Backlit Mechanical Keyboards

Since I only use laptops, I can't comment on the quality of different kinds of keyboards. But my latest laptop has a backlit keyboard, which I love!

The problem with a regular keyboard is that I type so much, I wear the letters off the keys. With my old laptop, the letters were visibly wearing away after just three months. After two years of constant use, it only had two or three letters left on the keyboard. And the space bar was actually bowed inward--not bent, but worn down from contact with my thumb. It's a good thing I touch-type, because otherwise I would have been lost! (At one point, I actually tried using alphabet Washi tape to replace the missing letters, but it only lasted a day or two before peeling off.)

The backlit keyboard doesn't use the same kind of lettering--so it's much harder for me to damage the keys with all my typing. To illustrate, I've had my new laptop for probably nine months and the only keys that are showing any problems are E, T, and N. They're slightly chipped, but still readable.

So yes, I adore backlit keyboards. Plus, you know . . . they look really awesome! Mine has a kind of grayish-white light. Very subdued and sophisticated. I would have loved purple or aqua light, but it probably would have been very distracting. The gray light is lovely, but not distracting in the least.

Orianna2000 said:

The problem with a regular keyboard is that I type so much, I wear the letters off the keys. With my old laptop, the letters were visibly wearing away after just three months.

Click to expand...

Depends entirely how the lettering is done. Printed lettering wears of quickly (some worse than others). Inlaid lettering will often outlast the rest of the key.

I've actually worn holes through my keys. But I use a keyboard til it's good and dead.

Two month old thread, I know

My two bits on mechanical keyboards. I knew nothing about keyboards when I started looking for a new computer. I fancied that I wanted a 17"laptop with a lighted keyboard, but man, that $1000 and up price tag put me off. In the end I decided that a lighted usb keyboard attached to a 17" laptop would be even better, and less expensive. So I started research on keyboards and discovered that I could get what is called a mechanical keyboard and it would be akin to typing with an old style IBM or similar keyboard, which I always found comfortable.

I knew nothing of cherry switches and such but quickly found out that these are some of the things that seem to matter. I wanted just a basic layout because I don't game. Being basically cheap, I settled on a $99 unit. But then found this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ion-_-cables-_-na-_-na&Item=23-162-032&cm_sp=
Which does not have the actual and for real cherry switches but does come with a 5 year warranty and is rated for 50M keystrokes. Plus much less expensive which is always a plus.

Anyhow, I like it. Simple layout, adjustable lighting (mine is blue light), and most important it is great to type on. And yes it does make clicky sound if that is important to you. I have typed a bit on it and find it to be the best typing experience I have ever had.

I've never used a back-lit keyboard, and am curious: Why did you want one? I'm a very good touch-typist, which means I don't look at the keyboard much when I'm working, and that may explain why I've never thought about one.

I do agree, however, on the utility of a standard USB keyboard. The unlit ones are ridiculously cheap, and much better both to type on and to save wear and tear on the standard laptop keyboard. That, of course, applies only when you have room to use one, but still, it helps much of the time.

caw

blacbird said:

I've never used a back-lit keyboard, and am curious: Why did you want one? I'm a very good touch-typist, which means I don't look at the keyboard much when I'm working, and that may explain why I've never thought about one.

Click to expand...

It actually had nothing to do with the back-lighting for me (I don't really like the green color mine glows.) It's the feel of the keys and the ease of typing. Both have made a ridiculous amount of difference since I started using my new keyboard.

The keys are a bit taller than the ones on a standard "membrane" keyboard (the kind without switches underneath, but rather a membrane-like sheet), but my fingers don't stray off the wrong keys as much. I type faster this way. And yes - the "clicky noise." Totally psychological, but it still works. I've hated standard keyboards since the late 90's, when they lost the click, and the tactile bump that came with it.

I don't need backlighting for typing since I type without looking at my keyboard. If you look at your keyboard while typing and type in the dark often it's annoying when they're not backlit.
However even when I need to see what I'm doing because I'm looking for a special key I usually have a lamp on in my office.

Cyia said:

It actually had nothing to do with the back-lighting for me (I don't really like the green color mine glows.) It's the feel of the keys and the ease of typing. Both have made a ridiculous amount of difference since I started using my new keyboard.

The keys are a bit taller than the ones on a standard "membrane" keyboard (the kind without switches underneath, but rather a membrane-like sheet), but my fingers don't stray off the wrong keys as much. I type faster this way. And yes - the "clicky noise." Totally psychological, but it still works. I've hated standard keyboards since the late 90's, when they lost the click, and the tactile bump that came with it.

Click to expand...

...um.. blacbird is talking about backlit keyboards, not mechy. And... you're talking about mechanical, right?

Just trying to clarity things so people don't buy a cheapy backlit keyboard thinking of every reason you're stating, Cyia.

Osulagh said:

...um.. blacbird is talking about backlit keyboards, not mechy. And... you're talking about mechanical, right?

Just trying to clarity things so people don't buy a cheapy backlit keyboard thinking of every reason you're stating, Cyia.

Click to expand...

Yes, but the one I have is a combination of the two - backlit and mechanical. Just throwing my experience in.

The one thing I really *don't* like about the keyboard is the cord. It's very thick and wrapped, and sometimes gets in the way, but the pros still outweigh the cons.

