Hello all. A few months ago I bought my first mechanical keyboard. It was more of a huge impulse buy, and after using the magic of Google to research mechanical keyboards after the fact, I promptly bought another keyboard and returned the first one. I would repeat that process a few times until I settled on a keyboard. Oops.
Anyway, fast forward a bit more. I tumbled face first into this magical world of switches and keycaps. Unfortunately, my wallet tumbled with me face down and I seemed to have lost some change along the way, but I have no regrets so far. I've really enjoyed the journey thus far and look forward to continuing.
For those interested, here's my keyboard adventure so far in list format...because I want to share my experiences.
- Corsair K70 Red LED Blue Switches (RETURNED) - I was initially at my local electronics storeI'm a vain PoS. Returned because the red LEDs weren't quite sitting well with me. After this, I would search endlessly for a Blue Switch RGB board, but Corsair discontinued them long before my search began.
- Azio MGK1 RGB (RETURNED) - BLUE SWITCHES WITH RGB!...Unfortunately the size of the plate ended up bothering me after using the Corsair. I like my big boards contrary to most people I've seen here. Additionally, the keys were very, very noisy. Not just because of Blue switches, but because every time I typed, it sounded like the constant clinking of two aluminum cans against each other (Which makes sense because aluminum plate). I noticed the sound on the K70 as well, but it was a lot more apparent with this board.
- Corsair K70 RGB LED Brown Switches (RETURNED) - I give up. My RGB Cherry MX Blue dreams are ded. Time to settle for Browns. I thought they were alright and got used to them. This was my daily driver for a little. And then Corsair's Refurbished Sale happened.
- Corsair K70 RGB LED Blue Switches (RETURNED) - I FOUND IT. I BOUGHT IT QUICK. For IIRC ~$82 excluding shipping, I was a happy person. It was even cheaper than the Azio. Unfortunately, one of the glaring problems with this board that garnered it many complaints (I believe because Cherry MX Blue Switches and RGB LEDs in general are not on buddy-buddy terms heehee) was the rampant "non-clickiness" of random blue switches. I was not lucky and got a board with that issue. I requested a Corsair RMA, but unfortunately they didn't have the model in-stock. They offered me the option to take a refund, so I did.
- Corsair K95 RGB LED Brown Switches (Not on my desk) - Also on sale as part of Corsair's Refurbished Sale. Grabbed this for either ~$87/89 idr excluding shipping. Well, not going to lie, I'm a sucker for good deals. I didn't need the last K70 mentioned + this board, but I'm one of those people who sees an INSANE deal and buys it anyway because...well...it was cheap. ;___; Currently, it's being used by my sister because I got this next keyboard:
- Ducky Shine 5 RGB Blue Switches (Daily Driver @ Home) - My RGB Blue switch dream has come true. Currently what I'm using on my desk. I absolutely adore it. Feels sturdy, looks great, types great. I have no complaints.
- Topre Realforce Black 87U 55G (Daily Driver @ Work) - Got this in the mail a week ago. I read about all the Topre goodness and I wanted to try it. I also read that a switch tester wouldn't necessarily give the true Topre experience, so might as well jump and get an entire keyboard. Worst that could happen would be that I would have to resell it if I didn't like it. I won't lie, it's...different. I don't hate it, but my hands do need some adjustment time. Pretty much used exclusively for work because I don't want to get click-clack-killed with something super noisy.
I've also bought a switch tester somewhere in the middle of all that chaos. I have the switch tester on my desk and it makes me happy.
From the list, you can see, I have had a penchant for RGB LEDs so far, but there's also something appealing about keyboards that don't have bells and whistles. Based on that feeling, future keyboards I want to try eventually: KUL ES-87 Cherry MX Clears, KB Paradise TKL Matias Quiet Click, Keyboard with Gateron Clears even though I'll probably regret this because of how easy it is to press down.
But it's just so soft. That about sums up my journey so far. It's far from over because I have a few more keyboards coming in that I'm looking forward to in the next few months. I've definitely learned a lot on my own since I first impulse bought that Corsair K70, but I still have a lot more to learn. Especially since I'm also wanting to get into learning how to put my own keyboards together down the road and a quick glance at all the resources shows that this is a good place to start.
...I've also recently discovered the sub-world of Artisans and...well...at least I don't like all of them.
help.Anyway, hello once again. I probably won't post quite often as I am an introvert most of the time (Except the times when I tend to blabber - see above), but I hope to participate every now and then. Thanks for having me.