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Category: Input Devices
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Published: Friday, 01 May 2015 12:22
A few months ago I took a look at one of Cougars new mechanical gaming keyboards as well as one of their mice. The 700K was a surpassingly good keyboard, I was caught off guard by a fairly new company that had clearly put a lot of time into developing the 700K. Well today here I am again about to check out another Cougar keyboard, this time though this is a little more of a budget focused keyboard. This is the 200K. Cougar swapped out the Cherry key switches for scissor key switches and cut back on the features. Today I’m going to check it out and see if it still has the pedigree of the 700K and find out if this is worth a look when looking for a cheap gaming keyboard.
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Category: Input Devices
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Published: Friday, 24 April 2015 21:17
When it comes to picking out a mechanical keyboard there are nearly as many options as there are people. When it comes to what keyswitch you prefer most of you think of just the color options that Cherry switches have but more and more other keyswitch types have been coming into the picture. With that you need to look at the switch type before even getting into colors. A good example of this are Topre’s. We covered a variation on them with the Novatouch but today I’m going to be taking a look at a Topre keyboard directly from Topre, the Type Heaven. This is one of those weird situations where this specific keyboard is considered an entry level Topre keyboard when compared to other Topre keyboards, but that puts it up with higher end Cherry keyboards. So today I want to check out what it is all about and see if this is an option that you should be looking at when shopping for a new mechanical keyboard.
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Category: Input Devices
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Published: Friday, 10 April 2015 15:02
One of the best things about keyboards is there is a keyboard for nearly any situation and any personality. You have the choice to go mechanical or rubber domes and then after that you can pick from wireless and wired and even the keyboards focus. Being LanOC we do cover a lot of keyboards that have a big gaming focus but aren’t limited to just gaming keyboards. Today I’m going to take a look at a keyboard from Cherry, yes the Cherry that makes the Cherry MX keyswitches that everyone loves. Today I’m taking a look at the Cherry MX-Board 3.0, a non-backlit keyboard with a standard office focus. I’m excited to see what Cherry has to offer and to find out if the MX-Board 3.0 is the way to go when looking for a quality non-backlit mechanical keyboard.
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Category: Input Devices
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Published: Wednesday, 18 March 2015 21:25
One of the downsides of the increased popularity of mechanical keyboards is that for the most part they are a lot thicker than rubber dome keyboards. That can sometimes lead to more wrist pain. Some manufactures include a wrist rest with their mechanical keyboards but that isn’t an option for everyone. When I switched to a Code keyboard and moved to a new desk I noticed right away that the new desk would dig into my arm, so this put me on the market for a wrist rest that fit my needs. I had seen a few people using Grifiti Fat Wrist Pads previously and knew that the thick padded design would be perfect for my needs. Well when I ordered one from Amazon I actually ran into a small problem and that led to me speaking to Grifiti’s owner and along with replacing mine he sent a whole box of different pads for me to check out. Now that I have been using the Grifiti Fat Wrist Pads for a while now I can finally talk a little about how they perform, enjoy!
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Category: Input Devices
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Published: Friday, 13 March 2015 15:12
It’s funny how with everyone introducing their own RGB mechanical keyboards that SteelSeries is actually the last of the big companies to bring theirs out. This is interesting to me because they were one of the first to bring out a full RGB rubber dome keyboard with their first Apex keyboard. That said I do know what took so long. Corsair locked down RGB Cherry switches for the first year leaving everyone to figure out their own design. Razer was able to get to the market quickly with their Kiehl manufactured cherry knockoff switches. Logitech brought out their G910 recently with their new “Romer-G switches” made in partnership with Omron. So SteelSeries took their time designing their own switch as well. Their new QS1 switch is designed with a short throw and center mounted lighting as well and can be found in the new Apex M800 that I’m going to take a look at today.
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Category: Input Devices
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Published: Wednesday, 18 February 2015 18:12
When it comes to gaming mice, you might see a lot of mice that you don’t like but in reality there is no wrong answer. Every person has different preferences when it comes to the shape, materials, button locations, quantity of buttons, and even the sensor. On top of that, you have to consider price points as well. That said there is one mouse from back in the day that is still popular within some circles. That mouse is Microsoft Intellimouse. A lot of you have used one and if you haven’t chances are you have used a mouse designed to be similar. Well Cooler Master is careful to point out that their new Mizar was inspired by “classic, right-handed, and ergonomic styles” but we know what is going on. So today, I’m going to take a look at the Mizar and see if following in the footsteps of other great mice is the way to go. Enjoy!
