Hello guys & gals!I'm new to the world of mechanical keyboards. I got my very first one on April 5
th. I've been breaking it in quite a bit, getting used to the feel and the functions, and I have to say that I wish I would have adopted a mechanical keyboard long ago! I now see what all the fuss is about, and why so many people are willing to pay so much for something which you can get a perfectly acceptable alternative to for $5, or even score a hand-me-down for free.
It was a very tough decision for me, one which required tons and tons of research before making my selection. In my area there are no local stores that would have different kinds and types of mechanical keyboards out on display so that I could go in and actually get my hands on them to try them out. There are a couple small "boutique" computer shops, but even they only had things like old buckling springs and IBM Model M's from the 80's, just for nostalgia's sake.
So I was forced to go to the 'net for research. With keyboards being such a (literally) hands-on piece of kit, reading reviews and watching YouTube videos can really only get you so far. But, nevertheless, in the end i went with a
Cooler Master CM Storm Quickfire Pro with
Cherry MX Brown switches. I think I made the right choice going with the brown's, they aren't too loud, and provide a nice mix of comfort and feel both in typing and gaming. It also didn't hurt that Newegg had this particular keyboard on sale for $80, with a $25 mail-in rebate, bringing my out-of-pocket cost down to $55. (Am I frugal? Sure. Am I a cheap bastard? .... Yes
)
I started looking into getting some replacement keycaps, and maybe personalizing it a little bit. Upon further investigation I've found out that the CM Storm Quickfire Pro doesn't have a normal, or "standard" layout. The Row 1 layout is a bit different to most, I think. According to
this Keycap Compatibility page @ WASD Keyboards, I
think the R1 layout on the QuickFire Pro is:
Please correct me if I'm mistaken.
I figured this forum would be the perfect place to find out if anyone has experience with customizing this particular keyboard? What are some good, reputable sites that sell replacement keycaps? Maybe a good eBay seller to look out for, any info on this would be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance for any info y'all could pass my way. I'm sure the majority of you have much, much more experience with this than I. I'm looking forward to using the forums here at GeekHack and interacting with the enthusiast crowd. I love learning about new things, particularly new technology. And while mechanical keyboards aren't exactly "new" technology, they are certainly new to me. Thanks! Hope to talk with some of you soon!
(A bit off topic here, but as a little side-note:
Heartbleed ("dun dun-dunnnnn") ... wow... just...
wow. I can't remember the last time such a major and wide-spread vulnerability has become exposed. And it's been in the wild for years... incredible. Take care with this one guys & gals. Make sure the sites and services you use are patching their servers and replacing their SSL certificates. It doesn't make sense to change your password on these sites until they patch out the bug, but after they have, make sure to change your passwords,
very important!
Mashable has put together a decent list of some of the "bigger" websites and their affected/unaffected and patched/not-patched status
here, as well as quoted responses from the companies regarding the incident.)
