminium frame, monochrome backlight(which is a blessing for me), and switches are nearly twice as quiet as my old Gateron Blue with o-rings.


Nice!  How do they feel?  Nice tactility?


----------



## Decryptor009 (May 8, 2020)

I have this one.






						Redragon USA
					






					redragonusa.com


----------



## silentbogo (May 8, 2020)

SamirD said:


> Nice! How do they feel? Nice tactility?


Yes. It's perfect. Clicky, nice tactile feedback. Key travel is about 3mm and actuates at ~1.5mm. 
Spec says it's 70g, but subjectively they feel softer than Gateron Brown or Blue. There is an audible click, but it's even quieter than my piece of crap Logitech G603 mouse buttons. 
I can finally work at night without waking the whole neighborhood )))


----------



## E-curbi (May 8, 2020)

Decryptor009 said:


> I have this one.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Looks nice man.


----------



## SamirD (May 8, 2020)

silentbogo said:


> Yes. It's perfect. Clicky, nice tactile feedback. Key travel is about 3mm and actuates at ~1.5mm.
> Spec says it's 70g, but subjectively they feel softer than Gateron Brown or Blue. There is an audible click, but it's even quieter than my piece of crap Logitech G603 mouse buttons.
> I can finally work at night without waking the whole neighborhood )))


Wow, sounds wonderful.  I've been attached to clicky types since I've been on a Model M since I learned how to type back in high school, but my hands do like the snap of a good tactile switch--I just haven't gotten a board with them yet.


----------



## sneekypeet (Jul 9, 2020)

Was looking for another club and seen this thread needing more images, so....




HyperX Alloy Origins Core (Aqua Tactile Switches) with white Pudding Keycaps. Nothing overly special, but amazing to look at!


----------



## AsRock (Jul 9, 2020)

sneekypeet said:


> Was looking for another club and seen this thread needing more images, so....
> View attachment 161702
> 
> HyperX Alloy Origins Core (Aqua Tactile Switches) with white Pudding Keycaps. Nothing overly special, but amazing to look at!



I think they are on to some thing with that look.  Do they have one with a numpad too ?.


----------



## sneekypeet (Jul 9, 2020)

AsRock said:


> I think they are on to some thing with that look.  Do they have one with a numpad too ?.



This maybe? https://www.hyperxgaming.com/unitedstates/us/keyboards/alloy-origins-mechanical-gaming-keyboard Same family, unsure of switch choices. You will need a key cap set also.

Here is their new baby, more what you are looking for all wrapped up together. https://www.hyperxgaming.com/united...perx-alloy-elite-2-mechanical-gaming-keyboard


----------



## AsRock (Jul 9, 2020)

Sadly the keys are not programmable (,  although those caps are awesome though and not over done RGB for a change.


----------



## sneekypeet (Jul 10, 2020)

AsRock said:


> Sadly the keys are not programmable (,  although those caps are awesome though and not over done RGB for a change.


well for $24.99 as long as the switch stems are "+" style and has a standard bottom row, you can just get the pudding caps for any other keyboard.


----------



## Gmr_Chick (Jul 10, 2020)

@sneekypeet - am looking at replacing my Corsair K68 board with the Alloy Origins + those gorgeous pudding keycaps and was wondering, how big the font is on the pudding keycaps? Is it about the same size as the lettering found on my K68? I need nice big lettering. Thanks for your time


----------



## sneekypeet (Jul 10, 2020)

@Gmr_Chick 



Hyperx on the left k and k70se k on the right.  I will say brightness through the pudding is intense on the hyperx keyboard, so size might not matter so much for visibility sake.


----------



## Gmr_Chick (Jul 10, 2020)

EXACTLY what I needed to see, thanks a lot! Definitely going to be purchasing the keycaps and the board now   

I think you may be right. Those pudding keycaps definitely allow more light to shine through compared to the standard Corsair keys, and I actually prefer that over the Corsair offering. When changing the lighting via iCue, I can't use many colors due to the lack of "light bleed", so colors like red, blue, purple...pretty much any dark color is REALLY difficult for me to see on my K68. About the only colors I can comfortably use are white and lime green. So I'll definitely be buying a set of these pudding caps


----------



## E-curbi (Jul 24, 2020)

Just dropped $150 on keyboard extra parts for the gf to get back working again (she's brilliant but needs a boost) after baby and she's happy and ready to go. 

New energy in the household. Woohoo!


