TotalN00b?:Getting a second mechanical keyboard need some questions answered.

[shogrran]

Good day!

Thread title says it all. I am planning on getting another mechanical keyboard just because I got hooked with mechanical switches. I find great enjoyment in using mechanical keyboards that sometimes I just find an excuse to type something just so I can type something.

I'm thinking this is a no-rush buy, I can save up and get an expensive DAS Ultimate keyboard which aesthetically I like because of its blank key caps. One other choice I have is to get the CM Storm quick fire rapid when it becomes available.

Question one:

As a few of you guys already know from my previous posts on other threads I am new to this keyboard thing. I would like to know why DAS keyboards are so damn f*king expensive. If they use the same cherry switches as other keyboards whats the major difference? Why would I spend 128USD (5000PHP in my countrys currency) for a non-back-lit, no dedicated macro key keyboard? I have money to spend but I don't want to be a stupid buyer like the emperor in "the emperor's new clothes" story.

Question two:

If there is nothing special about the DAS Ultimate and I'll just be stupidly spending more just because of it's name and not because of its features (*cough* mac *cough*) then I won't get a das. Question two is, what other keyboards have blank keycaps?

Question three:

Not really a question... but do you have any feedback on the quick fire rapid? I have googled around and read around and viewed videos around. But I am asking YOU as members of this forum directly. Maybe you have some theoretical opinion on the keyboard that you think will be a problem when it comes out... or maybe you are one of the lucky ones who got a test sample. I'm getting mx brown keys by the way, because I have tried mx black keys on the 6gv2 and they are significantly harder to press than the blues I have currently. I like softer touch keys and as per the specifics in the cherry site, the browns and the reds have even a softer touch than the blues. I'd get reds... but then the reds are, if I am not mistaken, linear and I prefer knowing when my keys are actually 'actuated' if I am using the term right.

So.... kindly reply with your opinion.

[pitashen]

Looking for theoretical opinions is never a good idea.

Do you care about back lit? Do you care about macro feature? I believe those in practice have little to do with the cost of manufacturing them and should be out of your head completely if you care little about those features.

If your mind is set for the switch you want, the rest should be easy.

The look and the build quality should be all you want to care about. Build quality wise, they are both good... both made in Taiwan..


To your question regarding to the pricing, the better question would be: Why Filco Tenkeyless is so damn f*king expansive for a non-full-size keyboard with no built in usb hub like the DAS. And Filco and DAS come out from the same OEM.

I would say you won't go wrong with either one in the end. Whether it is worth the money or not is really more of a personal opinion.

[pitashen]

lol XD

[iBro]

Both keyboards have their advantages like others have stated in this thread, but here are a few things to consider.

The DAS is very glossy, and although you may enjoy the glossy look of the keyboard, I've heard that the finish is very hard to keep clean, and can sometimes even scratch.

If you are really that into the blank key caps, then you can look into Otaku Filcos. If Filcos aren't your thing, or cost too much, you could go the Leopold route also.

The last option is to buy whatever damn keyboard you want and just purchase a blank key cap set from somewehere like WASD.

[dorkvader]

1. Aren't the assembled in the USA?
2. WASDkeyboards offers this. Other than that, aftermarket blank keycaps can be had from WASD, KBC, etc for relatively cheap
3. I have one, and it's great. The rubberized coating makes a lovely matte finish, and doesn't look like it'll be chipping off soon. I got mine in red, which was about the same cost, and is awesome. I have some keyboards in black, but I don't like them as much (too hard to press) the RED is really excellent. Nice and light, and good for typing. Sure, they are linear, so you can't feel the activation, but even with that, I like them: I don't bottom those out as much as I do the browns, it's great! Also the CM storm in RED has a red plate and black case instead of a black plate and gunmetal case.

[Tony]

Logitech and Razer are good at creating their own share of the market.

Almost any newbie are asking for backlit and macro keys.

They logically think that if a keyboard costs over 100USD, it must be backlit and have one or two rows of macro keys, since it costs more than Razer Arctosa or Logitech Illuminated.

[N8N]

I guess the other thing to consider is that $120 is about the price point for a mechanical keyboard here in the US.  There is a SIIG model at about $80 with Alps switches, but other than that, it's hard to get below $120 unless you buy used or get a good deal on a "grey market" Noppoo, Ducky, etc.  Other than that the only exception I can think of is Rosewill and that's not significantly below $120.

