Merc Stealth: awesome or gruesome?

[rpsgc]

Yes, well, I have an itch for a new keyboard, something... better than what I have. So... Anyone have/had a Merc Stealth? That's what I'm thinking of buying. That or a G13.
I originally wanted a Roccat Valo but I don't want to spend 90 € to beta test their products.


Hmm... Merc Stealth or G13 + something, choices choices.

(No, I don't want a G15, stupid Logitech refuses to make PT layout for their gaming keyboards )

 

[viczulis]

Yea i got the merc stealth on one rig, love it nothing real fancy but I like it. Had no problems or anything with it. Like having the pad for gaming all the way on the left. AWESOME

 

[rpsgc]

Are the regular keys fine? Not that I type a lot, still...

 

[viczulis]

Yep, regular keys

 

[rpsgc]

Yep, regular keys

What I meant was, is the regular part of the keyboard good enough for general use? I read about some people complaining about it.

 

[viczulis]

I have no problem with it. I do alot of paper work on it with no issues. But then again I'm a one/two finger typer.

 

[d3fct]

i have a merc stealth illuminated, its pretty nice love the pad on the left, but the num lock is kinda a pain in the ass. i like to leave num lock on because i use the numpad for typing numbers, but if i play a game like bf2 or something where i need page up and page down i have to turn num lock off, not a big problem but the only i have with it, has 3 diff colors and i think 3 diff brightnesses, helps when your gaming in the dark and you have to look down for a key.

 

[rpsgc]

i have a merc stealth illuminated, its pretty nice love the pad on the left, but the num lock is kinda a pain in the ass. i like to leave num lock on because i use the numpad for typing numbers, but if i play a game like bf2 or something where i need page up and page down i have to turn num lock off, not a big problem but the only i have with it, has 3 diff colors and i think 3 diff brightnesses, helps when your gaming in the dark and you have to look down for a key.

If only it'd be possible to leave num lock off and just use a separate numeric pad...

 

[d3fct]

would be nice to have those seperate instead of toggling back n forth. also forgot to add, the merc is fully scriptable, you can make and execute macros with it, never tried tho no need.

 

[rpsgc]

I don't need macros... just good ol' backlighting
Mechanical keyboards look interesting but they're quite rare (here) and very, very expensive.

 

[d3fct]

yeah i dont use them either but theres some noobs that like to setup macros cause they aint got no skillz

 

[rpsgc]

May I ask how long have you had it? Any stuck keys? LEDs malfunctioning? Keys printing fading?

 

[lemode]

i think the Ideazon/SteelSeries gaming boards are silly crutches for people not to mention they are cheep feeling. I had one of the Idealzon keysets that fold up and it was just retarded. It caused me to develop so many bad typing habbits that I couldn't even use a regular keybaord at work. I up and threw it away one day.

I have a Razer tarantula right now since it feels rock solid still even after a year of every day use.

 

[mikeyhd]

I hear report that won't work under W7, so you might want to check it out

http://www.sevenforums.com/hardware-devices/26114-merc-stealth-keyboard-software-not-working.html

last time I check on it's web there is no driver for W7

 

[imperialreign]

What I meant was, is the regular part of the keyboard good enough for general use? I read about some people complaining about it.

It's perfectly fine for general use. The NUMPAD area is a little borked, but you get used to it . . . actually, my only issue with the NUMPAD layout, is that I'm no longer used to standard keyboards

The backlighting is great for gaming in the dark (hell, even typing), and the coating on the keys has held up well over my two years of use - there's only a couple of keys that are hard to tell what letter they are anymore, although, it's not really an issue if you know the standard QWERTY layout.

The gaming pad on the left will take some time to get used to as well - all your muscle movements will need to be "re-trained," but it's a ton more comfortable than using the actual keyboard. Plus, the software will allow you to configure the keys for whatever game you want, to your liking, too.

The two USB ports are great for thumb drives, and there's also a headphone/mic jack. Although, using the headphone jack, you'll pick up some EMI from the backlighting in the output as it's passed through the board . . . it's convenient, but I'd recommend sticking with the I/O on the case or sound card.

Compared to Ideazon's other boards, it's not only sturdy, but feels solid, too. I've carted this thing around all over the place, and I've never been too careful with my equipment . . . no loose or sticking keys, no rattling inside it's casing . . .

Honestly, I love my MERC Stealth. Have had it for two year already, and don't intend to give it up anytime soon. $80 well spent, IMHO.

 

[d3fct]

ive had it about a year and a half or so, nothing has happened to it yet, just the w pad on the left pad has a small spot were the black has rubbed off, very minimal for the hours ive put into this thing gaming. id deffinatly buy another one.

 

[rpsgc]

Thanks for all the replies. I'm one step closer to buying it.

 

[d3fct]

Plus, the software will allow you to configure the keys for whatever game you want, to your liking, too.

yeah drag and drop keyboard config panel, and the keyboard also has preloadable settings for a shitload of games.

 

[imperialreign]

yeah drag and drop keyboard config panel, and the keyboard also has preloadable settings for a shitload of games.

Yeah, but I don't use any of the presets - I set each game up to my liking, as I personally think the preset configs are a little whacked out . . .

 

[rpsgc]

Oh, is the "Ctrl" key in an awkward position? Hard to reach? (gaming area)

From a review:

Admittedly, we did have a few problems. The key issue for us was that the Merc Stealth has many keys on the game pad and that these keys are sometimes a little too small and occasionally aren’t in familiar positions. The 1-10 keys in particular were a bit confusing though the WASD and Space keys were excellently placed.

 

[d3fct]

yea, i use 1 set of controls for pretty much every game i play i just edit them in game options, im old skool it took me until a few years ago to use wsad, i still used the arrows and reached across the board for e and stuff,lol.


and no the ctrl key is normal main keyboard is regular layout.

 

[imperialreign]

Oh, is the "Ctrl" key in an awkward position? Hard to reach? (gaming area)

From a review:

Not really . . .

From what I've read of most reviews, they love to blast the board for the gamepad layout being awkward . . . but, keep in mind that the gamepad on the left is both contoured for the natural curvature of your hands, and angled a little bit, too. Until you've spent a lot of time with the keyboard adapting to it, it is going to be awkward.

As well, keep in mind that you can program any of the keys on the board to whatever you want . . . just because 'CTRL' is printed on the key, doesn't mean the key can't peform the action that 'SHIFT' would.

 

[rpsgc]

As well, keep in mind that you can program any of the keys on the board to whatever you want . . . just because 'CTRL' is printed on the key, doesn't mean the key can't peform the action that 'SHIFT' would.

I know... I'm just lazy.