hi unseen,

well..... this is what i tried to explain when i created the first malaysian mechanical keyboard club.

It's exactly this awareness i wanted to raise. I was like you once, i had a Logitech G15 V1, and i thought that was the best there was, but actually it was a overpriced pos

Just because a keyboard looks nice and has lights, does not make it a good keyboard, because there are many things people who did not know the difference, did not take into account such as......

1. the keycap quality. the print type, as well as the plastic used.
- the print type effects how easy the printed characters will fade off. also is the contrast of the characters good enough to see clearly ?
- the plastic used. the cheap ones tend to get shiny over time, which is most apparent especially on the spacebar.

2. the actuation force when typing on the keys.
- on a membrane keyboard, this can feel very mushy and unsatisfying, but even worse, when your gaming or even generally typing, when you thought you had clearly pressed the key, but it didn't output the character you typed. This is because it's not as precise/reliable as a mechanical switch.
- for mechanical keyboards there are many switches with actuation forces ranging from black (hard,), brown (medium), blue (slightly lighter than brown), red (lightest)
- there is also linear/non-linear; clicky/non-clicky. For me personally i cannot stand clicky typing, so i stick to non-clicky. If you want the quitest, there is the topre keyboards that use a hybrid mechanical switch.

3. NKRO
- this is another wanted feature. Not all mech keyboards have it, as some have 6kro which for most purposes is fine. NKRO is for people don't want to be limited, which could be good especially for O2jam professional gammers and that sort.

4. durability
- not all mech keyboards are like this, depending on the print type you use for the keycaps anyway. Or the type of plastics use that may cause the shine or discoloration effect. But if you get the better mech keyboards, they can last for quite a while, and is possible to replace the switches years later when they feel worned out. Regular keyboards are pretty much disposable, you just use them until their trashed.

5. extras
- these are the blings like lighting etc..... there are indeed mechanical keyboards with led lighting, but in getting it, you don't get dye sublimated or double shot printed keycaps. So it depends what your tastes are. I personally don't mind the lack of lighting, but not everyone thinks that.


Knowing some of the story, you need to then know what your budget is :/ mech keyboards even the cheapest go into the Rm4xx-5xx range. The higher end is like Rm7xx-RM9xx.

So if you hadn't upgraded your cpu, graphics card, motherboard etc first, then maybe you should wait before spending too much on a keyboard. It's good but to me personally i tend to focus on the other components first :} But having used a Mech keyboard for a few years now, i don't think i can use a regular one anymore Besides mech keyboards last for ages, so it's probably a good investment in the long run.




In summary, my advise, maybe go to the mk club meeting this month and try out the keyboards and you decide for yourself whether they are worth the price tags.
https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2980005

This post has been edited by Moogle Stiltzkin: Oct 20 2013, 12:26 AM

Been busy playing game, watch anime hehe

Not to mention broke (spent at least Rm 1XXX on keyboard so far lulz...) so not trying to get poisoned .... (although i was the first to poison malaysia with it )




I use the pbt spacebar from my Ducky Dk-9008 Tiger limited edition. I really like the feel and the shape.

The other spacebar from my custom made order was too steep and didn't feel comfortable. There is a totally big difference between the 2

PS: no shine even after a few years of usage so pbt lives up to it's reputation.

This post has been edited by Moogle Stiltzkin: Oct 20 2013, 12:35 AM

And i thought i was excessive guess the poison i spread has inflated *wave


yeah this was the double shot SP custom bulk we did on geekhack. I mean generally it was good, but the spacebar was atrocious.

yeah i also have a cherry vintage spacebar. It's acceptable, but since it's abs, i prefer my ducky pbt spacebar


This is why i prefer the non led keycap mks. Those cherry corp double shots are amazing good with their high contrast and crisp characters.

Also over time led keycaps will dim. So unless people will bother to replace them over time, the non led either double shots or dye sublimated seem better for durability. I have both types on my keyboard

This post has been edited by Moogle Stiltzkin: Oct 20 2013, 06:30 PM

they actually went ahead with the moogle ?

It was suppose to be a ducky keyboard compliant kit with window led but at the time it didn't get enough people to join last i checked.

Now that i think about it, i think at the time we didn't meet enough quota to go ahead with the order, so we cancelled that 1st round or so i thought.

Instead i individually bought some rare vintage window led keys from an overseas purchase. The cherry corp version of it is great






This post has been edited by Moogle Stiltzkin: Oct 20 2013, 06:41 PM

if i have time, i will think about it :]

I believe our first mk gathering, i brought along my Ducky Dk-9008 G2 tiger limited edition keyboard (cherry mx brown).

I also got a vintage Cherry Corp (MX black) in my collection





Wow..... i didn't realize it was that big a deal, but i guess there is a first for everything in the modder arena.

Well i was first concerned and disheartened, that although on geekhacks they were ordering a double shot custom set from SP, there was a lack of option for windowed led caps, because on the ducky keyboard there was a few of them (i count 5 on my keyboard).

That is when i made the moogle kit idea to fill in the gaps. I'm glad it's now a popular option for the modders out there


This post has been edited by Moogle Stiltzkin: Oct 20 2013, 06:37 PM

also i think different rows of key have different heights and angles. So i'm not sure if there is such a thing as a 1 fit all set.

At the time, the Mooglekit was intended for a Ducky Dk9008 keyboard, complimentary addition for the Panda Double Shot geek hack Signature Plastic custom full set.







