What Mouse and Keyboard Are You Using Right Now?

Well, my old Poseidon Trident Z mechanical keyboard has been on the frits, and a couple of they keys started working "iffy" at best. So, decided to upgrade to a Corsair K95 with Cherry MX Brown Keys (so I still get the tactile feedback similar to the blue keys I had before). With Microcenter so close, if it does not work out in 30 days it is an easy return. Plus I splurged for the 2 year MC plan for $20 so if I break this thing in 2 years I get my money back! Will have to test out on some games this week and see how it does.

Crazy how used to a keyboard you get though, even the slightest change is hard to get used too. I'm having to keep an eye on the keys as I type to get used to it!

On the plus side, the software already works with my AIO, so setup was pretty easy. I actually have the top bars represent individual CPU core temperatures and the logo is the GPU temp!
 

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Rama U80, GMK 8008 (boobies), T1 switches (lubed and filmed), and durock stabs.
 

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Soon, this will be a Kyria. The parts just arrived today. Trying this out because, while I really like the Planck pictured on the previous page, it's a bit rough on the wrists. You can't really tell from the picture, but there are two mirrored PCBs, so this is a split KB.
 

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Corsair keyboard K70 MK.2 and a Corsair mouse Ironclaw RGB. They feel good and are well made.
 
Work in progress on my split. There's apparently a short or two in there I'm trying to track down; there's a couple of keys that are getting paired: if I press D, it also presses the Windows key, which is two keys under the d. F and g are doing the same thing with the keys two below them. Very annoying. Some keys are missing so I can get at the pcb, and the screen isn't mounted yet, as it blocks access to the microcontroller.
 

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Keyboard: Rosewill RK-9300 Illuminated (blue) Gaming Cherry Blue keys... stiff and loud keys (reminds me of an old IBM Selectric). It's about two years old, would buy it again. I really like the mild blue illuminated keys, as they cause less eye strain late at night.
Mouse: Logitech G203 RGB. I like this one well enough, but wish it was wireless. I seem to replace mice every six months or so and have not yet found one I'm in love with.
 
Soldering SMD components isn't much fun without the right tip on your soldering iron (the RGB LEDs are very heat-sensitive, and I killed one, then wrecked a couple of pads desoldering it. The bodge wires bypass where the #1 LED was):

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Here's my nominally-finished Kyria. I don't like the keycaps, they're too slick. I've got some new ones on order but there aren't a lot of options with Kailh choc low-profile switches, so I may swap those too, for regular-height ones.

The key that's different from all the others is 3d-printed. I put it there because it's where the backspace is and I desperately need that while I get used to the layout. I feel like I need to do some remapping, as the keys to the left are tab and then space, and I plan on swapping them, because I'm constantly hitting tab when i want space and it's really annoying.

The right screen has a little bongo cat on it and a WPM counter and the cat does his thing if you type fast enough.

With a week or so of practice I have my raw touch-typing speed coming back up to 60 WPM or so but I make a ton of typos. I made this post almost entirely with the keyboard, except for occasionally using the mouse when I accidentally tab out of the text box or something.

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Dell multimedia keyboard and a Logitech 502 Hero mouse.
Really like this mouse over my Logitech G5 it replaced.
 
HP Omen Encoder w/ brown switches
Rii M01 Mouse ($7 corsair m65 clone w/ omron switches and sniper button)(i own both and like the Rii better)
Razer Vespula Mouse pad
and a USB volume control
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Well theres some that want all this RGB craze and some don't really care...that said would like some of Logitech's new stuff.
yeah w/ the m65, it was a pain in the ass, but i finally figured out how to permanently disable the lighting. Same w/ the Rii M01 i have it permanently turned off. and w/ both i don't even need the software after that. it saves it in the firmware. but for me they are the perfect sized mouse. also like the sniper button which is easier to accidentally press on the corsair. that said they are more aimed at FPS players. If you need 25 buttons on your mouse you would need to look elsewhere.
 
I am using the Eagletec KG011-RGB budget keyboard that has several manufacturers. I am very impressed with it. I had been using a box of 10 Internet KBs from Microsoft but moving up to a mechanical KB has been awesome. It uses the Outemu blue switches. I had thought of returning it and getting a KB with Cherry Blues, but it turns out I really like the feel of the switches and the keycaps, despite not being PBT. Plus you can just rinse it down apparently. For less than $50 couldnt recommend it more.

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yeah i have one of those in black. grab some clear(?) o-rings and it'll quiet it down a bit and and cushion the "bottom out". can't remember the ones i got but they ended up being the thick ones and i felt they could have been a hair thinner so try to grab the thinner softer ones tho if you can. (at the time i didn't know there was a difference) but it does makes a big difference imo.
 
