Roccat Isku vs. Steelseries Apex RAW?

[Mortis Angelus]

Hello,

I'm looking into a new keyboard. My old MS ergonomic keyboard has served me well, but I think I'm starting to be ready to move on.

So I'm currently stranded between the Roccat Isku (non-FX) and the Steelseries Apex RAW. But I can't really decide which one to get.

Roccat:
Pros:
+ Big hand/palm rest
+ nice macro features
+ looks

Cons:
- Price
- no caps lock (yeah, but I use it more than the shift+ as I'm not a heavy macro-user)

Steelseries:
Pros:
+ Price
+ Really super customizable keyboard with the SS-engine
+ looks

Cons:
- Short hand/palm-rest
- Low profile-keys*

*I'm not sure if the Isku also have low-profile keys, i.e. low key-travel when typing

I have no possibility to test these before I buy, and I'm very uncertain about the choices. Would be glad to hear your opinion about this.

And no: I'm not interested in mechanical keyboards. I prefer silent keyboards. My MS was really silent in the beginning (like ultra silent) but over the years the membranes have worn down and it has become quite loud.

[TemplarMERC]

I would go for the apex if I were you. As an alternative you could save up more money and get a corsair k70 which in my opinion is one of the best gaming keyboards out there. Also great for typing. 

[Mortis Angelus]

I would go for the apex if I were you. As an alternative you could save up more money and get a corsair k70 which in my opinion is one of the best gaming keyboards out there. Also great for typing. 

Hello,

 

thanks for the tip. And thanks for understanding the typing aspect aswell. Forgot to mention that - yes: Typing is important to me. Not just gaming performance.

 

I'll look in to the K70

[Mortis Angelus]

I would go for the apex if I were you. As an alternative you could save up more money and get a corsair k70 which in my opinion is one of the best gaming keyboards out there. Also great for typing. 

Uuummm.. Which K70? There are several (http://www.corsair.com/se-fi/gaming-keyboards/vengeance-gaming-keyboards?keyboardmodel=K70|). And I did say I did not want a mechanical.

 

Still, thank you for the reply

[Mortis Angelus]

Nudge: Anyone else have any opinion on this?

[TemplarMERC]

Uuummm.. Which K70? There are several (http://www.corsair.com/se-fi/gaming-keyboards/vengeance-gaming-keyboards?keyboardmodel=K70|). And I did say I did not want a mechanical.

 

Still, thank you for the reply

Well if you don't want the mechanical you can go for the cosair k 30. It has everything the k70 has and more. The only problem I have with it is that it is not mechanical but all round a great keyboard http://www.amazon.co.uk/computers/dp/B00I6CVYAE

Sorry for not understanding the issue properly.

[Mortis Angelus]

Well if you don't want the mechanical you can go for the cosair k 30. It has everything the k70 has and more. The only problem I have with it is that it is not mechanical but all round a great keyboard http://www.amazon.co.uk/computers/dp/B00I6CVYAE

Sorry for not understanding the issue properly.

Hello,

Now I've tested the lot which resulted in me changing my opinion about mechanical switches, and this is my personal opinion:

STAY FAR AWAY FROM THE APEX/APEX RAW!

No seriously. While the low-profile keys were nice, they were really wobbly and felt... well.... cheap. I don't know how that keyboard has gotten so good reviews.

The only APEX you should look at is the APEX M800 from Steelseries. Steelseries' new QS1 Silent, linear switches are awesome and are low profile too. The issue is that the APEX M800 is a PLASTIC keyboard for 200 USD.... WTF Steelsieries?!? And for me, linear keys didn't feel as an upgrade from my old membrane keys (goes for Cherry MX:s aswell). I would hope that Steelseries would give other keyboard-makers the opportunity to use the QS1-switches, because they were incredibly silent, and even when bottoming out they were much more dampended than anything else I tested (Cherry and Kaihl switches with and without o-rings). And the Matias Quiet switches were loud in comparison to the QS1. So if you want silent, linear-action, skip the Cherry RED/BLACK and go for the QS1 (if you can afford it and live with a plastic keyboard). I also hope that if they make QS2-switches, that those would be a Cherry MX Brown-tactile kind of switch, but just as silent as the QS1.

But that's off-topic. The winner in my book for now was the Cherry MX-brown switches (MX blues were awesome to type with, but that noise! Can't. Stand. The. Noise!). They didn't have any MX Clear switches, and they don't even make MX Clear RGB-switches anyway. Thus I will (rejoyce TemplarMERC) go for a Corsair K70 RGB whenever I have the money for it. Albeit, I would hope for Clear RGB-switches, as the browns were a bit too light to press down.

Thanks again, and for your opinion on the matter at hand.