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Category: Input Devices
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Published: Friday, 30 January 2015 13:08
So over the past few years I have been lucky enough to cover nearly every new and interesting mechanical keyboard I could find. This includes various models with RGB backlighting, unique switches, and even an ergonomic model. That said there have still been a few mechanical keyboards that I haven’t been able to get my hands on, mostly because they are a little less mainstream. Well last last year I had the chance to talk with a fairly new group buy website called Massdrop, some of you may have heard of it. Massdrop really caught my eye because they do group buys on enthusiasts focused products. It just so happened there mechanical keyboard buyer has seen our coverage in the past and was excited to work with us. I don’t think there is a more fitting product to cover than the ErgoDox Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard Kit. This is what helped establish Massdrop and it is also one of the most unique keyboards you can get.
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Category: Input Devices
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Published: Wednesday, 21 January 2015 14:07
With the introduction of their G502 Logitech introduced the world to a new styling direction and at the same time they also introduced the first mouse that they ever named. Well with the G402 we are back at it again with their second mouse sharing the same aggressive styling and yes it also has a name. The G402 is also known as the Hyperion Fury. The G402 is Logitech’s FPS focused mouse that sits as a price point just below the G502. This replaces the G400s, an evolution of the original G5 mouse that played a big part in creating the gaming peripheral market altogether. So you can say this mouse has big shoes to fill.
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Category: Input Devices
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Published: Friday, 16 January 2015 13:54
Recently I had the chance to check out the 700M from Cougar. I went in with a little hesitation but I was pleasantly surprised. The mouse was good but on top of that I was really blown away that a relatively new manufacture had this good of software. This told me that Cougar was investing a lot into their move into the peripheral market, good software is hard to find and very expensive to develop. So today I’m sitting here with the 700M’s partner in crime, the 700K mechanical keyboard. Is the 700K going to be as impressive as the 700M was? Well there is only one way to find out.
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Category: Input Devices
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Published: Wednesday, 17 December 2014 15:05
So the story behind todays review is that Weyman Kwong of WASD Keyboards and Jeff Atwood got together because they couldn’t find a simple and clean mechanical keyboard that they truly loved. I can see where they are coming from, as someone who has developed a love for Mechs over the years if you don’t like the gaming styling you really are limited to just a few keyboard. It gets even worse if you are like me and still like having backlighting. After working with WASD Keyboards on our Keyboard Customization article they offered to send over a Code keyboard to check out. I only had one problem, I couldn’t decide if I wanted to check out another TKL that I love for test bench and LAN use or if I would look at the Code as a potential replacement for my main keyboard where I need a full number pad. Lucky for me they completely understood and sent over one of each, giving me a chance to check out both and to check out both of the keyswitch options.
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Category: Input Devices
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Published: Monday, 08 December 2014 15:23
With such a wide variety of mice on the market we sometimes tend to focus just on what comes out from the largest of the manufactures. We sometimes forget that some of the companies that we now see as being large brands used to just be small up and coming brands. It’s nice to step back and check out what some of the other manufactures are doing. A great example of this is Cougar, just a few years ago they jumped into the fan market and we were very impressed with their offering. I’ve even seen some of their fans in use at our events. Well recently they jumped into the peripherals market and today I will be checking out their 700M gaming mouse to see if it has what it takes to stand out in a crowded market.
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Category: Input Devices
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Published: Wednesday, 03 December 2014 13:16
With RGB mechanical keyboards being the latest bandwagon that most manufactures are jumping on I have been keeping an eye out for RGB keyboards that are a little different. One that stood out to me was the RGB80 from Rosewill. Rosewill’s history in the mechanical keyboard market is actually better than you might think. They have had good boards are great prices. The RGB80 is of course an RGB keyboard but unlike the others it is only available in a TKL (TenKeyLess) version. The LAN attendee in me is reminded each time I see or use a TKL keyboard that they help same room at and when packing for LANs. Will the RGB80 be the next big LAN keyboard? Let’s find out.
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Category: Input Devices
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Published: Friday, 14 November 2014 11:51
Earlier this year I had the chance to take a look at the Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2014 with its new key switches. Razer hasn’t exactly been sitting on their hands between then and now though. A few weeks ago I had the new Razer Blackwidow Ultimate Chroma come in. This is part of a whole series of products with full RGB lighting. In the past I have knocked Razer for going with green a color that only a few people are building their PCs in. With the Chroma line this shouldn’t be an issue. Will this be enough to win people over? Let’s find out.
