Peripherals Longweight's Mechanical Keyboard Guide

Not so much wearing IMO, it's just a style thing.

Both ninja and standard Filco keys get shine really fast.

 

Mine had no shine after 6 months.

 

I am a bit tech addict replying via my phone. WASD and other keys are going to get a hammering as i mainly game on my pc. Think i may have to buy the wrist rest at the end of the month. Going remove the one i have for my current keyboard and see how other feels without it!

 

Ripster did an indepth test on it. Relative to other boards, the Filco material gets shine much faster

 

That is what custom caps are for!

Interesting!

 

That is true, and I might invest in some in the future xD

Buying the keyboard now!

 

Excellent! They become very addictive!

 

I plan on only buying one keyboard. Maybe the changing of keys etc might become addictive but owning more than one keyboard at any one time seems a little excessive to me. but that is just me!

 

I did mean the caps! I buy too many boards but then I have a problem....

 

I have seen your Key Caps thread!

Thanks for the advice and help. Repped you for earlier advice!

 

Anytime!

 

For the caps from wasdkeyboards, would you recommend etched or engraved? Is there any actual
difference other than look and personal preference? Any particular way one is better than the other?
I know cheap keyboards sometimes lose their letters/numbers etc depending on how they have
them put on the caps.

And apart from personal preference - any suggestion on fonts/sizes etc and what to avoid because
it just doesn't work? I will /NEVER/ get comic sans. LOL.

Personally I like the idea of very small, etched, dead centre of the caps. But not sure how it would fare.

Any suggestions?
Think I am definitely going for the ninja ANSI, but not the TKL. I need my numpad.

 

We all plan on only buying one keyboard.

Don't you worry, you'll get curious about new switches before long, and then...

 

I don't think WASD does ninja yet. If you want my advice, engraved is just for style and not much else. If you can touch type and like the look then get engraved. If however you need to look at the keyboard then bear in mind that with engraved, it is very hard to see the letters under most lighting conditions. Etched is the same clear legends as normal keyboards have.

 

What he said!

 

Well after replacing the savings I spent on the keyboard I am then going to buy some other hardware.

One keyboard is enough for me!

 

Well if you have a particular purpose like that where you have already decided your money will be going then I suppose you probably won't bother until your build is complete.. maybe..

 

I got engraved, because they look so damn boss and I had a pretty good knowledge of the keyboard layout. It's close to blank keys but you can sneak a peek if you forgot where a key is. However if you often look at your keys to tell what they are then get etched. You can still seen engraved but I wouldn't want to relie on them if I wasn't comfortable with my keyboard.

WASD can't do ninja, I've already asked. He might be able to one day but don't count on it.

 

Yup, decided I'm buying a larger SSD next. My Motherboard suits my needs right now. So no need to needlessly waste money on a Z77 xD

 

Cheers for the guide, Longweight.

I'm looking for a new keyboard at the moment as I'm starting to get tired of the uneven/wobbly/clacky feel of the dome-based keys in my old Saitek Gaming Keyboard.
I'm determined to make my next keyboard a mechnical; but I'm struggling to find one that'll suit me.

I do a lot of typing (Coding & Academic writing) and I'm a heavy gamer; so I'm looking for something to suit both. Noise isn't much of a concern for me and I play Synthesizers so my fingers are probably comfortable enough with any key mechanism!

Basic requirements:
+ Mechanical
Duh!

+ ISO Layout
- This is absolutely essential for me. I cannot stand the ANSI layout; My laptop keyboard has it and months after getting it I still can't get used to the position of the '\' and the shape of the return key.
Plus, losing the '\' from its current position is a handicap when it comes to maximizing keybinds in MMO PvP for me.
Non-TenKeyLess is important for me, too. I like having the Numpad keys available for general usage & gaming keybinds.

+ Functioning left Windows-key
The Steelseries 7G was a dead cert for me and I was just about to pull the trigger on an order for one until I learned that the left windows key cannot be used as a Windows key. Absolutely moronic design decision as far as I'm concerned.
I hate having to use the mouse more than I have to when navigating windows etc. so my left WinKey gets a lot of use for shortcuts like Win+D, Win+R & Win+ArrowKeys. Can't do without it!

+ No ugly insignias/symbols on the keyboard
So that rules most Qpad and Thermaltake boards right out..
I don't mind some branding (Razer symbols, Cooler Master logos) whatever, but I don't want a keyboard that looks like an advertisement when I'm the only one who's going to be looking at it!

+ Available to purchase within Europe
I don't want to go through the hassle of ordering from outside of Europe for something like this.

----

I don't care much about backlighting as I can't remember the last time I needed to look down at a keyboard while I was typing; except that if there is backlighting I'd want it to be possible to switch it off for watching movies or enjoying dark games! Macro keys don't offer much for me either
As for general aesthetics; I actually enjoy the style of stuff like the Razer Blackwidow and CM Storm Trigger with their 'gaming' approach a lot more than minimalist stuff like Das or Filco.

I've been considering the Corsair Vengeance K60, the CM Storm Trigger, the UK Filco Majestouch-2 & the Razer Blackwidow; but very few retailers seem to specify whether their boards are ISO or ANSI unless they specalise in Keyboards, and relying on product pictures isn't worth the hassle.

I can't think of any other major criteria.. So with all that said; could anyone recommend a keyboard for me that fits into my awkward requirements?
Right now I'm leaning towards the Filco simply because of how much less hassle it seems to be to get straight product information out of keyboardco compared to other retailers!