Ducky One TKL -vs- Input Club K Type -vs- Glorious PC TKL

[dream3]

Guys, need some hard core advice here.

At first, my primary reason to go after the Input Club K Type and the Glorious PC gaming mechanical key was because of their removable switches.

However, I've then noticed the Ducky One TKL is even more expensive than the full-fledged Glorious PC keyboard. That got me thinking that maybe there was a practical reason for the price difference and that the Ducky could be better in some way. Build quality perhaps?

If that is the case, I would then think about letting go of the removable switches and stick to the Ducky

If not and the Ducky is more expensive simply due to the brand, should I go with the Input Club K Type or wait for the Glorious PC TKL to become available later this year?

[merlin64]

If this is your first mechanical keyboard, then I would go for the removable switch option as it will allow you to play around with different switches as you inevitably want another keyboard.

However, if it were me I'd pick the Ducky or the Input Club Keyboard...assuming I had money.

[dream3]

I already know for sure I'm going with the browns, having removable switches would just be for peace of mind knowing I can clean and replace them myself without any soldering.

Why would you say Ducky is better than the Glorious PC for instance?

[SpecTP]

I think the Glorious Keyboard is probably the one for you if you can wait for a TKL version. Or there is also the XMIT hall-effect keyboard too 

[TheNamesTy45]

I'd wait for the K Type because it just looks glorious, it's fully programmable, and it'd be hard to find later on down the road. The Ducky One TKL comes up fairly often (I'm typing this on one now), and it's a great board, but I just couldn't say no to the K-Type.

[dream3]

In terms of build quality the K-Type would not lose anything at all to the Ducky One, I imagine?

And between the K-Type and Glorious PC, K-Type is still the "clear" winner?

[merlin64]

Ducky and Input Club are generally better brands than Glorious. You'll see it in the build quality and longevity of the keyboards.

[dante]

Between the K-Type and Glorious TKL there is no clear winner because neither exist.

Cherry/clone switches suck (ie: don't last); stick with a hot swap board to replace when they (will) fail.

[dream3]

So I should wait for the K-type instead of going with the Ducky One now, correct?

[TheNamesTy45]

So I should wait for the K-type instead of going with the Ducky One now, correct?

Totally depends. If you're looking for something more in the timeframe of immediate, definitely go with the Ducky. If you're willing to wait and maybe shell out a little more cash, go with the K Type.

That's just my personal take on it.

[Puddsy]

So I should wait for the K-type instead of going with the Ducky One now, correct?

I really like Ducky's keyboards, and the ONE is great.

Do whatever you feel is the most sensible thing, though.

[digi]

So I should wait for the K-type instead of going with the Ducky One now, correct?

I really like Ducky's keyboards, and the ONE is great.

Do whatever you feel is the most sensible thing, though.

I agree... for the price, they're pretty hard to beat.

[Puddsy]

So I should wait for the K-type instead of going with the Ducky One now, correct?

I really like Ducky's keyboards, and the ONE is great.

Do whatever you feel is the most sensible thing, though.

I agree... for the price, they're pretty hard to beat.

Especially used. A shine 3 is like $75 and very functional.

[robbles]

I've bought Ducky One's for two different friends (Cherry Brown, Cherry Blue) who were curious about mechanical keyboards and they were both instantly converted. They seem reliable (one is going on 2 years with no issues) and the look is classic. All I can really say is that the stabilizers rattle, but welcome to the world of stock mechanical keyboards 

[dream3]

Thanks guys.

My only worry is that the K-Type, which has the removable switches I want, would be somehow inferior to the Ducky. I know it's not even released yet but I'm no expert. If that was the case, then I'd buy the Ducky One right now.

I'm going to wait a bit and see if the K-Type really happens. If not, Ducky it is then.

[davkol]

It's simple: do you want a finished product, that you won't ever customize beyond toggling a few DIP switches and replacing keycaps, or something, that can work out of the box as well, but also can be finely tuned?

For me, the answer is the latter; in fact, I have no interest in a ducky whatsoever. Why?

• Because I don't really like modern stock MX-compatible switches. I can use them alright, but they always slightly annoy me. What I do like are vintage blacks, jailhouse blues, switches that are damped or have springs of my choice… and HaaTa's working on a new kind of tactile switch, that might turn out to be exactly what I want. This implies either soldering, or a _good_ implementation of sockets for swapping switches. There's hope, that K-Type will be done right.
• Because I want to customize the firmware far beyond swapping a few modifiers. I want custom layers, something like SpaceFN or the ability to send Unicode to the host system. K-Type allows lots of that; the firmware is open-source after all.