Cherry Blacks Preferred, Which Board?

[dbdynsty25]

So...I've been on the mechanical keyboard carosel for the past two weeks now and I just can't find the perfect mechanical keyboard.  I've been through quite a few different switches and I think I've decided that the Cherry Blacks are the switch of choice.  However, I can't decide which board to invest in.  Here's what I've tried so far:

Mionix Zibal 60 (cherry black)
Monoprice Backlit which is a rebranded Qpad MK-85 (cherry red)
CM Quickfire Pro (cherry brown)
Razer Black Widow Ultimate (cherry blue)

So as you can see, I've tried all of the switches and I definitely prefer red or black switches, with the preference of the blacks.  So, that leads me to my real question.  What's the best basic cherry black board.  These are the ones I'm looking at currently:

Filco Majestouch-2 $150
Leopold Linear Force $100
Ducky 9008G2 $130

I hear great things about the Filco's but I'm not sure if that greatest warrants a 50 dollar premium over the Leopold.  And another 20 over the Ducky.

Any thoughts on those specific boards?

Also, I've had some issues with my Monoprice backlit board and my MacBook Air.  I've read some comments about some mechanicals having issues with MacBooks...and was wondering if this is an issue with any of the above boards.  Any info on that?

Thanks for a great forum...first post!

[dorkvader]

HI! Welcome to geekhack!

I don't like cherry blacks that much. Anything that hard to press needs a tactile bump. That said, dye to my WYSE affliction, I own some cherry black boards. Really I'd say your bestbet is to grab a WYSE PCE from ebay. The one I got was something like $20 shipped, working, and was in excellent shape. Doubleshot keycaps, even.

Mostly the mechanical keyboards that have issues with Apple are when they try to get NKRO working over USB (like on the noppoo choc mini). There are a variety of techniques to do this, and apparently, some don't play well with exclusive apple. It's not really a funciton of mechanical keyboards in general. For example, if you soldered a generic RD keyboard controller to a mechanical keyboard, it'd work the same (though you might end up with some de-bouncing issues).

I don't have any experience with those boards, but I recommend the CMstorm QF rapid. It's a tenkeyless keyboard, and very high quality for the price.

Now I notice that you have quite the variety of keyboards there. Perhaps you would be better served narrowing down the features you want.
TKL vs. standard
Backlighting
etc.

If you want a smaller keyboard with backlighting, you could get the TG3 BL82 (or a deck). They generally show up relatively cheaply, and are reported to be of excellent quality, especially the keycaps.

Finally: From what I see of the 'boards you've tried, I don't think any have been OEM's by costar. If this is the case, you might want to try a costar-made 'board.

Lots of people will say the filco is the best, but Looking at the internals, the CMstorm QF Rapid is almost identical, even down to the removable controller chip.

[dbdynsty25]

I appreciate the response.  A couple things:

The thing I'm worried most about is the Apple thing.  It's not a big deal on my home gaming pc where I'm using my Mionix Zibal 60 w/ the blacks...this is mainly for my work computer where I do a lot of switching between my work PC and my MacBook on my KVM switch.  I noticed that when I brought my Monoprice Cherry Red backlit board there (yes NKRO over usb) when I switched to my Macbook a few times I got a shutdown message where I had to restart the computer.  I presume this is the issue most people are having.  So I guess I need to just find a board that does 6 keystrokes or something over USB and you need PS2 for full NKRO.  It's not a big deal at work because I don't do any gaming...I was wondering what the issue was and I guess that's what it is.  Thanks for that info.

As for the rest...I really want a cherry black board for work.  I like typing on my Zibal 60, but it's a little flashy for work.  I suppose I could just get another but I don't need all the backlighting and stuff like that for work...but I do want the best board I can get for <$150ish.  That's pretty much why I narrowed it down to the three boards I mentioned above.  Work is paying for it so I can't go the ebay route...I need to be able to charge it to my corporate card and I can't do that via ebay.    So new it is!

The main reason I like the blacks is because I don't bottom them out nearly as much as I do on my cherry red board.  Yes, I'm sure with experience and more typing on the red I could get used to it, but again, it doesn't work with my mac so I gotta return that board shortly anyway.  It's worthless to me if it crashes my computer.  

I tried a CM board and I wasn't impressed with the build quality. I know the Mionix board isn't that popular yet since it's still fairly new, but it's built like a tank and it just feels like it's quality.  If you say I should give a costar board a try...can you give me some brands that use their boards?  Are Filcos included in that?  

My main priorities are standard layout (I do a lot of number input at work), cherry black, no backlighting necessary.  That's pretty much how I came up with the three options I listed above.  I guess my main criteria is a solid build quality without much key wiggle and just a solid overall feel.  Like my Mionix...

