geekhack
geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: ogmios on Sun, 07 August 2011, 01:59:44
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The time has finally come for me to get a new keyboard, and I'm going to take the dive into the world of mechanicals. I just had a quick question or two before I pull the trigger:
I'm a college student on a budget, so price matters - but I don't want to buy something shoddy just because it was a few bucks cheaper. I haven't really made up my mind on the tenkeyless boards, I've always had a numpad and use it for basically any series of numbers longer than 3 or 4, although I honestly don't use it more than once a day, on average.
So, I'm thinking that the Cherry MX Blue's would suit me well. I'll be primarily typing, with perhaps a little spurt of gaming here and there (rarely enough that it's not a big factor). I've listened to audio samples of the blue's, but can't really get a good feel for how loud they are. Are they going to be annoying to someone sleeping down the hallway at night?
Up to this point I've been primarily looking at the Das Ultimate, it was recommended by an online pal or two, although reading opinions here I've heard things both ways... With the student discount, it's something within my price range though, and seems not to be too cheaply made as to fall apart quickly (like the m10 I almost bought before reading up here).
So the big question - are there any Cherry MX Blue keyboards, around the price point of the Das, that have the same quality, and have the blank keys? I'm probably being a little juvenile, but I really want blank keys, and would rather not pay extra on top of the cost of the board. If there are, I'd love to know... If not, I guess I'll end up getting the Das - whenever I buy stuff I always do a bunch of research first, and figured I'd ask before I spend what, to me, is a decent chunk of change.
Thanks for the help guys.
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get the das
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Thanks for the quick responses. It's 3.15 am here, so I guess I'll sleep on it. Who would've thought I'd be up till 3 because of a keyboard forum ;p
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DAS feels like a solid pick. And yeah, I stayed up around the same time for this forum, it's all normal.
If you don't mind cleaning it up every now and then you should be fine. I have also heard that the glossy surface easily gets scratched, so if looks is a concern to you take care of it like a baby
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WASD is another option, if you don't like the shiny finish of the DAS. Not sure what DAS' pricing is w/ student discount, but you can get a "semi-custom" WASD for $120 shipped w/in CONUS. You can get either blank or etched keys, but not printed.
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WASD is another option, if you don't like the shiny finish of the DAS. Not sure what DAS' pricing is w/ student discount, but you can get a "semi-custom" WASD for $120 shipped w/in CONUS. You can get either blank or etched keys, but not printed.
I second this. A solid keyboard they say (supposedly at the level of Filco) AND you can add custom things if you so wish. And as far as I know, it's free ground shipping when over 10 USD.
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Thanks for all the responses. If I get confirmation from you guys that this is a good move, I think I'll go with this one:
http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=leopold,tenkeyless&pid=fc200rcabn
The Leopold fc200rc "otaku" tenkeyless. I thought about it more today and decided that a tenkeyless would be best, as I rarely use the numpad, and after playing around with my mouse, it would be nice to have it that couple inches closer. That strikes out the Das, and also the WASD. So with that, my final considerations are:
Cherry MX Blues
Blank keycaps
Tenkeyless
Balance between build quality and student-level spending cash
Anyone know of a cheaper place to get this one, or should I just order from elitekeyboards? If it makes a difference, I'm in the US.
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Hm, Noppoo Choc Mini is a very small keyboard with lots of features built in with the Fn button, costs about 120 USD incl. shipping if you get it from Taobao through an agent. It's a bit of extra hassel.
You won't regret getting the Leopold by all means though. It's well-known here
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Apparently the Leos are very well regarded. I personally can't stand the Cherry-style stabilizers, but it's a more a preference thing than quality.