I'd personally watch the classifieds here; sometimes good stuff comes up.  I have passed on a couple semi-interesting deals just because I didn't need them; I have bought at least two keyboards that I recall off of here.  I should probably *stop* watching the classifieds and GBTW   (although I would like to get a PS/2 Wyse board just because I've never tried linears other than for a few minutes on a POS board, and the terminal board that I shot in the head for the keycaps appeals to my retro tendencies without taking up the horrific desk real estate that a Model M does.)

[shogrran]

@All sorry for the double post of this thread. I encountered an error with either the browser or with the site itself and when I tried to edit my first post, it double posted instead.

@ripster sorry dude...

@Tony can't look at logitech and razer right now because 1. I haven't heard of a mechanical Logitech keyboard yet. 2. I already own a Razer Blackwidow. I think that is the only mechanical Razer keyboard yet as of now. Its pretty good but sometimes I feel they should have stuck with a more standard keyboard layout. They changed it a bit and I couldn't help thinking if I would type better had they not.

@N8N hmm well i'm not really from the U.S. I got the blackwidow relatively cheap than other keyboards so I believe there is hope for an under 100USD mechanical. The Quickfire tentative price is in the under 100USD price range here when it comes out. Probably cheaper if the dealer got it from a nearby supplier.

@All Forget about the backlights... It really adds just nothing for me really. And if the keyboard does not have blank keycaps by default its ok. I believe blank keycaps really look good but then if I have to spend a lot more to get them separately, I say nevermind. I wouldn't know what to get that will fit me and my keyboard anyway. (just wonder why keyboards with blank keys cost more than those that have lettering... isnt it cheaper for companies NOT to have the keys etched?)

[Autolyze]

(just wonder why keyboards with blank keys cost more than those that have lettering... isnt it cheaper for companies NOT to have the keys etched?)

Unless the selling is pricing them strangely, the blank keycap versions of Das/Filco/Leopold/WASD should have the same price as the standard versions with lettering. If you're buying a separate set of keycaps from WASD though, the blank keys are a little cheaper than the lettered ones.

[Benji]

Buy it.  I love IBM selectrics IIs

[Gfresh404]

Das cost more because of their customer service and their return policy. Essentially you can try it out for 30 days and if you don't like it you can return it. You just have to pay return shipping. They also offer a 15% - 20% student discount.

I would head over to the review section. I have a CM Storm QuickFire Rapid and it's essentially a top notch board with average quality keycaps.

[shogrran]

@Gfresh404 where did you buy the CM Storm Quickfire? I'm really interested in that. But what do you mean by average quality key caps?

@All one thing more to consider is that I live in third world. Availability is as much a factor as price/performance.

[Tony]

Tell us where you are in this world and which keyboards are available for you with their prices. It will help us to help you easier.

[shogrran]

@all @Tony I am in the Philippines. Razer, Steelseries, Mionix, CMSTorm brands are the most common. There is a staggered few that supply DAS and Filco keyboards but they have to be contacted online and it isn't as simple as just going to a store and buying it. There are also other brands available but since I am new I hardly know much of other mechanical keyboard brands.

P.S.

I believe the best resource we have here for our computer stuff is a site http://www.tipidpc.com
I believe that almost all of what is available in computer stores here can be found in this site, and if it isn't listed as an ad in this site then it is not available yet here.

I can choose to order online but then this is third world and there might be complications with shipping and charges. Complications I would very much like to avoid.

[shogrran]

@ripster I just can't believe how small the world is sometimes. kamusta?

I'd post a few online stores, but then some of them aren't that updated anymore. Some shops with their own websites here don't even update to current prices which then makes it pointless to check their prices online before calling them.

http://www.tipidpc.com is more of a site where the trusted shops, 2nd hand sellers and shoppers meet up and haggle online. What's good about it is that I get to check the shop's feedback if he's trustworthy or not before I even haggle for anything.

[Gfresh404]

@Gfresh404 where did you buy the CM Storm Quickfire? I'm really interested in that. But what do you mean by average quality key caps?

@All one thing more to consider is that I live in third world. Availability is as much a factor as price/performance.

I got it from PCHome - I believe they ship worldwide. Someone also made a post about how to order from them since the whole site is obviously in Chinese.

And I did not use the keycaps for that long but they just felt cheap and a bit flimsy. It could just be because I am used to my heavier PBT keycaps though.

[shogrran]

I got it from PCHome - I believe they ship worldwide. Someone also made a post about how to order from them since the whole site is obviously in Chinese.

And I did not use the keycaps for that long but they just felt cheap and a bit flimsy. It could just be because I am used to my heavier PBT keycaps though.

Thanks for the info!

