Advice for board MX Blue, PBT key caps

[staenker]

Dear keyboard experts,
3 years ago I got my first DAS with Cherry MX browns because my research results showed that brows have tactile feedback while not disturbing my colleges in the office. A few months later I got a chance to try MX blues and I fall in LOVE with them. Got my second DAS, this time with MX blues, immediately. Ever since I disturb my colleges at work using my MX blue DAS(they eventually got used to me clicking with the keyboard) and use my MX brown DAS at home. The LOVE between me and my MX blues only got stronger over time. But I dislike the MX browns more and more. So a week ago I decided to get a new DAS with blues. I found that they have a good looking new model including a USB 3 hub. I immediately went to Amazon, added the DAS Ultimate 4 to my cart and WTF??? Why not 5 stars? After a bit of research I now know that they switched the manufacturer and that quality dropped to a point where it might happen, that the soldered MX blues wouldn't even click any more (despite different tactile feedback...). So I researched mechanical keyboard quality. read about PBT key caps and the mysterious "OEM profile" and stumbled upon the new led backlit mech boards... So, more research... today I know what I want, but not which keyboard I have to buy... I don't mind getting a board and replacing the original caps with PBT ones.
But I want:
- to spend less than 300 $/€ (I might spend more if the board really kicks arse)
- my beloved Chery MX blue switches
- the key caps made of PBT
- the key caps as flat as possible
- no imprints on the caps
- good quality
- Linux compatibility
- a decent look (I prefer black keyboards)
- no crazy "my logo is bigger than yours" imprints or even worse - I saw one with a fat logo built into the space bar  (Of course, that wouldn't be an issue if I replace the caps)
If there is an option to have all the above plus some/all of the below(ordered by priority), I'd be a very happy nerd:
- USB hub
- red, intensity adjustable backlit
- some aluminium at the case
- a nice cable

So if anyone had seen my precious future MX blue PBT board, let me know, I'd be very thankful for that or even the slightest hint on how to find it.
Thanks a lot for reading my story and the storm of anwers,
Richard

[KHAANNN]

The FC750R is really good (it seems) yet the stupids didn't make it non-windows compatible, they say it's not mac compatible, I'm guessing it would work on linux: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Leopold-FC750R-Mechanical-Keyboard-Cherry-MX-Blue-PBT-Black-English/271707264030

It fits your profile perfectly, the keycaps are heavily praised

Edit: Hi, welcome by the way

[staenker]

Thanks for the warm welcome. I promise, I tried really hard to not mess up my first post... but I forgot to mention that I'd like a 105 key version. Even though that board looks really good... I have to sleep over that tenkeyless thing...

[Huxley2500]

Ducky

[KHAANNN]

The only challenge would be "/**/", which is hard to write without a numpad, you can also get a leopold numpad, they would look pretty cool together, but I'm sure you won't use the numpad unless you are gaming etc. / the numpad also doesn't produce true numpad codes

The reason I suggested Leopold is because they seem to innovate where others don't, that sound absorbing pad for example, no other mainstream keyboard I've seen uses it, yet it's obviously very needed, especially on a keyboard with mx blues

Be sure to check the linux compatibility tho

If you want to push things further, you can check out 60% alimunium cases and 60% keyboards, yet since you can't easily part with the numpad, I don't think 60%'s would be easy at that point, as they use the arrow keys with modifiers (The plates are most probably aluminium on the other hand, they are certainly metal)

[tbc]

you want DSA PBT keycaps from pimpmykeyboard.com

[staenker]

KHAANNN, My thoughts in order of appearing: "Damn, tenkeyless!", "But this guy should know what he's talking about, scroll down to the description...", "WOW, a damper mat, always though about modding my DAS with one of these, cause they have this \"echo\" effect.", "AWESOME! Front face Lasered legend". But I couldn't find a version with a high ENTER key/EU version.

Huxley2500, Ducky are the ones messing up the space bar with snake logo

tbc, RIGHT YOU ARE! I want these!!! But I'M a n00b regarding key caps and of course have questions
- What does 8 SPACE BLACK (NN) (pack of 2) stand for? 8 inches? 6 SPACE BLACK (NEM) (pack of 2) 6 inches?
- What are the differences of these key caps? "BLUE (BCT) (pack of 10)", "BLUE (BDJ) (pack of 10)", "BLUE (BE) (pack of 10)", "BLUE (BFE) (pack of 10)", "BLUE (BFN) (pack of 10)"

Thanks for all your feedback! It helped a lot. My plan for now is to order a DAS 4 and judge the quality of the switches myself since I really like that board, except for things I've read in the internet. I'll compare it to my old MX blue DAS. Should the board pass my quality control, I'll keep and pimp it with O-rings, DSA-PBT and I'll try to get a damping mat mod working. Will keep you posted in case you're interested.

