Hi welcome.
Yes i was also in your same exact situation. AND YES i TOO SAW THAT OCN mechanical Intro first as well !! Gosh we should call you Moogle 2.0
Anyway my first consideration was the Deck legend. Then i look at the Filco Majestouch.
But finally i settled on the Ducky DK-9008 :] pressing the FN + F9 keys disables the windows key which was a neat feature i liked; that the Filco lacked.
Anyway for mechanical switches; there are cherry mx brown, blues and black. You will need to check the wiki on GH and determine which one is for you. My personal choice is the browns.
Also to consider is the Topre which is a hybrid rubberdome/mechanical/capacitive switch design. Many on GH feel it's superior for typing (and most silent). But most expensive option o_O;
Here are some copy pastes from my previous posts to get you up to date.
No, a keyboard doesn't need led lighting to be a mechanical keyboard.
In reponse to Cnet's review posting some very controversial ratings by rating the DAS kb better than a Topre; i posted how a keyboard should be evaluated upon.
I do admit i too love led lighted keyboards; especially the high quality ones like found in the Razer black widow which has 1 led for each key. BUT i don't value that over the primary ratings i mentioned.
This is the mistake the gaming keyboard thread are making. They do not understand what makes a good keyboard; and they get lulled by the cool lightings; and these macro features.
Some mechanicals too also have macro features; and led lighting too; but more important they have mechanical switches; and some even have NKRO.
Of course pricing is an important factor. But when i see keyboards like Logitech G19 rubberdomes which sells for as much as a good mechanical keyboard; i don't see what good reason there is to get the rubberdome over a mechanical keyboard in such instances. And even if there are some rubber domes half the cost (like RM2xx range), i feel that paying in the range of RM4xx-Rm5xx is well worth the cost for a good mechanical keyboard that does NKRO for the purpose of gaming and an enjoyable typing experience.
But if you are strapped for cash; and want to upgrade other computer parts such as cpu; graphics cards etc; then yes by all means please do. Using a cheap keyboard until your ready to get a better keyboard is a smart choice. That was what i did with my rig. I prioritsed what i wanted to upgrade e.g. cpu; ram; hard drive space etc; before at the end when i upgraded my keyboard.
A good mechanical keyboard should be seen like; why you get better speakers; or why you get a better gaming mouse. That is pretty much why you would get a better keyboard :x
That was why i made this thread to separate us from such misconceptions lauding the rubberdome bling keyboards over quality mechanical or Topre hybrid keyboards.
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Different plastic types.
http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=All+About+Keys
ABS = doubleshots supported. Yellows and shines eventually.
PBT = doubleshots not supported on this type of plastic. This type of plastic should be kept out of the sun :x Doesn't yellow as much as abs. Also doesn't shine ?
POM = very slippery ? Supposedly most chemically resistant :X Also most expensive. Doesn't shine.
Anyway ABS is pretty good enough for casings. But for keycaps pbt and pom might be nicer (my own opinion) :X but abs is acceptable as well.
For example the ducky i ordered has pbt laser etched keycaps; but i also have some custom made doubleshot abs keycaps. The doubleshots i think should be better just for the fact it is doubleshots which is better than laser etched in terms of durability and clarity.
So to me key print type is more important than the plastic type (after all the abs is way better than the plastics you get on say a rubberdome logitech and microsoft keyboard) :X
Question remains do you mind having abs silkscreened keycaps or the more expensive laser etched pbt keycaps ? That is for you to decide :]
Anyway please consider these options:
Ducky 9008 = 104 standard keys + 4 media keys. Has NKRO via USB to PS2 adapter; can disable windows key by pressing FN + F9. Keycaps are either abs silkscreened or pbt laser etched which cost more. Has cherry stabilizers for the big keys and spacebar; hence making it easier to remove and install keycaps. It doesn't have a keyboard armrest like the Steelseries 7G integrated into the keyboard; but they do sell optional leather palm rests which i feel is much superior in comfort.
