Ok so this is my first mechanical keyboard. I use my computer religiously for programming and gaming (ok mostly gaming), but I have always felt that spending anything more then 50$ for a keyboard was a waste of money. Two years ago mechanical keyboards were just starting to appear on my radar. In the 1990's I used a mechanical keyboard on my IBM PC but I don't remember anything amazing about them. They were ugly huge gray boxes with a cord on them that looked like a curly fry that I would always try and see how far it stretched.
Prior to this keyboard I used a Microsoft Sidewinder x4 which is considered probably one of the best membrane keyboards you can buy. It cost me 55$ and has lasted me over two years without issues. It still works without hiccup. Nowadays that same keyboard sells for 120$ because they are no longer made and are turning into collectibles. My other keyboard is on my laptop, a Lenovo Thinkpad T500 I purchased in 2006. The keyboard is still running strong. The laptop however has started to die. The point is that my non mechanical keyboards have lasted me multiple years, and in the case of my laptop, almost a decade. For half the price of even the cheapest mechanical keyboards.
The reason I decided to buy a mechanical keyboard is because people claim so many positive things about mechanical switches. Wether it's Cherry Switches, Topre switches, Alps, IBM buckling Springs, whatever. Everyone has different opinions on what switch is the best, but it seems like most people always agree that any mechanical switch is better then your average membrane keyboard. I really needed to try them because people can't understand why I don't use the best gear when I play in video game competitions or whatnot.
My next train of thought was on what Switch type to get. I examined the Cherry MX line of switches because they seemed mainstream. As someone who plays games to an almost unhealthy level and who plays at the very top level (Rank #1 Ghost Recon player in the world, currently ranked 5th on the world kill leaderboard in Planetside 2, among other titles) I had to reflect a lot on what issues I was having with my keyboard and why would I want to change? To me the biggest problem I face is that I often press two keys side by side because when you are trying to react so quickly you will do something I called "mashing" which means you basically just mash your finger down trying to press the key so quickly that you end up pressing more then one, or the wrong one entirely. The other issue I seemed to have is that when you run a keybinding setup that requires more then just your basic WASD, reload, switch weapon type setup's, they will become too spaced out to reliably activate with one hand. The third issue I have is that I will often times feel like I pressed a key yet received no action. I find myself always wondering, did I press the wrong key? Did I press it twice or once? Did I press E and then R like I meant to or did I press E twice? So to solve all of the above issues I felt that yes I wanted "feedback" from the keys I was pressing.
Then I had to take it a step further and decide between Blue, Brown, Clears, or Greens. To me the choice was easy and I don't know why anyone would choose anything else. I chose the MX Blue. Why would I choose a switch with only tactile feedback when I could receive audible and tactile feedback? So I looked at the MX Blue CAD drawing because people claim that you cant double press an MX Blue switch as fast as you can a Cherry RED or whatever. I wanted to see how it worked and if this was true. The only difference in the Linear MX Red type and the Tactile Clicky type MX Blue is that the Blue has a protruding bump on the stem that hits something to give you the finger sensation when it reaches the point it is sending the signal it was pressed, and it has a two piece stem where one of the pieces slides down and hits the bottom to give you the "click" noise. However the only technical difference besides its feedback mechanisms (which the RED has none), is the spring weight and actuation distance. So ok then, big deal a lighter spring and a shorter actuation point (talking millimeters with miniscule Cn force differences). Just because RED is easier to press and is silent, is not going to make you double tap any faster. I challenge anyone to a double tapping contest. I can double tap as fast as I always have been able to, and I can double tap very damn fast. I did a timed comparison on all three keyboards I currently own. So I decided on MX Blue's because if I was going to get a mechanical keyboard, I wanted the "full experience". I wanted the click, I wanted the bump, I wanted the "average" press force. Else I mine as well just stick to my membrane keyboard because Cherry MX Red's, Browns, Clears, are not different enough to warrant spending 100+$ on a keyboard.
Why I chose WASD Keyboards came down to one thing, the ability to make my own keycap legend. The fact they are based in the USA and a small business helped me make the decision as well, but mostly for custom key caps. I don't need backlighting because I have dual monitors that keeps my desk lit and I am a touch typist. I have LED lighting on my Sidewinder keyboard and I never use it. Just like I don't use Macro's. So WASD Keyboards kind of hit all my must have's and cut out the nonsense gimmicky stuff. I also liked the plain black case look without branding. One thing about keyboards nowadays. they look like they are made for teenagers.
UNBOXING.
The keyboard comes in a black box that says WASD Keyboards, Inside a styrofoam bag inside the box you will find your keyboard. There is also a USB cable, ps2 adaptor, a keycap puller, and a piece of paper that tells you what the dip switches on the back do.
The one thing my BOX did not come with was the Foam Wrist rest I ordered because they forgot to include it. GODDAMNIT WASDKEYBOARDS. I emailed them and within an hour they responded that they will ship it out ASAP. Ok but... a little disappointing for a premium custom product to not include a wrist rest that I ordered. I consider them integral to using a keyboard.
The keyboard itself was smaller then I thought it would be. It is smaller then my SideWinder X4. And what I mean by smaller is that when I first placed my hands on the keyboard I immediately noticed that the keys were spaced differently, much more condensed. The WASD v2 has a much smaller gap between keys, and the keycaps themselves are much smaller. At first I thought this would be a negative because I have a bad habit of pushing more then one key unintentionally, but after using it for a few hours I'm not convinced of that. It allows you more reach over the keyboard with each hand, so I will no longer have to feel like I am stretching my fingers apart to reach keys on the periphery. It feels like I could be more or at least just as accurate with fast keystrokes (time will tell but either way I will adjust muscle memory accordingly).
