Max Blackbird (Red backlit, Brown switches)

[paco]

After spending weeks researching which mechanical keyboard to buy, I ended up buying a Max Blackbird from a Canadian high-profile web store.

I warn you. I have no pictures. I have no shoes. Deal with it.

I am a newbie but I also have exprience in the feel of different kinds of keyboards. In the last 30 years I had many kinds of keyboards from el-cheapo keyboards to pretty good ones (I have a HHKB Lite, a Deck 82, a wireless Apple keyboard, a IO Gear wireless keyboard with integrated trackball, a Logitech TK820 and many others I forget about).

My current keyboard is ThinkPad USB Keyboard with TrackPoint. I love the size and the layout, but the huge plastic section in the front and the horrible switches make me want to replace my main keyboard ASAP.

So... I ended up realizing I wanted a relatively silent, mechanical, brown switch, tkl keyboard. My choices were down to Filco Majestouch 2 (FKBN87M/EB2), Ducky Shine III (DK9087S3-BUSALAAW1), Cooler Master Storm QuickFire Rapid (SGK-4000-GKCM1-US) and Max Blackbird.

Because of where I live, my choices were rather limited. Realistically, I could only order either a Ducky Shine or a Max Blackbird. I ordered the Max Blackbird because of the price (there was a discount + free shipping) and because I had read some great reviews.

Having had a bad experience with my Deck 82 because I thought the keys offered way too much resistance (they are Cherry Blacks), I really needed to test drive other types of keys. A colleague at work has a Filco Majestouch 104 with brown switches. I tried it and loved the feeling. The keys were smooth and a pleasure to type on.

I went to a local store that had Cooler Master QuickFire Rapid Cherry Green keyboards. I asked to try one and was surprised that they were still much smoother than my Deck 82! I guess that Deck 82 sucked.

Well.. I went ahead. Ordered the Max Blackbird.

I got the box. Beautiful, professional. Opened it. Well packaged. The thing was in perfect condition.

I plugged the keyboard, the lights turned on. I thought the thing looked ok. I wasn't amazed by the look but thought it was decent.

Then I started typing on it.

What a disappointment.

The keys offered much more resistance than even the Cooler Master QFR Cherry Green I had tried.

I brought it to work so I could test head to head the Blackbird with the Majestouch and, well... the Blackbird was bad.

My colleague could barely feel the difference. I offered to sell it to him at a great discount and he jumped on the offer.

Long story short: I won't buy a keyboard from a web store again unless the shipping is free, and there is 100% money-back guarantee.

Knowing a keyboard uses Cherry Brown switches is not enough to know how it will really feel. (yeah.... I know.......)

And, no... I didn't want to deal with lubing the switches one by one.....

Sorry for the long winded post!!

If you have questions, go ahead, I'll do my best to answer ASAP.

[rowdy]

Interesting review, thanks for telling why you chose that particular board.

Strange that browns were stiffer than greens - something must have been wrong somewhere.

[ricercar]

Wow. I absolutely love the feel of my Cherry brown Blackbird. Second best Cherry brown board I own. Sorry yours didn't work out.

[Linkbane]

Interesting review, thanks for telling why you chose that particular board.

Strange that browns were stiffer than greens - something must have been wrong somewhere.

True, that's certainly odd that Browns would be anywhere close to as stiff or heavy as Greens. The resistance is barely half of what it is on Greens, so something must have been very faulty in the Green or Brown board.

[Jumpjet]

All the switches felt stiffer than Greens? That...well, that doesn't make any sense at all.

Unless the manufacturer ordered a specially tuned set, then all of the switches would have to be from a faulty batch, and that batch would number in the thousands, so there'd be some sort of heads-up about them elsewhere.

I've never heard of this sort of issue before. Very very strange.

[BucklingSpring]

All the switches felt stiffer than Greens? That...well, that doesn't make any sense at all.

Right... Maybe they were just gritty and needed a little break-in?

[paco]

All the switches felt stiffer than Greens? That...well, that doesn't make any sense at all.

Right... Maybe they were just gritty and needed a little break-in?

Gritty would be the best word to describe how they felt. It was as if every key was "dirty" instead of being smooth when I pressed down on them.

You have to understand I only tried the MX Green switch on one keyboard, standing up, in a store, for about 30 seconds. The comparison I gave to the Max Blackbird was with the impression I was left with, not with a keyboard I had next to be and with which I could immediately compare with.

That being said, I still believe the Max Blackbird was "grittier", "dirtier" to type on and offered more resistance than the QFR MX Green I had tried a couple of days previously. I am aware it sounds dubious, but this is really how I felt it.

The new owner of my Max Blackbird is very happy.

[paco]

So, I wasn't crazy: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=54697.msg1225471#msg1225471

[Linkbane]

So, I wasn't crazy: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=54697.msg1225471#msg1225471

I think that you're adapting evidence which is very far from proving your point. Friction is one thing, but requiring several times more force than usual is another entirely.

[berserkfan]

I think it was just a subjective impression caused by not having enough exposure to greens. The difference is big enough to remember.

I remember the first time I tried various switches, I later mixed up my memories of red and black since both are linear. He may have mixed up his memories. Happens to all of us.

[johndavis33]

If browns were as stiff as greens, I'd like them.