The Oracle Answers

[Icarium]

I don't have good market overview but with respect to the

...black/brown issue: Adjusting the force is usually not a problem but you have to give it a few weeks.

...the 6kro issue: I am using a 2kro board at work and I only have problems when I use something like the neo2 layout which has extra layers and then try to use visual studio shortcuts. I heavily recommend extra layers but if you're not going to use them 2kro should be fine.

[Haestok]

I tried a steelseries 6G V2 with black MX switches. My current MY3000 keyboard has much stiffer actuation. I do feel the tension of the black keys, but they're nowhere as hard as I expected they would be - from all the talk on the web.
I think I'll be happy with a black MX based board. Coming from a non-tactile keyboard, I've simply learned when a key actuates and don't need a bump or scratch to tell me. In fact, it might annoy me in the long run.

Taking another hard look at the zibal 60.

[madith]

Hi everyone !

I'm new here and I need some advice..

What would you choose ?

CM Storm Quickfire Rapid (mx red, with PS/2 interface) or CM Storm QuickFire PRO (mx red, with usb only)??


BTW.

Are cherry red good for first mech kb ? Is it good for "more gaming, less typing" person ?

I wanted browns first but i can't get any keyboard with that switch in my country. Then I was looking for smth with blues but I can get only Blackwidow - I don't like it
So I decided to choose reds.
What are you thinking about it ? Is it a good choice ?

Thx for help
madith

[Icarium]

Short version: Yes, reds are a good choice.

Slightly longer version: You can find tons of opinions on the board several of them in this thread http://deskthority.net/keyboards-f2/the ... 4-150.html
but they all agree with me except for some which are wrong.

[Halikarnas]

Hello, I want to get myself a mech keyboard. I'm looking for one that is / has:

1) MX Brown switches

2) US ANSI layout

3) Tenkeyless

4) a retailer within the EU

5) around 120 EUR

So far I've had no luck in finding one, I'd be very grateful if anyone could help.

[rodtang]

Should be able to grab a CM storm quickfire with browns on amazon.

[vun]

The Keyboard Company has tenkeyless Filcos with ANSI. For slightly above 120 EUR before shipping.

Edit: Removed the part about MX Browns, not sure if they have with browns actually.

Edit 2: They do have browns: http://www.keyboardco.com/keyboard_deta ... RODUCT=834

[Eleassus]

Oh mighty oracle, long I have pondered the question;
What keyboard should I get?

I'm a humble person, yet I have some things to fulfill;

This keyboard should be small, number pad isn't needed, and shouldn't exist on the keyboard.

The price-tag should be under 80 euros.

I'm waiting for your response, all-knowing oracle!

[luckynet]

oh dear oracle,
i preach thee, i already hav all the cherry keys, buckling spring, alps, and most recently topre totalling to 10 keyboards, what should i go for next oh dear great one.....

[TheQsanity]

Rubber domes!

[rodtang]

oh dear oracle,
i preach thee, i already hav all the cherry keys, buckling spring, alps, and most recently topre totalling to 10 keyboards, what should i go for next oh dear great one.....

Model M/F, Cherry Blue/Brown/Red/Black/Clear/Green, Topre 45g/55g. That's 10 and I didn't even get to list an alps switch so I doubt you have all Cherry, BS, ALPS and Topre switches.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

oh dear oracle,
i preach thee, i already hav all the cherry keys, buckling spring, alps, and most recently topre totalling to 10 keyboards, what should i go for next oh dear great one.....

The list is endless: http://www7.ocn.ne.jp/~hisao/jiku.htm

For example: Omron (normal style in cyan, orange, and white; flat slider; Alps-style); Mitsumi (various including their Alps clone); NMB (various designs including the soap-dispenser-top version only Mousefan has ever seen); Acer; Futaba (microswitch, leaf spring etc); Marquardt; SMK; [wiki]Oki Gourd Spring[/wiki]/[wiki]Oki Tactile Gourd Spring[/wiki]; …

I could go on forever.

[wiki]Category:List of all keyboard switches[/wiki] stupid thing. http://deskthority.net/wiki/Category:Li ... d_switches

[sealclubber]

Oh great Oracle.

