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Razer BlackWidow Chroma Mechanical Gaming Keyboard - Green Switch $71.40 ($69.72 with eBay Plus) Delivered @ Razer_au eBay
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Logged in just to upvote you. Excellent comment.
Appreciate that, cheers!
what is non optical mean?
is that like the plastic membrane + pads used in non mechanical keyboards?
and optical means using light and has no membrane or pads that touch?what alternative cheap value for money mechanical keyboards do you recommend, if not this one?
and are there any that use optical keyswitches?Non-optical means it uses an electronic contact - ie it bridges a circuit. An optical key switch breaks an optic beam (basically a laser - a converged beam of light) which the sensor detects instantly without any contact occurring, therefore they last longer and there's less mechanical resistance which means theoretically faster travel. Both switches use springs, so they're still both mechanical, it's only the way they detect key activation that varies.
Personally, I spend around 12 hours a day at my keyboard, and maybe 70% of that time is typing, so I'm a big believer that it's worth investing in tools you spend a great deal of your life using. Many years ago I got the Corsair K95 with the extended 18 macro keys which I use extensively for work (I hang Excel and powershell scripts off them, which saves me a lot of time in my day-to-day). I've often wondered whether a proper custom keyboard and taking the time to relearn DVORAK is worth it, but I just can't justify the impact it would have getting to grips with it.
I tend to be like that with a lot of things - I'll spend enough on something good without spending 10x as much to get what might be the best, but is really only 5% better than what was fairly easy to obtain and isn't a PITA to use. Is that the right approach for you? I can't possibly say. What I will say is most reputable brands of mechanical keyboard are such a huge step up from a membrane keyboard that pretty much any entry-level mechanical will be money well spent. I usually recommend people start with Cherry MX Brown (or equivalent) keyswitches - the tactile feedback is a much nicer typing experience IMO without the antisocial chattering of Blues (although I've had keyboards with MX Blues before and I personally love them, just not more than I love my marriage). Compared with where things were at 15 years ago though, there's a huge amount of variety and much more reasonable pricing for entry level devices these days (it used to be nearly impossible to get anything for less than $150).
If you want a quality product that will do a solid job, I do rate Corsair's range, I've never seen one with a fault. My first Razer BlackWidow (one of the first ever sold in Australia, I had it on backorder with the national distributor at the time) had two key switches die after just 18 months, so I do struggle with those, but I don't have solid figures on return rates of any particular brand, so really it comes down to user preference and maybe reading reviews (like anything in the tech hardware space). I don't know if there are retailers with keyboards available for you to try out in showrooms (I don't really go to retailers), but if there are I recommend checking some out and seeing how they feel. Read some reviews - any major issues tend to be called out by tech journalists to help you avoid lemons. But otherwise, as with anything, try to find the best fit that's within your budget - most mechanical keyboards will give you a solid decade of reliable use, probably way longer than your patience will run out and you'll want to upgrade, anyway ;-)
Best of luck!
I think with optical switches, you are looking at the LEDs failing more than anything. So rather than how many presses, I think it's how many hours (with how long lasting LEDs are, it'd still be ridiculously long).
Just want to let people know that Razer green switches are really loud and clacky. I previously used yellow switches and thought I'd give this keyboard a go and i could not stand the sound. I put o-rings on the keycaps but it was still super loud. Apart from that it's a great keyboard but if noise is an issue for you for any reason, avoid green switches.
Razer's green switches and Cherry MX Blue are clicky switches (they have a mechanism inside that clicks as you type). Simiilarly, Razer's purple switches on their optical keyboard line up is also clicky. These are basically made to make clicking noises to allow you to audibly hear and feel the click as you type (which is not for everyone of course).
I love this model. I've tried the BlackWidow v3 and it has terrible pinging.
Personally, these sound better than Razer's newer switches.
Two things. First, this is an excellent price for a good keyboard. However it's an eight-year-old design using non-optical keyswitches, something Razer's subsequently become rather well known for (because optical switches are faster, more reliable and wear less). That being said, it's a heck of a long way up to get to the Huntsman v2 Elite or a K95. If you want the best, this isn't it. But if you want a decent mechanical keyboard for very little money, this is a good buy.