Is there a keyboard that doesn't click? A silent keyboard? I've seen one on CSI but I never trust that programme to show real tech.

I hate the clicking. Always have.

I'm so glad I found this thread! My son (the PC gamer in the family) handed me his Christmas list and one of the items is a Black Widow Ultimate. I was like .

But now I know what it is! And after reading through this thread, he might have to share it with his Mom.

I don't care about the backlit, but I did move to a mechanical, for much the same reasons mentioned above.

My problem with the cheap USB keyboards was wear and tear. I'm a heavy handed typist. I wear out/break keys (particularly the space bar) faster on the cheap ones.

I just got a really fancy backlit keyboard for my husband! I'm a member of a review club, where companies send you free items in exchange for your honest review. Sometimes I get really lousy stuff (and I leave a bad review), but occasionally, something pops up that's awesome. This time, I got a gamer's keyboard, which retails for around $220.

I use a laptop, so I don't need a keyboard, but my husband has a regular PC and he's really into gaming, so I got it for him to try. It's a mechanical keyboard, so it clicks very loudly when he types, but the computer's in the other room, so it doesn't bother me. The backlighting is really amazing! The keys are programmable, so you can set each individual key to a different color, if you want. It's great for gamers, because you don't have to take your eyes off the screen, you can tap whichever key you need, just by seeing the color out of the corner of your eye. My husband's got it set up with about six different colors, so each section of the keyboard is a different color. He seems to really like it, so I'm planning on leaving a good review for it.

My personal reaction? . . . Oooh! Pretty colors!

mirandashell said:

Is there a keyboard that doesn't click? A silent keyboard? I've seen one on CSI but I never trust that programme to show real tech.

I hate the clicking. Always have.

Click to expand...

Topre make a clunk more than a click.

In a way, no and yes. Membrane keyboards are going to be your best bet for less noise. Or perhaps scissor switches (laptop and the flat keyboards have).

You can mod some mechanical keyboards to make them more quiet, but I ask, "What's the point?" For example, you can buy a MX-Cherry Red, Black, or Brown (all have no middle click, just the bottoming hit) and do the "O-ring" mod with them--putting a o-ring under the keycap so when the key goes to the bottom, it absorbs some of the hit. But you lose that sharp hit and some distance, deflating the theatrics of it all. You'll only get a longer life-span keyboard (if yours die a lot, this can be good).

There is no "silent" keyboard, because your fingers will make noise against a touch screen. But you can alter and quiet down the sound a bit.

I use a CM Storm/Coolermaster Quickfire TK backlit mechanical keyboard -- Cherry brown switches (though you can pick your cherry key preference), so a nice click to them without being hugely noisy. It's not an expensive keyboard (as far as Cherry key mechanicals go), but it's hard wearing, the keys are nicely embossed in and won't fade, and it's generally great fun to use.

The only niggles -- the arrow keys and number keys are in the same area and you need to toggle to turns the arrows off and on depending on what you need. It becomes automatic quite quickly, but it's my biggest annoyance with the keyboard.

mirandashell said:

Is there a keyboard that doesn't click? A silent keyboard? I've seen one on CSI but I never trust that programme to show real tech.

I hate the clicking. Always have.

Click to expand...

Chiclet keyboards are pretty damn quiet -- chiclet keys are those are the low, sunken, seperated keys you see on Macbooks.

There is no "silent" keyboard, because your fingers will make noise against a touch screen.

Click to expand...

I wasn't thinking touch screen, tbh. I hate those. I was thinking more a seperate keyboard like I have now but without the clicking. More of a touch sensitive keyboard.

Roll up keyboards are fairly silent.

(One other oddity I'd forgotten about, that took some adapting with my Black Widow is that the shift functions aren't above the regular functions on the keys. They're below. So instead of the 1 key having ! above it, the 1 is on top, and the ! is on bottom. A little weird, but nothing that can't be learned with repetition.)

Are they? That's interesting. Are they expensive?

Do you have Staples or Best Buy in England, or something similar? They put brightly colored silicone roll-aways out on the sale tables for Christmas here. They're usually around $15.

We have Staples, I think. I shall have to check them out.

Back to OP, here's a decent deal for a mechanical backlit keyboard at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IG3GPTS/?tag=absowrit-20

blacbird said:

I've never used a back-lit keyboard, and am curious: Why did you want one? I'm a very good touch-typist, which means I don't look at the keyboard much when I'm working, and that may explain why I've never thought about one.

I do agree, however, on the utility of a standard USB keyboard. The unlit ones are ridiculously cheap, and much better both to type on and to save wear and tear on the standard laptop keyboard. That, of course, applies only when you have room to use one, but still, it helps much of the time.

caw

Click to expand...

Good question. And I have the light on the lowest setting. I rarely look down when I type. So I probably don't even need it. But it looks cool. I have it hooked to my Asus laptop and it is a world better to type on that the laptop keyboard.

I'm a bit of a computer freak. I'd love a nice mechanical keyboard but don't really have the money for one right now.

I'm using an IBM PC-AT/339 keyboard that was made in 1985. It weighs more than some modern notebook computers.

I'm seriously considering going back to my old 84-key IBM PC keyboard; after five years I still haven't come to terms with the fact that the AT keyboard is seriously right-handed, and I am not. I switched because too much software wanted right-control, right-alt, F11, and F12 keys... but I've been looking at programmable auxiliary keypads that would let me get around that.