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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: jumpinglemurs on Sun, 07 October 2012, 21:28:24
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What would be the best keyboard with brown switches? I am also looking for one with a built in wrist rest. This will mainly be for a aming keyboard, but I like the soft/tactile feel of the browns
Any suggestions?
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CM Storm QFR
It's cheap (around $60 shipped) but high quality (like a filco)
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Yeah, I saw that one, but I am really looking for one with a built in (plastic or leather) wrist rest.
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WASDkeyboards offers a clip-on plastic wrist wrest for their line.
What's so great about getting an OE rest?
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Steelseries also has a pricy model with a rest.
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Yes, but they have reds (or are they blacks...?)
also, alaricljs, what do you mean by OE Rest?
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CM Storm Trigger?
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Original equipment, as opposed to an aftermarket add on.
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I just like it built in as they always seem to fit better and just be better suited for the board
Also, how is the build quality of the CM Storm Trigger or any other cons? It seems to be exactly what I am looking for, but I can't find too many reviews about it.
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pretty sure its built by the same people as filco, it should be really nice. I didnt know it came with browns.
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It can come with any, at their website you can choose which switch you want.
Huh the Storm requires the use of an additional power supply that it does not come with.... that is stupid? What do you use?
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It can come with any, at their website you can choose which switch you want.
Huh the Storm requires the use of an additional power supply that it does not come with.... that is stupid? What do you use?
No no, it has an option to plug in an external power adapter. All this does is provide additional power to the USB hub and add 2 additional brightness levels. The board is entirely functional without an external power source.
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So, overall would you guys recommend the WASDkeyboard with browns or the CM Storm with Browns? Price is not really an issue, I am just asking which would be the nicer product.
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As far as I know they are both made from Costar, so quality wise should be similar.
As far as price goes, CM Storm Trigger hands down. Cheaper and you can get it locally. Where as WASD Keyboard you have to get it online shipping will be quite expensive. That and Trigger come with backlight and WASD doesn't. Though I guess WASD has a more simple / classy look.
Up to you what you want, but at the moment CM Storm Trigger seems more bang for the buck.
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WASD and CM are going to be fairly similar in quality, at least AFAIK. It is going to come down to some preferences. The QFR is a TKL, and WASD doesn't do a TKL, currently. But with the WASD you can get a custom layout, which is in my opinion the killer feature of the WASD and you pay for that feature. Personally, I touch type and prefer TKL boards, so the main advantages of WASD aren't really for me. So again it is a what do you want exactly kind of question.
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But this is about the Trigger, not the QFR and the Trigger is a full board same as WASD.
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Ah sorry. Well the Trigger still has the quality of costar, and is backlit. Makes the comparison easier. Personally, I like the WASD better, but it seems like the Trigger might match the requirements of the OP better.
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MY WASD and CM are both high quality. The WASD can use the TT meka G1 rest, and I believe you can buy them from WASD now as well.
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LEOPOLD FC500R BROWN ~ USD100.
http://www.ocfever.com/shop/en/keyboard/86-leopold-high-end-mechanical-keyboard-fc500r-cherry-mx-switch.html
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I love my WASD with browns... also wrist rests I have tried fit very nice - milestone and full sized ducky rests... WASD also has great customer service if you run into any problems or have any questions!
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If you can wait a bit WASD is coming out with a TKL soon. Personally I like my friends WASD keyboard over over his CM neither have browns but the layout and style IMO is nicer on the WASD board.
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Sorry for the newb question (I am new to this whole mechanical keyboard thing...) but what is a TKL? I couldn't find much on google as it seems to be an acronym for a lot of stuff. I am guessing it means a wrist rest, but that confuses me since you can already get an attachable wrist rest for WASDs on their site when you customize your keyboard.
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TKL is a keyboard with 87 keys, this eliminates the number pad from a standard 104 key board. The numpad apparently is also referred to as the 10-key for the 10 numbers on it. TKL is Ten-key-less
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Alright, well I like my numpad as I am an engineering major and do a lot of calculations and whatnot on it, so I will stay away from those.
Also, I am a very poor typer so I am not looking for a touch typing type keyboard, just one that is good for gaming and the occasional college paper or two. Would you guys recommend adding an O-ring dampener? I really do not like the click-feed back like you get with blues (main reason why I am getting browns) and I feel that the O-rings would help to make the feel even more tactile. Also, WASD lists 3 types of O-ring dampeners (50A .4mm, 40A .4mm, and 40A .2mm) is there a real difference between these three? And if so, which would you suggest , if any?
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The primary consideration I've seen for o-rings is reduction of noise, some people like that they reduce key travel as well.
The A rating of the o-rings is how soft they are on the durometer A scale. 50 is harder than 40. The diameter listed is for the rubber thickness itself, not the circle it encloses so you have 2 different amounts of stroke reduction.
Might post asking for more opinions in this thread (http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=32823.0) where samples were sold. I've never tried o-rings myself since I don't need to damp any noise. I'd probably start with the thinner ones but I'd probably prefer harder as well.