Logitech MX Performance for the mouse. I’ve been buying and using that mouse since 2009. I have gigantic hands and it’s the most comfortable one I’ve found so far. It’s honestly still quite a bit smaller than I’d like. I’m nervous for when it finally dies because you can’t get them anymore and everything I’ve tried to replace it with I ended up returning. Keyboard is a wireless Logitech K350. Cheap and works well.
 
For years I was using a Logitech G15 v2 keyboard and a Logitech Performance MX mouse on top of a RatPadz. Over this summer, I decided to upgrade and replaced them with the following:

  • Razer BlackWidow Elite with orange switches with the PBT keycap upgrade set
  • Razer Basilisk Ultimate wireless mouse with charging dock
  • Razer Firefly V2 mouse pad
The new setup has been nice and a definite improvement in many ways, but there is a bit of a learning curve. Keyboard responsiveness and tactility are much better than the older Logitech G15. The upgraded keycaps was a noticeable improvement and certainly increases the quality feel when typing, a worthwhile investment. It's so satisfying to type on this. If I had any suggestions of improvement, it would be with the space bar. The way the spring tensioner is set up underneath, it doesn't resonate the same way the other keys do when you quickly tap it. The spring must be rattling underneath it and gives it a cheaper, tinny sound. It is more noticeable quickly tapping with my right thumb than with my left thumb or when heavy on the key. Unfortunately, I almost always use my right thumb to hit the space and I am very quick and light when tapping it. If I can find a way to muffle/stop the rattle while not negatively impacting its feel and performance, it will make a huge improvement in the quality perception to the ears. The old G15 is now sitting in a closet as backup keyboard. I do miss its display screen and I have been trying to find something else to perform in its place (Corsair iCue Nexus perhaps?). I mainly used it to display live metrics on the CPU and GPU (usage, temps, memory consumption, fan speeds) along with the date and time.

The mouse is super responsive, but even at lower DPI settings it can be a little too sensitive. Sometimes when trying to click on a web link, the mouse cursor may jump just a hair from mouse movement and the click on the hyperlink then may not register. My Performance MX never had that issue. Also, I still miss the free scrolling wheel on the Performance MX. Give it a flick and scroll for days on a web page. Battery life, while great, isn't as good as the Performance MX. Then again, it also didn't have flashy LEDs either. At least the Basilisk is easy to dock when not in use versus having to plug a cable into the Performance MX every time it needed to charge. Last minor gripe is the Basilisk shows oil from the fingers a lot easier than the Performance MX did, but it does clean up easily. These are just minor quibbles, everywhere else the mouse excels. It's very comfortable in the hands and button layout is superb. My old Performance MX is still too good to get rid of, so I decided to pair it up to my work PC and use it on that. So now I have a great work mouse on one PC and a great gamin mouse on the other.

The icing on the cake is the Firefly V2 mouse pad. Beautiful lighting, low profile design, large, great slick surface that the mouse tracks very well on. My older RatPadz is a great mousepad. But compared to the Firefly, it is a thicker and has a smaller workspace. I moved the old pad over to use with my work PC.

But with all these nice upgrades, I am now using more USB ports than ever. Before I was using just two USB ports, one for the mouse and one for the keyboard. Now I am using four USB ports (two for they keyboard, one for the mouse, and one for the mouse pad). I've already got enough USB devices plugged into my PC and my Valve Index already likes to scream at me from time to time that there are not enough USB endpoints on my Intel motherboard (even though I have it plugged into a dedicated USB controller). I can't wait to finish my new AMD build that will have more USB ports. At least the AMD's have more USB endpoints capability, 254 endpoints per controller vs just 96 on my Intel box.

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There are things you can do to help with the space bar rattle, supposedly. Look up the band-aid mod-you clip little pieces of band aid pad and put them where they can act as dampeners. There are a couple other things you can try, too, but I can't remember as I'm migrating to keyboards with 1- or 2-unit width.
 
Cooler Master Quickfire TK, and Kinsington Orbit M01307 Trackball Mouse.

Just took the Orbit apart and cleaned the rmb switch with alcohol. Three screws and you're in, real easy job.

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Keytronic Lifetime Series Designer keyboard. I wish there was a good modern equivalent.(out of spares now) The closest would be a unicomp keyboard. The keys are placed in a way that reduces fatigue. Modern keyboard don't seem to take that into account. A very durable keyboard. I never really had one fail. They get a little lose after seven years or so. Keys do get shiny. Sad they stopped making premium keyboards. Just such a nice durable keyboard.

Mouse Currently Logitech G9X. I actually have a spare in a box ...looking at the crazy ebay prices maybe I should sell it. The original mouse just keeps working. The skates/feet were replaced. I have a few various modern mice, but never really want to switch. g602, g502, Razer Basilisk Hyperspeed X. A few various others I can't recall. Hard not to admire the durability of the g9x.
 
