First mechanical board, could use some help choosing

[Ratjack]

As of now im using a cheapo logitech k200 but I think both my wife and I would appreciate having a mechanical keyboard.  

I do however want a board that I can easily return for a full refund if I dont like the board or the switch.  I also want to keep the cost down so I am not really looking at any Filco boards on amazon.
I play lots of first person shooter games but I am also a college student so I do need a board that is good for gaming and typing.
Recently purchased the Mionix Zibal 60 (MX blacks) from amazon but I cannot stand the board.  The back lighting is horrible and not worth the price at all, I also found the black switches to be a little to stiff for me.  After typing for awhile or holding the shift key while gaming to sprint can get slightly tiring.  I also tried MX Blues on the black widow ultimate and I really did not like the noise and my wife did not really care for the loudness either.

So I really think I am down to either mx reds or mx browns.  With this as well as the fact i want to be able to return the board easily and keep cost down I am VERY limited.

My choices right now are:
Corsair k90/k60 (MX red)
DAS professional silent (MX brown)

I beleive they both use ABS caps which I have read tend to shine after awhile but with the DAS I hope I could at least replace all the keys if needed.

Corsair board:
+ backlit
- pretty ugly IMO
- hybrid board (little spendy to have rubber domes on the board)

DAS board:
+ good looking board
+ 100% mechanical
+ 20% student discount (108 shipped)
+ and - glossy (I LOVE the glossy look but I will have to keep it clean... much like how TVs are...)
-? (not sure if browns are good for fps games)


So what do you guys think?  I am extremely leaning towards the DAS but I am concerned as to how mx brown switches are for games.  I have read multiple people saying that the bump is so subtle that its not noticeable when gaming but it is noticeable when taking the time to type.

To anyone who chimes in to help me out, THANK YOU!!!

[Gfresh404]

I have personally found that when you choose one keyboard for gaming and typing - you're going to be sacrificing a fair amount as opposed to if you had two keyboards. The closest thing to the best of both worlds was definitely the reds, nice to game and type on. But I would not get the Corsair board. I'd go for the CM Storm with MX Red switches from PCHome. Although it'd most likely be a hassle to return it.

I found browns to be very boring, essentially blues with less tactility and no noise. Again though, it's all subjective and you won't really know until you try for yourself. Blacks aren't the most popular on these forums but I am pretty sure I am going to love them for gaming.

[Tony]

Corsair keyboards are full of red switches, not hybrid. The rubber is on the coatings of WASD 123456 keys only, but the switches are red.

[Ratjack]

Corsair keyboard are full red switches, not hybrid. The rubber is on the coatings of WASD 123456 only, but the switches are red.

The keys across the top (f1, f2, etc.)  and the home pg up and pg down are rubber domes while the rest of the board are MX reds.  You can find this information on corsairs site under the FAQ for the product.

Straight from their site:

Which keys on the K60 and K90 use Cherry Red mechanical switches?
Below is a diagram with the Cherry Red mechanical switch locations outlined in red.  The picture shown is the K60, however the same locations hold true for the K90.  The K90 macro buttons do not use Cherry Red switches.

[Retox]

Why not try a cherry made board? They make the switches, and from what I've read on these very forums, the boards are pretty good quality as well. Not to mention, they are PCB mounted which means you can easily open each switch with a pair of tweezers and mod them to your liking (for example black stem + brown spring = red).

Here is a cherry red board with NKRO (perfect for gaming).
http://shopping.pchome.com.tw/DCAH21-A55439318

You can search these forums for a guide on how to order from PCHome. Apparently they work very well with American customers, which is great because they are the only online store that I know of that sells this particular board.

Also P.S., unless something has changed drastically without my knowledge, the Corsair board has a lot of rubber dome switches scattered throughout (like the modifiers and function keys). I don't know about you, but that just doesn't sit right with me. It also completely removes the option of a full keycap swap.

Anyways... good luck finding a board.

[rvrebel]

Rosewill red?  I currently have 2 browns and the red. New favorite is red because it's so light. I put g81 key caps (pbt) for like $3 and they sit lower than stock keys. So the stroke is much shorter which I'm liking. That also means its really easy to bottom out but with so little force to press its not an issue.

