The CODE is probably your best choice if you really wants greens and backlighting.
I do want the MX Greens or something similar (someone suggested Clears). I already have a couple of MX Blues and Reds, but I prefer the stiffer action of the buckling springs, so I'm looking for something similar.
My two main keyboards right now are a non-glyphed Unicomp and a Das Ultimate, I just thought it might look nice to have one with glyphs for a change. And if I'm going to have glyphs, I'd like to see them in the dark, you know?
Firstly, DON'T buy the Corsair! The non-standard bottom row layout means you can't get replacement keycaps which will fit AND the media keys are rubber dome. IMO, changing keycaps is a big benefit of owning a Cherry MX board.
The CODE is probably your best choice if you really wants greens and backlighting.
+1. The CODE is the only one that is full sized, has backlighting, comes with Greens, has media keys and is remappable (although it's limited). The steel plate is actually at the front of the board and the switches mount to it, so it feels really solid. The Corsair will probably flex more than the CODE.
May I ask, why full sized? If you are willing to go smaller, there are more options. I can't think of ANY full sized aluminium cases, but plenty of TKL size and smaller. Also, a smaller board improves ergonomics by allowing the mouse to be closer to the typing area of the board, so the hands can be closer together when using both and more central when typing. Have you tried Clears or does it have to be Greens?
I unfortunately already own the Corsair (I updated the original post to reduce confusion). I've considered dismantling it and replacing all the MX Red keyswitches with Greens and jury rigging the rubber domes with keyswitches as well, but that would be a huge pain. I'm really unhappy with the false advertising of the Corsair but I do love the look and feel of the solid metal backplate with protruding keys. It also
feels super solid.
The CODE is looking like my leading option right now, yeah. It hits most of the usability bullet points and doesn't require soldering.
Hmm, you know I think I could consider Clears. I'm fairly fond of the Blues but I was looking for something closer to the buckling springs in my Unicomp. The larger tactile bump seems like it might make up for the lack of the "clicky" secondary slider. I'd be willing to try it out.
I'm looking for a 100% because, well, I use all the keys on my keyboard. I use the tenkey pretty often for instance, as well as the navigation keys. However, if I get a CODE I'll have plenty left over for a second smaller keyboard. I travel a lot and a smaller keyboard probably wouldn't hurt to keep with me, and I'm willing to try out the ergonomic benefits. My desk is covered in various devices, maybe a few more square inches of space would be nice?
I build my GON TKL with an acrylic case for under 300. Plus 100 for nice keycaps, it cost me about 400 total. I think it would fit within your budget, provided you have access to soldering supplies?
I haven't owned any soldering supplies in over a decade, if I pick any up I'm afraid I'm going to end up with more projects, and I already have plenty to work on already
Wait a minute.. I just realized I *might* have just pulled an ancient (1970s?) soldering gun out of a storage unit. Still, not looking forward to getting into that right now though.
Get the Duck Viper, Lightsaver, or something along those lines and build it with Greens if you're willing to drop up tp $600. The keyboard and switches should be $300-350 and caps shouldn't be more than $150. Many, including Gon's, have abstraction layers and mappable keys which covers some of your needs.
The only reason I'd grab the Corsair is if I knew I could make money reselling it.
The Light Saver looks really great actually. Most of the other kits I've seen I had a hard time figuring out how to obtain, it was a mix of translating Korean and trying to find contact info. It doesn't give me a lot of confidence. However the Light Saver is very straight forward to order.
I'd like to avoid doing the build myself right now, unfortunately, maybe after this I'll pick up a kit. It's not like I'm going to stop buying keyboards any time soon.