Thanks again,
Richard

[KHAANNN]

I also very recently switched from ISO European English to Ansi US, It was painless, I thought it would be a brainbleeder, even changing the lightbulbs in my room had a more painful effect before, so I would suggest not worrying about it much, switching to Ansi US has many advantages, you can get new keyboards/keycaps easily

You can just get a keycap set like this one: http://keyshop.pimpmykeyboard.com/products/full-keysets/dsa-dolch-set-base-set-110-total-keys

Yet you usually have to dive into the stabilisers / stabiliser inserts etc. with the signature plastics keycaps

I would suggest other keyboards / options, yet since you also want to prevent the "echo", which is "plate ping" in the mechanical keyboard jargon, fc750r is a nice choice

Yet, once again reminding that the keyboard has OS issues

If you want to get a pingy keyboard and willing to dive into the stabiliser issues a bit, you can also get a barebone WASD and put keycaps on them: http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/index.php/products/mechanical-keyboard/wasd-v2-87-key-barebones-mechanical-keyboard.html

You can get the Dolch set, an ISO Enter etc. blanks and get a nice set together

Yet, once again reminding you that the stabilisers need strong mods on these Costar stabilisers

So if you just want to buy a keyboard and enjoy it, FC750R is a nice choice

Or this one: https://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=keyed_up_labs,tenkeyless&pid=es87u_ce_sss_al
(They say it's pingless, but it pings/echoes as far as I've heard)

[staenker]

Hello gain,
yesterday I unpacked the DAS keyboard 4. I did not notice any quality degrade in the key switches. They type the same way the ones from my 3 year old DAS type. I did notice a difference in in the key caps though: They had some production remains at the bottom. I will take a picture later this week and post it. For me personally, this is not an issue since I plan to replace the key caps. These remains are only visible when you remove a cap. Still, my old ones were made of better quality and they shipped with a keyboard for 50€ less. Another difference is that the key caps are a bit harder to remove from the switches with the DAS 4. So they sit a bit tighter. A real difference is the sound of the keyboard. It sounds more solid, has less ping(still noticeable, not disturbing though), a few pitches deeper and not as loud as my older DAS. I assume this is due to the aluminium plate which dampens the vibrations with it's mass.

I already installed the O-rings and I'm already quite satisfied with the result (O-ring details: 4.76x1.78mm NBR70). They are quite hard. But there is a bit of softness left which dampens the bottom out action just enough to make it quiet while still providing a hard tactile limit.

Next on my to do list is lubing the springs of the switches and install some damping mat. The damping mat is something I'm able to handle on my own but the lub thing still produces some question marks in my brain matter. What kind of lub am I supposed to use for this job? I'm most interested in the requirements and not a particular product. I probably won't be able to buy it in Germany so I have to look for some alternative meeting all these requirements. I found a video on youtube showing how to open the key switches so this probably wont be an issue - right?.

Thanks for your support,
Richard

[Oobly]

Krytox GPL is highly regarded for MX lubing and can be bought in small quantities specifically for this purpose from various sources (such as this: http://www.gonskeyboardworks.com/others/87-krytox-oils.html or this: http://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_list&c=61 or this: http://zealpc.net/collections/accessories/products/geekhackers-v2-lube-kit), but I'm not sure the best place to get it in Europe.

Opening switches on a plate mounted board is not so simple, I'm afraid. You need to desolder the switches to do it.

[KHAANNN]

Don't lube the switches unless you have a very strong and solid reason to do so, in my opinion, as it's risky, and it might make the switch feel comparatively mushy if you get the stem slider lubed in the process

The molding defects/remains are on every keycap set I got, from various sources

If das improved it's solidity/ping absorption from generation to generation, it might also be a good idea to skip the absorption mat, as it doesn't help too significantly

[Oobly]

More info here: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=34332.0

For clicky switches like Blues it's best to only apply lube to the spring and pin, not the case sides or slider since the loose part needs to be free to move. I'm not sure you'll gain much in terms of feel / sound by lubing your switches, especially when you consider all the work needed to do it.

IMO, the material of a keycap matters less than the mass and quality of the cap (unless the surface feeling really bothers you). For instance, GMK doubleshot Cherry profile caps are awesome, better than most PBT sets. Also Signature Plastics SA profile. Both types are thick and heavy. Leopold thick PBT's are very good, too, though, as are all Ivan's PBT Group Buy sets.

[staenker]

Ok, guys, you are awesome!
Updates:
- I gave the lub thoughts a second thought and decided to not do it.
- Read more reviews about the DSAs by SP and figured that they are too thin and that the quality is not as good as it could be(color variations and the shape of they at the bottom)

Now I have a new question: Where can I buy GMK(http://www.gmk-electronic-design.de/en.html) keys?

Again, even though I might repeat myself, thank you very much,
Richard