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Alright, well I like my numpad as I am an engineering major and do a lot of calculations and whatnot on it, so I will stay away from those.
Also, I am a very poor typer so I am not looking for a touch typing type keyboard, just one that is good for gaming and the occasional college paper or two. Would you guys recommend adding an O-ring dampener? I really do not like the click-feed back like you get with blues (main reason why I am getting browns) and I feel that the O-rings would help to make the feel even more tactile. Also, WASD lists 3 types of O-ring dampeners (50A .4mm, 40A .4mm, and 40A .2mm) is there a real difference between these three? And if so, which would you suggest , if any?
You have to be careful with the Orings, if you ever intend to change Keycap sets..
Because there is a difference between stem length and the depth of the side fins which adjoin the key cap top to the stem. So, you may need different o-ring thickness, EVEN more than one thickness per set of Caps... I know frustrating...
You should get a separate number pad, because GOOD "costar" oem keyboards WITH numberpads will cost as much as a mechanical key number pad + TKL.. Since there is no price difference, having two devices is actually a BETTER move.
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Thanks for the advice guys. I think I am going with the WASDkeyboard with browns and .2mm 40A o-rings with all black key caps that are laser etched in the "classic" style and the attachable plastic wrist rest (comes out to be about $150).
Also, Tp4 I see what you are getting at but I am fine with my numpad being attached for simplicity sake. I would rather have one item on my already cramped desk than 2 that can slide around independently of one another. I just don't see the pros outweighing the cons on this one in my circumstance.
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WASD is pretty nice, you can't really go wrong with them.
But what's the appeal of wrist rests? Most times I've seen people using them, they seem to encourage poor typing position and invite RSI rather than preventing it. They lure you into setting your wrists on them all the time, locking your arms into a static position. It's far more ergonomic to be sitting so that your elbows are approximately at the same height as your typing hands (or something near that, doesn't have to be exact) so that your forearms are roughly level, and don't rest the wrists on anything.
This allows you to keep the arms, wrists, and hands mobile, allowing them to move freely around the keyboard as you type, which is far more comfortable and natural than resting the wrists on a surface and stretching the hands/fingers awkwardly to reach keys at the outer edges of the keyboard.
If you're one of those that also keeps the legs on the back of the keyboard propped up so that the keyboard is angled upward, the ergonomic problem caused by a wrist rest is even more severe.
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Just to make some clarifications, the Quick Fire RAPID is the MX Blue board. The board with MX Browns is Quick Fire PRO.
And, of course, there is another MX Brown board from CM by the name of Storm Trigger. I actually have the CM Storm Trigger with me right now (I'm about to return it, however), but given that the OP seems to have decided on the WASD keyboard, I guess I'll pass on my impressions of the keyboard.
But just briefly, from the small time I've had with the CM Storm, and the small time I've had with a Filco a couple of years ago, I think the Filco had slightly better build quality (yes, even though they are both from Costar). But again, this is from very brief, superficial impressions.
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I've got a Filco Majestitouch 2 with Browns, lovely board.
I'd steer clear of having one with a built in wristrest. A rest is just there to get your wrists in the right position. If you actually put rest your wrist on it, you're just putting pressure on your carpal tunnel, which is bad as it leads to RSI/CTS.
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Just to make some clarifications, the Quick Fire RAPID is the MX Blue board. The board with MX Browns is Quick Fire PRO.
The Quickfire Rapid is available in the 4 primary switches: red, black, blue, brown. The Pro is also available in those 4 switches, as is the Trigger.
The only special "only this switch" boards are that the QFR w/ red switches has a black case and the other 3 QFR switches have a dark silver case.
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Regardless of if it leads to CTS (not saying I don't care if I get it.... just that I am not going to choose a keyboard based on some marginal evidence that it might increase my chances of getting it). I like a wrist rest mainly for gaming. With FPS and the like I typically have my chair lower so that my head is even with the center of the screen which causes my wrists to be angled up and since your hand never really moves a whole lot in FPS games, it is much more comfortable to just wrest the palm of your hand on the wrist rest to avoid fatigue. I also play a decent amount of RTS games, and I usually for those sit a bit higher up but my wrists still angles up, since my hands have to move rapidly around the keyboard potentially for hours I rest the base of my palm on the wrist rest and slide it when you need to move it so to avoid the fatigue of having only one hand to have to move about the whole keyboard. When it comes to actually typer, I am a terrible one. I hit 40wpm on a average day, and I usually just kinda lay the base of my palms on the wrist rest as it is more comfortable, less straining, and I don't really care if it drops my speed a bit.
So basically, I use my wrist rest basically as a palm rest to avoid fatigue while gaming and when typing just because I find it more comfortable and the possibility of it making me type slower is close to irrelevant since I already suck at typing.
Also the wristrest on that WASD keyboard and is only $7 extra. So if I don't like or ever just want to switch it off I can just pop it off.
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I 'd go for the QFR. I personally own a QFR w/ blues and I love it. Good manufacturing quality and decent price.I wouldn't consider the overpriced filco..