Need help picking out a keyboard as a gift

[Theria]

Hello folks,

I'm new to this forum and I hope I'm posting in the right sub. The thing is, I don't really know much about keyboards, just some basics (e.g. membrane vs mechanical). I also own a Logitech G710+ I got as a gift from my friends last year. This time, I want to buy a mechanical keyboard for my boyfriend whose birthday is coming up. This is where I need your help and suggestions. Let me tell you more about him and what I think he would like.

He's an avid gamer who plays anything from MMOs and MOBAs to shooters and strategy games. He also uses his keyboard for typing but not as much as let's say a translator or journalist would. The keyboard he currently owns is hardly worth mentioning since it's a simple keyboard that can be found in almost any office (Logitech deluxe 250 keyboard). Pretty much any keyboard would be a major improvement. 

The things the keyboard should have are:
- mechanical switches (obviously  )
- backlighting (not too flashy, white LEDs would be the best, no need for RGB)
- a num pad (not 100% necessary if the quality of the keyboard makes up for it, but it is preferred)


I already did some research myself and asked a friend who is also a member of this forum for advice, but I would still appreciate some more insight.
I've been looking at Ozone's Strike Pro as it seems to have all the stuff I listed above. (http://www.ozonegaming.com/product/strike-pro/). I thought the Cherry MX brown or red switches would be the best for him. What do you guys think about it? How is the build quality? What does it feel like to type on it? Is it responsive?

I looked at Razer's Blackwidow Ultimate Stealth but I'm a not a big fan of the green glow and I read a couple of reviews that really criticised the quality of the switches.
Some other suggestions were:
- the Quickfire RAPID-I (http://www.cmstore.eu/cm-storm/keyboards/quickfire-rapid-i/, but there is no num pad)
- the CODE keyboard (http://codekeyboards.com/, but I'm not sure if the switches it has would be good)
- WASD V2 (but its major con is no backlighting)
- Corsair Gaming K70 RGB (I really don't see the need for RGB and personally, I don't really like the see-through bottom of the keycaps)

He liked the keyboard I currently own (Logitech G710+) as far as typing and gaming on it are concerned, but he thought its design is somewhat too 'rough'.

Did I miss any other cool keyboards that would fit the 'requirements' I listed above? I am willing to pass on one or two of them if you can convince me that the keyboard you are suggesting makes up for the missing requirement in other aspects .

Thanks in advance for your help!

[CPTBadAss]

I highly suggest Ducky keyboards and the Ducky Shine series. I think they're my favorite non-custom backlit boards.

[IvanIvanovich]

Maybe a Ducky?

[Theria]

Duckies seem great too! Thanks a lot to both of you! 

The Zero series with blue backlighting looks gorgeous as well!

I'm still wondering about that Ozone Strike Pro though, anyone using it?

[user 18]

I've never heard the Ozone board mentioned before. Note that it's not fully white backlit, some of the keys are lit in red instead.

[AndrePews]

Ducky Shines are awesome! If he's gaming a lot, a TKL can be very helpful with his mouse arm placement.

It'll be great for posture too, since he could place his mouse closer to the left and have his shoulders more relaxed and all.

+If he absolutely needs a number pad then maybe think about getting a filco separate number pad to put on the left instead? That way he can game happily and not lose any of the functionality of a full numb pad.

Or you could get him a CM Storm quickfire TK http://gaming.coolermaster.com/en/products/keyboards/quickfiretk/
Fully Backlit + numberpad but in a smaller form factor than the usual 104 Key. However you do lose arrow keys.

Good luck choosing

[divito]

Or you could get him a CM Storm quickfire TK http://gaming.coolermaster.com/en/products/keyboards/quickfiretk/
Fully Backlit + numberpad but in a smaller form factor than the usual 104 Key. However you do lose arrow keys.

Just to note, you don't lose arrow keys with the TK.

[isaske]

It'll be great for posture too, since he could place his mouse closer to the left and have his shoulders more relaxed and all.

