Author Topic: Rosewill RK-9000 vs Blackwidow (Read 10957 times)

Vorlik · « **on:** Fri, 28 January 2011, 15:01:16 »

I know this has been mentioned here before but i'd like a more updated response

I'm canadian so I've narrowed it down to either:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823201040&Tpk=rosewill%20rk-9000

or

http://www.infonec.com/site/main.php?module=detail&id=455853

It would be my first mech keyboard. Do you guys believe the extra $30 CAD is justified? I mean, aside from bring a finger magnet/2key, is there anything else the 9000 has over the widow? I'd gladly pay $30 dollars less for that. I'm just worried the build quality isn't up to snuff since I believe the 9000 is of filco production.

It's mainly for SC2/typing.

colorcutclarity · « **Reply #1 on:** Fri, 28 January 2011, 15:03:37 »

Rk-9000.

Vorlik · « **Reply #2 on:** Fri, 28 January 2011, 15:10:18 »

Quote from: colorcutclarity;286491

Rk-9000.

with price in mind too?

Arcanius · « **Reply #3 on:** Fri, 28 January 2011, 15:15:08 »

I'd say go for the Rosewill.
I tried out a friend's Blackwidow for a weekend and was totally unsatisfied with it. If you're going to do something, do it right. The BW feels and looks cheap to me. The keys are ugly, imo, and I manage to pull them off the keyboard using my fingers. Build quality is nowhere near my Model M, it's almost as bad as a rubber dome.

colorcutclarity · « **Reply #4 on:** Fri, 28 January 2011, 15:38:37 »

Quote from: Vorlik;286493

with price in mind too?

Yes, not only do you get a better looking board but you also get NKRO which is always a plus.

manfaux · « **Reply #5 on:** Fri, 28 January 2011, 16:07:17 »

RK 9000 hands down. With price in mind.

godofdeath · « **Reply #6 on:** Fri, 28 January 2011, 16:41:17 »

rk-9000 it has nkro

seriously if you want leds get the bw
other than that i wouldnt get it at all

keyboardlover · « **Reply #7 on:** Fri, 28 January 2011, 16:59:32 »

Plus the rosewill has a gold usb connector which I believe has been proven to attract women and get you more frags.

chimborazo · « **Reply #8 on:** Fri, 28 January 2011, 17:02:57 »

i cant speak for everyone else here nor i can compare them both. i never got the chance to get the bw

the rosewill is imo a better built board. if i remember correctly, the controller is from filco and the board itself is manufactured by costar - which is the same company behind the filco and the das

now, with that being said i only can give you my two cents w/ the rosewill

i wouldnt doubt if the quality overall is better than the bw - but i found the so called lasered etched keycaps would indeed fade overtime and about this i am one hundred percent sure. secondly, the actuation force of the switches is not up to par. dont get me wrong, overall it may be a better board for you if you want to - say - resell it down the road. i am sure the value wont depreciate as much as the bw. also, i dont let the hype of marketing hyperbole get to me as it is currently the case w/ many companies out there but if there is one thing i am sure of is that the switches on the rosewill rk9000 were not - rephrasing other companies tactics -> hand picked.
using ripsters ripometer i got 55 g on some of them while others would only activate at 60 g. and that much i assure you, for i spend almost an hour trying to get it right and time after time i was just dissapointed with what i got.
now, if these bw boards have similar issues then forget about it. you are better off w/ the rk9000.

Azuremen · « **Reply #9 on:** Fri, 28 January 2011, 18:00:44 »

Having used both a bit, I honeslty think I'd go with the Black Widow at this point. The keycaps are a bit heavier so the sound is a bit lower in frequency, and the few macro keys are quite nice for binds for things like Photoshop.

The legends on both will get dirty pretty quickly. As for the key roll over, I never experienced any issues with the BW while playing SC2, or doing anything else for that matter. Someone on the forum has tested almost every popular gaming configuration (WASD, ESDF, etc) and found the only issue was hitting 2 arrow keys and something else at the same time, I believe.

Both are good boards, the RK-9000 has a nice simpler aesthetic while the BW is indeed a fingerprint magnet, and obviously a "gamers" board.

NAVIWORLDINC · « **Reply #10 on:** Fri, 28 January 2011, 18:03:31 »

RK-9000 all the way.