If I did a bolt mod on an old IBM model M and cut some of the little half circle posts on the plastic board, how would I go about fixing them?

[Hop-Scotch]

looking for my first mechanical keyboard, any help would be great.

Used for gaming and typing.

Needed:

• Mechanical / MX Black
• Full Backlighting
• Media keys
• Full size (not 10-keyless)
• Either no wrist-rest or it must be removable

Optional but preferred:

• Under $150
• Dedicated Media Keys
• Macro keys

EDIT: I'm a newbie here, just looking for some help.

[vun]

looking for my first mechanical keyboard, any help would be great.

Used for gaming and typing.

Needed:

• Mechanical / MX Black
• Full Backlighting
• Media keys
• Full size (not 10-keyless)
• Either no wrist-rest or it must be removable

Optional but preferred:

• Under $150
• Dedicated Media Keys
• Macro keys

EDIT: I'm a newbie here, just looking for some help.

Ducky has fullsize backlit boards with no wristrest and media keys(not dedicated ones), although they're a bit more expensive than you wanted.

[Hop-Scotch]

Ducky has fullsize backlit boards with no wristrest and media keys(not dedicated ones), although they're a bit more expensive than you wanted.

Yeah, I was looking at either the Ducky Shine 2 or the Thermaltake Meka G1 Illuminated.
Any opinions about which is better?

[vun]

Ducky has fullsize backlit boards with no wristrest and media keys(not dedicated ones), although they're a bit more expensive than you wanted.

Yeah, I was looking at either the Ducky Shine 2 or the Thermaltake Meka G1 Illuminated.
Any opinions about which is better?

I can't remember anything useful about the Meka, but I would personally choose the Ducky without a shadow of a doubt. I can't really justify it though, someone who knows more about the Meka might argue that it's a better board, and they could be right, but I would personally be happier with a Ducky. Ducky also does a lot of cool and useful things, like providing PBT sets separately, and I figure showing some support for them isn't a bad thing.

[Hop-Scotch]

I can't remember anything useful about the Meka, but I would personally choose the Ducky without a shadow of a doubt. I can't really justify it though, someone who knows more about the Meka might argue that it's a better board, and they could be right, but I would personally be happier with a Ducky. Ducky also does a lot of cool and useful things, like providing PBT sets separately, and I figure showing some support for them isn't a bad thing.

Is anything known about the different lighting colors?
For example, is one color known to not appear bright or look funny?]\

EDIT: And has anyone heard anything about max Keyboards?

[vun]

I can't remember anything useful about the Meka, but I would personally choose the Ducky without a shadow of a doubt. I can't really justify it though, someone who knows more about the Meka might argue that it's a better board, and they could be right, but I would personally be happier with a Ducky. Ducky also does a lot of cool and useful things, like providing PBT sets separately, and I figure showing some support for them isn't a bad thing.

Is anything known about the different lighting colors?
For example, is one color known to not appear bright or look funny?]\

EDIT: And has anyone heard anything about max Keyboards?

I can't remember hearing anything about backlighting issues with Ducky, although you might be limited in colour choice as I believe there are different backlight colours for each switch type.

[Halverson]

I can't remember anything useful about the Meka, but I would personally choose the Ducky without a shadow of a doubt. I can't really justify it though, someone who knows more about the Meka might argue that it's a better board, and they could be right, but I would personally be happier with a Ducky. Ducky also does a lot of cool and useful things, like providing PBT sets separately, and I figure showing some support for them isn't a bad thing.

Is anything known about the different lighting colors?
For example, is one color known to not appear bright or look funny?]\

EDIT: And has anyone heard anything about max Keyboards?

I can't remember hearing anything about backlighting issues with Ducky, although you might be limited in colour choice as I believe there are different backlight colours for each switch type.

That was only for year of the dragon models. The shine 2's have every backlit available for every switch.

[Hop-Scotch]

Thanks for the help guys, gonna pick up a keyswitch sampler kit first just to make sure that I want black.