----------



## tabascosauz (Jul 24, 2020)

Time to revive this thread again?


----------



## E-curbi (Jul 24, 2020)

tabascosauz said:


> Time to revive this thread again?


Once again, every 3months.  Dayum, that's a sexy blue, I LOVE that cable. 

As you can see, I have no color in my life.


----------



## manofthem (Aug 2, 2020)

Got a used G Skill KM570, mx silver switches.  Haven't quite figured out the rgb lighting just yet.  (taking a break from my Das Keyboard)


----------



## Deleted member 24505 (Aug 26, 2020)

Here's my HyperX alloy fps rgb with pudding caps. need to buy a UK set though as this is not a full set.


----------



## iBruceypoo (May 25, 2021)

It ain't pretty - it's a workin' keyboard.

clack clack clackity clack. 

HHKB Hybrid Type-S in charcoal with charcoal PBT printed keycaps and seldom used white PBT printed keycaps (cuz, I can't remember where the numbers are )

Spacebar is also PBT.


----------



## GamerGuy (May 26, 2021)

I have a love for Topre mech KB's, here's my collection....Topre Type Heaven with blue PBT keycaps. Below it are my two HHKB Pro 2's.






Here's my RealForce 104UB 55G, really love the heavier switch....with 3rd party yellow PBT keycaps.





I took these pics a while back, I have two more, both are CM Nova touch keyboards with custom keycaps, will take pics of them soon as possible, I have them stored somewhere....


----------



## iBruceypoo (May 26, 2021)

GamerGuy said:


> I have a love for Topre mech KB's, here's my collection....Topre Type Heaven with blue PBT keycaps. Below it are my two HHKB Pro 2's.
> 
> 
> 
> ...





GamerGuy said:


> I took these pics a while back, I have two more, both are CM Nova touch keyboards with custom keycaps, will take pics of them soon as possible, I have them stored somewhere....



For me, Topre is the most comfortable switch for long hours of work - fun for gaming also.  I've never used the 55g Topre, only the standard HHKB 45g. 

We have (2)HHKBs in the house, gf is using the older Pro 2 Type S in white below:


----------



## arni-gx (Aug 20, 2021)

can i join this club with my new keyboard ??


----------



## Jetster (Aug 20, 2021)

Of course you can


----------



## Chomiq (Apr 26, 2022)

Time to dig this back up, potential upgrade material:

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1518781381689577472
They finally realized that the color options were, to say the least, controversial.


----------



## Deleted member 24505 (Apr 26, 2022)

I changed to a Ducky One 2 mini.


----------



## ThaiTaffy (Apr 26, 2022)

Tigger said:


> I changed to a Ducky One 2 mini.
> View attachment 245024


I really need some nice keycaps with transparent lettering and the fn keys printed on them though finding a set that corresponds to my keyboards fn keys might be a struggle.


I love my little hotswap keyboard between it, my otg cable for my mouse and the new portable screen coming in a few weeks it should make my road warrior setup on my phone pretty practical.


----------



## micropage7 (Apr 26, 2022)

Tigger said:


> I changed to a Ducky One 2 mini.
> View attachment 245024


wait, is it win xp serial key?


----------



## ThaiTaffy (Apr 26, 2022)

micropage7 said:


> wait, is it win xp serial key?


I was wondering too, I thought it was a key or Mac address


----------



## Deleted member 24505 (Apr 26, 2022)

ThaiTaffy said:


> I was wondering too, I thought it was a key or Mac address



It was the s20+ rom code iirc 986BXXUDFVC7


----------



## sneekypeet (Apr 26, 2022)

Tigger said:


> I changed to a Ducky One 2 mini.
> View attachment 245024


I have the HyperX crossover version.....love it!


----------



## Deleted member 24505 (Apr 26, 2022)

sneekypeet said:


> I have the HyperX crossover version.....love it!
> 
> View attachment 245063



Only thing confusing me on mine is the enter key, can't seem to find one with the same key shape. But yes I love this KB, had loads over the last few years, Corsiar, HyperX, Anne pro II probably others and this is my one. going to find a st of HyperX pudding caps for it (maybe)


----------



## Chomiq (Apr 26, 2022)

Tigger said:


> Only thing confusing me on mine is the enter key, can't seem to find one with the same key shape. But yes I love this KB, had loads over the last few years, Corsiar, HyperX, Anne pro II probably others and this is my one. going to find a st of HyperX pudding caps for it (maybe)


Isn't this the ISO UK layout?