[shogrran]

I decided to wait a few more weeks just in case the cmstorm quickfire rapid reaches our shores but apparently it would really take a very long time. Plus one local retailer replied to me and said that only blues will be available here. I am sad to hear that as I really wanted browns or reds. I am thinking of having someone buy it for me in singapore but I am also not familiar if it will be taxed at the airport. or if it needs to be unboxed so as to not  get taxed. Not even sure if carrying keyboards is allowed on a plane -- the durability of mechanical keyboards is so good it can be considered as a lethal weapon. I seldom travel so I do not know what to consider.

Further questions:
Which is lighter to press? Browns or reds? The guides say they both need 45g force... but I was thinking since reds are linear wouldn't that be a softer press feel? I want the softest press feel I could get...

I tried to navigate in the pchome page but got lost somewhere (guess that makes me a super noob) but the thing is i don't really have that much money to spend and the fear of loosing the money and not getting the keyboard due not understanding stuff in the site is hindering me.

Another question:

I have found a seller of filco ten key less browns locally but it costs almost 1/3 more of the price of the cmstorm rapid. (he does include a filco key cap remover and a couple of replacement windows caps as a 'promo' I'm not sure if that is supposed to be really included in the package and he is just marketing it as a promo) He is asking for 136USD for the 10keyless but is it worth it or is the quality the same? cmstorm should approximately just be in the 100USD range (aesthetics-wise I don't think so.. plain black. The only plus is that it has that blank top keycaps)

[piken]

I decided to wait a few more weeks just in case the cmstorm quickfire rapid reaches our shores but apparently it would really take a very long time. Plus one local retailer replied to me and said that only blues will be available here. I am sad to hear that as I really wanted browns or reds. I am thinking of having someone buy it for me in singapore but I am also not familiar if it will be taxed at the airport. or if it needs to be unboxed so as to not  get taxed. Not even sure if carrying keyboards is allowed on a plane -- the durability of mechanical keyboards is so good it can be considered as a lethal weapon. I seldom travel so I do not know what to consider.

Further questions:
Which is lighter to press? Browns or reds? The guides say they both need 45g force... but I was thinking since reds are linear wouldn't that be a softer press feel? I want the softest press feel I could get...

I tried to navigate in the pchome page but got lost somewhere (guess that makes me a super noob) but the thing is i don't really have that much money to spend and the fear of loosing the money and not getting the keyboard due not understanding stuff in the site is hindering me.

Another question:

I have found a seller of filco ten key less browns locally but it costs almost 1/3 more of the price of the cmstorm rapid. (he does include a filco key cap remover and a couple of replacement windows caps as a 'promo' I'm not sure if that is supposed to be really included in the package and he is just marketing it as a promo) He is asking for 136USD for the 10keyless but is it worth it or is the quality the same? cmstorm should approximately just be in the 100USD range (aesthetics-wise I don't think so.. plain black. The only plus is that it has that blank top keycaps)

Filco Tactile TKL for 136 USD is not bad at all considering that same board from amazon is 139 USD + shipping. The key puller and extra caps are not standard with the board.

[NorrisB]

the das is a cheapy mechanical, you're gonna spend around $100 for any cheap decent cherry mechanical.  I actually recommend spending more than that even.

[Quarzac]

You probably want reds for the lightest feel. While the actuation force is the same, the smoothness of reds makes them feel lighter, at least to me.

[NorrisB]

yeah I would give the leopold with red switches a look its on sale right now too

[shogrran]

Filco Tactile TKL for 136 USD is not bad at all considering that same board from amazon is 139 USD + shipping. The key puller and extra caps are not standard with the board.

It's not bad compared to itself I guess. But i couldn't help but compare it to a cheaper substitute like the quickfire rapid. A difference of 36 dollars is quite a bit for me as I can use that for another upgrade probably ram.

I would take a look at the red switches then if they feel lighter than the clicky browns. It is really hard to make a choice since from where I come from they rarely have mechanical keyboards on display for you to try. Maybe because it is expensive and no one would want to eventually buy the displayed item (and the retailers would rather sell their soul to the devil than lower prices for an open box item)

[mouse.the.lucky.dog]

Wow.

You guys need to watch your language.

Oh sod off!

[piken]

Pikey.

Oh god, that new sig is making my eyes bleed, if I click with the thing go away like an obnoxious pop up add (at least till the next time you post.)

[TheProfosist]

Is it the Comic Sans?

Comic Sans FTW!

[shogrran]

Couldn't find leopold keyboards in PCHome?