Hello. I’m searching for a TKL board with dedicated media keys, volume wheel, and brown switches.
I just can’t do linears. Just don’t feel right.
I’ve browsed around, both on amazon and in microcenter and everything seems to be linear switches nowadays and even when I find one with browns, they rarely have the media keys I need.
I’m also not trying to pay $100+ for a keyboard. Spent way too much money on boards of that price for them to keel over and die as quick as the china fodder on amazon. (For example the K70 mk.2 that I have that refuses to not go bonkers whenever it feels like it.)
Thanks to anyone that can offer some help finding me something.
Yeah I have the k596 right now but it has reds in it. Got it for free. It’s not bad, but again, linear switches. I think I may be able to change switches on it but I wouldn’t even know where to begin with that whole rodeo.
It did come with a box of switches. However, there are only two of each and the brown switches in there feel a little mushy.
It also has that row of G-keys which throws me off because I use my pinky to find the left CTRL key when gaming etc. (I don’t really need macro keys to be frank. Have never found a use for them.)
Those Keycrons are more than just spending a little more. They are $200? Also, function media keys are ew. I would have the kept the shitty razer thing I had with blues if that were the case.
So, looking at the Amazon listing, it looks like the K596 is hotswap. The image shows a kailh socket and a PCB that accommodates 5-pin or 3-pin switches. That means you can change them out for virtually any (non-optical) MX switch, with just a puller tool and no soldering. There are TONS of switch options, but you can either spend 10-15 bucks on a switch tester pack or just take the plunge. Pre-lubed Gateron brown would probably be better than the redragon pack-ins they gave you, though even as a Team Moar Clicky weirdo, I do rather like my very cheap and very fake Holy Pandas from AliExpress. Add some less gamery (unless you’re into RGB… no judgment!) white on black keycaps (XVX/Womier is a decent budget brand, and frankly most clone sets are fine, just be ready to find the right keys for those macro keys on the left), and you may be good for maybe $50 more, maybe $30 if you select budget switches and keep your keycaps, or get both but go AliExpress deal hunting.
But let’s say you don’t want to do that, maybe the macro keys are too annoying. If you get a QMK/VIA programmable board of any kind, you can relegate the original function of any unused keys to the “Fn” layer. If you use play, forward, and back, make THEM the default and use the Fn toggle for the original functions. That’s why I was suggesting any ol’ programmable TKL with a knob. You’re kind of between a rock and a hard place, though. If you don’t like what you’ve seen, thewn I doubt there’s a magic bullet out there. I did see a refurb tactile Logitech G915 on Warehouse Deals for under $90, if you’re US based.
Or just do what I did. Leverage the million other hobbies you have and make your own board from scratch. :-)
Op mentioned microcenter. If they have a microcenter nearby, they might have a switch tester pack you can test for free. That’s how I found what switches I liked best.
Went to my local microcenter’s keyboard section and asked an employee there if I could test out the different switches. They let me try a switch tester board.
Oh, I already know what switches I like, but ain’t no one here going to like the answer. >.>
Yeah, I have the RGB version of the K596 so I’d probably just end up keeping these keycaps. They aren’t bad looking and the RGB settings on this have a neat “skittles” mode.
I was looking into 3d printing my own keycaps, but that looked to be a no-go if I wanted any kind of quality feel to them.
Guess I either have some saving to do or considering if I want to upgrade this thing or not. It’s not a terrible keyboard in the grand scheme, especially since it already has the media keys I want. Would feel like putting a Ferrari motor in a Yugo though.
LOL.
Then might I suggest just putting a Toyota motor in it? There’s “The HobbyTM”, and then there’s just having a decent keyboard you like.
Those lavenders are the closest to Cherry Browns?
They’re a well reviewed budget tactile, and Cherry Browns are sort of the original baseline tactile for the Cherry MX form factor. I mostly put it there to show what’s available without making a redragon board into an absurdity (if possibly a delightful one) that’s mismatching the budget for board and component. Just looking at Force curves, the Akko look to be the tiniest bit lighter than Cherry MX brown. Gateron, TTC, or even Outemu brown should also be fine and in a similar price range. There are other options if you wanted heavier.
Woo, microcenter had cherry mx browns on sale for $15 for 36. Jumped on that and a 65% Red Dragon and I’m all set now. Thanks again for the advice. Really helped me learn a few things.
No worries. Hope it works out for you. The truly expensive gamer boards are rarely any higher quality than a reputable china budget board at half the price. Next thing you know, you’ll be all grown up and getting scammed by shady idiots running group buys for $400 barebones boards and $150 more for keycaps!
Or you could be like me and decide that you know better than IBM, Apple, and every other computer company and design your own layouts, soldering, lasering, and 3D printing everything because it would be “weird” to spend several hundred bucks on a keyboard, but spending dozens of hours over god knows how many evenings with physical tools, AliExpress, CAD, OctoPrint, and half a dozen keyboard websites… THAT’s much more reasonable. 😂
From my experience the most value Keychron will beat any royal kludge, rzr or similar gaming brand stuff. Get a keychron V3 QMK/VIA, or go all out on the Q3 for metal and just get a macropad on the side if you really don’t like needing to press Fn to access media keys. Or you can just remap prntsc/pause/scrolllock to playpause/prev/next and INS to prntsc via VIA.
I have a NumPad on which the knob is volume up/dn and mute but with Layer1 it’s prev/next & pause play.