You talking about the fact that the top is curved instead of a flat plane?

There are some that do stuff like that, like the Kinesis, although that's also a split. The Dactyl and variants curve a lot, too.
 
For years I was using a Logitech G15 v2 keyboard and a Logitech Performance MX mouse on top of a RatPadz. Over this summer, I decided to upgrade and replaced them with the following:

  • Razer BlackWidow Elite with orange switches with the PBT keycap upgrade set
  • Razer Basilisk Ultimate wireless mouse with charging dock
  • Razer Firefly V2 mouse pad

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I have a bit of an odd request but could you give a size comparison between the MX Performance and the Basilisk? If you could take pictures of them together I’d be even more grateful. I have been using several Performance MXs since they debuted. They are pretty much the largest competent mouse I’ve found (I have really freakishly large hands 😅) and have been searching for a replacement for a over a decade.
 
I have a bit of an odd request but could you give a size comparison between the MX Performance and the Basilisk? If you could take pictures of them together I’d be even more grateful. I have been using several Performance MXs since they debuted. They are pretty much the largest competent mouse I’ve found (I have really freakishly large hands 😅) and have been searching for a replacement for a over a decade.
Will do! I will post pictures later.

Just from a quick side by side:
Both are about the same width. The Razer is just a hair longer. Height, the Logitech has a slightly higher hump towards the rear that forces your hand to sit further back on the mouse. The Razer's hump is a little flatter so your hand sits more on top. This will give the appearance that your fingers reach closer to the edge of the buttons on the Razer mouse versus the Logitech, but it just really comes down to how it positions the palm. The left button on the Logitech appears longer than on the Razer due to this as well, but they are really about the same length. However, the right button on the Razer is definitely longer than on the Logitech. My middle finger reaches or extends slightly beyond the right mouse button on the Logitech whereas on the Razer it does not.

The thumb rest on the Logitech is more recessed than the Razer but both are deep enough to accommodate my thumb without it falling off the mouse.

The Logitech has more heft coming in at 170g on my food scale. The Razer comes in at 108g, less than two-thirds the weight of the Logitech. Each have their pros and cons because of this. There are days I wish for the heavier weight of the Logitech but then there are days where the lightweight of the Razer works better for me. Shame it didn't have an option to add weights to it like some older mice had, then it would be able to achieve the best of both worlds.
 
Will do! I will post pictures later.

Just from a quick side by side:
Both are about the same width. The Razer is just a hair longer. Height, the Logitech has a slightly higher hump towards the rear that forces your hand to sit further back on the mouse. The Razer's hump is a little flatter so your hand sits more on top. This will give the appearance that your fingers reach closer to the edge of the buttons on the Razer mouse versus the Logitech, but it just really comes down to how it positions the palm. The left button on the Logitech appears longer than on the Razer due to this as well, but they are really about the same length. However, the right button on the Razer is definitely longer than on the Logitech. My middle finger reaches or extends slightly beyond the right mouse button on the Logitech whereas on the Razer it does not.

The thumb rest on the Logitech is more recessed than the Razer but both are deep enough to accommodate my thumb without it falling off the mouse.

The Logitech has more heft coming in at 170g on my food scale. The Razer comes in at 108g, less than two-thirds the weight of the Logitech. Each have their pros and cons because of this. There are days I wish for the heavier weight of the Logitech but then there are days where the lightweight of the Razer works better for me. Shame it didn't have an option to add weights to it like some older mice had, then it would be able to achieve the best of both worlds.

Very appreciated! The Basilisk was at the top of my list to try out. You can’t get new MX Performances for reasonable prices anymore so it’s finally coming time I’ll have to replace it.
 
Using a WASD keyboard Code edition 105-Key cherry MX clear on my main rig for the long 14 hours programming sessions :confused:
and this other custom WASD V2 87 cherry MX black I custom made for my Linux box

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For mouse using a Corsair M65 Pro RGB on the main rig and a Logitech MX master on my Linux box.

I also carry this Durgod Taurus K310 (MX blue) mechanical keyboard to work, best part it's built like a tank and has been working fine for a year or so.
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Have three other Corsair mechanical keyboards collecting dust in the closet (brand new) for no damn reason other than they were on sale o_O
 
For quite a long time I had an older version of the Corsair K70 Lux mechanical full-size keyboard (MX Reds), plus the upgraded white PBT keycap set. A little while back, I transitioned to what is my daily driver, the excellent Dygma Raise!