The other thing I noticed was that it is not as heavy as most people claim it is. I was expecting something different since every review of the keyboard says it is "heavy". Its heavier then my membrane keyboard, but I still feel like if I hit someone with it, it would break into pieces and they would laugh at me. I find it so "unheavy" that I even wondered at one point if WASD Keyboards forgot to include the metal plate in it, just like they forgot my wrist rest. I can't open it to find out, since it would void my warranty. I'm sure the plate is in there, just joking WASD Keyboards.
The keycaps themselves. I personally don't really understand the whole PBT, ABS, POM, argument. It's a keycap, you press it. Who cares if it get's shiny after a few months, who cares if it doesn't feel like sandpaper, who cares if its thick plastic or thick enough plastic. My laptop and Sidewinder keyboard has PBT, and POM keycaps respectively. This is my first ABS keycap. When I first opened the box and pressed them I immediately said "UT OH" because they felt so small and light (partly due to the keycap spacing). Then I put it down on my desk, plugged it in, and started typing. After a few minutes I felt accustomed. There was one negative, or at least difference I noticed right away. When using new keycaps, and your hands sweat, they get slippery. I thought it was the ABS material, so I took my other keyboard keycaps and cleaned them (since I often neglect to) and I noticed that they felt slippery too. The reason my older keyboards didn't feel slippery is because they had literal grime on them. Not sure what that stuff is, maybe dead skin or dust mixed with sweat and oils from your fingers, but if you ever examine it, its like a thin layer of gunk. I think I actually prefer the typing experience on gunky keys then I do squeaky clean keys. It provides traction. So I am working to build up some gunk on these keys so my hands don't sweat as much.
The keycap legend I chose I am not going to show since it has my full name printed on it, and offensive references, with a lot of things in binary code and other nerdy stuff, but here are the colors I chose
The build quality is OK for something mostly made out of plastic. The printing quality on the keys is very good. Everything I submitted came out crisp and clear. There was no glaring issues with anything I could find. I worry about the Micro USB plugin breaking before the rest of the keyboard since WASD allows you to unplug the cable from the keyboard for portability. I didn't buy a full sized keyboard to have it be portable. It's nice to have it, but if I had the option for a more durable permanent connection, I would of opted for that instead. I would also like to see WASD offer some different colored braided cables so people can further customize their aesthetic. The cable is thick and black and it works, but if I could of got a blue colored cable, or a grey colored cable, I would of.
The typing and gaming experience on MX Cherry Blues. My hands haven't fully adjusted to the spacing on the keys. I can only say that I very much enjoy the CLICK of the switch. When gaming I am mostly only pressing 10-20 keys, and with silent feedback on my membrane keyboard its all muscle memory. With this new keyboard I can actually hear it. Often times in video games you will get Input Lag from when you pressed your key to when it displays on your screen. One of my bad habits was double pressing keys because the only feedback I was getting was from my monitor (visual perception), and if that was delayed, then I would double press the key thinking that I never pressed it the first time. You also have to time key presses with animations happening so the click is useful. Not mandatory but it is useful. I don't find the "bump" in the MX Blue Switch all that noticeable, I mostly hear the click. I am glad that I chose the Tactile Clicky switch versus the switch that is only Tactile.
I also ordered O-Rings for my keys since I no longer have to bottom out my keys like my other keyboards. Installed they soften the impact and make the CLACK of the plastic hitting the switch housing less loud. You can still hear it, but it's muted. I recommend O-RINGS and I wonder why they do not come standard. It cost me an extra 20$ which I thought was ridiculous for some rubber rings, but whatever. It didn't break my bank or anything, I spend 20$ on stupider **** all the time but this is a review so... I would like WASD Keyboards to include O-Rings, or at least make them cheaper. When little rubber O-rings make up 15% of the cost of the keyboard, something is wrong.
With all that said I do enjoy mechanical keyboards, but in reality I have risen to the top of FPS gaming without them, I can also type 140 words per minute on my membrane keyboard. I do think my new mechanical keyboard is nice, and I mean it, if I didn't have a bunch of money to blow, I would of been content with my SideWinder X4.
If you think your keyboard gives you an edge in gaming,
but you are being delusional. From a technical standpoint they are no different when comparing a mechanical, or membrane keyboard. They give different "feelings" to the fingers, that's mostly it. As long as your keyboard has Key rollover and "anti ghosting", and is your typical mainstream keyboard, that is all you need to be the best typist or the best gamer.
And since everyone has an opinion on mechanical switches, I will just say what's the point of using mechanical if it doesn't click and clack? If you want silent and non tactile save your money and get a membrane. MX Blue for life (Maybe Greens too).
Censored version, sorry for the muck on the desk.
I recommend WASD Keyboards for their customization, aesthetics and overall build quality. Its sturdy, it looks simple, it works. A little expensive but for me it was worth the little extra for the customization. It took them a couple weeks to get me my order, and they did forget to include something in the order, but so do most places from time to time.
I am now converting over to this keyboard, because I spent 175+$ dollars on it, its going to be used until it breaks.
