mechanical switch keyboards?

[4kyiyw4k]

hey im thinking of getting mechanical switch keyboard with cherry mx's but i am not sure which switch to pick (brown, blue or black)

 

any1 got one and can lend some advice

 

i am currently looking at the xarmor u9bl; it has mx blues - $140 inc. shipping but may be able to get $20 off from some dude with promos

 

 

the only reason im looking at that atm is due to the blue backlit; my computer is in a cave so i like the look

 

i've been looking at the das as well; it's also blue switches but no backlighting

 

[Woof]

I like the first one

[Anoobis30]

:o this 1 is hard... i like the blue one cuz you can see it in the nite. but the black one looks kool too

Gl :s

[4kyiyw4k]

:o this 1 is hard... i like the blue one cuz you can see it in the nite. but the black one looks kool too

Gl :s

yea, unfortunately there are not many backlit mechanicals out there in the market atm (like 3 different ones, razer is too glossy and Deck is ugly)

 

the das keyboard actually figures out to more than the xarmor

Edited December 13, 2010 by Delinius

[4kyiyw4k]

MX blues vs. MX browns comes down to personal preference. I'm more of a browns guy myself, but MX blues come in a close second. When it comes to gaming MX blues have a slight disadvantage due to something called hysteresis; however, in RTS gaming it won't make any difference except at the highest levels of play with consistently >200APM gamers.

 

For a description of how they feel...

 

Your Logitech's rubber domes are high force (~65g) with a tactile point near the top of their travel (at around 1mm), that need to be bottomed out to actuate (at around 3.5-4mm) and tend to feel mushy and imprecise after the first hundred hours of use.

 

MX browns are low force (~45g) with a subtler tactile bump starting just before halfway through their travel (at around 1.75-2.5mm) and actuate halfway through (at 2mm). The feel is very precise and consistent, though they can feel a little stiff for the first hundred hours. The tactile bump starting just before actuation lets you "hover" above the actuation point, so that the distance your fingers have to travel is reduced from 2mm to just .25-.5mm. This is why I think they make a better gaming switch than MX blacks. However, with the plate mounted MX browns most makers aside from Cherry Corp themselves use, bottoming out will be a bit harsh and clacky, and it's difficult to avoid bottoming out on MX browns, though with a week or two of use bottoming out will be much softer due to practice.

 

MX blues will be very difficult to describe without you having tried them. MX browns are easy enough to describe, because they feel like a vastly improved rubber dome; MX blues are categorically different. I suggest heading to your nearest Best Buy and seeing if they have a Razer BlackWidow in stock. The BW has a cutout in the packaging that lets you feel the key actuation. Try that out; try normal typing movements, rapid switching between keys, and rapidly pressing the same key repeatedly. A minute or two of experimenting should give you a good idea for how the MX blues feel and if they'll work for your or not.

 

 

 

I hope this is helpful. :)

[Guest Evan]

I have the back lighting on my laptop turned off. It was cool for like the first week, then I got bored of it. Go for whichever one feels better, not how it looks. Not like you're going to go show off your keyboard.

[l Kreiger l]

Backlights are very helpful cause you don't need a light on in the room to see what your doing.

[Christy]

no clue but i like the first one better but i think it would annoy me eventually

[4kyiyw4k]

bought the U9BL, got the $25 promo code no hassle. TYVM Phaedrus.

[Addy-Zach]

its a keyboard.............................................

[4kyiyw4k]

its a keyboard.............................................

[Taco]

Don't know much about the different brands of keyboards, but I like the first one better than the second if that helps.

[claudia]

would prob get annoying after, but the blue one

[Numbers`]

Get some sunlight man

[Aceman]

Knowing you I doubt you need to see the keys.