Looking for a very specific keyboard

[urban_monk]

Hey guys,
Nice forum you have here.

Any chance you can help me find such a keyboard:
brown mechanical keys / wireless / lots or at least some media keys / no rgb light / no hand-rest / with a number keypad.
(in order of importance)

Or anything similar.

Thanks!!

[Maledicted]

First off, welcome to Geekhack. I don't keep up on the new member section enough.

What sort of brown switches? Do you want Cherry specifically, a specific flavor of clone? Is having LEDs and just being able to shut them off not acceptable? I would think that you could on almost any LED backlit board. Do the media keys/buttons need to be dedicated, or could they be in a function layer?

The Rosewill RK-9000 would be a contender. You can even get programmable replacement controllers for them. I don't know that they're still sold new though. Scratch that, I forgot about the wireless part on that one. Worth looking at anyway as far as fitting the rest of the pattern.

[urban_monk]

Thanks Maledicted.

I don't really mind if the keys will be cherry or a clone. I want the browns since they're good for typing and relatively quiet (other such options are also okay). 
Having LED and and being able to shut them off is also fine, I just want to cut costs a lil-bit so I've mentioned "non led".
The media keys are a big bonus for me since I want the keyboard for productivity use (non gaming). You see I work from home and many hours, so it's useful in terms of of macro/hotkeys.

Some people recommend the Keychron K4 but it has mac keys and I'm using windows (will the mac key work as a windows key?), plus it doesn't have many media keys.

Thanks again,
Peace,
D.

[Maledicted]

Thanks Maledicted.

I don't really mind if the keys will be cherry or a clone. I want the browns since they're good for typing and relatively quiet (other such options are also okay). 
Having LED and and being able to shut them off is also fine, I just want to cut costs a lil-bit so I've mentioned "non led".
The media keys are a big bonus for me since I want the keyboard for productivity use (non gaming). You see I work from home and many hours, so it's useful in terms of of macro/hotkeys.

Some people recommend the Keychron K4 but it has mac keys and I'm using windows (will the mac key work as a windows key?), plus it doesn't have many media keys.

Thanks again,
Peace,
D.

I'm, personally, not a fan of any brown switches I have tried, but to each their own. Box browns were ok. Not sure if you can find those in any retail boards. I hear great things about Cherry MX Silent Reds, of all things, but I think that would make board selection even more sparse, maybe even non-existent with wireless boards.

Ironically, if you're looking at cheap boards, it seems one of the more common features is going to be an individual color in each row, in some kind of permanent rainbow effect, then a solid color, then RGB in that order in terms of cost. Most of the cheap boards seem to have one of the 3. Only once you start getting up over $70 or 80 do you start seeing more boards with no LEDs at all lately. lol

I pulled this from the product information for the K4 on Amazon: "With a unique Mac layout, the K4 has all the necessary Mac function keys while still being compatible with Windows. Extra keycaps for both Windows and Mac operating systems are included."

I see that it actually has a lot of media keys. Next, previous, play/plause, mute, volume up, and volume down. That's usually about the maximum that you'll see on any board. That's what I added to the free space above the arrow keys on my F77 myself. I definitely understand the desire for media keys. Were there others not on this board that you needed?

Another thing to consider about this board is that the layout is not standard, and it bothers some people considerably to have keys in places that they are not accustomed to, especially the arrow keys not being separate from the rest.

Here are some other quick finds with good reviews on Amazon (I verified, at least in the Q&A section, that LEDs could be toggled off):

Wireless Mechanical Keyboard Ergonomic, Velocifire VM02WS 104-key Full Size with Quiet Brown Switches White Backlit & High Battery Lasting for Copywriters, Typists, Programmer This one seems to have some nice thick doubleshot keycaps

G-Cord Wireless Mechanical Gaming Keyboard, 104 Keys Wired Keyboard, LED Backlit, Brown Switch, Aluminum Top Frame

That seems to be it on Amazon, unless the results are deceptive, and they may be. Amazon's search engine has sucked for many years now. Hopefully somebody will chime in with some fancy stuff from a dedicated keyboard online store, etc, since I don't really follow that stuff.

[Leslieann]

/ wireless /

Is there something going on, third one of these threads in a couple days.

Anyhow...
I would recommend sticking to something with bluetooth, with as high a version as you can. If older then 3 (possibly even 4.0) I'd pass or go straight to Logitech.

