I got a mechanical keyboard

[RCoon]

It's also worth noting that a lot of the sound the blues make isn't actually the key hitting the switch, but rather the key bottoming out on the keyboard. O-rings make a huge difference for how loud the keyboard is. There is a really good bet that if you do fine with dome keyboards, you may be hitting the keys on mechanical keyboard too hard. If you press a key slowly and wait until you hear the switch go off, it's only a soft ping that it makes.

This video is a comparison.

And there are a great many different types of O-rings too. I have a sample pack from WASD that we use at work for testing out different keyboards for ergonomics, and O-rings are the solution to removing half of the noise a mechanical keyboard makes.

 

[Deleted member 24505]

It's also worth noting that a lot of the sound the blues make isn't actually the key hitting the switch, but rather the key bottoming out on the keyboard. O-rings make a huge difference for how loud the keyboard is. There is a really good bet that if you do fine with dome keyboards, you may be hitting the keys on mechanical keyboard too hard. If you press a key slowly and wait until you hear the switch go off, it's only a soft ping that it makes. Domes are traditionally quiet because they sit on top of a rubber dome, activation comes when you bottom out the key, mechanical keyboards don't work that way.

This video is a comparison.

Wow them mech switches are loud, never realized they were as loud as that.

 

[sneekypeet]

some yes, likely blues or greens, but there are plenty that don't make as much noise. Also in that video the presses are hard to exaggerate the caps hitting the steel plate, then just hearing the switch with the o-ring keeping the space so the cap cannot hit the plate. I use Greens as mentioned, but with a lot of time on it now, I stop at the activation pressure level, and not when the key bottoms out, making them much more silent than that video portrays.

 

[AsRock]

Wow them mech switches are loud, never realized they were as loud as that.

There not that loud, the room that video was in seemed like the sound was bouncing of the walls to the mic.. My MK pro (brown) are much more silent than they are in that video.

They should of done the test in a real room were it's not prone to echo.

The only thing that video can show is the difference that the o rings can make and nothing else.

 

[Rowsol]

Nice comparison video, those o rings do a lot of good.

 

[Rowsol]

Well, I got the o rings in the mail today and put em on. The clicking is annoying when playing a game but for typing it's a great keyboard. I made a mistake of getting the rings too big so they couldn't hug the key cap but they still work all the same. I ended up buying http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FN0V6A/?tag=tec06d-20 size 010. I should've went with an 008 I guess. Surprisingly, even though the ring is too big, the illumination wasn't affected from what I can see. The keys do feel more stiff now though.

On a side note, does anyone know if there is a way to make the function key on a keyboard always active? Figured out a fix using Autohotkey.

 

[TheMailMan78]

Wait wait wait.....so I am a stooge because I prefer mechanical's and voice my opinion to that? Seems sort of harsh. While I get that some are very happy with their rubber dome keyboards, I for one am converted. Not by marketing, not because a company told me to, because it is what works for me, and with the place reviewers have, it is our job to voice our opinion based on our experiences, not because a company told us to. Also I have no issues failing a product that is not worthy of people buying it!

No your a stooge for other reasons. However I tend to agree with you on this one. Mechanical keyboards are vastly superior to membrane based keyboards. Its just a matter of finding the right one for your typing style. Even my cheapo Black Widow feels better than any membrane I have used in the past. The reduction in ghosting alone is enough to upgrade.

 

[razaron]

The different switches are, well, different. Here's a thingy.
Also, I quite like the blue switches. The sound makes me feel more fancypants when programming.

 

[n-ster]

I love my MX Blacks from my TT Meka G1

 

[Aquinus]

No your a stooge for other reasons. However I tend to agree with you on this one. Mechanical keyboards are vastly superior to membrane based keyboards. Its just a matter of finding the right one for your typing style. Even my cheapo Black Widow feels better than any membrane I have used in the past. The reduction in ghosting alone is enough to upgrade.

Consistent and less force to press down each button is pretty nice too. I find that most membrane keyboard will allow commonly pressed keys to press more easily than others, so I'll find myself missing a key because I don't hit it hard enough. I'm a bit of a soft typist, so I tend to like the blue switches myself. I need to get some o-rings before my wife kills it though. She's one of those "I use two fingers and hit keys pretty hard" people and I don't think that there will be any converting her. An ergonomic mechanical keyboard could be nice though.

