Help with mechanical keyboard purchase.

[BruceG87]

Sorry for making another keyboard thread, but I am having a hard time with this purchase.

I want mechanical keyboard for gaming. I prefer "quieter" keys if possible, simple designs and a sturdy feel. Macro keys would be nice. Blacklit keys and multimedia stuff aren't a big deal to me. I do not need any sort of LED Display as I consider it unnecessary.

Razer BlackWidow:
I have heard a lot of negative things about Razer products. The last razer product I bought lasted me a year, so I am hesitant to go with another razer product. However price and the layout of the keyboard, including the macro keys, keep me from eliminating this product.

Das Keyboard Pro Silent:
I have heard great things about Das Keyboard. I wouldn't mind a few macro keys. The price tag is a turn off, but I am willing to invest in a quality keyboard. Also it is silent, and by silent I mean just a bit quieter.

Corsair Vengeance K90:
A lot of people have been recommending this thing. However, when looking at reviews they are mixed. Not all the keys are mechanical, including the macro keys. Now I like the idea of macro keys, but 18 all aligned together seems overwhelming to me. Nothing sucks more then reaching for a key at the perfect moment and hitting the wrong key.

Tt eSPORTS MEKA G1:
I just found this thing earlier today. I was not even aware Thermaltake made keyboards but apparently this thing is sturdy like a tank and has a 3 year warranty to boot. I am pretty impressed with it, but again wouldn't mind seeing some macro keys.

So there you have it, I am not sure what route to go. Any ideas or products I may have overlooked or input on the keyboards I am looking at?

[Endus]

Corsair Vengeance K90:
A lot of people have been recommending this thing. However, when looking at reviews they are mixed. Not all the keys are mechanical, including the macro keys. Now I like the idea of macro keys, but 18 all aligned together seems overwhelming to me. Nothing sucks more then reaching for a key at the perfect moment and hitting the wrong key.

I have this board myself, and it's pretty amazing. You only really "need" mechanical switches on the main keyboard part which you're using consistently; the non-mechanicals on the K90 are the macro keys, the F1-F12 keys, and the Ins/PgUp/Etc keys. The numpad, the main keyboard, and the arrow keys are all mechanical, and those are 99% of what you're hitting constantly. And this let them save a bit on cost, which reflects the cheaper price tag for what you get.

I don't use the macro keys much since my last keyboard was a Saitek Eclipse without any, but it's more like a numpad on the other side of the keyboard; it's offset enough you won't hit it by accident. 18 might be overkill, but they weren't my reasons for getting the board in the first place.

The actual construction on the K90 is incredibly solid. I wasn't a big fan on the included wrist wrest, but that's personal and subjective, and you can easily just remove it and use a third party wrist rest. A lot of the competitors either won't have one at all, or it will be similarly short; the only one with a larger one that I noticed offhand was the Steelseries board, which is HUGE.


I've heard good things about the Das and the Thermaltake boards, but they're pretty bare-bones when it comes to features. The BlackWidow I've heard quite a few build quality complaints about, but that's hearsay off the Internet, so take that with a grain of salt.

The biggest factor you should consider is what switch they use, exactly. All four you listed have Cherry switches, but which switch makes a big difference. The main selling point to me for the k90 was the Cherry Red switches; low activation force, no "click", so they're light on the touch and lack the tactile feedback that I find distracting while gaming. Some gamers prefer a "stiffer" key like a Cherry Blue/Black, which the Blackwidow uses (Blue for regular/ultimate, Black for stealth versions IIRC), because it makes accidentally brushing a wrong key less likely to press it, but it means each keypress is marginally more "work". I also type a fair bit for work, so a keyboard that was comfortable for typing was important to me, which is why the Cherry Red was a perfect mix, but this is a really subjective comparison and you should ideally try out some boards with different keys and see if you can tell which ones you prefer. The switch type should be a major factor in your decision, really.

[googz]

Gonna back Endus here... <3 my K90... and my M90