deskthority

Hi guys,

I'm looking for a TKL or 75% keyboard, backlit, ANSI US, in MX Blue. What are the choices?

I have a few Filcos, a Topre RealForce, a KBT Race and some Ducky YotD.

I wanted a backlit MX Blue keyboard with a small form factor, so I was set on a new KBT Race in MX Blue, but they seem to be discontinued (or at least I can't find them anywhere).

I looked on MechanicalKeyboards.com and Qtan's shop and found nothing. And KeyboardCo and EliteKeyboards don't sell backlit keyboards. No Keycool please, I really dislike Keycool keyboards.

Any ideas?

Thanks

Yes in MK,com now just sell Kecol buy in ebay!
But,Keycool it seems better than Kbt Race,
How to Ducky again?
Cm Storm TK(Semi TKL)

It seems that the contenders in the 75% form factor are the Choc Mini, Deck 82, Keycool 84, and Race. The Choc reportedly has problems with its firmware and has a non-standard spacebar. The Race has non-standard keycap sizes on the top and bottom two rows. The Deck is not available with Cherry mx blues. This leaves the Keycool, which has backlit versions, but you said you did not want this brand.

If you were willing to go to a more compact board, the Leopold FC660M is very good, but it is not backlit.

There are many TKLs to choose from. One of the best for the price is the CM QF, either Rapid or Stealth versions, but these are not backlit. However, I think CM has other versions that are backlit.

Could you explain why you dislike Keycool keyboards? I feel that the Keycool 84 fits the description of what you're looking for perfectly so maybe we could discuss what it is you have a problem with in Keycool keyboards.

Thanks for the answers.

The Leopold seems great, and I was thinking about buying one, but for the moment I'm looking for a backlit keyboard.

I don't like the general feeling of Keycool keyboards. I don't know, it's hard to explain, but I just don't like them, they seem rather cheap compared to the other KB I own.

Any other ideas? I'm thinking about a CM Storm QuickFire TK, but I don't know if I'll like its peculiar layout, or maybe I'll wait for the Ducky Shine 3 in TKL... Isn't there any backlit 75% out there? I really liked the form factor of the KBT Race.

amasokin wrote:Thanks for the answers.

The Leopold seems great, and I was thinking about buying one, but for the moment I'm looking for a backlit keyboard.

I don't like the general feeling of Keycool keyboards. I don't know, it's hard to explain, but I just don't like them, they seem rather cheap compared to the other KB I own.

Any other ideas? I'm thinking about a CM Storm QuickFire TK, but I don't know if I'll like its peculiar layout, or maybe I'll wait for the Duck Shine 3 in TKL... Isn't there any backlit 75% out there? I really liked the form factor of the KBT Race.

I agree with your impression of the KC boards.

CM is making some solid boards with some features not found elsewhere, such as green switches on some models.

Ducky seems to be getting better, but their quality has not been up to the standard of the top-notch brands, such as Filco.

Deck boards are backlit, but they do not come with the blue switches you wanted.

You might want to go for the CODE keyboard, being offered by WASDkeyboards. It is currently out of stock, and the first issue came only with Cherry mx clear switches (which I think might be the ideal for typing), but it is possible that future batches could come with other switch choices. It is backlit, by the way.

Yes, I saw the CODE keyboard and it seems really great. Only problem is I'm not a big fan of Clear switches. They're okay, but a bit too stiff for me, and I want clickyness!

I voted for MX Blue switches for the next batch, hope they will offer the next CODE KB in MX Blue or, ideally, in 2 or 3 kinds of switches. If they do, it will probably be my top choice, but we'll have to wait a bit for that...

My dream keyboard would be a backlit TKL Filco (or at least Costar-made) keyboard, hope we will see one someday. I don't even look at my keyboard when I type (my "main" KB is a blank TKL Filco), but I don't know I just love the look of backlit keyboards.