----------



## Deleted member 24505 (Apr 26, 2022)

Chomiq said:


> Isn't this the ISO UK layout?



It is, that is why i bought it, the Anne pro II was not. Keep buying keyboards and getting a non UK layout. Is the UK layout a different key layout then? does that explain the differing Enter key.


----------



## sneekypeet (Apr 26, 2022)

Tigger said:


> It is, that is why i bought it, the Anne pro II was not. Keep buying keyboards and getting a non UK layout. Is the UK layout a different key layout then? does that explain the differing Enter key.


Indeed, mine is the US version. Most boards here share a similar enter key shape, ones like yours are rare as hens teeth over here.


----------



## Deleted member 24505 (Apr 27, 2022)

sneekypeet said:


> Indeed, mine is the US version. Most boards here share a similar enter key shape, ones like yours are rare as hens teeth over here.



I thought it was different, it is a nice board though. What switches in yours? mine are cherry MX brown


----------



## sneekypeet (Apr 27, 2022)

Tigger said:


> I thought it was different, it is a nice board though. What switches in yours? mine are cherry MX brown


Hyperx branded red switches.


----------



## Deleted member 24505 (Apr 27, 2022)

sneekypeet said:


> Hyperx branded red switches.



ok, i guess they doo come with a lot of options. What are they like? these are pretty quiet, feel good, better than the anne pro II


----------



## sneekypeet (Apr 27, 2022)

To be blunt, reds are too soft for me long term, but it's for other rigs, where it's compact size is greatly appreciated. These are not unlike other reds, soft, quiet, just with the hyperx name on them. I prefer blues as they are widely available, but I'd gladly take old school cherry greens.


----------



## R-T-B (Apr 27, 2022)

sneekypeet said:


> To be blunt, reds are too soft for me long term, but it's for other rigs, where it's compact size is greatly appreciated. These are not unlike other reds, soft, quiet, just with the hyperx name on them. I prefer blues as they are widely available, but I'd gladly take old school cherry greens.


Cherry greens...  I thought I was the only one to appreciate those guys.  Blues are nice too.  Like tactile switches I see.


----------



## sneekypeet (Apr 27, 2022)

R-T-B said:


> Cherry greens...  I thought I was the only one to appreciate those guys.  Blues are nice too.  Like tactile switches I see.


I got a taste for those in an OG Cooler Master Trigger from maybe a decade ago. Had a nice set of white Alps in a Matias Tactile Pro 3 that were also very nice. That's one I should have never let leave either.


----------



## Aaron_Henderson (May 2, 2022)

Not sure if "sexy" would describe this thing necessarily, but here's the board I've been using for about 5 years now...I paid either $10 or $20 CAN for it, and then spent another $10ish CAN on the keycaps.  Ajazz AK33.  It's been used daily, and everything still works great.  There are blue LED but I've recently turned off all the lighting to my PC.


----------



## X71200 (May 2, 2022)

Mine was a bit expensive, but nothing short of an amazing board.


----------



## Aaron_Henderson (May 2, 2022)

X71200 said:


> Mine was a bit expensive, but nothing short of an amazing board.
> 
> View attachment 245900


I really love that...I don't know anything about it though.


----------



## X71200 (May 2, 2022)

It's a capacitive board, think of it like a hybrid of a mechanical and a scissor switch. This one in particular is 30g actuation, so the keys press by easily. Good to type on, feels reliable too.


----------



## Aaron_Henderson (May 2, 2022)

X71200 said:


> It's a capacitive board, think of it like a hybrid of a mechanical and a scissor switch. This one in particular is 30g actuation, so the keys press by easily. Good to type on, feels reliable too.


It looks amazing, honestly one of the nicest looking boards I've ever seen.  Is that stock?  What is it though?  Like, the model and brand. Not that I can afford it lol  It's still super nice, looks the perfect amount of retro, IMO.  Super clean.

EDIT - Leopold FC980C?  I've heard of Topre switches, but it was awhile ago and capacitive switch didn't immediately ring any bells.


----------



## X71200 (May 2, 2022)

Yeah, the Leopold. It's stock, I wouldn't mod it. I've modded some Topre boards in past, but this one is pretty nice as-is - and yeah, it uses Topre. Was around $250 on Mechanicalkeyboards before the shipping / taxes.


