My friend is looking to buy a K70...

[MrexD]

And i'm trying to discourage him

I know it all comes down to preference at the end of the day but i'm sure there are facts to back it up aswell, which is all i'm interested in.

I believe the K70 uses ABS keycaps which are the less admirable ones?

What other specs could be used to count against it?
aswell as alternatives that would be better to replace it?

I have suggested the quickfire for the customisation and comfortable layout.
He doesn't need macro keys.

He is interested to see what you guys reply, so, fire away

Thanks!

[gnubag]

if he wants one let him buy one, there is nothing really to say against it if he has the money.

[CPTBadAss]

Isn't this the board where some of the keys are rubberdomes?

[tricheboars]

corsair is a red flag for me since they use to sell 'mechanical keyboards' with some rubber dome switches. this is unacceptable to me and any company that is willing to do this to save money probably cuts cost in QA and other departments.  i say probably because i dont know for sure nor do i care to. i would never buy corsair/razer/steelseries etc.

corsair is another Razer like mech manufacture.  i find their boards ugly and full of unnecessary flair.  some also have nonstandard key layouts and this makes finding custom caps for them really hard. 

i like a simple retro style to my input devices so... opinion. all of this is opinion.

you need to find a corsair owner here on this site who has some grievances.

edit: cptbadass i believe the k65 was the notorious rubber dome mech board.

[MrexD]

aye, i agree

It all comes down to preference. The people that say "i'm looking to buy x. but i can't decide between x and y." They will still buy x because that's what they want. Everyone does it. I dit it

Thanks for the input though, guys he's enjoying reading them atleast.

[CPTBadAss]

Hm ok. For that price range/full size layout, I'd rather get a Filco.

If he likes that style of case where top of the case is the plate, I'd shell out the extra money for a GON case.

[khaangaaroo]

So does the k70 still have rubber domes in some of the keys or no?

I'm sure all companies look to cut costs somewhere. They are in business to make a profit after all. Maybe they don't put rubber domes in their keyboards, but maybe they lay off employees or have less tech support instead. I wouldn't hold the k60 against them if they listened to users addressed the issues when designing in the k70. I remember there being a firmware issue with stuck/repeating keys that hopefully they fixed.

The k70 looks like it has a standard layout except for the bottom row modifiers and space bar. A lot better than the steelseries fat enter layout. But I would will prefer a QFR for full key cap customization. But in terms of comfort/ease of use, there's nothing weird about the k70 layout.

I personally don't think the k70 has that much flair. The design matches well with apple devices. I also like the multimedia keys. The volume wheel really nice IMO.

[Moosecraft]

Isn't this the board where some of the keys are rubberdomes?

That's the K60, I think the K70 is all mechanical.

[BrokenGame]

I have a K60 to sell, if your friend want it. Though, I recommend something of higher quality  .

[Grim Fandango]

There were 2 main problems with the Corsair keyboards
-Firmware was a mess. They addressed this though. I think this also caused the "repeating key" issue.
-Their MMO/RTS keyboard was only partly mechanical.

Other than that people here generally dislike the look (flashy "GAMER!" style) though that is subjective. I think the prices on them are fair and I have not seen or heard complaints about basic build quality. If he thinks they look good and he will make use of the features that they offer, then why not. Would not be my choice, but I am not assuming everyone has the same aesthetic preferences and will use their keyboard in exactly the same way as me.

[loiphin]

I have a K95, which is a K70 with some extra keys. Nothing wrong with the build quality as far as I can see. All mechanical Cherry MX Reds. I think the design (of the K95 at least) is really nice. Simple black alu anodized plate with white backlighting. And the thumb roller for the volume is cool too.

Comparing it with a number of other keyboards that I own, I think its pretty decent.

I would say go for it.

[Jack Karneval]

Just to reiterate what some of you have said for the OP, the K70 is in fact all mechanical, an issue they fixed over complaints from the K60 as they did with all the new iterations of their mechanical keyboard series.

Personally, I absolutely love the design of these Corsair keyboards because it's incredibly unique and beautiful, and would consider one myself if they offered them with more switch choices!

[shadowness]

AFAIK all their new line of keyboards now are fully mechanical keys because they got a lot of feedback... k70, k65, and k95.

k65 is their Tenkeyless one...


the one that is still non mechanical one is the k50 raptor line...

[DuckNorris]

Don't buy it! I bought one tried it out, returned it next day.

The space bar is small , the keys are like smaller at the top and the keyboard is very uncomfortable to type on because of this. I was making a ton of mistakes which had never happened with other keyboards.

[Jack Karneval]

Don't buy it! I bought one tried it out, returned it next day.