Brown or red are both good for gaming I don't think you'll be disappointed.

[Tony]

Thanks Ratjack for pointing that out. For that info I think DAS is a better option.

For backlit, you can always buy a lamp or learn to touch type.

[Ratjack]

I would really like to stick with DAS or amazon.com for the ease of returning.  I want to avoid newegg and places like that because they charge a restocking fee.

[Ratjack]

Thanks Ratjack for pointing that out. For that info I think DAS is a better option.

For backlit, you can always buy a lamp or learn to touch type.

Not a problem.  Its kind of dumb that they are advertising it as a mx red mechanical keyboard.  The only way anyone could know it has rubber domes is by looking at the bottom of the FAQ page... almost as if they dont really want people knowing it has domes.  I can type perfectly in the dark, the only thing that backlighting helps with is if i have to hit 7 or something while im gaming, but your probably right a lamp would probably be better.  It seems like alot of the backlit boards are lower quality than the board that are not back lit and they charge more for them.  Well no lights means less to go wrong with the keyboard lol.

[rvrebel]

Btw Rosewill is avail at amazon too but yet to lower prices

[IvanIvanovich]

Red is also my favorite, so the Rosewill RK9000 with reds really should be looked at. They are basically a Filco 104 for cheaper. They also have it available with browns if you'd rather. Newegg is usually pretty easy about returns in my experience if you take the time to talk to a rep to get the return authorization. Not only have I gotten the restocking fees waived, but even free return shipping a couple times.

[Autolyze]

Out of Corsair and Das, I'd definitely vote Das. I would lean towards Filco/Leopold/WASD/Rosewill over Das if they're options. The Das boards are solid too, but I prefer less glossy and bulky when possible.

As for switches, since you've used black and blue ones before, you should be able to roughly imagine the difference between browns and reds. Browns are going to be slightly lighter than blues, but without the clicky sound and a little less of the clicky feel. Reds are even lighter than that and will have a smoother feel like the blacks. I usually prefer browns over reds since I like feeling of the tactile bump, but both are fine for typing and gaming.

[Foodmanchew]

Go for the Das. The brown switches are great for typing and gaming. A lot of people in the starcraft 2 community think that browns are the best. Also, there are O-rings you can buy that will prevent the keycaps from bottoming out, making the board as quiet as rubber domes. They're also having a Black Friday sale with a free t shirt, WASD keys, and mac or linux modifiers. Not sure if it's compatible with the student discount though.

[Ratjack]

Go for the Das. The brown switches are great for typing and gaming. A lot of people in the starcraft 2 community think that browns are the best. Also, there are O-rings you can buy that will prevent the keycaps from bottoming out, making the board as quiet as rubber domes. They're also having a Black Friday sale with a free t shirt, WASD keys, and mac or linux modifiers. Not sure if it's compatible with the student discount though.

I already looked into that. It says that it will not work with any other offer, so I will just be using the student discount.

[Ratjack]

Is the blackwidow ultimate stealth a keyboard I should consider?  I have had bad experiences with razers quality in the past... anyone know how the new one holds up?  did they by chance fix the 2kro?

[Pretendo]

Rosewill's been treating me right so far.  Dirt cheap (relatively) too.  Go for it!

[HeroZero]

Deck 105 is a full-sized keyboard with MX Blacks or you can get it with MX Clears if you wish. I use the Deck 82 (MX Blacks) for both gaming and typing and I like it so far. They have a full 30-day refund policy and I can tell you from experience their customer support is good. They're based in Kenosha, WI and it's easy to get someone on the phone if you have a problem. They promptly replaced my Deck 82 with a fresh one because the original was defective. Though, my experience is fairly limited with mechanical keyboards, as I'm new to the club. I've heard good things from friends about the Rosewill, though.

[Judejitsu]

I have been reading about the Razer Black Widow Ultimate Stealth Edition, and it has 6 key roll over for USB. The not stealth sedition only has 2 KRO throughout the keyboard but the WASD cluster is protected. the ultimate stealth edition has 6 key roll over and brown switches. Hope this helps!