Another "help me decide" thread, my apologies...

[fusedpro]

Mechanical keyboards have recently caught my interest so I am more than likely going to be making my first purchase here soon, I just need to decide what to buy. I have no idea which switch type to get (will probably try different types later if my wallet permits -- audiophilia, college, and buying a new car do not come cheaply). That leaves blacks, blues, and browns as I am not going to bother with the more exoctic colours.

This keyboard will be for home use, so noise isn't really an issue. I am not a hardcore gamer or typist by any means, but I do a fair amount of both. I've read that browns are a nice middle-ground of sorts, but I have also read that their tactile bump is practically useless due to how light it is. They also lack the audible awesomeness, but again, I've read that the noise novelty goes away, all personal opinion there though. I think I am leaning towards blues slightly, but I believe browns sound pretty similar when bottoming out, no? Blacks, no idea... In either case, any opinions from owners with both would be much appreciated. I know switch type is all preference, but I won't be able to try any of these out, so this is the next best thing.

My branding options are either Filco thru Amazon (thru KeyboardcoUK) or Leopold thru EliteKeyboards. I've read that they are pretty similar in quality, so I've convinced myself to be okay with either (at first I was set only on Filco). I really like the Ninja Majestouch-2 -- blank tops but legends there just in case, points to Filco. No wearing out either. Downside, I have read that they get shiny relatively fast; I know that Leopold's will get shiny as well, so not sure what to take on this. I could order an Otaku Leopold, but I always like the legends to be there just in case. I do not mind having legends on top, but the Leopold's will eventually wear off and that bothers me. I know I could replace the keycaps, but I don't think I want to be at that point in this hobby quite yet. Form-factor, I find that I hardly use the numpad, so I am okay with tenkeyless. If anything, I'll just keep my old keyboard around for those rare instances. The LED indicators on the Leopold keycaps vs. Filco's variation -- no preference. I don't really plan on moving my keyboard around all too much, but the removable cable is a nice thing to have -- points to Leopold there. Pricing, we're looking at at least a $30 premium for a Filco over a Leopold -- points to Leopold. Filco also provides a nice keypuller ($5, woo!) -- points for them. Depending on the switch type, though, this question is easily answered, as Amazon does not have any blue Filcos, but I could search the classifieds if needed. No ninja blues though...

I think that covers most of what I wanted. I know any purchase will better than my Logitech G15, I just want to get the most out of my money. If this purchase strikes me well enough, I will more than likely buy whatever didn't get bought this time around at a later date (e.g., blue Leo now, brown (ninja) Filco later).

So yeah, any input/advice/recommendations would be much appreciated. Thanks!

[daerid]

Rather than give you the cliche "Try them both and find out what you prefer" response, I'm going to suggest you grab a Leopold. It will be easier on your wallet, the build quality is good (so I hear), and if you find you really want to try a Filco, it has a decently high resale value so you can make most of your money back. Which makes it low-risk.

[panda]

Sorry to hijack this post, but do leopolds come in full keyboards? (not tenkeyless)

[IvanIvanovich]

If you're open to other suggestions, might look at Ducky from PCHome. Even easier on the wallet. Build quality might not be quite as high, but it will probably be sufficient. Otherwise I recommend Leopold too. I have the FC200RT otaku, with brown switch. it is a very quality keyboard.

You can get 104 Leopold FC500 from Leopold Japan for $110. It currently is available in red switch only.

[Clickey]

What about PLU and Noppoo choc? Is Leopold better than them?

[RiGS]

PLU and Noppoo uses different style of stabilizers under the bigger keys than Leopold.
Noppoo is not suitable for Mac, but has full nkro under USB, while the PLU is only 2kro.
Leopold is 18kro and has detachable USB cable.
Noppoo keys are made of a high quality plastic material, POM.
Leopold and PLU has cheaper ABS key material.
All of these keyboards are made in China or Taiwan. However you can get US warranty for Leopold by purchasing from Elitekeyboards.

I hope this helps!

[Supergleep]

I'll pipe up since I was in your shoes 1 short year ago. I couldn't decide which switch I wanted in my first mechanical board either, but the received wisdom then (and seemingly still now) is Browns are the safe middle ground. I wasn't sure if I'd want to deal with the noise of Blues, and I didn't think I gamed enough to want to mess with Blacks, so Browns it was. I went with a Filco Tenkeyless from EliteKeyboards (since they still carried them at the time) and haven't regretted it for the entire year I've used it.