[sordna]

Oh wise Oracle who can see the future, please tell us, will the group buy for the amazing and award-winning Ergodox keyboard sell the 24 keyboards it still needs to reach the $199 price?

[fossala]

I hope not, the more people that buy from masscrap, the less chance of a real group buy happening.

[sordna]

I hope not, the more people that buy from masscrap, the less chance of a real group buy happening.

I really don't understand the negativity. Everyone who actually interacted with Massdrop, the Ergodox creators included, are really happy with them.

The only crap is coming from people who have not had any interaction with them. Why are you speaking bad about people you don't even know?

Anyway, please don't threadcrap this thread, which is about asking the Oracle for insights that are nowhere else to be found. Let's stop here, feel free to PM or use a thread that is about massdrop.

[pheo]

Hello great Oracle,
I would like to know from your deep knowledge if a cherry mx blue sound is similar to the acer black switches. And what are the difference of touch between them.
Because I like very much the sound of cherry mx blue, but I have an acer 6312-kw that I am cleaning right now and I would like to deyellow if I find the time. I dont know if they will be similar switches. Does anybody of you have a video comparison between this two switches? so I could listen both sounds in the same sound ambient.
Thanks

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Hello great Oracle,
I would like to know from your deep knowledge if a cherry mx blue sound is similar to the acer black switches. And what are the difference of touch between them.

Acer switches are more office friendly — the click is a deeper pitch and more muffled. My Acer white keyboard (6312-TW) has a very distinct but gentle and pleasant click, while my older Viglen 6312 barely clicks at all — I think the click leaves wear out (one key didn't click at all until I pressed it a few times), and it's left the board particularly muffled. Cherry MX blue switches have a much sharper and louder click, and since they're typically found in plate mount boards, the plate mounting gives bottoming out a much deeper and louder sound than bottoming out on Acer membrane switches. The result is a much louder board.

The main issue with Acer switches in my experience is that, like Alps and Alps clones, they're balky. You have to strike them quite hard to register a keypress, leading to a lot of dropped letters (Acer feels a lot like the XM switches in the Filco Zero, although not as bad). It's not that they're simply high force (like buckling spring) but that the starting force is so high. (I don't think we have a term for that yet — the force required to actually move the slider at all.)

Cherry MX blue (and brown) switches are the other extreme — very light and bordering on being too easy to press. You can start the slider moving with the lightest touch, and accelerate the switch during the travel, instead of having to strike it hard from the start.

[pheo]

Cherry MX blue (and brown) switches are the other extreme — very light and bordering on being too easy to press. You can start the slider moving with the lightest touch, and accelerate the switch during the travel, instead of having to strike it hard from the start.

Thank you very much for your response. I like this point, as I said before I never tried the blue switch, nor really the cherry mx, and I was thinking if the switch was hard to start pressing. I am glad it is soft to start pressing. Good.

[torresfelipe]

I'm looking for my first mechanical KB and would appreciate any help.

First of all, I'll use it mainly for typing, so I'm kinda decided to go w/ MX Brown. Second, I'd like a small layout, like Poker, Pure or Race.

I really liked the Pure but I'm from Brazil and I use the "~" a lot. I don't know if I could use the ESC key as a ~ and ` key. The actual key position (next to right shift) is really weird for me. I'm actually using a MX5500 KB and I'd love to keep the layout as close as this one.

I was looking for the KBT Race but read some things about uneven flexing and that worries me. Do you guys know any model that would fit my requirements under $150?

Thanks a lot!

[chimborazo]

I really liked the Pure but I'm from Brazil and I use the "~" a lot. I don't know if I could use the ESC key as a ~ and ` key. The actual key position (next to right shift) is really weird for me. I'm actually using a MX5500 KB and I'd love to keep the layout as close as this one.

you can change the layout as you wish. if you use mac for example, ukelele. if linux run xev hit the key you'd you wish to change and then run xmodmap w/ the keycode number from xev.

[Grimey]

Out of curiosity, do any of the NMB (Space Invader) switch boards come in normal US-ANSI? The only models I have seen to this point have been of the giant enter key family.