Any suggestions for a good keyboard?

[pc098]

Hey guys, I'm relatively new to this forum, and new to GeekHack in general, so I'll just get to the point. I'm looking for a decent/"good" mechanical keyboard that satisfies the following conditions:

1. The keyboard is Mac compatible
2. It comes with Cherry MX Blue key switches (I find the clicky sound to be delightful, and my colleagues enjoy it as well surprisingly)
3. Its durable; I'll generally be using it for writing C++ code, research papers, work assignments, etc. And i'd like the keyboard to last
4. Please don't suggest any Razer products, especially the BlackWidow, which is what I was attempting to upgrade from.
5. (optional) It is backlit; note that this is completely optional, I'd prefer a keyboard with a quality build over the fancy lights.

In addition to any suggestions you have, if you could also list out where I would be able to purchase it from, that would be great.

Thanks in advance for the suggestions!

[tp4tissue]

Buy 1 of everything.. and sell the ones you don't like here... no shortage of buyers...

This is the only sure way of finding out what you like...


Someone will suggest the sample kit... but that is really no substitute for typing on a whole keyboard of switches vs 1 switch.

[pc098]

I apologize, I'm not really understanding your suggestion. I can't exactly buy and test every single keyboard out there, so I was hoping to get suggestions for a specific keyboard from the forum.

[tp4tissue]

Well.. if you're SURE as to which switch you want, then you aught to get the Quickfire Rapid from AMAZON... that way if there's a problem with it, you can return it, there's been elevated reports of quality issues.

The Quickfire Stealth has JUST come out and is available at the CM-store, but I would also hold off on those until they come on AMAZON.. same reason... we're in a recession...

[smockey]

For typing as well as coding, you might want to have a look to this : http://kbtpure.com/kbtpure/home-page-products/kbt-pure-60-mechanical-keyboard-blue-light-ansi.html
It comes with all sort of switches, especially blue as you seem to want and it's backlit.
It feels a little weird at the very beginning to get accustomed to the Fn layer (which gives you the keys the
you "lose" compared to a full size keyboard) but I can tell you one thing : I'm using it for intense coding/writing
and after 1~ month, I'm fully satisfied with the board overall.

Bonus : it's rather cheap for a mechanical keyboard and the small size makes it fit in any backpack to follow you everywhere
you may need it.

Just remember one thing : don't rush anything. Try to guess what you think you will be the most comfortable with and do what you started there : ask questions!

[pc098]

I'll definitely look into it, Thanks for the suggestion!