FILCO Majestouch Tenkeyless - which Switch Type? - Page 2

AzTec

Canada178 Posts

August 21 2010 19:55 GMT

#21

Just going to throw another opinion into the hat.

The clicks blues make are really obnoxious, I know some people love the clicks but I think they drive most people up the wall. Also even if you do like them, if you live with anyone else there's a good chance they wont.

If you like the sound though and it doesn't bother anyone then knock yourself out, the blues along with the browns are great for gaming and typing.

Lastly though, I'd be weary to recommend the blacks if you do any decent amount of typing since they're a little awkward for that.

Xapti

Canada2473 Posts

August 21 2010 20:17 GMT

#22

I bought this keyboard for 35$ after shipping (twice the price of the KBD) on eBay:
http://kbdholic.net/xe/?mid=sale&page=1&listStyle=webzine&vid=kbd&document_srl=355&sort_index=last_update&order_type=desc

It uses MX browns for switch type. They are nice I guess, but personally I almost think I like the feel of domes better, cause they are kind of quieter, or at least feel softer when you bottom out.

I'm also thinking I might have liked the MX blues because I think they have a more tactile feel to them (I don't think I'd mind the clicky sound). They SUPPOSEDLY aren't as good for gaming though due to hysteresis in the keys caused by the audible and tactile feedback mechanisms, but I think it's a pretty minor hysteresis that doesn't really affect people much.
Razer seem to be using MX blues in THEIR gaming keyboard, so it must be decent for gaming.

That said, if you do go for blues, you might actually want to get a razer Black Widow as opposed to the FILCO because you'll probably be getting the same keyboard switches, but at a cheaper price. Well, it won't be tenkeyless though (and even have an extra row on the left), which might not be desireable to you.

Jackafur

United States116 Posts

August 21 2010 20:38 GMT

#23

On August 22 2010 04:55 Archaics wrote:
Just going to throw another opinion into the hat.

The clicks blues make are really obnoxious, I know some people love the clicks but I think they drive most people up the wall. Also even if you do like them, if you live with anyone else there's a good chance they wont.

If you like the sound though and it doesn't bother anyone then knock yourself out, the blues along with the browns are great for gaming and typing.

Lastly though, I'd be weary to recommend the blacks if you do any decent amount of typing since they're a little awkward for that.

yea I can attest to how loud the blues are. They are pretty loud. Whenever I'm on the phone or something and typing people love to comment on how loud my keyboard is. I like the clicks though.

zoltanqc

Canada171 Posts

August 21 2010 20:53 GMT

#24

if you want a clear response that the key has been pressed go for blue.

otherwise go for blacks. I own a tenkeyless with black cherries and the tactile feel is just nerdgasmic

Duscha

Germany42 Posts

August 21 2010 21:05 GMT

#25

I really don't care about the noise level.

The last hours I've browsed a little bit more and now I'm getting a little bit confused. On overclock.net they strongly recommend Black Switches for gaming, especially for FPS. Why might be Blue or Brown a better choice for RTS? I'd love to hear a comparism between them from people who own both Switch Types based on SC2.

kzn

United States1218 Posts

August 21 2010 21:09 GMT

#26

I'm guessing people think Blue/Brown are better for RTS because they provide feedback on when the key actuates (although its inaccurate, in both cases).

This only really holds if you don't bottom out when you press keys while playing, which everyone I know does. Far better, imo, to have keys that have predictable resistance at all points in the keypress, are much easier to spam if you dont completely release the key between presses, and feel glorious to use (even when typing).

Ideally you'd want Red switches but they barely exist anymore :<

Icarus84

32 Posts

August 21 2010 21:21 GMT

#27

Xapti! I love that Cherry keyboard, I got to try that out at one of my jobsites. I might have to get one of those as well

My girlfriend doesn't seem to mind the loud clicks of the blue switches and she was totally against me getting it. If you type correctly on a blue switch keyboard you are touch typing and the keys don't bottom out nearly as much, which means faster response and less loud clacking noises.

...But for the masses MX Cherry Blues are the loudest of the family lol

I didn't know about the Razer Black Widow...just did a bunch of reading up on it. I'm a fan of their mice/mouse(however you want to say it) and I would honestly give that keyboard a shot. It has the Cherry Blues, but also the most modern technology (macros, usb, headphone/mic jack, fancy LEDs) I've seen since the DAS keyboards. I almost bought a DAS, but after reading all the bad reviews I decided to run away. If anyone uses one on here i'd be curious to hear your thoughts!

goneim

China201 Posts

August 21 2010 22:41 GMT

#28

On August 22 2010 04:00 Icarus84 wrote:
Geekhack is a great site, but I'm not sure why they wouldn't recommend you the Cherry Blue's, there's threads on this same topic all over Geekhack that has answered this topic.