----------



## Aaron_Henderson (May 2, 2022)

X71200 said:


> Yeah, the Leopold. It's stock, I wouldn't mod it. I've modded some Topre boards in past, but this one is pretty nice as-is - and yeah, it uses Topre. Was around $250 on Mechanicalkeyboards before the shipping / taxes.


I wouldn't mod it either, I think it's perfect. Like I said, I couldn't afford it, it would cost about $400+ Canadian dollars...my whole PC setup is barely worth that.  But it's still the nicest board I've seen so far.  The layout and aesthetics are exactly what I like, and I've heard nothing but good things about Topre switches.


----------



## X71200 (May 2, 2022)

Yeah the Topre's are quite nice, though the fit and finish of Leopold is definitely better, I'd say. The stems, etc, feel more smooth hitting. I had some Topre boards and while they were great, they had some hitch ups. Like the spacebar being a Cherry and loud / not as great as the rest of the board.


----------



## Chomiq (May 4, 2022)

Chomiq said:


> Time to dig this back up, potential upgrade material:
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1518781381689577472
> They finally realized that the color options were, to say the least, controversial.


And they're out:








						Ducky One 3 Black and White
					

Ducky One 3s in Black and White



					mechanicalkeyboards.com
				




Too bad black is two tone but I could live with that.


----------



## Deleted member 24505 (May 4, 2022)

Chomiq said:


> And they're out:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I really like this Ducky one 2 mini, had a fair few KB's and this is the best i have tried so far, worst probably Corsair, too overrated imo.


----------



## Audioave10 (May 13, 2022)

This is big-time sexy. I've played a few old-time FPS games quite well with this monster...


----------



## R-T-B (May 13, 2022)

Audioave10 said:


> This is big-time sexy. I've played a few old-time FPS games quite well with this monster...


I spy a model M...  looks like a blue label one.  Cool.  They have drain holes for if you spill your drink.


----------



## r9 (May 13, 2022)




----------



## Audioave10 (May 13, 2022)

This is a 15 year old Cherry G80 - 3000 w/cherry Blue keys. It doesn't feel heavy and it's a lightweight build. It is the best feeling cherry blues I've
ever tried - very smooth and light on the keys. My daily driver all of those years.


----------



## Audioave10 (Aug 22, 2022)

This is a sexy unboxing and one of the new style keyboards you assemble to your own needs. Built like a tank, it looks expensive.


----------



## tabascosauz (Aug 23, 2022)

Audioave10 said:


> This is a sexy unboxing and one of the new style keyboards you assemble to your own needs. Built like a tank, it looks expensive.



customs won't take a bite out of your wallet. They'll take your entire wallet and throw it into the fire.

The time expenditure is the worst honestly. All the switch work necessary for your choice of switch (lube, springs, spring lube, films), and other stuff like choosing foam for the inside of the board, bandaiding/shrinking/lubing/clipping stabs, etc. The soldering takes me like an hour tops nowadays - the switch work took me a week.

I have seen some mind-boggling and laugh-out-loud prices for some of the bigger boards (TKL, 1800 etc). U80-A wasn't cheap either but I love mine. It's a much better daily than my 60%s are. I've cut down my boards to just 2 now, my U80-A and X60R.


----------



## Audioave10 (Aug 23, 2022)

tabascosauz said:


> customs won't take a bite out of your wallet. They'll take your entire wallet and throw it into the fire.
> 
> The time expenditure is the worst honestly. All the switch work necessary for your choice of switch (lube, springs, spring lube, films), and other stuff like choosing foam for the inside of the board, bandaiding/shrinking/lubing/clipping stabs, etc. The soldering takes me like an hour tops nowadays - the switch work took me a week.
> 
> ...


That IS a great looking board! I've been getting better keycaps for some older boards and they help with noise and feel on cheaper boards.


----------



## tabascosauz (Aug 23, 2022)

Audioave10 said:


> That IS a great looking board! I've been getting better keycaps for some older boards and they help with noise and feel on cheaper boards.



I like the simplicity of the set on the Corsair.

I looked at the IC for the class80 - the price for don't look bad at all for what it is. Plenty of 60s that cost more than that. It's a nice looking kit.

Back then I got into keysets before custom boards. Definitely preferable to the other way around. So many choices and vendors and group buys nowadays.


----------



## 80251 (Aug 23, 2022)

If you like high action, mechanical keyboards with plenty of feedback (and it'll give your fingers a good workout even when coding a hello world program).

