I wanna join, but i'm still waiting for that bloody blackwidow coz of the delay....

deck legend is nice..but just before blackwindow released
now blackwindow is the top mech kb with bling and macro i think

but for best typing experience i think majestouch is best compare to 7g and blackwindow

I put this information sheet I nicknamed "Deck Hammer" together because information and photos are incorrect or scarce at best.

Deck Legend 105



the Deck Legend casing is thick not paper thin. it's made out of Polycarbonate. PBT is a blend of Polycarbonate and Polyester. Polycarbonate is thermoplastic that is significantly lighter and stronger than ABS it also has high thermal properties.


ignore the brown PCB and wires this was actually a mod someone did.

I like the steel plate it's long and thick with a little lip. Keyboards like the ABS M1, iOne XArmor U9BL, Filco Majestouch, etc have a steel plate that only covers the PCB.



Keycaps are 2 piece made out of 1mm thick PBT and the printing is dye sublimated.



Deck uses Cherry stabilizers which are highly favored. please note the Linear models have a Cherry MX Grey switch in the spacebar (non-tactile, non-clicky, 2mm actuation at 80cN)



the finish on the faceplate is a shiny metal flake. also included is a skull & crossbone keycap.



the LED Deck use are industrial grade rated for 22 years. you cannot buy these in a store.

to cycle through brightness levels you press Fn + 0-7 or Cursor Up, Cursor Down. there is a buffer to remember the last brightness level when you reboot.

0=OFF, 1=Lowest, 2=Lower, 3=Low, 4=Med, 5=High, 6=Higher, 7=Highest, Caps Lock=Daylight Mode.

when you cycle through brightness levels it changes the brightness level for all LED including the LED for the status indicators which a lot of keyboards don't do. Daylight Mode locks the LED for the status indicators at the highest brightness level.

for example.

LED for status indicators at level 7, every other LED at level <x>



the feet are classic and elevate 2" like the IBM Model M. Costar Keyboards like the Filco Majestouch, Das Model S and ABS M1 only elevate 1.5".

http://i41.tinypic.com/2q1cai0.jpg

weight is 3.5lbs which is pretty heavy for a mechanical keyboard manufactured in this day and age. the cable is 6 feet long and extra thick like the Topre Realforce.

http://i37.tinypic.com/dw5c3d.jpg
http://i37.tinypic.com/3445q49.jpg

Keycaps have a flat profile instead of sculpted.  sculpted profiles are similar to the Nibs on the F and J Keys they act as guides for your fingers but have no real advantage in fact I like the flat profile because your fingers are not climbing and dropping. I can understand why a typist would complain but the Deck Legend is a mechanical keyboard marketed towards gamers.



Performance-PCS sells 2 Piece Blank PBT Keycaps for the Deck Legend 105 and Deck 82.



this is a Deck Legend 105 Ice Tactile unboxing. Deck and Topre have the best packaging.



this is a quote from a Deck 82 review by FPSLabs.

other info

• Deck is American Made not mass produced on assembly lines in Asia.
  
• can choose USB or PS/2 native cable.
  
• can choose Windows or MAC Keycap.
  
• Deck used to have 10 year warranties.
  
• Deck will still service your Deck after your warranty is expired for a fee.
  
• Deck warranty is mod friendly.
  
• Deck will send you replacement parts if you feel confident you can repair or you can mail it to them.
  
• Deck has a 30 day return policy no questions asked. elitekeyboards sadly doesn't have a return policy. Metadot does but I think you have to fill a RMA form out.
  
• Deck used to sell a 21 Keypad which had a numpad layout, backlight controls, media controls and a USB Hub integrated. the idea was you plug the Deck 82 into the Deck 21.
  
• Deck 82 is actually the first product TG3 decided to sell under the Deck brand name.
  

Razer marketing claim they somehow took years of research to make mechanical keyboard that has been around for ages. I wonder what sort of research did they contribute exactly    . They even claim they are the first led gaming keyboard which is a total lie.

The Deck Legend was the first led gaming keyboard.

IMO, Deck Legend or your wtv ducky keyboard is not consider as gaming grade.
to me, they just look like those China clones.

Pricing

As a general guide these appear to be the natural pricepoints in the Mechanical Keyboard Market.

1. Good deals under $50 - used, free from dumpster, Ebay finds, product blowouts/End of life (EOL) like the ABS M1
2. Mainstream Mechanicals - $50-$100 - Adesso, Scorpius, Steelseries 6GV2, Rosewill, Razer, Unicomp, IBM Model M
3. High quality and/or Feature Laden Gaming Keyboards - $100 - $200- Das, Filco, Ducky and LED keyboards like the Deck/Razer/Xarmor.
4. Boutique - $200 Plus - RealForce, HHKB, Ergonomic layout, NIB IBM Minis, Custom keyboards, Collectibles.