I keep saying "like my mionix" and I'm starting to notice something...maybe I should just get another one of those...however, it does full NKRO over USB as well, and I guess I should see if it errors out my Macbook as well.  Hmmm.  Edit:  now that I look at the box again, it just says 6 key rollover, so I may be okay with the Mionix at work.  Guess I'm going to experiment tomorrow!

Again, thanks for the lengthy response...it got me thinking about a lot of other things.

[kaiserreich]

You should get boards with vintage blacks, old cherries for PCB mounted, WYSE for plate mounted.
For cherry blacks, the WYSE is very nice to type on.

[hamza_tm]

You tried the wrong CM board.

The Quickfire Rapid TKL board is the one with the Filco quality - I highly recommend getting it with blacks. But it does seem you are going for full size as opposed to TKL keyboards so.. Leopold seems to be another good Filco alternative.

[dbdynsty25]

I suppose I could always go with a tkl board as long as it doesn't try to do full nkro over usb.  From what I can tell, the Filcos don't, so I may give their TKL Majestouch a try.  I'd always like to have more room on my desk, so maybe it's not a bad idea.  I've got a lot of rewards points on amazon so I can get it under 100 bucks.  Plus with their great return policy it's probably worth a try.  We'll see how it goes I guess.  If I really miss the keypad, I can always just swap em out.    Thanks for everyone's input.

I do have the Mionix at work today at it does the 6 key rolloever over usb, so far so good with the macbook...no errors yet.  So we'll see if that continues.

[Internetlad]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wyse-Technology-Enhanced-PC-901861-26-Wired-Keyboard-NEW-90186126-/261027778491?pt=PCA_Mice_Trackballs&hash=item3cc677cfbb

Is that the type of thing he'd be looking for? as far as I can tell they have blacks. Would need a converter for the PS2 though.

[IvanIvanovich]

No, none of the Wyse that have winkeys are mechanical (as far as I have seen). There are only a couple model that are usable on PC with ps/2 and they are much harder to find. Terminal version is cheap and easy to find, and from what I can tell not that difficult to mod to work on modern pc, there was a very thorough guide around someplace.

If you want something basic and cheap OP, perhaps a Cherry G80-11900 would be a reasonable choice, they are on ebay quite often for under $30.

[dbdynsty25]

Yeah the wyse keyboards...while cool and old school looking, are way too big for my desk.  To much space around the keyboard...I need basic and as small as possible.  I ordered a tenkeyless majestouch2...so we'll see how that goes when I get it tomorrow.

[dbdynsty25]

Finally: From what I see of the 'boards you've tried, I don't think any have been OEM's by costar. If this is the case, you might want to try a costar-made 'board.

After doing a little research, (http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?30709-What-OEM-makes-WASD-keyboards/page2) it appears my Mionix Zibal 60 is a costar made board...and coincidentally it's my favorite of all the boards I've tried so far.  Hopefully the Filco I purchased earlier today is costar as well (I believe it is), so I should be golden.  

Thanks again.

[dbdynsty25]

So I received my Ducky 9008g and my filco ten keyless and I'm not really happy with either 100%. Clearly I'm just too picky.

The ducky feels much better to me because of the texture on the keys and it just sounds quite a bit quieter. However...the left shift key and the space bar both require a bit more pressure than the rest of the keys. Now...being two frequently used keys its really disorienting when you have to press them. Especially the space bar. Hopefully with continued use they will loosen up but I'm doubting it.

The filco on the other hand feels extremely solid but it is really loud. All of the keys are a lot looser so just running your hands down the keyboard is loud. Seems to be too much play in each and every key. Which brings me to the main issue. If you press any of the bigger stabilized keys you get a rattle on one side. The right side of the space bar and the right side of the left shift key. You know. The exact locations you press each time. So yeah. Not happy for 130 bucks.

So now I'm at a loss. Still the Mionix board is the best all around...yet the keys are just a bit stiffer than both of my other cherry black keys. I'm so confused. I really hope the ducky keys loosen up because the fit and finish of that board is definitely the best of the ones I've tried.

[dbdynsty25]

After watching a few Youtube videos about the Ducky Shine, I've noticed that a few of the reviewers say that the spacebar and the shift keys tend to be a little mushy...which is essentially what I'm seeing as well.  Is this just a Ducky thing?  Can't seem to find any other info out there on the web.  Hmmm.

[IvanIvanovich]

Both of the main complaints you are making about both boards are regarding the stabilizers. Congratulations for noticing the cons of each type immediately. All I can really tell you is pick the lesser of the evils, live with some rattle, or some different feel on the larger keys. I prefer Cherry stabilizers (the 'mushy' ones), you can remove the keycap and pop the wire in and out of the clips a few times. This can loosen it up a bit, dosen't hurt to put a little silicon grease on it either. Doing so can help break it in faster and feel less resistant.