Not to mention have to order in group bulk to be affordable


Or if not possible, can order individually from taobao, by browsing a list of keyboards till you find one with Cherry LED window caps, and strike a deal with the seller to purchase only those keys. Thats how i did it.


This post has been edited by Moogle Stiltzkin: Oct 20 2013, 06:59 PM

Yeah my mistake. Memory not so good lol

Other than the window led optional set, there was a moogle kit (black or white variants) to supplement the Cherry Corp double shots that didn't fit on a Ducky keyboard. So that is where the moogle kit came from, to have close imitiations of the Cherry Corp double shots, to fill in the gaps that the originals couldn't fit.

That is what the moogle kit black/white is Yeah i committed to one set as well to go with my beige/white Cherry Corp original set.


The moogle window led, was another option, that covered the led keys. i thought you were referring to that

This post has been edited by Moogle Stiltzkin: Oct 20 2013, 07:08 PM

This saturday ? Oh i'll check and let you know if i can make it

lulz.... fine i'll come if i remember to

so much peer pressure x_x; But guess i got to support 0168257061 and the others

I'll bring my Ducky DK-9008 G2 Tiger limited edition (with custom key sets)

and a vintage Cherry Corp (Cherry mx black)


there will be laser etched without fillings (Ducky), dye sublimated (Cherry corp), double shot (Cherry corp + Signature plastic) key caps with me.

Should i bring my Ducky leather palm wrest too ? It's a bit worn though kek x_x; I use it alot, so it's weird if i type without it .... but i haven't felt any stress on my fingers since i used a mech keyboard with leather palm wrest :/ so maybe it makes a difference ? To me anyway.


In the first gathering we did, i saw cherry mx blue, and a cherry mx red. Lots of keyboard i never seen in this upcoming gathering (notably the Ferrari of keyboards the Topre )


PS: is anybody bringing a laptop with a PS/2 and usb ports ?




This post has been edited by Moogle Stiltzkin: Oct 21 2013, 02:49 AM

nice


i've just saw this gallery and noticed the newer mk boards. Wow the chasis really improved looks very sturdy these alloy builds ..... even the usb connector seems to be more conveniently placed than the dk9xxx series.

http://duck0113.tistory.com/54


very tempting


your welcome to join us for the gathering if your interested. assuming the location is convenient for you

This post has been edited by Moogle Stiltzkin: Oct 21 2013, 03:59 AM

come come :] newbie welcome. No mech keyboard ? Also can come. This is also the point of the gathering ^-^;

come to the gathering find out this saturday. We can talk in txt, but when it comes down to it, you should try it out yourself in conjunction receive a face to face tutorial on the subject, and decide for yourself whether the price tag is worth it, and whether it falls within your budget

feel free to come

if only all guys showed up, would feel kinda ghey lulz

This post has been edited by Moogle Stiltzkin: Oct 21 2013, 07:31 PM

happy bday

i've tested both tactile/non-clicky - cherry mx brown, and non-tactile/non-click - cherry mx red.

Red is way more lighter than brown.

when you press red, it goes straight down, no bumps (aka no tactile feedback). It's really like, and some people may feel it's too responsive for their taste.

For such people, the brown may be a better choice.

But then this is all a matter of preference, and there is no 1 type fit for all that is why there is much debate and discussion on this topic.

I tried black and they were too strong for me, and very uncomfortable. But if you had fingers like a body builder, you may actually enjoy it lol

Oh fellow sabahan

aww too bad

seen through ?

I doubt it, because it's double shot.


exception being the deck legend doubleshot that can show led illumination




For Cherry Corp led, is not double shot. the printed character uses the regular print that normal cheap keyboards use



The best you can expect is maybe led light showing through the gaps around the keycaps. And this is why the camps is separated for those who prefer led lighted keyboards, vs those who prefer doubleshot/dye sublimated



http://www.ducky-nordic.com/sept/kvnc1.jpg


*still drafting...


Also there 2 category of led backlight keyboard. The cheaper ones have leds spaced out around the keyboard. The other type has a led for each and every key. Obviously the later is preferable because it has better lighting uniformity all across the keyboard. Here is a picture as an example:


Some led backlight keyboard may also have a controller to set the illumination brightness, or change the lighting to be permanent or fade in/fade out effect. I think the Razer is able to do that, but they are using spaced out led lighting i believe.

Ducky also has some special lighting modes

http://www.duckychannel.com.tw/en/DK9008_shine2.html



ps: the ducky shine zero uses "Laser printed dual layer ABS Keycaps" by default.



And this is the definitive reason explaining the process behind keycaps that work ideally for led backlight keyboards, versus those that aren't




This post has been edited by Moogle Stiltzkin: Oct 22 2013, 12:49 PM

is the characters been illuminated ? Or is it just led lighting around the edges in between in keycaps as i said

oh got progress on this hm...

got youtube or pic to see ?

But this is exactly what i was worried about "partially". The normal process for most back light keycaps use the laser etched method of keyprint i believe




So i'm not too familiar about the other methods

This post has been edited by Moogle Stiltzkin: Oct 22 2013, 12:54 PM

Wow your right. This is new, i never seen before



http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a230r....&id=18956670109


See the keycap screenshot behind, is indeed double shot, but has a dotted opening my guess to allow illumination to get through. Thats new

This post has been edited by Moogle Stiltzkin: Oct 22 2013, 01:14 PM