Review:
http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:13063Leopold 104 keys = a Ducky alternative. Has NKRO via usb to ps2 adapter. Thats all the info i know. You will have to ask around to find out whether it's a suitable alternative to the Ducky. I compared the Leopold 10 keyless vs the Ducky 10keyless and found that Leopold is a better quality kb. But whether that applied to the 104 key variant i haven't yet found out because of a lack of info :/
Filco Majestouch NKRO = Also has NKRO via usb to ps2 adapter. But doesn't have the disable windows key like the ducky. Does not have cherry stabilizers; so harder to remove/reinstall big keys and spacebar. The led light to indicate capslock etc is enabled; the led is fitted into the casing front cover; whereas the Ducky has it embeded directly into the keycap. What this means is; if you use your own custom keycaps on the Filco, it will look much neater/nicer compared to the Ducky.
Deck Legend = pretty expensive but looks nice especially the led lighting. Quality material; however although it supports nkro; it doesn't via usb to ps2 adapter. They sell 2 variants; one with usb and the other with ps2 port. If you want full NKRO you have to get the PS2 variant. If you get the usb; your stuck with 6KRO. This is why i did not go down this route. Besides the Ducky cost less and has a disable windows key feature i needed.
Topre Realforce = Excellent keyboard lots of quality. Technically it supports NKRO but it doesn't do it via usb to ps2 adapter. Also it only comes as USB; so your pretty much stuck with 6KRO unless you can somehow mod it to get the NKRO to work. According to the experts that seems to be very hard to achieve.
Black widow ultimate = I don't particularly recommend this keyboard; but seeing as it's a popular one i thought it should be mentioned. Looks nice however is glossy so it's a finger print magnet. Does not do NKRO which isn't too big a deal; however it supports limited 2KRO which is very disappointing for a supposedly high end keyboard. The best feature about this keyboard is aesthetics because it has good led lighting as each key has a led light in it. Also has macro features which seemed simple to use; although personally i too haven't found much use for them.
Steelseries 7G = NKRO. Doesn't have windows disable key feature. Only comes with black switches. I don't particularly like their straight down palm rest, but others might. But the biggest sin of all; it costs much more than a Ducky; and is only available in black whereas the Ducky has 3 choices for switches. But on a positive note the keyprints are laser etched.
Steelseries 6Gv2 = pretty much resembles the 7G most parts. Cheaper than a Ducky. But it only comes with black cherry mx switches which was what i wanted to avoid.
Cherry keyboard = there are many models. The ones i recommend are G80-3000 and G80-3494. The problem with the 3000 series is that there are so many variants you can easily get confused which one to get; they have many different cherry switch/language/keycap design options. The 3494 is simple enough to figure out and comes with red cherry switches. The only fault for the cherry is it uses pcb mounting instead of a metal plate; however some users still find the Cherry to be pretty sturdy nevertheless. Also you can buy cherry doubleshots and fit them onto any of the cherry keyboards making for one very good keyboard. The other thing it lacks is disabling windows key :/ This is why i got Ducky instead.
Summary:
Leopold/Ducky/Filco come in 3 choices for switches such as Cherry mx brown, blue and black
Topre you only have 1 choice (hybrid mechanical/rubber dome/capacitive) but it's pretty good to those who have used it.
Black widow ultimate only comes with cherry mx blues only.
Steelseries like Henry Ford said; only comes with black.... cherry mx switches :x
Cherry many variations that sometimes it gets confusing especially for the g80-3000 series. Many switch options; good keycaps especially their doubleshots.
Some links to other resources to learn more about keyboards
Keyboard review sites
http://www.mrinterface.com/http://keyboardporn.com/http://geekhack.org/forumdisplay.php?f=38Wikis explaining more details regarding mechanical keyboards
http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=START+HERE+--+The+Geekhack+Mechanical+Keyboard+Guide+-+Includes+Glossary+and+Links