I have a Filco Majestouch "Otaku" tenkeyless I am currently using. It's the best keyboard i've ever typed on and it is perfect for RTS games. The Cherry Blues are by far the most responsive and i've tried Cherry Blacks and Browns as well. You definitely do not want browns as they are linear (not tactile)

Cherry Blues are the only way to go my friend!

Here's my Otaku: [image loading]

lol just ordered the Geekhack key from iMav :D

FarbrorAbavna

Sweden4856 Posts

August 21 2010 23:12 GMT

#29

Both on geekhack and on elitekeyboard.com they say that browns are tactile while blacks are linear. Do you mean that browns are linear as well or was it just a typo on your behalf? I'm looking into getting a new keyboard, and have almost setteled for browns, and this is just confusing the shit out of me :D

Icarus84

32 Posts

August 21 2010 23:34 GMT

#30

Goneim: Nice! believe it or not I bought that keyboard from iMav, it had those keys on it replaced, but was Never used (he called it his backup lol). The Geekhack key is by far the coolest.

Farbor: If you look a couple minutes after that original post I corrected myself. Let me simplify the switches:

Blue: Tactile/Clicky
Brown: Soft Tactile/Less Clicky
Black: Linear/Not Clicky

People who are skilled typists will enjoy the Blue switches. I could see how maybe MMO players and FPS players would enjoy a Black or Brown switch keyboard because of the more relaxed feel and lower resistance of the switches (keys being held down for a longer period of time). However us RTS players who hammer away at the keys want the responsiveness and the reassurance that key has registered of the Blue Switches.

Overall if you go Brown or Blue you'll still find that you absolutely Love your mechanical keyboard. I know i'm hooked for life!

exp

New Zealand91 Posts

August 22 2010 01:15 GMT

#31

I ordered a Steelkeys 7g with Cherry black switches and returned it after a day of trying to play BW.

I found it difficult to tell if a keypress was registered because of the linear feel and ended up with sore fingers because the keys feel like they require so much force.

It might be personal preference but I don't think Cherry blacks are any good for intensive RTS'. In the end I ended up getting The Filco Majestouch with Cherry browns which felt much better.

Duscha

Germany42 Posts

August 23 2010 16:58 GMT

#32

At last I digged more deeper into the matter and now I really can understand why some people suggest Black Switches and some other Blues or Browns. The perfect answer might be RED Switches, which are hardly ever to come by. They unite the linear advantage of Blacks and the low force required of Blues/Brownes. I'll try to get one of these and keep you guys posted.

Daewon

127 Posts

August 23 2010 18:22 GMT

#33

Reds are almost impossible to come by unless you live in Asia OR have very deep pockets. My suggestion to you is to get cherry browns, they require very little force (blacks are very tiring especially on the pinky finger), and you get the tactile touch which means you don't have to bottom out just to be sure the click registered. In other words you can get away with pressing a key down 2mm rather than 4mm.
read "Which switch do I choose ! ?"

I did a lot of digging around on this subjet, and the general opinion over at geekhack.org (the ultimate keyboardgeek site) is that browns are best for RTS gaming.

FarbrorAbavna

Sweden4856 Posts

August 24 2010 19:17 GMT

#34

great stuff icarus84, thx!

harenzo

United Kingdom36 Posts

August 24 2010 20:45 GMT

#35

Are there any mechanical keyboard types which don't sound like artillery fire when pressed?

I had a quick look on youtube and they all seem pretty loud.

tofucake

Hyrule19040 Posts

August 24 2010 21:08 GMT

#36

Cherry MX Blacks and Reds (though Reds are super mega ultra rare...but you can homebrew some with Brown springs and Black switches) are quietish. Although most mechanicals are noisy, which is part of the allure.

Foogs

40 Posts

August 24 2010 21:52 GMT

#37

Cherry browns

Wonders

Australia753 Posts

August 25 2010 01:12 GMT

#38

I have a Filco with Cherry Browns, but I only use it for typing. When playing games, I'm used to bottoming-out the keys, so the large "bottom out" distance on the Browns is uncomfortable.

Archaic

United States4024 Posts

August 25 2010 02:17 GMT

#39

Does anyone have a comparison to how loud Cherry blues are? I consider myself a "skilled typist" and I would love to benefit form that. However, I'm going to college sometime soon, and I don't want my roommate developing a grudge, or for me to not use my $100+ keyboard when I buy one.

EDIT:

Are you a secret fan?

zoltanqc

Canada171 Posts

August 25 2010 03:10 GMT

#40

On August 25 2010 11:17 Archaic wrote:
Does anyone have a comparison to how loud Cherry blues are?

If a typing machine is a 10/10, I'd say cherry blues are like 7/10