Looking to buy a new keyboard online

[wargasm1]

My old logitech 600 has 2 of my sm keys that get stuck so i cant play anymore, i need a new keyboard. I can afford anything, i just want flat and mechanical keys. What should i get?

i already looked there http://www.staiain.net/StepMania/smw....php/Keyboards so i have a pretty good idea already.

[i heart candy]

I've bought many keyboards...and I'll review each one that I've personally owned.

ibuypower keyboard
All iBUYPower keyboards suck. Js.


Old Gateway Keyboard
I really don't know what model it was but it's an old mechanical keyboard I used to play on. I reached low D5 with it a long time ago on RuGuru. Then I got tired of it because the keys were too heavy and basically stopped me from ever getting anymore speed.

Logitech G15
Do not buy this keyboard. Seriously. It ****ing sucks. I can't believe Logitech would even release a product like this.

Razor Lycosa
I've had one of these for a little bit, but I ended up selling it pretty quickly because a friend of mine wanted it more than I did. The keys felt nice, but it sure isn't as durable as most keyboards. I didn't really play with it too long, but I heard after about 3-4 months, you would have to switch over to a new setup. Idk..Plus, I've heard stories about people's Lycosas just breaking on them. Why spend 80 bucks if the thing is known to break?

Logitech Illuminated
Okay, I'm pretty sure this is more common keyboard that is used on FFR today. I personally hate this thing, but that's just me. I've gone through 2 of these keyboards and I don't find them very durable at all. After awhile, my setup (dfjk) started to have this weird squish feel. It actually forced me to exert more force just to play SM. This keyboard has worked wonders for a lot of players though...

Logitech K120
Cheap. You get what you pay for. Some people like it. I hate it.

Qpad MK-50
I'm using this keyboard right now. I'm not used to it yet, but I've started to beat a lot of my old scores within the first week of having it. I'm not going to explain all the different colored switches for this keyboard, but mine is blue.

[Izzy]

Still going to have to recommend the kensington slim. Simple and responsive.

I also concur that the logitech g15 was crap for stepmania/ffr.

[Nu0n]

Originally Posted by Izzy

Still going to have to recommend the kensington slim. Simple and responsive.

I also concur that the logitech g15 was crap for stepmania/ffr.

Yup i got kensington slimtech as well. Infact most everybody was getting one not to long ago. The price alone is great.
As far as the g15 goes, I had that for counter-strike 1.6, it was fantastic for index. But yes p damn bad for spread. not even going to talk about the price.

[i heart candy]

Originally Posted by Nu0n

. But yes p damn bad for spread. not even going to talk about the price.

It's about 120$ here.

[xVaLoRx]

Originally Posted by i heart candy

Razor Lycosa
I didn't really play with it too long, but I heard after about 3-4 months, you would have to switch over to a new setup. Idk..Plus, I've heard stories about people's Lycosas just breaking on them. Why spend 80 bucks if the thing is known to break?

This isn't necessarily true, I've been using the same setup for the past 8 months and I'm still skillboosting on mine. I even spilled an entire cup of water on it and it works perfectly. Although it still works very well, it's not really worth paying $80 (~$100 with shipping) for this keyboard when you could get a much better and reliable one for the same price.

[i heart candy]

Originally Posted by xVaLoRx

This isn't necessarily true, I've been using the same setup for the past 8 months and I'm still skillboosting on mine. I even spilled an entire cup of water on it and it works perfectly. Although it still works very well, it's not really worth paying $80 (~$100 with shipping) for this keyboard when you could get a much better and reliable one for the same price.

It depends on how you play I guess. Some people told me it would break easily, and some people (like you) say it's a great keyboard. It kind of goes back with the Logitech Illuminated. Some people love that keyboard and say it's great. I personally hate it and would never put another cent into one of those keyboards.

[PrawnSkunk]

Originally Posted by Izzy

Still going to have to recommend the kensington slim. Simple and responsive.

I also concur that the logitech g15 was crap for stepmania/ffr.

I also use the Kengington slimtype. Have had no issues the year I've had it, no anti-ghosting which is very lovely indeed. I got it for $24 with free shipping $_$ great keyboard for a great price.

[wargasm1]

i also had a g15 and it was good for everything but beatgames. i also was index back then :P

[Crashfan3]

Personally I use a Microsoft Sidewinder X6, I have since I got it 3 years ago, but it sucks for rhythm games, so I wouldn't recommend it for that.

