Help me decide. CM Storm QF Rapid vs. Filco MJ2

[sawedust]

Hi GeekHack,

Now that tax return season has brought upon some extra funds that I can use to indulge in some keyboard purchases, I look to you fellow GHers to help me decide.

I currently have a Filco MJ1 TKL with browns that I use primarily for work and StarCraft II.  While I enjoy the muted feel of brown switches, I'm eager to try out new switches to broaden my horizons.  I've tried black switches, but they weren't really my style.  They were too heavy on my fingers and weren't very practical for the constant spamming I do in StarCraft.  I was able to try out blue switches for typing at an off-island store but did not get a chance to use them in SC2, so I'm hoping to give them a second try in-game.  I really loved the click-action and being able to feel the bump, but I had concerns about the clickiness being too loud at night.  Red switches I have not tried at all; I am most intrigued by these.

All that being said, should I should go with the CM Storm QF Rapid blues and reds or hold out for the Filco MJ2 blues and reds?  One CM Storm and one Filco?  I will be purchasing two keyboards to try them out for myself.  Words describing the feel of switches and how well we respond to them can only do so much as we all have individual preferences, so that's why I'm getting a pair of boards to try them out for myself.

I'm considering getting the QF Rapid boards due to their low price and their similarity to the Filco keyboards.  However, I'm worried about their re-sale value in the event that they are not the right switches for me.  This is why I'm also looking at the Filco boards; the name brand and quality of the boards themselves have such a great reputation that I may be able to recoup the majority of my investment in the event those switches don't work out for me.  My MJ1 has served me quite wonderfully over the past year with zero issues whatsoever, and brand loyalty is another thing that has me leaning toward the Filco boards too.

At the end of all of this, the two keyboards that I don't choose will be put up for sale as I will only be keeping one of the three.

Help me decide!  Thanks in advance.

[jellowiggler]

If you have the money you can't get much better than mj2. But you can try a very good quality board for 1/2 the price of the mj2 with the cmstorm qfr. So if you want to explore red or blue switches it's perfect.

[dorkvader]

Well, given the CMstorm is roughly half the cost of the filco, at roughly the same quality, I say it's a great deal. I bought my CMstorm in blues for something like $64 not too long ago, so if you are willing to wait for a week or two, you can get a really good deal. I've never sold a CMstorm, but I consider ~$60 to be an excellent deal for a mechanical keyboard, even in lightly-used condition. I'd still recommend checking the classifieds, but you really can't go wrong there.

So, if you can "put up with" the branding and logos on the CMstorm, I'd say it's your best option by far. Keep in mind, however, I've not used a filco in person, as I consider them to be a little too overpriced for what you get.

As far a "brand loyalty" goes, I'm more loyal to the OEM (costar) than any "brand" that sells keyboards. That's just my personal position, though.

[sawedust]

If you have the money you can't get much better than mj2. But you can try a very good quality board for 1/2 the price of the mj2 with the cmstorm qfr. So if you want to explore red or blue switches it's perfect.

Well, given the CMstorm is roughly half the cost of the filco, at roughly the same quality, I say it's a great deal. I bought my CMstorm in blues for something like $64 not too long ago, so if you are willing to wait for a week or two, you can get a really good deal. I've never sold a CMstorm, but I consider ~$60 to be an excellent deal for a mechanical keyboard, even in lightly-used condition. I'd still recommend checking the classifieds, but you really can't go wrong there.

So, if you can "put up with" the branding and logos on the CMstorm, I'd say it's your best option by far. Keep in mind, however, I've not used a filco in person, as I consider them to be a little too overpriced for what you get.

As far a "brand loyalty" goes, I'm more loyal to the OEM (costar) than any "brand" that sells keyboards. That's just my personal position, though.

Unfortunately for me, living in Hawaii doesn't get me those amazing free shipping deals that the rest of the continental US gets to enjoy.  Those $64 CM Storm QFR blues became $90 after shipping.  While that's still a great price on the keyboard, I'm not sure if I'm willing to take such a huge hit on resale.  The branding on the board doesn't bother me at all since I have extra sets of keycaps to use; without the obnoxious keycaps, the board actually looks pretty nice!  The red backplate on the QFR with reds looks pretty too.

I understand what you mean about the OEM, which is why I decided on the CM Storm keyboards.  Same OEM, lower price.  Still trying to decide whether or not it would be worth the wait for the Filcos to get in stock, or just take the hit and enjoy immediate satisfaction getting the CM Storm boards.

[placebo guy]

PM sent.

[Mugen]

I have both CM Storm and a Filco, quality is very much similar, if you would have removed the branding from the boards (and give them the same caps) most people wont know which is which.
I really like my CM Storm, I am not sure what the resell value would be but the keyboard is great. also, for me there is a lot of value in the fact that it has a detachable cable, i use multiple keyboard that use the same connector so i can just switch without having to unplug them from the computer.
Cheers,

[Phil21]

I also own both.

They are identical in build quality.  The branding on the Storm is horrible, but not that bad if you plan on replacing the keycaps.

However, I really do not like the "rubberized" coating on the Storm at all.  For lack of a better way to describe it, I'd have to say typing feels less "crisp" than on the Filco's I've used.  Some co-workers of mine though, love the rubberized feel.  To each their own!

Other than that, they are pretty much identical boards and as Mugen said - you'd not be able to tell the difference if the keycaps and case coatings were the same.

[sawedust]

I have both CM Storm and a Filco, quality is very much similar, if you would have removed the branding from the boards (and give them the same caps) most people wont know which is which.
I really like my CM Storm, I am not sure what the resell value would be but the keyboard is great. also, for me there is a lot of value in the fact that it has a detachable cable, i use multiple keyboard that use the same connector so i can just switch without having to unplug them from the computer.
Cheers,

Hmm, you're right, I forgot about the detachable cable.  Perhaps that would let me use blues in the day for typing and work and reds for StarCraft and gaming at night?  That's a pretty good argument and something I'll definitely consider.

I also own both.

They are identical in build quality.  The branding on the Storm is horrible, but not that bad if you plan on replacing the keycaps.

However, I really do not like the "rubberized" coating on the Storm at all.  For lack of a better way to describe it, I'd have to say typing feels less "crisp" than on the Filco's I've used.  Some co-workers of mine though, love the rubberized feel.  To each their own!

Other than that, they are pretty much identical boards and as Mugen said - you'd not be able to tell the difference if the keycaps and case coatings were the same.

I do plan on using replacement caps; I'm not a fan of the font that CM used on its keyboards.

Does the rubberized coating attract a lot of dust, and would the dust tend to stick to the keyboard due to its coating?  And do you know if rubberized coating is the same as the rubber they use on their CM Storm Spawn mouse?  Nothing that a few shots of compressed air can't solve?

Thanks again for the help everyone, I really appreciate it.

[Phil21]

I do plan on using replacement caps; I'm not a fan of the font that CM used on its keyboards.

Does the rubberized coating attract a lot of dust, and would the dust tend to stick to the keyboard due to its coating?  And do you know if rubberized coating is the same as the rubber they use on their CM Storm Spawn mouse?  Nothing that a few shots of compressed air can't solve?

Thanks again for the help everyone, I really appreciate it.

I'm honestly not sure if it's the same coating as the mouse, as I don't have one.  However I would definitely describe as similar feeling to some other mice I've used (e.g. the thumb area on a Steelseries Sensei).

It doesn't attract any more dust than usual that I can tell, compressed air will do just fine!