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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: riverofwind on Wed, 29 December 2021, 19:09:46
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Hi can anyone advise me on the quality of WASD keyboards? Looking to get a Cherry MX Green one. Are they high quality and worth the money? Anything else to know?
Thanks!
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Good quality, not so great on features or bang for the buck.
If you want a solid board that will last you many many years without issue it's a great choice.
Here's the thing, almost any decent wired mechanical will last several years and many if not most of us wear out the keycaps, spill something or get bored long before the keyboard itself actually fails, meaning it doesn't really make much sense to buy one just for longevity anymore much less pay extra for it. Any board from a major vendor is going to perform just fine for several years at least (barring an accident) and pretty much any board with Cherry greens will perform similar to any other board with Cherry greens out of the box (not custom).
So it's mostly down to do you like it? Are you willing to pay that for it? Cool, buy it.
Don't let someone talk you out of of something quality that you want because of some arbitrary cost/feature ratio, YOU are the one who will be using it, not them. Any extra cost is likely not enough to effect you in any way so why let a few extra dollars or someone's opinion get in the way of what you want, this is how you get buyers remorse.
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Thanks so much Leslieann, you have enlightened me! I will go ahead and buy the WASD probably I want to patronize them since they let me visit their headquarters to try out all the different switches available.
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I will go ahead and buy the WASD probably I want to patronize them since they let me visit their headquarters to try out all the different switches available.
Nice! Would be rude not to :thumb:
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Just be warned that the Costar stabilizers and the north-facing LEDs make WASD keyboards pretty much incompatible with any Cherry profile keycaps. I had bought one with clear switches, expecting it to be a great keyboard, and ended up not liking it at all.
Edit: The LED issue only applies to WASD's Code keyboard. The regular WASD keyboards don't have LEDs, so only the Costar stabilizers are a potential issue on those.
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@Riverman Does that mean I am restricted to using the WASD keycaps only? Is this a problem in the foreseeable future considering I don't really care to change the keycaps? Thanks.
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I don't really care to change the keycaps?
That's what we all say. Until we learn that keycaps can change the feel of the board, or the entire look :P
It just means cherry profile (Many people's favorite profile) wont work. All the other profiles will, however you may need to sand thicker caps on the inside due to the costar stabs. The compatibility issue is also only applicable to the backlit version and the vp3-61, not the regular non-backlit 87/104. Honestly if you care more about backlit (especially lettering keycaps) your looking at OEM caps regardless, which happen to be my least favorite profile.
WASD keyboards are nice quality, the caps are meh. They seem rather unfortunately behind with trends, they could have easily found themselves where GMMK is now if they kept up with where the market was going.
All of that said they're a great company and if you like the board get it.
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@noons I'm looking at the non-backlit V3 87, does it use costar stabs? Sounds like you're saying it won't have any compatibility issues right? Also I think you mean V3 not VP3 right?
Also most importantly when you say caps can change the feel of the board, how can I go with another option besides WASD and get something I know I'll like without trying it out? Surprisingly enough here in the heart of Silicon Valley in Palo Alto in the San Francisco Bay Area I couldn't find any mechanical keyboard stores or stores with keyboards on display.
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WASD keyboards are nice quality, the caps are meh. They seem rather unfortunately behind with trends, they could have easily found themselves where GMMK is now if they kept up with where the market was going.
They have doubleshot PBT caps now.
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@noons I'm looking at the non-backlit V3 87, does it use costar stabs? Sounds like you're saying it won't have any compatibility issues right? Also I think you mean V3 not VP3 right?
Also most importantly when you say caps can change the feel of the board, how can I go with another option besides WASD and get something I know I'll like without trying it out? Surprisingly enough here in the heart of Silicon Valley in Palo Alto in the San Francisco Bay Area I couldn't find any mechanical keyboard stores or stores with keyboards on display.
It still uses costar stabs, BUT more importantly the switch sockets are facing the correct (south-facing) way. So you'll be able to use any keycap set including cherry, HOWEVER you *might* have some rubbing on your stabilizer keys (spacebar, shift, backspace, enter) if you end up getting thicker caps down the road. People historically have been able to fix this with some light sanding on the inside of the key-cap where the metal would rub.
As far as "how would I know" unfortunately that's likely where you're going to have to listen to community feedback and make your own decisions based on what you read. This is why many people consider this a hobby, there are countless variations, profiles, switches etc. You may pick up this board and be 100% content and never go any further, others love it so much they want to see what else is out there.
You're just getting your toes wet and anything is going to feel better then a standard keyboard so I don't want to overwhelm you. This is a great starter board and you'll be able to use other caps if you so desire down the road.
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WASD keyboards are nice quality, the caps are meh. They seem rather unfortunately behind with trends, they could have easily found themselves where GMMK is now if they kept up with where the market was going.
They have doubleshot PBT caps now.
Nice, they look pretty thick which is nice to see. OEM profile, but better then the paper thin caps they typically would sell.
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@noons Thanks I think I'll pull the trigger on this bad boy. I'm more of a 'good enough' type of guy but who knows maybe I'll win the Lotto and buy a new keyboard every month :)