 

[erocker]

After using blue, browns and reds, I think if you are coming from rubber dome keyboards and don't want something completely different you should go with red switches.

 

[Aquinus]

After using blue, browns and reds, I think if you are coming from rubber dome keyboards and don't want something completely different you should go with red switches.

I've heard that browns are a good in-between blue and red. I wouldn't know though. I feel in love with the blues the first time I used them.

 

[TheMailMan78]

After using blue, browns and reds, I think if you are coming from rubber dome keyboards and don't want something completely different you should go with red switches.

You have the same one I do. What do these widows use? I could never get a clear answer from google.

 

[BiggieShady]

I got quickfire pro with reds, I find it great for typing (wasn't expecting that) and also for gaming but I had to learn quickly not to rest my fingers on the keys ... ever.

What do these widows use?

Blackwidows use blues IIRC

 

[erocker]

You have the same one I do. What do these widows use? I could never get a clear answer from google.

They all use blues. I'm using a K70 now with reds. No click, but the key pressure is about the same. I was getting sick of having two bad switches with the Widow and ramming my mouse into it. This K70 isn't as wide and it's working nicely.

 

[manofthem]

They all use blues. I'm using a K70 now with reds. No click, but the key pressure is about the same. I was getting sick of having two bad switches with the Widow and ramming my mouse into it. This K70 isn't as wide and it's working nicely.

The K70 is going to be my next keyboard; glad to hear good things about it.

The Mech5 I have uses blacks and I don't think I'm feeling them anymore. Believe it or not, the extra pressure is annoying, but the kb does have its perks. My wife uses the Quickfire Pro with Browns, which is better for both typing and gaming imo, but I passed it to her for lack of wrist rest and macros.

 

[Solaris17]

Not saying anyone is a stooge, but lets face it, most tech sites are recommending them now, if they get one to test they are gonna say it's good, don't want to bite the hand that feeds them eh?

If people like them it's fair enough, marmite syndrome.

Not really I mean the OPs mistake seems more to be the fact that he had blue switches more then anything. complaining about your KB being loud when it has blues and saying all mechanical KBs are loud is a real joke. Anyone that does any REAL study into mechanical KBs knows that blue switches are pretty much as loud as you can get.

 

[Aquinus]

Not really I mean the OPs mistake seems more to be the fact that he had blue switches more then anything. complaining about your KB being loud when it has blues and saying all mechanical KBs are loud is a real joke. Anyone that does any REAL study into mechanical KBs knows that blue switches are pretty much as loud as you can get.

But I would hate to try programming with reds or blacks. Blue might be louder, but if you don't bottom out the keys often, they're really not that loud. O-ring make them quiet. Reds and blacks, all you hear is sliding. The benefit to blues and browns is that you physically feel the key give a little bit of extra resistance before the switch engages. With blues and browns, the amount of force is very light until you hit the switch itself. For example, with blues, the first sound is the second plastic part hitting the switch when the key collides with it. The second sound you hear is the key itself hitting the base of the board. While blues are louder than most, O-rings really do make them more quiet. Then you realize how loud the key hitting the board really is when you don't have it anymore.

In all seriousness, the sound doesn't bother me. My Rosewill RK-9100 has done pretty well so far. I've definitely been digging the USB hub built in as well (I have my new wireless mouse adapter plugged into it.)

 

[FreedomEclipse]

owner of a corsair K70 Brown here - Just make sure that your New K70 installs as a K70B when you plug it in otherwise return it for another or go to a different retailer who received stock within the last 2 weeks because the first batch of K70 Browns had some serious issues with LEDs dying not long after usage. Im not too sure if the same issue relates to the K70 Reds but it certainly seems that way on the corsair forum. They have a thread dedicated to K70 LED issues.

Unfortunately I have a habit of bottoming the keys out when typing so I might give some rubber O rings a try when i get back from holiday at the end of the month.

otherwise, I love the the overall build quality of the corsair keyboards (LED issues aside). making the base out of a sheet of aluminum gives it a very solid feel instead of the usual hard plastic.

I used Logitech dome keyboards for the longest years and while I do miss them because I can type a lot faster on them and their definitely more quieter. Mechanical switches are more durable. or at least I hope they are. Most of the Logitech keyboards I used i had to replace every 2-3years because Id just wear them out.


anyway, dont forget what I said about the K70B's