Hello, everybody!
Here's my keyboard story.
I got into PC gaming back in 2000. In those days, mechanical keyboards were not as readily available, or, more precicely, their benefits over rubber dome keyboards were not as loudly trumpted. So I gamed on and generally liked Microsoft's Natural Keyboard Pro. (Even to this day, me being neck-deep in mechanical keyboards, the Natural Keyboard Pro still has a soft spot in my heart.)
I gamed like that until mid-2006, maybe.
Then, for reasons to boring and personal to spell out here, I stopped gaming and lost all touch with the PC hardware scene.
Fast forward to earlier this year. After having my first child, and spending way more time at home than I was used to, I decided to build a new rig.
My initial thought was to reused my trusty old Natural Keyboard Pro (that still works like a champ), but decided instead to get a new keyboard, the Microsoft Sidewinder x4.
I did not like that keyboard. I cannont articulate what in particular I disliked about it; maybe it was all based on a hunch that there was something out there that was better.
It turns out that there was.
The first keyboard I came across was the Razer BlackWidow Ultimate. Now remember, I started gaming back in 2000. Back then, Razer was a well-respected mouse manufacturer. Their Boomslang was the first and only gaming mouse available. So with this pedigree in mind, I picked up the BWU and generally loved it.
However, the Cherry Blue MX switches, which initally had me so enthralled with their tactile clickiness, soon began to feel gimmicky.
So I researched other options.
After reading all the guides about Cherry MX switches, I settled upon a Filco Majestouch 2 TKL with Cherry MX Browns.
For the first three weeks, I loved this keyboard.
However, much like with the Cherry MX Blues, the tactile feedback inherent in the Brown key switch began to feel like an uneccessary contrivance and more like a mechancal defect than a feature. (When people describe Browns as Reds with sand poured into them, they are right on the mark, in my experience.)
Liking the Filco build quality, I opted for one with Cherry MX Reds. Ahh, perfection.
Cherry MX Reds are
the best switch for me. Light, simple, and no uncessary gimmicks. Just a key switch that sounds and feels sublime.
Shortly thereafter, I read on this forum about the unbranded QuickFire Rapids. Curiosity got the better of me and I ordered one (with Cherry MX Reds, of course) from Amazon. I while I loved the Filco, I absolutely adore the my QFR. It's build quality is as good, if not better, than that of my Filcos, and the fact that it's cheaper....
I'd like to eventually get into the keycaps game, but the farthest I've gotten are some Filco lavendar WASD keys. If you have any advice, I'm all ears.
Anyway, for simplicity's sake:
Matematically and chronologically, my keyboard story can be expressed thusly:
Rubber Dome < Cherry MX Blues < Cherry MX Browns < Cherry MX Reds ∴ Cherry MX Reds = The Best Thing ever!
Anyway, that's my story. Thank you to everyone who writes on this forum! I've leared so much from many of you.
UG