LaneWeaver · « **Reply #11 on:** Fri, 28 January 2011, 18:11:46 »

Defending the BW:

Build quality isn't bad; in fact I would say it's pretty good. You can look at the reviews that some of the other GH'ers posted for the BW (like this one), and even they said it's not poorly built. It's by far the best built keyboard I've ever owned, but this is my first mechanical. The body does not flex or creak as bad as my others (namely the MS Natural 4000, the "best" rubber-dome I've had). And you still get the same Cherry Blue switches as you do in the Rosewill - quality in the key switches, where it counts the most. Additionally, both keyboards come with a braided cable and gold-plated connector.

Also, I haven't been able to pull any of the keys off my BW with my bare hands. How that's even possible, with the smoothness of the keycaps' sides, I don't know. Hyperbole, perhaps? Maybe I have a weak grip compared to others. I had to use some tools to pluck the key caps off.

Finally, the keyboard was much cheaper than the Rosewill was. It also has media keys and macro keys, if you're looking for that.

And now the drawbacks of the BlackWidow:

The switch feel is different from row to row. So, the QWERTY row of keys doesn't feel the same as the ASDF, which feels different from the ZXCV row of keys. In fact, number row and numpad also feel different. I don't know why that is, and I don't know if this is apparent in other keyboards such as the RK-9K, but this is something I have to mention. The difference in feel is subtle though, but if you're picky like most of the people are on GH, you will probably notice it.

Additionally, my left shift key was mushy, so I swapped the stabilizer with one from the + key on the numpad. Feels like the other keys now. Take that however you will.

And of course, the stuff already mentioned: lack of NKRO and the glossy finish. FWIW, the glossy finish, unless you're a stickler for cleanliness, isn't a problem for me - I've wiped it down only once so far. Lack of NKRO hasn't reared it's ugly head too often for me.

Last points:

Do I have any doubts about its durability? No. This keyboard will probably last me a very long time, unless I did something deliberate to it.

Would I buy the Razer again? Yes, mushy shift key and all. I can't justify paying $30 extra for NKRO and lack of media keys. It's a solid board.

Do I enjoy typing on this keyboard? You bet.

mangloid · « **Reply #12 on:** Fri, 28 January 2011, 19:00:33 »

I have been typing on my Razer black widow for a few hours and so far it feels really solid. As the previous user mentioned a difference in feel of the rows - I do not have that I haven't found a mushy key yet either. I also could not pull off any keys with my hands, But I did pry one off just to very the cherry mx blue, and see how the leds were integrated into the board.

One thing I will say, is the keycaps are in place, and fairly well compared to other boards. When I went to purchase this today I saw the SIIG Mechanical, I shook the board and could hear the keys rattling. That would drive me nuts to just be resting my fingers and have the keys be making all kinds of noise. Especially when I drink too much caffeine and my hands won't stay still.

also, this forum is awesome. I used a lot of the information from it today when I made my purchase earlier.

My main reason I bought the blackwidow is I am a big impulse buyer. I do not like shopping online or waiting. I wanted something with MX Blue, and to find it locally in stock. It really came down to this only keyboard. I also sit on my computer in the dark a lot, so the backlit keys will come in handy.

It will be put to the test when I fire up VI later. This keyboard will probably travel with me to work now, because I HATE the scissor keys on laptops. It really slowed me down a lot in VI.

Vorlik · « **Reply #13 on:** Fri, 28 January 2011, 19:11:05 »

Thanks for your inputs guys, more are welcome!

I was leaning towards the rosewill before I made this thread, now it's the opposite. Like one user said, the switches are identical. Does it matter that the controller was made by filco/costar, if it feels the same? I don't really need backlighting, macro keys, or media keys, but they certainly don't hurt, especially for $30 less. I wish there would be a poster who owns/tried both keyboards, to give a direct comparison >.<

keyboardlover · « **Reply #14 on:** Fri, 28 January 2011, 19:22:11 »

Quote from: ripster;286645

The controller manufacturer generally makes little difference unless you are a guy named Welly.

You keep mentioning this person...who is that??

TexasFlood · « **Reply #15 on:** Fri, 28 January 2011, 19:24:14 »

I know nothing about the Blackwidow but I sure like my Rosewill RK-9000!

manfaux · « **Reply #16 on:** Fri, 28 January 2011, 19:24:36 »

Quote from: Vorlik;286643

Thanks for your inputs guys, more are welcome!

