Looking for a good mechanical keyboard $90 - $120

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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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Jul 27, 2011
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I am looking at getting a mechanical keyboard and I've never bought one before and don't really know what to look for. I've been heavily checking out Das Keyboard, the Razer Black Widow, and the Cooler Master Rapid Fire Pro. It will mainly be used for general usage since I'm tired of using cheap, crappy keyboards for every day typing. Are there any other good suggestions?
 
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Adam Ferrick

Adam Ferrick

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May 8, 2013
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The only gripe generally had with the new Razer keyboard (and other 2013 products) is the Synapse 2.0 software. It's just not good.
Das Keyboards are sleek, sexy, sturdy, and come in any key switch you desire.
The Cooler Master CM Storm brands come in every color, shape, size, and probably taste and dimension that you'd desire. http://www.cmstorm.com/en/products/keyboards/ In addition to the amount of flavors, they are also quite cheap for mechanical keyboards, coming it at about $80 i believe to about $100
Wasdkeyboards.com allow complete keyboard customization in terms of colors, key switches, etc. ssddx really likes them.
The Filco Majestouch 2 is also really popular http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=filco%20majestouch%202&sprefix=filco+m%2Caps&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Afilco%20majestouch%202
I personally just ordered a Durandal G1NL from Tesoro at maxkeyboard.com.
Ducky brand boards are popular and have a bunch of backlighting features, especially on the Shine II model.
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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I've heard about the Ducky brands but I don't know much about them. I'm heavily leaning toward the Das Keyboard at this point though.
 
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manofchalk

manofchalk

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May 11, 2012
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I use a Ducky Shine II and love the thing. The Shine III is also releasing soon.

First off when deciding on a mechanical you want to find out which keyswitch colour is best for you. The different Cherry MX switches (differentiated by colour) have different properties which makes them good for different purposes. Scroll down to the bottom for a good explanation of each switch.
http://www.coolermaster-usa.com/cmuniversity/switches.php

But in a nutshell.
- Blues click on both on the actuation point (when the keystroke registers) and on bottoming out (when the key is fully depressed), you can clearly feel the actuation point (often described as a bump) and are generally considered best for typing.
- Browns are like Blues except they don't click on the actuation point, they are considered a good compromise between Blue and Red.
- Red's are as quiet as Browns and you cant feel the actuation point as much, considered best for gaming.
- Blacks require the most force to press down of the standard colours and you cant feel the actuation point, but are the quietest. To be honest I don't know why anyone would buy a Black keyboard.
- Green is currently is only available from Coolermaster, and are basically a much heavier blue.

From there, its finding a keyboard with the features you want in the keyswitch you want.
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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I love the backlighting on my laptop but if the Das Keyboards don't have them then yeah I'll probably look elsewhere.
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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I was checking out the Corsair Raptor keyboard, I like that you can customize the lighting on it: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823816014

Any opinions on that one?
 
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mazchazo

mazchazo

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Jul 21, 2011
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I have the CM storm trigger when it was on sale for 95 bucks (red switch version). The keys work very well, but the complaints I have about it is I got a bad wrist rest that is worn out and the plastic on it is wrinkled and the damn thing is not even a year old. The other problem is it seems a bit of paint is peeling off from my S and D buttons around where the light from the backlit shines through, so the S for example has a bit edges peeled off like by a fourth of a millimeter from where the S is . Also, my left shift button seems a bit stuck and more stiffer than the rest of the keys. I don't know if that was on purpose for the way it is to be designed. I sorta got a bit of a defective keyboard, but if it wasn't defective, it's a really good keyboard.
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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Lame!!! It's false advertising if they sell it as a mechanical keyboard. I think I would rather pay the extra $20 for the K70 instead.

I wound up buying the Cooler Master: http://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=284

I couldn't justify paying $30 - $40 more for a different switch. I liked the Ducky brand but couldn't get past the yellow backlighting.
 
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