When I first got the board, I was, frankly, a little bit underwhelmed. The keys were so LIGHT! Literally almost TOO light! That took me a week or two to really adjust to. The 'feel' of the keys was worlds better than the old MS 4000 ergo board I'd been using, but at first, I was really worried that I'd chosen the wrong switch. After acclimating to the new keyboard, I learned to be much lighter on my fingers when typing and now I can't imagine ever going back to a rubber-dome board. The more I used the Browns, the more I loved them.

That said, after one year of use on the Browns, as of this week I'm finally venturing forward to try out some of the other switches. I think I've blown my entire annual keyboard budget in the last two days, and now have a Blue Filco and a Red Filco on their way. We'll see how they compare. I'm curious to feel this 'cloud-of-boobs' for myself. :shocked:

Good luck on your new keyboard adventure. I've loved mine so far.

[noodles256]

roly poly

[wompwomp]

PLU and Noppoo uses different style of stabilizers under the bigger keys than Leopold.
Noppoo is not suitable for Mac, but has full nkro under USB, while the PLU is only 2kro.
Leopold is 18kro and has detachable USB cable.
Noppoo keys are made of a high quality plastic material, POM.
Leopold and PLU has cheaper ABS key material.
All of these keyboards are made in China or Taiwan. However you can get US warranty for Leopold by purchasing from Elitekeyboards.

I hope this helps!

When you say the noppoo and the PLU come with a different stabilizer than the leopold, is it a good thing or bad?

[The Solutor]

When you say the noppoo and the PLU come with a different stabilizer than the leopold, is it a good thing or bad?

Leopold use the Cherry style stabilizer, like the original cherry boards, which is more robust and and with easier large keycaps replacement.

Most of the other oriental boards uses the Costar style stabilizers cheaper, lighter, annoying when a keycap must be replaced but slightly more pleasant to type on because the lower inertia.

[TheGreatAmphibianPling]

Welcome to Geekhack!

Leopold Brown Cherry is probably the lowest risk choice (if USA you get a REAL 1 year warranty).  Filcos are sexier.  Like women only you can decide but Charlie Sheen regrets some of his women choices.

I've not used a Leopold, and given what has been said above I can see a strong case for buying one, but the Filco is quietly sexy. It has the feeling of being made of smaller denser molecules than most things, if that makes sense.

But really, I suspect that this a choice with no wrong choices.

Re. shiny keys: I'm not saying that this is right, but I don't get why this is an issue for people. To me this is work gear, what counts is performance. Being used for work it's going to show some minor cosmetic signs of use and I don't really care - it's like the soles of my walking boots get scuffed up because I walk on them.

[RiGS]

When you say the noppoo and the PLU come with a different stabilizer than the leopold, is it a good thing or bad?

Cherry style stabilizers feel a little bit stiffer and mushy at the bottom part of the stroke, but easier to replace a keycap with these,
yet I don't think that is hard to replace the bigger keys on keyboards with the Costar stabilizer.
IIRC sixty(an EU Cherryholic) said that most of these Taiwanese cherry style stabilizers were not generic, and inferior to the original Cherry.
So it is safe to say that Costar type stabilizers are not cheaper than the stabilizers in the Leopold, and both of them can be rattly.

[RiGS]

I don't think I've ever seen a Cherry G99 stabilizer clone/copy.  You sure about that?

I've found that thread.

[RiGS]

Nope. It is clear that he was talking about the cherry style clones. He said he even replaced those in his Poker to genuine Cherries.

[fusedpro]

I've noticed pretty much all these threads get derailed very easily and remain off-topic for quite some time...

Anyways, thanks for the advice so far. I completely forgot about eBay so my options have opened up slightly, mainly adding Noppoo and Poker boards into the mix. I'm really liking the Noppoo Choc keycaps (brown-ish on black, almost like Otaku-like in a way).

Still undecided on switch type though... Should probably just buy something and not care because I can guarantee I'll be happy with it...

[Aznguyen316]

Yeah browns are my first. It's nice cuz then you can decide if you like the tactile or not. Then also the feel of the switch. And the go linear if u don't like the tactile or a heavier or lighter feeling switch. I'm really curious how reds feel vs my filco browns.

[Tony]

I suggest you buy a Filco brown, just like the one I am typing with.

Filco keyboards are excellent in quality and they have good reputation around here. You can sell a Filco very fast if you do not like it, which is very unlikely.

Brown is all rounder switch for beginners, and the most sold switch too. They are light on your fingers and your ear. The bump are lighter than in blue, but it is still there.