The space bar is small , the keys are like smaller at the top and the keyboard is very uncomfortable to type on because of this. I was making a ton of mistakes which had never happened with other keyboards.

My friend, if you think that space bar is small.... then you wouldn't like the Pure Pro I just bought  ) But in all honesty, I wouldn't tell the guy not to buy it just because you specifically found the keyboard uncomfortable to use. I mean, if the board was broken when you got it sure.

[DuckNorris]

Don't buy it! I bought one tried it out, returned it next day.

The space bar is small , the keys are like smaller at the top and the keyboard is very uncomfortable to type on because of this. I was making a ton of mistakes which had never happened with other keyboards.

My friend, if you think that space bar is small.... then you wouldn't like the Pure Pro I just bought  ) But in all honesty, I wouldn't tell the guy not to buy it just because you specifically found the keyboard uncomfortable to use. I mean, if the board was broken when you got it sure.

I mean compared to other keyboards it is less finger space on the keys, they are like trimmed at the top. I tried so hard to love it but couldn't. The keys felt sort of cheap, and it is not even the reds either. I have used so many different keyboards before but that one just didn't make it for me. Of course, I mean he probably would like it, but there are so many better options.

[knotra]

I had the K90 and i absolutely hated it. used it for about a day then sold it on eBay. worst keyboard i have ever owned. worse than the blackwidow o.o

[rowdy]

I had the K90 and i absolutely hated it. used it for about a day then sold it on eBay. worst keyboard i have ever owned. worse than the blackwidow o.o

That is saying something

[BliTzKiN]

I had the K90 and i absolutely hated it. used it for about a day then sold it on eBay. worst keyboard i have ever owned. worse than the blackwidow o.o

Thats huge...

[jabar]

if he wants one let him buy one, there is nothing really to say against it if he has the money.

a post less helpful than not posting at all

expensive compared to the myriad of cheaper yet approved options out there (Keycool, Ducky Zero, Cooler Master). If macro keys are required, the Cooler Master Trigger would be a better option.

[meiosis]

The Corsair Mechanical Series are such low build quality and flimsy, and I'm a Corsair computer fan D:

[HongKongFui]

I know a couple of mecha- fans in a german forum who bought the K70 and each and everyone of them is very happy with it.

[Photekq]

There's nothing wrong with Corsair's keyboards. Then again there isn't anything very good about them either.

[nubbinator]

There's nothing wrong with Corsair's keyboards. Then again there isn't anything very good about them either.

That pretty much sums up how I feel about all Corsair products of late.  You pay more for the name, not for higher quality.  And avoid anything with Link.

[Moosecraft]

I find their new series very nice looking however I would not buy them.

[Thimplum]

On Corsair's website it says that you will be able to get them with Brown, Red, and Blue switches. I've never used the K70, but I can tell you that Corsair's PSUs are very high quality IME.

[findingthelimit]

Hm ok. For that price range/full size layout, I'd rather get a Filco.

If he likes that style of case where top of the case is the plate, I'd shell out the extra money for a GON case.

can you elaborate? i was just looking around to see those styled of plated keyboards! what's a GON case?

(sorry for threadjacking)

[n0rvig]

Corsair keyboards are really good quality. I bought a K60, the infamous one with the rubberdomes on the function keys. I liked it. I've since sold it to a friend. He's happy too.

Corsair has steadily improved their products. Their newer keyboards are 100% mechanical. They've also added tenkeyless designs, and a black colour. I respect all this because it shows that they are listening to the market and us.

You're doing fine as long as you guide your friend away from Razer and keep him on the path to Cherry happiness. Obviously the CoolerMaster QFR Stealth is the budget starter keyboard to beat here.

[MKULTRA]

Their keyboards may not be good.  But their cases are beautiful.  Great PSU's and RAM too.

[Thimplum]

Their keyboards may not be good.  But their cases are beautiful.  Great PSU's and RAM too.

Very true...

[TimIsABat]

The best you can do is suggest a higher quality board that he would benefit more from at the same price. Some people don't like MX Reds so he really should test out the board at a microcenter or something before buying...

I love reds, but I enjoy my 60% more than a really off-center weird board with Macro keys that aren't really too helpful IMO...Been gaming for a long time and never saw the point of having to use Macrokeys for anything (even in MMORPGs).

Or just tell him to save money and get a QFR or a QF TK or XT...

A good friend will save another friend from wasting money...

[C5Allroad]

I'm on a K90 and I'm happy with it minus the rubber dome function keys. However the sticky key with the firmware was annoying, now I'm looking at the Ducky Shine 3 or Nighthawk X8. I'm trying not to buy another corsair. But their new K70 with browns look very nice, makes me want it..... I like my media keys..