If you want a real good mechanical keyboard, take a look at the Steelseries 6Gv2. It's extremely basic, but it's well built and capable of taking a beating. I think there used to be a video on YouTube of them shooting one with an assault rifle and it still partially worked.

[LongGone]

For Steelseries, I believe they just recently released a limited edition Cherry MX Red switch version (I saw some in stores). Might be worth checking out, since they are much lighter to press than the standard 6Gv2 Cherry MX Black ones

[Velayne]

ITT: People who need to research more on real keyboards (mechanical, alps, capacitive, buckling spring)

My contribution to this topic. I'll never recommend a rubber dome because they're inferior to all mech keyboards whether you like it or not, and saying otherwise would just mean you haven't picked up a real mechanical and not the gimmicky ones. I don't know your budget but I'll be listing a bunch of keyboards/companies that are worth your investment...


Guys, never get a Razer Mechanical keyboard (i.e black widow, cheap plastic build and just doesn't match 99% of other blue switch mechanicals out there, honestly)

Only mice & mousepads are decent from Razer.



From my 3 weeks of researching (before I got my keyboard), I have found that companies like

Q-Pad (top quality, tried Stian's browns proved so)
Das Keyboard (amazingly sweet blue switches, there is silent & professional version)
Happy Hacking Keyboard (uses Topre capacitive switches)
Leopold (the keyboard I use, I love it so far)
WASDKeyboards (if they release 10keyless, I'm going to buy this too)
KBT Poker (no numpad, arrow keys side) (was planning to buy but it lacked arrow keys)
KB Race (limited edition looks amazing, there's a full review on it, not l.e though)
Filco (similar to Leopold keyboards, but I prefer leopold since it's less pingy and stabilizers are different afaik)
Deck (bigger build than most mechanicals)
Ducky (similar to Happy Hacking but uses Cherries)
Topre RealForce (capacitive switches, not cherry, so more expensive)
Kinesis Advantage (ergonomic cherry keyboard)
IBM Model M keyboard (buckling spring, sturdy build and best sounds imo, you will fall in love)


(and I guess Corsair too since their K60 and K90s are decent red switches)
I havent mentioned any alps keyboard because I am not too knowledgeable about it but I could say that the noises from each alps switch are very unique in comparison to Cherry's switches.

are worth your time & money.

[LongGone]

I'll say that for rubber domes technology, standard keyboards will definitely lose out to mechanical keyboards (..except most of the time, price). However, flat keyboards are worth checking out too; especially the higher quality ones

If you can still find one, the Logitech UltraX Premium is pretty good and affordable (much cheaper than the Logitech Illuminated, and also has less key blockage should you have a weird setup etc. Great for 6k players)


Personally tried some Razer flat keyboards in the store and I dislike the build quality/feel of the keys of some (I can't remember if it was a Lycosa or something else). I couldn't feel a confirmative *click* as I pressed down a key

Corsair K60 and K90s are good that they have red switches and an aluminium(?) body, coupled with a 20key rollover. However to reduce costs, some of the keys (the F1-12, Ins/Del/Home,etc) are rubber dome instead, but it shouldn't matter too much.. I question the durability too having tested a demo unit once

The Filcos are rather solid. I used to have a Blue, now replaced with a Brown. They have a solid metal base internally, and are very sturdy to play on.

Comparatively, the Razer Blue keyboards are tacky in construction externally, and just feel "different" (plasticky?), not to mention having horrible 2kro which isn't suitable for weird setups or 6k play (i.e. if you're lucky you can find a setup that supports up to 6 keys but most configurations will jam up. The bare minimum scenario is that any two keys will register and not jam up; that is what 2kro means).

[i heart candy]

If you want a a mkb with cherry Mx switches..pick between the brown or blue. Red is way too sensitive and black is more for typing.

[Velayne]

^ Probably the most idiotic statement I have ever heard.

[Izzy]

[Xx{Midnight}xX]

If you're planning on a lot of FFRing I cannot stress that a Razer is not the keyboard of choice for it.

I cannot stress the amount of good things I have heard about the Logitech Illuminated however.

[Velayne]

Once you own a mechanical keyboard, you'll never turn back to rubber domes.

[Zon Fire]

Izzy post of the year.

[wargasm1]

I ended up buying a logitech illuminated and it doesnt even support 5 keys lol, let alone 6... and i cant roll at all with this, but it kicks ass for jacks and trills.