[dbdynsty25]

Both of the main complaints you are making about both boards are regarding the stabilizers. Congratulations for noticing the cons of each type immediately. All I can really tell you is pick the lesser of the evils, live with some rattle, or some different feel on the larger keys. I prefer Cherry stabilizers (the 'mushy' ones), you can remove the keycap and pop the wire in and out of the clips a few times. This can loosen it up a bit, dosen't hurt to put a little silicon grease on it either. Doing so can help break it in faster and feel less resistant.

I'm not sure if it's a good thing that I noticed that "bad" part about a board so quickly...tho I suppose it's good from a return policy perspective.  I'll try to pop off the keys...and see if I can free them up a bit on the Ducky.  I much prefer the rest of the keys on the Ducky to the Filco, which probably isn't the norm around here from all the Filco posts I see.  I still keep coming back to the costar made Mionix...it just seems the most solid all around.  My complaints about that board are mainly the horrendous backlight color and the overall chunky nature of the board...but from a typing and usability perspective, it's damn nice.  I was really hoping to find a tenkeyless something or other to use at work where my desk space is severely limited, but I can squeeze a full sizer on there if need be.  

I'm just shocked at how bad the space bar rattles on the Filco, even if i just lightly touch it, so it makes for a really loud typing experience...for a 130 dollar board I was expecting it to at least be solid.  Very disappointing really.  The rest of the keys are nice and I definitely could get used to and love them, but the spacebar is just embarrassing.  The muted appearance of the Filco is definitely a plus for a work environment, so at least it has that going for it.  I will bring it to the office tomorrow and see how the keyboard sounds there because as everyone knows, keys will sound different based on the environment, so maybe it's just my home office that's the problem!

Thanks for the tips...if I can finally decide on a board, I'll definitely take it apart and see what i can find.  Don't want to do that too much when I'm still within the return period...don't want to break it.  

[win]

The main reason I like the blacks is because I don't bottom them out nearly as much as I do on my cherry red board.

Man, I apologize that one reply into your thread, and the anti-Cherry MX Black circlejerk started. You do not and should need to defend the switch you enjoy typing on, man. That sort of unsolicited commentary is just not cool. I'm Cherry Black and proud too by the way. I just like heavier switches, buckling springs, old ALPS, MX Blacks (haven't tried Clears yet, but I'm looking forward to), and no, my fingers do not get tired when I type on them. But that said some people just can't accept that others are different I guess.

Anyway, good luck finding a keyboard. If I were getting something new now, I'd go WASD, just because I like the look of the build. If I had a lot of money to work with I might think about a deck.

[dbdynsty25]

Man, I apologize that one reply into your thread, and the anti-Cherry MX Black circlejerk started. You do not and should need to defend the switch you enjoy typing on, man. That sort of unsolicited commentary is just not cool. I'm Cherry Black and proud too by the way. I just like heavier switches, buckling springs, old ALPS, MX Blacks (haven't tried Clears yet, but I'm looking forward to), and no, my fingers do not get tired when I type on them. But that said some people just can't accept that others are different I guess.

Anyway, good luck finding a keyboard. If I were getting something new now, I'd go WASD, just because I like the look of the build. If I had a lot of money to work with I might think about a deck.

Haha...yeah, I assumed people don't like blacks just from browsing the forum, so it's not like I'm offended or hurt by it.  It's just usual forum BS, even from moderators!  LOL.  But whatever...I'm seriously interested in a WASD board, but it is almost identical to the Mionix board I've got which are readily available and I can return it if I ultimately decide i don't like it.  Sure, I can get the WASD board customized however I want, so it's certainly an option.  But both are costars and they use the exact same mold.

I'm starting to come around on the Filco...It seems to be a bit quieter here in my work office and the size cannot be beat...so it may be the way I stay.  I'm sick of the merry go round of boards in my office, and I just need to make a decision!

Thanks for the support and Cherry Black all the way! (I'm in LA too, so it must be in the water)

[N8N]

I think you probably need to lube your stabilizets with some white lithium grease then you will be much happier...

[BucklingSpring]

Anyway, good luck finding a keyboard. If I were getting something new now, I'd go WASD, just because I like the look of the build. If I had a lot of money to work with I might think about a deck.

Wobbling keys is the one thing I can't stand on a keyboard.
+1 to Deck for wiggleless keys. I have a mx clear and a mx black Legeng. Love them both.

Main 3 complaints I've read about Deck
-Flat layout - all the keys at are the same level
-Ugly font on keys
-Big

I would be curious to compare the sound of a Deck black vs a Filco black. Bottoming the Deck is pretty loud. I seams that there isn't much dampening material attached to the metal plate.

You can't go wrong with a Filco :-)

Let us know when you get your board.