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geekhack Community => New Members => Topic started by: Champloo on Sat, 13 October 2012, 18:38:47
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Hello all, this seems to be the place to start here so I figured I would give this a shot.
I'm a senior in college here in Alabama and am very green to the whole mechanical keyboard lifestyle, my friends have been trying to convert me for about a year now and I finally came to my senses! I have been searching for the past 2 months or so now and haven't been able to pull the trigger on any due to my inability to make up my mind. I have decided on red switches but I can't figure out which brand I want. I have narrowed it down to a Ducky (leaning the most towards the DK 9008S), Leopold or the CM Quickfire Rapid (still not sure if I like the idea of the tenkeyless) but that's about as far as I can get!
Anyways, just wanted to drop in and say hello, introduce myself and say I look forward to starting my addiction with you all to mechanical keyboards!
-Phil
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Having had both a Year of the Dragon and Quickfire Rapid, I vote spend the little bit more and buy the ducky!
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Welcome to GeekHack!
Any of those three keyboards would be a good choice for your first mechanical.
I would recommend the CM QFR, it's a great board, especially for the price. I was a bit skeptical about TKL to start off with as well so my first board was a full size, I have since sold it and wouldn't buy anything bigger than a TKL now.
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Welcome to Geekhack!
If your friends already have mechanical keyboards, maybe ask if you can borrow, or use for a short while, one of those to get the feel for the different keys. Or see if your local retailer has some on display that you can try.
Then just buy one :)
You will probably end up buying more than one anyway, and some custom key caps.
If you don't find yourself entering lots of numbers, or have a smaller desk, then go TKL. TKL keyboards are smaller, lighter, usually slightly cheaper, easier to carry around, and custom key cap sets are cheaper as there are less key caps to buy (87 vs 104).
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Welcome to GeekHack!
Any of those three keyboards would be a good choice for your first mechanical.
I would recommend the CM QFR, it's a great board, especially for the price. I was a bit skeptical about TKL to start off with as well so my first board was a full size, I have since sold it and wouldn't buy anything bigger than a TKL now.
My choice too!
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Well thank you all for the responses!! Unfortunately all of my friends who own mechanical keyboards (a few with Das Keyboards w/blues,one with a Choc Mini w/Browns and another with a Blackwidow Ultimate) are scattered across the US, I have gone to my local Best Buy though and tried out the blues and I can say I'm not a fan.
I do tend to use the number pad often because I can't touch type the top row very well and I deal with a lot of numbers, the only reason I'm even considering the CM Storm is because of the high praise it has gotten in terms of it's build quality. The Ducky is still very high on my list though, the back lighting of the Shine/Shine II I love and the fact that the DK 9008 G2 comes with the PBT key caps is a huge plus for me if I were to go with the non-backlit option. With all of that said though, with what has been said in here and other threads about the CM Storm, it is in high contention as of right now!.
I really do appreciate the timely responses though, it's encouraging to find a place that is willing to help the FNG like myself!! I will probably make a purchase in the next week or two, as soon as I can get this text book sold and money in my paypal I plan on finalizing my decision and getting my fingers onto the keyboard they deserve. Thanks again, I'll make sure to keep you all updated!!
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Any reason why you want the ducky besides the fact that it has LED backlit keys? It's more expensive than one that is about equal in quality, and it seems price is a big factor for you. I recommend CM quickfire for TKL, but you mentioned you need the number pad, in which case I'll recommend the Rosewill RK9000 series. Both the quickfire TKL and full size Rosewill are made by the same company that makes Filco, which is a tried and true brand. I own all 3 of these and did a video review of them (only uploaded one (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncB-rvAgrLQ) right now).
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Hi there, I know money is always a concern for all but the lucky few but I would recommend having a look at one of the Topre keyboards. Like you I wasn't a huge fan of the cherry blue switches. I had them in a Das keyboard which was definitely a step up from the $14 keyboards I was used to but after getting a Topre I don't touch it anymore. You can get them at elitekeyboards.com. Here's one with a number pad: http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=topre_keyboards,rf104
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(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/61075086/WelcomeWally.jpg)
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Welcome to GeekHack.
The CM storm is probably the best bang for buck at the moment. Good quality, good price. But if you are on a budget and want a numpad, the rosewill boards are fairly popular and not bad. As for backlit boards, I believe the ducky would be your best choice.
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Welcome to GH mate...
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Cm storm has a very good build quality for the price if you dont mind the branding. And reds are awesome! Welcome to Geekhack!
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Welcome to GH.
i would say..
* If you have money to spend on key caps - go for CM storm
* if you DON'T have money to spend on keycaps or not interested - go for Leopold FC700R
* If you wanna get something fancy - go for Ducky DK 9008S