I'm interested in looking into upgrading from my G15 v2 to a mechanical keyboard. Mainly because I hear how incredible they're to use. Not just for a gaming purposes but even for just general use. Can anyone suggest me a keyboard. I'd like something with back light if possible, but I'm not even sure they've produced something like that? Also, quality is a must over gimmicky pos's. Price isn't to much of an issue unless it's just ridiculous...

Thank you.

does this help?

http://www.overclock.net/t/491752/mechanical-keyboard-guide

backlight is kinda 'a gimmicky pos' thing.

They do have a use, mainly for watching porn in the dark but it's a legit use.

right?

My G510 makes noises when I type :S So not sure about mechanical keyboards, presume not because the whole idea is that you don't have to put as much pressure down.

I think I might actually buy me a mechanical keyboard, noticing my G510 is annoying me when playing games. Also need to get rid of the keyboard at work, so that's another excuse. Are Razer's good quality, or is it just paying for a name?

They do have a use, mainly for watching porn in the dark but it's a legit use.

right?

I must be watching porn wrong - my hands are rarely on the keyboard.

Yeah looking at the BlackWidow now as well as reviews, seems to be hitting the green lights. The only difference it seems from Ultimate or not is background lighting and usb port/audio port yeah?

Yup. Backlighting is nice, a single led per key. You can toggle through different levels of brightness as well.

http://www.daskeyboard.com/

lol @ also selling earplugs

Two Blackwidow Ultimate keyboards here, both with problems. Avoid.

Space bar problem on one, right Ctrl and left arrow key on the other.

I have a Corsair K60 on order, should be here on Wednesday, I'll let you know how that goes.

Were they covered under warranty?

Two Blackwidow Ultimate keyboards here, both with problems. Avoid.
Space bar problem on one, right Ctrl and left arrow key on the other.

Bad batch maybe? Dunno, but like I said mines fine, my brother's is fine, and I know a few other people who've since bought them and theirs are fine.

I don't have the ultimate though, just the normal one.

Just chiming in to say I have heard good things about the SteelSeries and DasKeyboard.

Blackwidow seems to have polarised a lot of people. They either love them to death, or hate them with a passion, though the passionate hatred seems to stem purely from having a faulty unit, and not specifically the Blackwidow being s***.

I'm still rocking one of these bad boys http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_M_keyboard. Used to get a LOT of s*** at lans back in the day, for everything from the size, to the noise.

The thing is these keyboards were researched extensively to provide the best feel and accuracy, along with being reliable as f***. It baffles me why so many manufacturers ignored everything about these designs and we're only now seeing everything that made the M series great come back.

How loud is the BlackWidow? Not to bothered, the girls that I rent with barely hear anything over the sound of BF3 haha.

Are there any ergo style ones?

There is Trog, over here, and looks like they ship overseas.

Thanks Khel, picking one up today so should be awesome.

I have a razer blackwidow ultimate.

I like it.

I think its Cherry Black.

Since your job involves typing, the keyboard must surely get a tax break ;)

Razer Black Widow Expert, the unlit one. Didn't see the justification for lights and a USB/Audio port that adds a extra $40+. It's really good, and I'm now recommending it to every one of my friends. It just makes everything much more smoother and I can bounce around keys at ease while typing.

I have a couple.. das professional and filco tenkeyless (Google images), both with cherry browns.

The Das was my first, have been liking it but I went to clean it out a few weeks ago because something was loose inside and making noises. Turns out the little shaft thing that the screws screw into inside the case have broken off (2 of them at least) so now I can't get the screws out of the back of the kb case since they just spin endlessly. I got the noisy thing out finally though. It was one of the plastic pieces that has broken off lol. It's been on my desk the whole time since I got it so I couldn't have broken anything.

The shininess of the Das gets annoying too after a while. Gets dusty fast (or rather you notice the dust a lot faster).

I've heard bad things about the razer mech keyboard, anyone who's used a das/leopold/HHKB/filco etc always say the Razer is inferior. I haven't actually got a blackwidow so take my advice with a grain of salt, but a lot of Razer's products tend to be pretty crud (apart from their mice) so I wouldn't be surprised if there was some truth in it.

Filco's are my favourite. Also keep in mind the difference between say, two cherry mx blue kb's won't be the keys (obviously) but the rest of the kb, eg. build quality, keycaps so on. I felt compelled to buy my Filco because at the moment my kb is pretty off-centre due to the numpad (it's a pain for typing, gaming and pretty much anything) and can't move it over due to my mousepad, so really consider whether or not you will need a numpad, it can be detrimental :(

Leopolds I've heard are very good boards. Basically all the goodness of a mech keyboard and good build quality with no frills at a cheap (relative) price.

My recommendation is Filco > Das/Leopold (don't have one to directly compare) > Razer blackwidow.

Also this is just regarding cherry mx switches. I don't have any experience with capacitive/buckling springs boards so I won't comment.

One last thing... anyone who has a mech keyboard should check out these: Rubber switch dampeners. (I don't remember them being that expensive, maybe they went up since I got mine). You can use regular o-rings if you find the proper size somewhere. They basically cushion the keystroke and you don't get that clunky bottoming out noise when typing, only the softer click when the key activates. I have a few (literally only a couple) spare I might be able to part with if anyone wants to try them before buying, it makes a big difference. No, I don't get commission.. feel free to use DIY o-rings if you can source them!

Sorry for the rant, bored & nothing to do. *whistle*

step by step guide to making one.
http://www.overclock.net/t/491752/mechanical-keyboard-guide

@Bobblybook, I have yet to notice any inferiorness with the Black Widow

Of course you won't notice any difference if it's your first and have nothing to compare it to, lol. I don't have one myself so I can't give my opinion, just what I've heard from people that own both.

I've been meaning to get a board with blues for the clickyness, but having 2 mech keyboards already has delayed the extra purchase :D

Edit: Also from that page TufNuT linked, looks like the Black Widow only has 2kro via usb.. that could be one of the reasons mentioned. I really have no idea, it's been a while since I read up about it. I know the Black Widow only comes with mx blues (the clicky ones), but most people like these anyway so it's not a bad choice.

I bought a Razer Black Widow. Keys are rather loud and also even after less than a month it looks like some of the lettering on the keys is already starting to get worn off.