This pretty much. TKLs are more ergonomic, since you strain your arms more if they point away from your body. It's better to have them straight, on the same height as your elbows.
TKL>>>Fullsize anyday, atleast imho. You really don't need the numpad if you're an accountant or sth similar.

[Hardwired Havok]

I would recommend a ducky shine, I have one with red switches and they work wonders for gaming

[Theria]

Thanks for all your input, everyone!

I'll definitely consider getting him a TKL Ducky Shine (although I'm not sure how it would affect his posture, since he slouches most of the time and positioning his hand somewhat more to the left really wouldn't change much ).

In the end, it will depend on the shipping as well, since I see certain Duckies are relatively hard to get.

Again, thank you for your help. 

P.S. If anyone has any information about that Ozone keyboard, don't be afraid to share it here - I'll still be lurking around for a few days before I buy anything.

[Oobly]

I also recommend a Ducky Shine TKL. TKL boards are better from an ergonomics point of view and take up less desk space.

The main reason I would much rather get the Ducky than the Ozone is that Ducky only make mechanical keyboards and have a very good reputation and track record. Ozone makes all kinds of stuff (and in fact most of their products are probably manufactured by contract and not in-house) and they have no track record that we're aware of of making mechanical keyboards, so we really have no idea if the product or support are any good or if there are any big issues with that particular product.

The Strike seems to be the same as the Thermaltake Meka G1. Possibly made by Costar, but that's just speculation on my part. No idea about who made the Strike Pro, though.

[AndrePews]

Or you could get him a CM Storm quickfire TK http://gaming.coolermaster.com/en/products/keyboards/quickfiretk/
Fully Backlit + numberpad but in a smaller form factor than the usual 104 Key. However you do lose arrow keys.

Just to note, you don't lose arrow keys with the TK.

I meant readily available arrow keys.

Worded that a bit badly, I've owned a TK before so I know about the toggle!

Some people would find it weird to have either arrow keys or numbpad at a time and all.

[julayyy]

CM Quickfire TK is a great option since it includes a numpad in a TKL form factor. Unless he needs to use the arrow key and the numpad at the same time, then maybe not.
It is fully back-lit and depending on the switch you chose, the back light should correspond except brown switch = white LED.

if he wants to mod his key caps, then the TK is not for him due to the non standard bottom row.

Overall, I have one and I love it so far.

Probably get brown or red switches for your boyfriend.

[Oobly]

The Code keyboard with Clears is a good choice, too. Clears are much like Browns, but with a bigger tactile bump and more progressive spring. They start out at a similar weight to Browns (quite light), then there's the tactile bump and then the spring force increases more quickly than Browns. If you bottom out all the time they can be fatiguing, but it's the easiest of the Cherry MX switch types to learn not to bottom out with due to the progressive spring. They're good for both typing and gaming.

I wish they made a switch with a bump somewhere between the Brown and Clear with the same springs as Browns. As it is, I use Clears with 62g springs in instead.

If you already know he'll like the Browns, though, Clears may be a bit risky to get without testing first. In that case, my first recommendation of a Ducky Shine still stands.

[tp4tissue]

Dude.. decorate it with rhinestones.. 

http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=35288.0

[Theria]

Thanks to everyone for their recommendations!

I decided on ordering a Ducky Shine 3 with white LEDs. The TKL would have been an option but I would have needed to wait for about a month to get it so I decided on getting the one with a full num pad instead. In the end, the switches I chose were MX blue, because my boyfriend said he liked the clicky sound they make - hopefully he'll like the whole keyboard as well. 

[azhdar]

He'll sure like it .
But you will probably hate them blues if he uses them in an open area c:

[saturnotaku]

In the end, the switches I chose were MX blue, because my boyfriend said he liked the clicky sound they make - hopefully he'll like the whole keyboard as well. 

Hopefully the switch noise won't bother you if he uses it regularly in your presence.