IBM 3270 Terminal:


----------



## erocker (Aug 23, 2022)

Fantec Maxfit 67 with AKKO pink lubed switches and "Dracula's Castle" keycaps.


----------



## Chomiq (Aug 23, 2022)

Switched back from SA Horizon keyset to GMK BoW. Extra R1 keys used to fill the ducky media key row.

Gaming wise I think it's somehow better.



Audioave10 said:


> This is a sexy unboxing and one of the new style keyboards you assemble to your own needs. Built like a tank, it looks expensive.


How much?! $345 + $75 for shipping. JFK, and it's not even full layout.


----------



## Tarte (Aug 23, 2022)

Ducky One 2 RGB PBT MX RGB Black.


----------



## SamirD (Aug 24, 2022)

Audioave10 said:


> This is big-time sexy. I've played a few old-time FPS games quite well with this monster...


Ah, my daily drivers...lovely as always. 

Cool keycaps!  Always neat to see these in the wild.



Audioave10 said:


> This is a 15 year old Cherry G80 - 3000 w/cherry Blue keys. It doesn't feel heavy and it's a lightweight build. It is the best feeling cherry blues I've
> ever tried - very smooth and light on the keys. My daily driver all of those years.


Lovely!  Did yours come stock with the alternate legends?


----------



## Audioave10 (Aug 24, 2022)

SamirD said:


> Ah, my daily drivers...lovely as always.
> 
> Cool keycaps!  Always neat to see these in the wild.
> 
> ...


Yes, it came that way.


----------



## xtreemchaos (Aug 24, 2022)

i dont dare show mine with all this eye candy   .


----------



## SamirD (Aug 25, 2022)

Audioave10 said:


> Yes, it came that way.


Nice!



xtreemchaos said:


> i dont dare show mine with all this eye candy   .


Dude, for me the beauty is in the function and not the form.  A plain jane model M to me is one of the most beautiful things in the world.


----------



## Chomiq (Oct 10, 2022)

This behemoth is being made:




__





						Beam Spring 104+SSK Reproduction Project!  First Batch In Stock, Shipping early next year after New Model F Project - Page 12 - deskthority
					





					deskthority.net
				






You could probably bash someone's head in with the final board.

Switch preview:









It will most likely end up being expensive AF, as their Model F repro boards start at $355.


----------



## SamirD (Oct 12, 2022)

That would be a really nice board once they get all the quirks out of it.  Their 'kishsaver' project was many years behind schedule and had a lot of quality issues from the stuff I skimmed.  That dude made over $120k off the community to turn these projects into a full time job--too bad he's not the nicest person...


----------



## Audioave10 (Oct 15, 2022)

More of the new "Transparent" keyboards...


----------



## GamerGuy (Oct 31, 2022)

Went with a set of 'Ice Crystal' transparent keycaps for my Keychron K2 (with aluminum case), which I'll be using as my portable keyboard for my Legion 5 Pro laptop. I simply can't game on the mushy membrane keyboard on the laptop. Will also be using a Razer Basilisk X Hyperspeed as my gaming mouse.


----------



## Audioave10 (Nov 15, 2022)

A "teaser"showing an incoming review in a couple of weeks from Chyrosran22


----------



## Chomiq (Nov 17, 2022)

Chomiq said:


> View attachment 259109
> Switched back from SA Horizon keyset to GMK BoW. Extra R1 keys used to fill the ducky media key row.
> 
> Gaming wise I think it's somehow better.
> ...


Update time:




Somehow GMK decided to simplify their legends with recent sets.

Drop + MiTo GMK Serenity purchased on sale for $90. Sadly shipping was another $20 and then usual slap from the customs which came down to another $25.


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## Audioave10 (Nov 17, 2022)

Chomiq said:


> Update time:
> View attachment 270314
> 
> Somehow GMK decided to simplify their legends with recent sets.
> ...


Is something not right about that space bar?


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## Chomiq (Nov 17, 2022)

Audioave10 said:


> Is something not right about that space bar?


Upside down  Works the same, but it's a bit more ergonomic.


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## TheDeeGee (Dec 4, 2022)

After roughly 10 years i replaced my Logitech G710+, which slowly started to show more defects (LEDs fading and breaking) with the Keychron Q6 Barebone ISO (Knob).

It's using lubed Cherry MX Silent Red switches, and Keychron's Double-Shot PBT Cherry WOB Keycap set.



I may buy a second keycap set in the future and go with the look below, but all black was the look i'm after.


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