The Dygma Raise is a relatively new 60% (ie just the core key grouping, no F-keys, arrows/insert/delete clusters, or numpad), ergonomic, split layout keyboard! Its noteworthy for not just its innovative design (particularly noteworthy is its 4-way split space bar and then an under-row of 4 low profile mech keys below it, creating a macro-cluster that is actually easy to use in normal typing/gaming position! It also includes a pair of palm rests that are washable and replaceable ), but its wealth of features - all open source! There is per-key AND under-glow RGB LED lighting, plus a comprehensive layering and macro/key assignment memory system, all powered by an open source firmware and an easy to use software configuration utility called Bazecor.

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Mine is the silver brushed aluminum deck model w/ white PBT keycaps, but I included a pic of the black model as well for comparison. The Dygma Raise is a relatively new keyboard, having been crowdfunded in the past years and started delivering before COVID19 started taking off, so they're still more or less in the early days. The team behind them seem to be impressively customer focused and any bumps in the road are smoothed over thanks to their user-focused outlook. The Raise comes with a bunch of little accessories including a great semi-hard case, varying USB cables, key / cap puller, example keyswitches of varying sorts, plus more. Dygma is even sending updated accessories for FREE to those who were in the earlier shipments like myself ; a cleaning brush, upgraded USB cables including an extra-long option for a wide split, a few other goodies, and in my case upgraded palm pads because mine had a manufacturing defect, are all on the way in their next shipment group. I should also mention they're building a comprehensive "tilt / tenting kit" that will be made available to existing owners when its finished; interim progress including prototypes are on their blog.

The Dygma Raise is one of the few split ergonomic keyboards I've found that is both open source/spec and has comprehensive features. I'm very happy with it so far and am looking forward to both updates to the software and other upgrades like the tent/tilt kit. There seems to be few competitors for something of this caliber, but I am considering picking up the ZSA Moonlander, for comparison which is another split ergo but instead it uses an adapted/updated version of the ErgoDox ortholinear layout Any questions about the Raise let me know!
 
I'm running with the K70 low profile KYB with a Razer Basilisk Ultimate wireless.

I've had the K70 for about 3 years and can't seem to find an upgrade. The key distance is just perfect for my taste. I did recently upgrade to the Razer from a Basilisk wired (now the backup). My travel mouse is now the tried and tested Logitech G602. Yes, all 3 mice have identical shape, lol.
 
Not sure I still like blue keys. After a few years the clicking gets old.

CM Quickfire Rapid MX Blue
Steelseries Sensei


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Current:
Keyboard = Corsair K70 (Cherry MX Red switches)
Mouse = Steel Series Sensei Raw

Purchased for New Build:
Razer Black Widow Elite (Razer Green switches)
Razer Naga Trinity

I haven't used Razer products in over a decade and avoided them as overpriced. Best Buy had deals on them that made them the best value this time around, on paper anyway. We'll see how it goes. I hope their software has gotten better since I last used it.
 
Current:
Keyboard = Corsair K70 (Cherry MX Red switches)
Mouse = Steel Series Sensei Raw

Purchased for New Build:
Razer Black Widow Elite (Razer Green switches)
Razer Naga Trinity

I haven't used Razer products in over a decade and avoided them as overpriced. Best Buy had deals on them that made them the best value this time around, on paper anyway. We'll see how it goes. I hope their software has gotten better since I last used it.

Their software is a LOT better than it used to be. Razor makes good products they are just as you said overpriced but that isn’t a concern when you nab a good deal on them.
 
Razer Huntsman Mini. Not that impressed with it. I took it apart and slapped a lot of Dynamat on the inside to add more mass to it and added a set of Hyper X Pudding keycaps and I like it pretty well now. However I don't think I should've had to do all that for a $120 keyboard.

DeathAdder V2. Still hands down my favorite mouse ever and what I consider the greatest gaming mouse in history. I've had the DeathAdder 3.5G, the 2013, the Elite and now the V2 and its virtually perfect!

Synapse isn't nearly as bad as it used to be but it's still a pain in the nuts to use. It's nowhere near as transparent as Logitech Gaming Software and has to update 50 times a week it seems.
 
Well, almost 3 years later and I'm still on the same Model M and same trackball. :D I'm not one for change, haha--especially when it's already perfect! :)

And come to think of it, it's been at least 8 years on this set (so 5 years before I started the thread) and prior to that it was at least 7 years on maybe this set or one of my spares of the same thing. :eek: And I guess if I want to go back even further, I started typing on the Model M in 1989 so that's what...30+ years. :eek::eek::eek::nailbiting::nailbiting: Damn I'm old. :(:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 
Do you still have to create a cloud account just to customize your RGB?

Thankfully not anymore. You can guest login and customize your RGB and use other features. Just no cloud saved settings for obvious reasons.
 
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