Like most products there is usually a direct corellation with price/quality but diminishing returns as you go up the price curve. Don't assume that even if you can afford it the boutique keyboard is the one for you.

nice thread .

any recommended keyboard with cherry mx brown switch? thinking of buying one in the future for gaming. preferably not too expensive though.

what a long explanation..
can say partially agree la

keyboard like g15 g19 black window i think definitely can say is gaming keyboard because of the extra macro can is for gaming purpose only

the mechanical kb not really do special thing for gaming just they suitable for gaming as well

but some gaming keyboard like lycosa and arctosa i cant find any special feature for gaming except the 1000hz ultrapolling rate
other than that it is quite rubbishish

For my own price range, i think Ducky or Filco are good for gaming/typing. Both brands have a choice of blue, brown or black cherry switches; which you get depends on your own preference. These 2 recommendations are roughly RM 450 ish.

Of if you prefer, the BW sells for around RM 390 or something; but uses blue cherry switches if you don't mind ?
yeah, i prefer to go into detail to debunk any misunderstandings. I don't know if he was trolling or honestly misunderstood about the deck and ducky. To give the benefit of a doubt, i try to enlighten instead    I don't force people to take what i say literaly true, as i do encourage them to study the facts through other channels themselves 
Anyway lycosa and arctosa are rubber dome keyboards That is not to say they aren't gaming keyboard, but they aren't mechanical so yeah.... Some people don't mind rubber dome kbs, while others do. There is no right or wrong answer, but since this thread is mostly for those who are particular about the quality of their kb, be it build or performance, it's reasonable to say that it matters to most of the people in this thread  that their keyboards are mechanical by nature :} And yes there are gaming mechanical keyboards even if some of them lack led aesthetics or macros features.
Here is a utube video for the razer bw. Someone more knowledgeable than me thinks that the leds are sufficiently bright. So i guess they wont be a lack luster experience like the Logitech G15 V1 i own and felt was very dim.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eprYI9piYS0

to me, i guess what he meant isnt about the technicality or the quality. no doubt that its good, but i think what he meant was about the finishing.
finishing of the product is always important, and personally, in my own opinion, not saying that its correct, the brands you mentioned lack somewhat that finishing that makes the product looks high quality and candy to the eye.
which to any casual customer, would prefer to get something else that looks great, and functionality later.  for an example, razer blackwidow. about its performance, lets judge later when its released and in front of our doorstep.
no point dissing them, hope razer would raise their quality, i would certainly pay extensively if the product's overall is awesome on the inside and outside.
just my 2 cents. =)

IMO, Deck Legend or your wtv ducky keyboard is not consider as gaming grade.
to me, they just look like those China clones.

I can see where you are coming from. I too get easily seduced by the led bling of their bw. I questioned whether i rather get a bw or filco/ducky. In the end i decided on getting something practically good and durable. Leds would have added to the cool effect when put to my gaming rig, but i could live without it.

I do admit Razer has a knack for making their products look good that is for sure :/

However i made an unfortunate mistake of getting a Razer Death Adder mouse which i found out later didn't agree with the comfort of my hand. I much prefer my new Logitech G500 This taught me that bling does not necessarily make it good for practical reasons.

These days i am wary of their products. Even their new bw is glossy, some people won't like that :/

For my own price range, i think Ducky or Filco are good for gaming/typing. Both brands have a choice of blue, brown or black cherry switches; which you get depends on your own preference. These 2 recommendations are roughly RM 450 ish.

Of if you prefer, the BW sells for around RM 390 or something; but uses blue cherry switches if you don't mind ?
yeah, i prefer to go into detail to debunk any misunderstandings. I don't know if he was trolling or honestly misunderstood about the deck and ducky. To give the benefit of a doubt, i try to enlighten instead    I don't force people to take what i say literaly true, as i do encourage them to study the facts through other channels themselves 
Anyway lycosa and arctosa are rubber dome keyboards That is not to say they aren't gaming keyboard, but they aren't mechanical so yeah.... Some people don't mind rubber dome kbs, while others do. There is no right or wrong answer, but since this thread is mostly for those who are particular about the quality of their kb, be it build or performance, it's reasonable to say that it matters to most of the people in this thread  that their keyboards are mechanical by nature :} And yes there are gaming mechanical keyboards even if some of them lack led aesthetics or macros features.
Here is a utube video for the razer bw. Someone more knowledgeable than me thinks that the leds are sufficiently bright. So i guess they wont be a lack luster experience like the Logitech G15 V1 i own and felt was very dim.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eprYI9piYS0

i not means rubber dome keyboard then is not gaming keyboard
just don think arctosa and lycosa did have any good feature for so call "pro" gaming gear
they are just very normal keyboard then add in the back lit and with the razer logo only

to me, i guess what he meant isnt about the technicality or the quality. no doubt that its good, but i think what he meant was about the finishing.
finishing of the product is always important, and personally, in my own opinion, not saying that its correct, the brands you mentioned lack somewhat that finishing that makes the product looks high quality and candy to the eye.
which to any casual customer, would prefer to get something else that looks great, and functionality later.  for an example, razer blackwidow. about its performance, lets judge later when its released and in front of our doorstep.
no point dissing them, hope razer would raise their quality, i would certainly pay extensively if the product's overall is awesome on the inside and outside.
just my 2 cents. =)

Not really.
What about SpawN and HeatoN? sponsored by the not-so-famous Zowie Gear