help me choose from the mx blue options :)

[soymilk]

so i've decided to get a mechanical keyboard as the next step in the journey i call getting everything i want for my computer. after reading through a bunch of descriptions and such, i've decided on the cherry mx blue switches since i like tactile feedback (i like pressing buttons) and from what people say the browns are very light.

so that being said, please help me decide which keyboard would be best for me. i don't particularly care about if it's backlit or not, and price isn't much of a factor (let's say im willing to spend up to the filco). i'm going to be using this for, well, everything. games, programming, whatever you can do on your computer, i'll be doing. my requirements are not tenkeyless (i want the numpad) and preferrably 6kro. these are what i've looked at and my impressions of them so far:

razer black widow - like 0kro apparently? arrow keys cant be pressed together, which is a dealbreaker cuz i use them for games.
xarmor u9+ - seeing mixed reviews on this when i look around. durability concerns?
filco majestouch2 - seems solid
others i've seen mentioned but havent really looked into: leopold, das.

if price doesn't affect my decision at all (pretend they all cost the same as the filco), would the filco come out on top?

edit - forgot to mention, i'm in the US.

[Quarzac]

I basically went through this same exact thing a couple weeks ago, except price was a factor. The Das is a solid board that you can get for $103 shipped if you're a student, so that's a good deal. The Blackwidow, which I am using now, seems like a solid board to me. I am a gamer, and the weird 2/6/Nkro has yet to interfere, but it's optimized for the wasd cluster, so you may not have luck with the arrow keys. I'll test it with the latest firmware/drivers and get back to you on that. The Rosewill RK-9000s are apparently Filco quality for $100 less, so that may be worth looking at if you can find one. The Leopold is apparently at the same level as the Das and Filco, and is a middle pricepoint at EK. The Xarmor is the one I have gathered very little about. Apparently the backlighting can be a little shoddy. I think The Soluter has one, so he could probably provide better input. Watch the classifieds, or put up a WTB, and you can probably snag a good price on a blue board, since so many people have them. I got my Blackwidow Ultimate for $80, and it's a joy to type on.

[soymilk]

one of the reviews linked from the list of boards on the keyboard guide said the blackwidow can't do two arrow keys at once, although if you could confirm that as well that'd be great.

i really wish more b&m stores stocked mechanical keyboards so i could try them in person before buying.

[Quarzac]

one of the reviews linked from the list of boards on the keyboard guide said the blackwidow can't do two arrow keys at once, although if you could confirm that as well that'd be great.

i really wish more b&m stores stocked mechanical keyboards so i could try them in person before buying.

I had no problem zigging and zagging in minecraft with the arrow keys. My Blackwidow isn't marred by many of the QC issues the first run had though. You can try the Blackwidow at most Best Buys. Most other stores don't really carry much in the way of mech keyboards though.

[soymilk]

so if i want the best build quality keyboard, do i just get the filco and dont look back?

[N8N]

I have both a Filco and a WASD, for the money the WASD is a great buy and I'm not really sure that there's any great advantage to the Filco.  I have to say that switch choice notwithstanding (the Filco came with browns and I changed it to clears; the WASD has blues) I don't see a real difference between the two and in fact WASD takes the time to grease their stabilizers which is nice.

IMHO the choice between the two comes down to preference, whose styling do you prefer?  Whose keycaps do you like better?  Personally I like the *styling* of the Filco better but the WASD is a hell of a board and you can get a "semi-custom" one for $120 whereas I just looked on Amazon (oddly, that seems to be Where You Buy Filcos in the US now) and none come up at all when you search, but AFAIR they were around $140-160.

Keep in mind when making your decision that the WASD keycaps only come blank or laser engraved.  The Filco only come normal (pad printed and coated, I believe) or front printed.

Another option might be a Rosewill RK-9000 which appears to be very similar to a Filco but has a detachable cable, slightly different keycaps, and a red plate for the switches - and is less expensive.  Unfortunately none of those seem to be listed (newegg.com is the source for these) at the moment either.

[itlnstln]

so if i want the best build quality keyboard, do i just get the filco and dont look back?

Either that or WASD if you're looking for Cherrys.  Get a Realforce if you want the best build quality overall.  If you know someone with a Realforce, I would try their's first before jumping in.  Otherwise, it might be an expensive mistake.

[itlnstln]

He did say take money out of the equation.  I don't know why OPs ever say that. It's ALWAYS part of the equation.

Ask Paul McCartney about Pre-nups.

Now that was an expensive mistake. Unfortunately, I got hammered when my ex and I broke up, so I feel his pain.  Not $100 million of pain, but enough.

[redpill]

.
.
I've never seen anyone really be able to quantitatively explain why Filcos are worth so much more than other boards that have the same switches.  Small preferences here and there perhaps, but nothing that would explain the 50% price premium over competitive brands.

