I had to buy a new keyboard a few weeks ago and I finally decided to get me a mechanical one - the Corsair K70 to be exact.

Honestly, I dont notice a world of a difference compared to my old Microsoft "rubberdome" keyboard when gaming, but I also use my desktop PC for work, and I can tell you its great. My typing speed has increased significantly, and problems I had with the old one - stiff fingers from having to hit the keys too hard - are gone completely.

So I would really recommend getting this or another mechanical keyboard, however I have also heard that not everybody is happy. As to price, yes they are far more expensive, but I guess Id like to keep this one for a long, long time... so maybe its ok from that point of view

On the other hand, if you DONT have to type a lot, then I guess you really dont need such a beast. Except that of course something like the K70 just has more authority to it. If you press a key, you really press a key, its something which matters. Satisfactory click, too :-)

Considering how much the bloody things costs these days then yes they very easily can be a complete and utter rip off.

When I needed a keyboard, I searched on google and also went to shops to look at them. Mine came from Best Buy. The keys are shaped differently than most keyboards, so that might be a consideration.

Having spent today's internet browsing mostly looking at keyboards, maybe I need to stretch my budget to £70 as it seems that there are a number of keyboards hitting that price point that have some pretty nice functionality.

Again I have looked at the mechanical keyboards, but on my budget it definitely seems that it is a choice between mechanical keyboard or the nice functionalities of gaming keyboards. If you want both the price rockets to three figures.

Still very tempted by the Corsair Raptor K50, and it isn't actually too big, it will in fact just fit on my desk if I move my tower and printer out to the sides to give me a couple of centimetres more space between them. The K40 would also probably do, to, and is slightly cheaper and smaller. Thing is, I can't find any rated number of estimated keypresses for the lifetime of the keyboard.

I'll likely go out tomorrow and Saturday to have a closer look at some keyboards in the shops.

That looks like a good keyboard. I may buy myself one of those for my birthday. Being a programmer, a quality keyboard (and chair) is essential.

It's the same as buying good tires on a sports car. Being that it's your primary means of interacting with the system, a high-quality one makes the experience that much better. Not to mention, if you're more than a gamer, it becomes even more pronounced of a consideration. Life's not a practice run. I'm not going to halfass it and live it cheaply.

Mechanical vs. gaming depends on use. Gaming keyboards can save keypresses, which is important. The more time spent typing, the more important a mechanical can be. The most important is to get the best for you.

If a mechanical failed as often as regular keyboards, no way would I purchase one. Amortizing the cost + how much I typed made it a sensible decision. Depends on how much you type vs. how much you just game.

I work on PCs all day, and my crappy work-provided keyboard caused hand problems. I replaced it with a mechanical keyboard. Best purchase ever. A short adjustment period, then hands and typing both improved dramatically.

I didn't get a fancy gaming keyboard, but it works fine for the games I play. Much more precise than regular keyboards. Better feedback.

My current keyboard has developed a bad habit of attacking peoples feet. It is quite nasty, and likes to strike with the corner for best effect. I am very surprised how much it actually hurts, and it doesn't just attack people who use the computer, it also attacks people who get too close such as my wife (she has been nailed a few times now)

The trigger mechanism is the computer chair, if you bump the chair, the keyboard will launch its attack. It does that by somehow managing to insert its cord on the front arm of the chair. To look at it, you would probably say that the cord had about a 10% chance of doing that, but magically manages 100%... proving malicious intent!

Indeed. Thankfully, I've got both at home. If you can't find that specific keyboard, look for another with Cherry MX Blue switches (or any Cherry MX, really, but I prefer the feel of Blue). Any keyboard with the same Cherry MX switches should feel the same (but there are 5 different common ones; Black, Blue, Red, Brown, Clear) so which keyboard you should choose mostly depends on extra features (media functions, extra keys, built-in USB hub, ...).

Difference between various mechanical switches.

Or, if you want, you could order a custom keyboard.

I tried a couple of gaming keyboards in the past, and they both broke within a short space of time - keys not working, back light not functioning, etc. They weren't cheap, either. Since then, I've just stuck to ordinary keyboards, but then I'm an older gamer, and my reflexes aren't that great any more, so I'm not the best to judge.

I'm typing this on a really cheap Logitech K200 wired USB keyboard, which does the job, and I can still do 100 wpm with it. Sadly, I can't type as fast as I used to, either. :(

What are people's experiences with the different brands? For instance:

Logitech
Razer
Corsair
Qpad
Roccat
MadCatz (didn't they used to be called Saitek?)

Any other I should be looking at?

Having only had two home PCs, I've only actually had Microsoft keyboards, and both lasted a very decent amount of time. At work I have a HP keyboard, but that isn't really a choice.

My Logitech G710+ mechanical gaming keyboard has adjustable dual-zone back lighting, 110-key anti-ghosting, 26-key rollover, 6 programmable G-keys with 18 total functions, high-speed, low noise tactile switches and my WASD and arrow keys are a different color. Also has a hand rest. It has features I don't know how to use yet. Oh, it has two USB ports.

As Maighstir mentioned, his info on the various mechanical switches is important, at least to me. I really love the feel of mine and the response is great. I sure do respond more quickly in games. Anyway, I got my keyboard on sale for $100.38 plus tax.

ETA: Great for my AA and AAA titles. I need all the help I can get.

It's odd. Nowadays as I'm more and more accustomed to chiclet-type thin keyboards, I even find proper keyboards a bit cumbersome and VERY NOISY. :) Click click click click rattle rattle rattle...

Many/most chiclet keyboards (also on laptops) suck though, but I find e.g. the wireless Logitech K360 chiclet keyboard so good that I don't really miss a "proper" keyboard when I'm using it. I think I would be fine using it as my only keyboard.

YMMV.

Keyboards are like most things, a personal choice, what and which features suit us and our purposes the best.

Well, after hearing of some very recent negative comments from users about the Corsair Raptor K50 (broken keys, sticky keys, poor build quality, etc) I decided not to get that one.

Instead, I upped my budget a little bit (again!) and got a Logitech G510s which so far seems fine.

I'm a cheap ass when it comes to keyboards, so I got a MS Comfort Curve 2000. It does everything I need it to do, minus the backlight, but I have bad vision so lights on and as bright as possible when I am on the computer.

edit: I like the calculator button, not that I use it much, but it should be a standard practice to have one located near the number pad.