Any good affordable Cherry Blue keyboards on taobao?

[villagepark]

I'm currently in China and I have decided to buy my first keyboard over $5 and get a mechanical keyboard with cheery blue switches and a number pad. I would like to pay as little as possible while still getting a solid, high quality product. I noticed you guys have some experience buying foreign keyboards from taobao and I was wondering if anyone knew about these two keyboards and which, if any, is worth buying. Also if anyone knows about a different reasonably inexpensive foreign keyboard I can buy on taobao I am open to suggestions. These are just the only two that I found doing a quick search for cherry blue switches. (青轴).

I tried to post this with links to the products but the forum wouldn't let me.

Noppoo Choc, black, standard rollover, $60

Noppoo Choc PRO, black, n-key rollover, $70

PLU ML-G3000, black. Standard rollover $60, n-key rollover, $70.


I am fairly sure the only difference between the Noppoo Choc and Noppoo Choc PRO is the rollover, but feel free to correct me if I am wrong. Do you guys think that n-key rollover is worth having? I don't think it would be terribly useful however if I'm already going to pay $60 for a keyboard an extra $10 for it does not seem outrageous. Is the n-key rollover over usb or just ps/2?

[flags]

Could be wrong, but I've heard that some operating systems don't support NKRO (n-key rollover.) I think this only applies to Macs, but like I said, I could be wrong. I assume the $60 one is more universal.

Someone correct me!

[Soarer]

Close enough, flags! Some of the NKRO-over-USB 'boards don't work properly with Macs. It isn't really that Macs don't support NKRO; it's more to do with how some 'boards implement it.

Most people don't really need NKRO-over-USB.

But, it is useful to have a keyboard that is NKRO, even if it is then limited by USB to 6KRO.

I'm not sure what the 'standard' rollover is on the Choc and the PLU...?

[villagepark]

I'm not sure what the 'standard' rollover is on the Choc and the PLU...?

My Chinese is not professional, but I talked to the seller and he seemed to say that 'standard' rollover can register 3-6 keystrokes at a time.

[Soarer]

My Chinese is not professional, but I talked to the seller and he seemed to say that 'standard' rollover can register 3-6 keystrokes at a time.

I can't seem to find a definite answer on that either :-(

The NKRO they talk about is over USB (as well as over PS/2 if they support PS/2, Choc Pro does).

If you don't need Mac compatibility I'd say go for the NKRO version, just because you'd know what you were getting!

[villagepark]

I've been doing some more research and I think I've actually decided on the Noppoo Choco Mini. I am aware I originally said I wanted a keyboard with a numpad, however at that time I had not seen a 'compact' keyboard such as this, and thought that keyboards without numpads were just that, a standard keyboard layout sans the numpad. With the mini it seems like they have taken full advantage of not having a numpad and created a very small keyboard that still has (for the most part) full functionality. The built in media controls are also a great bonus for me. I have read the review of the brown version and it seems like a solid product.

I have found three versions of this keyboard with Cherry Blue switches. All have NKRO
Cherry Blue Switch, White PBT Exterior, $70 USD shipped
Cherry Blue Switch, Black POM Exterior, $60 USD shipped
Cherry Blue Switch, Black POM Exterior, LED Backlight, $90 USD shipped

I'm not going to get the LED one because I dont want to pay 50% more (60 to 90$) for it, but I wrote it down because I searched google for it and did not find any English results so I thought I would let you guys know it exists in case you didn't already know.

In terms of aesthetics I would prefer a black model, however I have heard that most people consider PBT to be superior to POM. The $10 price difference is pretty irrelevant to me. Is PBT superior enough to POM to warrant getting the slightly less attractive and slightly more expensive white POM model?

Finally I have one question about this keyboard. I noticed that the function key is on the right side. I feel I would greatly prefer it on the left side as I could then hold it down with my left hand and use the 'number pad' and media controls with my right hand. Is it possible to swap the windows key with the function key in windows?

[Soarer]

I thought the Pro was fullsize and the Mini tenkeyless?  Otherwise they should have similar NKRO characteristics.

Check the NKRO Wiki to be sure.

Re-read the OP, and try a google for: noppoo choc -pro -mini

I think there's a non-pro full-size out there, but I couldn't see any details in English for it.

[villagepark]

Ok I found a local shop to try some keyboards in and I ended up buying a white PBT  cherry blue noppoo choc mini for 430rmb/68usd. I difference between the white PBT one and the black POM was like night and day. The Black one felt cheap and not very 'precise' and was very light. The white PBT is much heavier and it feels much better and more 'precise' to use. Unfortunately they also had a blue cherry white TKL filco that i was stupid enough to actually try out and discovered that in fact the filco is also quite a step up from the white pbt choc mini. And so the quest for an empty wallet begins.

[zirb]

Ok I found a local shop to try some keyboards in and I ended up buying a white PBT  cherry blue noppoo choc mini for 430rmb/68usd. I difference between the white PBT one and the black POM was like night and day. The Black one felt cheap and not very 'precise' and was very light. The white PBT is much heavier and it feels much better and more 'precise' to use. Unfortunately they also had a blue cherry white TKL filco that i was stupid enough to actually try out and discovered that in fact the filco is also quite a step up from the white pbt choc mini. And so the quest for an empty wallet begins.

Welcome to geekhack and congrats on your first mechanical!

May your wallet be your best friend.