They are also noticeably short on features that many of the boards at that price point have, such as USB ports, media keys, or a backlit option.  There are also annoying aspects that shouldn't be found on a keyboard that expensive, like thin keycaps with quickly-wearing legends, rubber feet on the legs that are not secured and frequently fall off, etc.

Unless you have your heart set on having a keyboard with the Filco brand label on it, there are probably better buys at lower price points like Rosewill, Leopold, and Ducky that have the exact same switches and features as a Filco would.

[soymilk]

He did say take money out of the equation.  I don't know why OPs ever say that. It's ALWAYS part of the equation.

Ask Paul McCartney about Pre-nups.

well i did cap it at the price of the filco, i meant it more as dont let a cheaper board have the fact that it's cheaper have any sort of sway on my decision

[soymilk]

oh i'd also prefer not glossy so i guess that eliminates the das and u9+.

so ignoring price (after only including keyboards at the same price or lower than filco), filco's the best right? i mean i know there are other options like ducky leopold wasd that are marginally cheaper, but unless one of them is also better i think i'll just get the filco.

[jpm804]

Might as well throw in the new Fullsize Leopolds and Rosewills into the mix also if you are looking for suggestions.

[slueth]

I don't think he cares about costs, he just wants the best.  He is keen on dem filcos.  I don't think he will care the rosewill, das, etc, cost less and is more or less similar in quality.

[N8N]

Completely ignoring price, I still think the choice between Filco and WASD comes down to style preferences.  Can't speak to Leopold, Rosewill or Das but I have a Noppoo and like it as well, but don't consider it quite as polished as a Filco or WASD - I don't have any functional quibbles with the board (other than the caps lock LED not working in Ubuntu, but that seems to be an Ubuntu quirk more than the fault of the board - it is related to the way they implement NKRO over USB which none of the other boards mentioned actually have) and actually prefer the keycaps to any of the others (but some have reported fast wear, although that's also a common Filco complaint, and WASD hasn't been around long enough for anyone to have logged serious miles on one) but the font on the Noppoo is a little wonky and that bothers me, and the stabilizers were ungreased and clattery out of the box.

[soymilk]

I don't think he cares about costs, he just wants the best.  He is keen on dem filcos.  I don't think he will care the rosewill, das, etc, cost less and is more or less similar in quality.

true, i am leaning towards the filco. even if the filco is only marginally better, a ~$40 price difference is insignificant (imo) for something i will be using for years, even if it's just for the peace of mind that i got the best option for me. just wanted to be sure that i wasn't overlooking something.

[soymilk]

the more i read around about these keyboards the more i feel like the only difference between the main contenders (filco, rosewill, das, wasd, ducky) is aesthetic

[slueth]

most of them are made in Taiwan, so they are very similar sometimes. :/

[vun]

the more i read around about these keyboards the more i feel like the only difference between the main contenders (filco, rosewill, das, wasd, ducky) is aesthetic

Pretty much, there are minor differences, like placement of USB cable, removable USB cable etc.
And they probably also have different controllers, but unless you're into that stuff it probably doesn't make much of a difference.

[redpill]

I think the quality differences are negligible, so even if the $40+ price difference doesn't matter to you, it's still worth considering other boards for features or characteristics you may prefer.

[soymilk]

hmm. dont really care about cable placement or if it's detachable since im probably not going to be moving it much. same as most people i really dont like that rosewill logo so i dunno about that one. also dont want glossy, so that eliminates the das, and the ugly logos on the space bar of the ducky take that out of the running too. so i guess im back to filco vs wasd as someone mentioned earlier

although i suppose one could always just buy a blank space bar as well...

[soymilk]

they seem to have disappeared from amazon, but if i can find them when it is time for me to buy then i will likely do that. thanks

on a side note, does the filco only come in the blue housing?

[N8N]

no, the blue housing was a special edition, and more expensive than the standard one.  (I thought it was pretty spiffy, myself, but just couldn't bring myself to spend even more money than my already ludicrous keyboard expenditures)

[crazing]

they seem to have disappeared from amazon, but if i can find them when it is time for me to buy then i will likely do that. thanks

Nah brah, still ready for primetime.  It's even offering me next-day.  

http://www.amazon.com/Filco-Majestouch-2-Keyboard-FKBN104M-EB2/dp/B004VKUSG6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315608763&sr=8-1

[N8N]

for a brief second, I interpreted your post as saying that Amazon was selling a Filco and a Datavac as a package for $50.

/and then I was all HOLY CRAP SEND ME FOUR

[soymilk]

Nah brah, still ready for primetime.  It's even offering me next-day.  

http://www.amazon.com/Filco-Majestouch-2-Keyboard-FKBN104M-EB2/dp/B004VKUSG6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315608763&sr=8-1

so it is. i was just using the link from the shopping wiki and it wasnt showing up anymore

that duster looks interesting.

[pitashen]

just pick between filco and leopold. Whichever looks better to you, pick that one. You won't go wrong with either one.

[soymilk]

that link says browns

the only blues i see are with the blue housing, dont see any with the standard black housing.