I was leaning towards the rosewill before I made this thread, now it's the opposite. Like one user said, the switches are identical. Does it matter that the controller was made by filco/costar, if it feels the same? I don't really need backlighting, macro keys, or media keys, but they certainly don't hurt, especially for $30 less. I wish there would be a poster who owns/tried both keyboards, to give a direct comparison >.<

for $30 you are looking at the basic BW, which doesn't have backlighting.

mangloid · « **Reply #17 on:** Fri, 28 January 2011, 20:00:40 »

Quote from: manfaux;286653

for $30 you are looking at the basic BW, which doesn't have backlighting.

Oops, I didn't look at the links, I bought the backlit ultimate edition... its 130.

Between those 2 keyboards you linked, If i had the choice, I would pick a rosewill. Even though I love my razer so far, it would come down to the fact that rosewill has been in the business of mechanical keyboards longer.

Watch some videos, compare the sound, and look for more info on the web. Or just roll the dice, or flip a coin.

I looked around for about 6 hours before I made the blackwidow purchase today. ( I wanted to buy it local, my choices were a limited. )
If I had found a bigger name of mechanical keyboard locally, with the switches I wanted, I probably would have gotten it.

manfaux · « **Reply #18 on:** Fri, 28 January 2011, 21:42:35 »

Quote from: mangloid;286676

Oops, I didn't look at the links, I bought the backlit ultimate edition... its 130.

Between those 2 keyboards you linked, If i had the choice, I would pick a rosewill. Even though I love my razer so far, it would come down to the fact that rosewill has been in the business of mechanical keyboards longer.

Watch some videos, compare the sound, and look for more info on the web. Or just roll the dice, or flip a coin.

I looked around for about 6 hours before I made the blackwidow purchase today. ( I wanted to buy it local, my choices were a limited. )
If I had found a bigger name of mechanical keyboard locally, with the switches I wanted, I probably would have gotten it.

still a great buy, if you don't mind a glossy surface(which is a dealbreaker for a lot of users including myself) .

For the RK9000, you are pretty much getting a Filco with NKRO, with worse keycaps, which you will probably looking to replace in the future anyway.

chimborazo · « **Reply #19 on:** Fri, 28 January 2011, 22:51:45 »

Quote from: manfaux;286717

For the RK9000, you are pretty much getting a Filco with NKRO, with worse keycaps, which you will probably looking to replace in the future anyway.

no, it's not.

even though “if it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, we have at least to consider the possibility that we have a small aquatic bird of the family anatidae on our hands.”

Vorlik · « **Reply #20 on:** Sat, 29 January 2011, 01:54:28 »

Quote from: manfaux;286717

still a great buy, if you don't mind a glossy surface(which is a dealbreaker for a lot of users including myself) .

For the RK9000, you are pretty much getting a Filco with NKRO, with worse keycaps, which you will probably looking to replace in the future anyway.

Why are the keycaps "worse"? Do you have any proof on this?

arc2 · « **Reply #21 on:** Sat, 29 January 2011, 08:21:10 »

If you game it's a no brainer, Lack of NKRO kills the BW.

RK9000 every time.

Arcanius · « **Reply #22 on:** Sat, 29 January 2011, 10:28:03 »

Quote from: Vorlik;286788

Why are the keycaps "worse"? Do you have any proof on this?

Well the keycaps on Filcos tend to wear really quickly, becoming shiny, although I don't see the BW as having "better" keycaps. You can feel the lettering, and I imagine the laser infill that the keys seem to have is going to wear pretty easily. Check the wiki for more on that. A good article is "Das S Lasered Keys Versus Filco Pad Printed - FIGHT!"

Rosewill for sure, simply because the build quality is superior, and NKRO is really nice to have. When my friend got his BW he was really disappointed when I explained that it has stupid gimmicks but none of the things a "gaming" keyboard should really have.

Eric5676 · « **Reply #23 on:** Sat, 29 January 2011, 12:16:07 »

A choice I came down to myself and I, too, ultimately picked the Rosewill and haven't looked back. Great price on a hell of a keyboard IMO.

hailey · « **Reply #24 on:** Sat, 29 January 2011, 13:22:39 »

The keycaps on my RK9000 look the same as the day I bought it 4-5 months ago. Can't be overstated how ugly the logo is though. I took mine off with a knife, and while it looks about as bad as you can expect after going under the knife it's still better than having the logo there in my opinion.

TexasFlood · « **Reply #25 on:** Sat, 29 January 2011, 14:14:06 »

Quote from: hailey;286943

The keycaps on my RK9000 look the same as the day I bought it 4-5 months ago. Can't be overstated how ugly the logo is though. I took mine off with a knife, and while it looks about as bad as you can expect after going under the knife it's still better than having the logo there in my opinion.