Wireless peripherals just have a bad history, and this is coming from someone who's been using wireless mice for a long time. Not even Apple and Bluetooth are immune from the issue, High Sierra was a real nightmare at times when dealing with bluetooth devices.

[urban_monk]

Maledicted:

Is there an alternative mechanical keys to browns if I want a silent option which is good for typing?

No problem, I'll take LED keys as long as the board isn't too expensive

A good example for media key keyboards is Logitech K-350:
https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-K350-2-4Ghz-Wireless-Keyboard/dp/B002MMY4WY
In terms of media keys it's amazing - lots and lots of options, and no need to use the function key. But K-350 is too large and it's not mechanical keys...
Corsair have a nice media key board selection but they are very gamer oriented.

I'm thinking of going through board manufactures, one by one, looking for something fitting...



 

[Maledicted]

Maledicted:

Is there an alternative mechanical keys to browns if I want a silent option which is good for typing?

No problem, I'll take LED keys as long as the board isn't too expensive

A good example for media key keyboards is Logitech K-350:
https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-K350-2-4Ghz-Wireless-Keyboard/dp/B002MMY4WY
In terms of media keys it's amazing - lots and lots of options, and no need to use the function key. But K-350 is too large and it's not mechanical keys...
Corsair have a nice media key board selection but they are very gamer oriented.

I'm thinking of going through board manufactures, one by one, looking for something fitting...

I think that comes down more to personal taste. It does seem like a good amount of people, even if they may not like them, find browns to have some sort of particular allure/utility for typing. I haven't sat down and used one for extended periods, mostly because of how little I liked them, but my impressions of the overall typing experience were not good. They're considered by many to just be scratchy reds, with little-to-no tactile event. In agreement with that sentiment, I prefer reds, and I don't particularly like linears at all (I just like them more than Cherry tactiles). What switches have you typed on before?

Like I said before, I have only heard good things about Cherry MX Silent Red switches. I have some Kailh silent red/pink switches coming, but who knows when those will ever arrive. A switch tester I ordered at the beginning of January is still in China. Others would be better suited to answer that particular question though anyway. I'm normally a clicky guy.

I know a lot of people like Topre, and Zilents. The struggle is getting any noticeable, much less pleasant, tactile event in a tactile and/or silent switch.

At least a few of those buttons on that keyboard are kind of superfluous. The one in the bottom left, for one, looks like it is just a button for the hotkey alt + tab. The buttons above it? ctrl + + or -. I don't know that that Media Center button would even work anymore in modern versions of Windows (Maybe it can be mapped to something else). Internet explorer launcher, MSN messenger launcher (Didn't think I would see that icon ever again)? I'm actually kind of baffled by how a board with buttons like this even comes with a unifying receiver.

Are there Corsair keyboards that have more media keys than average? My K70s have about the same amount as the ones I linked, and my K65s have less. Those boards are great, by the way. The only problem you might run into them is cap compatibility, since all of the gaming board manufacturers arbitrarily assume that nobody has any coordination and will just accidentally hit Windows keys constantly.

If you removed wireless from the equation, your options would vastly increase. If you could sacrifice the number pad, that would also give you a good bump.

[Leslieann]

Maledicted:

Is there an alternative mechanical keys to browns if I want a silent option which is good for typing?

No problem, I'll take LED keys as long as the board isn't too expensive

A good example for media key keyboards is Logitech K-350:
https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-K350-2-4Ghz-Wireless-Keyboard/dp/B002MMY4WY
In terms of media keys it's amazing - lots and lots of options, and no need to use the function key. But K-350 is too large and it's not mechanical keys...
Corsair have a nice media key board selection but they are very gamer oriented.

Logitech Romer G has a linear, tactile and click (similar to Cherry), they aren't badly priced unless you want wireless, then you pay through the nose.
If you want silent tactile you may want to look at some of Logitech's scissor switch keyboards, those are actually pretty nice and wireless isn't outrageous (around $100 I think). They're considered some of the best scissor switches around.

That keyboard you linked is a normal rubber dome.
You want their mechanical Romer G  or scissor switch and you want it with the unifying receiver (some older wireless from them used other tech so beware).

Wireless really puts a crimp on your options.
Logitech doesn't do anything other than their own switch and no one else has comparable wireless.