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Category: Input Devices
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Published: Wednesday, 12 November 2014 12:33
By now, a lot of you most likely have figured out that I have a bit of a thing for various keyboards and mice. I’ve even been known to make sure the backlighting on my keyboard matches with my mouse and with my PC build as well. Oddly enough, through all of my keyboards the only time I have ever really customized a keyboard was when I had the chance to review a custom keyboard from Max Keyboard. The fact that I haven’t dug deeper into this is curious because generally I have a hard time leaving things alone, especially my cars and my computers. It’s not that I hadn’t seen the photos of everyone’s keyboards on r/mechanicalkeyboards and GeekHack, I just never did it myself due to not knowing enough and frankly not having the time. Well after reviewing the new Novatouch from Cooler Master, I decided to take advantage of the Cherry MX stems and dive a little deeper into keyboard customization and finally show everyone what it is all about. I reached out to a whole list of companies who make a variety of products to help you take your new mechanical keyboard and turn it into something completely unique, today I’m going to talk a little about what I found!
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Category: Input Devices
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Published: Friday, 31 October 2014 22:36
For the past few years the only thing that membrane keyboards still had over mechanical keyboards has been the ability to run full RGB backlighting. Well this is no longer a problem, nearly everyone has their own RGB mechanical keyboards in the works or coming out now. A great example of this is the new Tesoro Lobera Supreme. Tesoro has had a few variations on their Lobera but up until now they all just had a single backlight color. Today I’m going to see if going full RGB is worth it. Additionally this will be the first time I have had the chance to check out a Tesoro keyboard, we can see how they compare to the competition.
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Category: Input Devices
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Published: Monday, 22 September 2014 10:45
I think by now most of you know I have a bit of an unnatural interest in mechanical keyboards. Almost six years ago I reviewed our first mechanical keyboard and from then on I have been obsessing over every detail on every board as they come out. Nearly two years ago I started to hear rumors that Cooler Master might be looking to produce a Topre keyswitch keyboard. Well today after all of the waiting, we finally have the chance to take a look at the Novatouch TKL with its capacitive (Topre) style keyswitches. Given my good experiences with both my last Cooler Master keyboard and Topre switches I have high expectations, let’s hope it can stand up to them.
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Category: Input Devices
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Published: Friday, 06 June 2014 17:07
In the world of keyboards, there is a huge price range depending on what you are looking to get out of the keyboard and the overall quality. With mechanical keyboards, Cooler Master has done a great job of bridging the gap between lower end keyboards and the enthusiast grade keyboards. They have been able to provide options that are priced well, but still have most of the quality and features of the most expensive models. One of the glaring holes in their lineup though has been in the tenkeyless market. Their Quickfire Rapid lineup has been extremely popular, but they haven’t had a model with backlighting. They have finally introduced a model to fill that gap and today I have the chance to take a look at it and see how it performs. Considering the Quickfire Rapid has been in our LAN bag and on our test bench for years now, I have extremely high expectations for the Quickfire Rapid-I.
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Category: Input Devices
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Published: Friday, 23 May 2014 19:27
Recently with both my headsets and mice I have been all about the wireless devices. Living wireless is great, the reason a lot of companies hadn’t pushed it in the past was because the technology was costly and had too much lag for gaming. Things have changed and almost everyone has introduced their wireless gaming models, everyone except SteelSeries. Well today, I finally have the chance to take a look at the Sensei Wireless. Their Sensei models have been popular and have even been my go to wireless mouse, I can’t wait to see if the Sensei Wireless lives up to the high expectations that the wired models set.
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Category: Input Devices
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Published: Wednesday, 21 May 2014 20:47
A good portion of Logitech’s most recent product introductions have really just been refreshes of old products. The G602 wireless mouse was really the only fully new design to come from Logitech in a few years up until very recently. Not too long before I went on vacation Logitech introduced their newest mouse the G502 Proteus Core. Not only is the G502 a completely new product, but it is also the only Logitech Gaming product to also include a name beyond their standard G naming scheme. That must mean that the G502 is something special to them and they really wanted it to stand out. Today I am going to take a look at the G502 Proteus Core to see what it’s all about and find out if it is worth getting excited about, let’s dig in.
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Category: Input Devices
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Published: Monday, 07 April 2014 15:19
At this point Logitech’s gaming mouse lineup is extremely well rounded. They have a mouse for just about every price point and gaming style. Some of you might remember back in the day when all they had was the G5 and later the G7 for gaming mice. The design of the G5 has carried through into a lot of their current day mice, especially the G400s. At a first glance the G400s has carried on with the same design that made Logitech gaming mice so popular back in the day. Today I’m going to take a look at the G400s and see how well that design is holding up compared to competition as well as Logitech’s own product line.
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