KB+M+Mat recommendations

November 21, 2016

I'm looking into peripherals for the family PCs and am rather fond of the Roccat stuff available, but I'd like to get some other recommendations to get a better idea of what would be best. I have the following requirements:

First mouse is for a leftie, a very basic mouse is fine, but a couple of extra buttons would be nice. It needs to be very robust, but nothing special here.

Second mouse needs buttons in moderate to large quantity. Gaming mouse is best and my first idea was the Roccat Nyth as it has everything.

Third mouse similar to the second mouse, but maybe toned down a little on the buttons.

Corded mice are preferred, and mouse size would ideally be somewhat on the big side, but not too far above normal.

First keyboard doesn't need anything special, full size keyboard with the numpad is vital, and some extra macro keys would be nice, but not necessary. Definitely mechanical.

Second keyboard needs plenty of macro keys and little noise. Numpad is again vital. Definitely mechanical.

Third keyboard is similar to the first, but taken up a tad on the features. Again, mechanical.

No scissor switches anywhere; I cannot stand them. I hate them almost as much as membrane keyboards.

Media buttons are unnecessary, but if the keyboard has them then there isn't a problem.

Lights on keyboards and mice aren't needed and aren't really wanted, but if it's a good mouse/keyboard, there isn't a problem.

Mousemats that can go under the keyboard and mouse would be nice, but not vital. They don't need to be too size-y though as we tend to use relatively high sensitivity.

In terms of price, there isn't a huge problem, as long as the value is good. Though I would be more keen to buy a keyboard for under £100-£150 and a mouse for under £100 - but if there is one that is above that range but is really worth it then why not?

Thanks for any help.

minibois · November 21, 2016

The Roccat Kiro may be an interesting mouse for all three scenarios. It has 0, 2 or 4 extra buttons on it (it has removable side plates so you can have side plates with or without buttons). It's also ambidextrous, even with choosing where you want the macro buttons. It may be just a tad bit too small (when palming it, my middle finger can barely touch the mousepad, my index finger just hangs over the edge. I have average/little above average hands).

Mice don't really get a whole lot sturdier than this one

First keyboard: Asus Strix Tactic Pro may be interesting. Quite affordable (Cherry MX Brown) mechanical keyboard with 5 extra macro buttons. One color LEDs only and it's roughl 120 USD. If that is not what you want, you would probably go to a K95 quickly.

Second keyboard: Reds or Browns are probably the quietest mechanical keyswitches (from Cherry), but it's all subjective.

Third keyboard: don't really have a specific recommendation here. The previous mentioned keyboards are good, as well as Coolermaster/CM Storm's offerings. They just don't have the macro keys.

Mousepad:

CM Storm's Swift RX is wonderful. I love the smooth texture and the fact that it has stitching around the entire edge, so the front and bottom don't let loose from each others. Logos and fancy colors are also kept minimal, as it only features three (white) logo on its (black) surface.

November 21, 2016

3 minutes ago, Minibois said:

The Roccat Kiro may be an interesting mouse for all three scenarios. It has 0, 2 or 4 extra buttons on it (it has removable side plates so you can have side plates with or without buttons). It's also ambidextrous, even with choosing where you want the macro buttons. It may be just a tad bit too small (when palming it, my middle finger can barely touch the mousepad, my index finger just hangs over the edge. I have average/little above average hands).

Mice don't really get a whole lot sturdier than this one

First keyboard: Asus Strix Tactic Pro may be interesting. Quite affordable (Cherry MX Brown) mechanical keyboard with 5 extra macro buttons. One color LEDs only and it's roughl 120 USD. If that is not what you want, you would probably go to a K95 quickly.

Second keyboard: Reds or Browns are probably the quietest mechanical keyswitches (from Cherry), but it's all subjective.

Third keyboard: don't really have a specific recommendation here. The previous mentioned keyboards are good, as well as Coolermaster/CM Storm's offerings. They just don't have the macro keys.

Mousepad:

CM Storm's Swift RX is wonderful. I love the smooth texture and the fact that it has stitching around the entire edge, so the front and bottom don't let loose from each others. Logos and fancy colors are also kept minimal, as it only features three (white) logo on its (black) surface.

The Kiro was my idea for the leftie, but it's a bit short on buttons, especially for the second mouse, for which I'm thinking of staying with the Nyth.

The Strix one looks perfect for everything. The one I found on Asus' website has 13 macro keys which is even better.

As for the mat... whoa. 90cm across. I could fit my MIDI keyboard on that as well as normal KB+M with ample room. Sold.

minibois · November 21, 2016

4 minutes ago, OTheB said:

The Kiro was my idea for the leftie, but it's a bit short on buttons, especially for the second mouse, for which I'm thinking of staying with the Nyth.

The Strix one looks perfect for everything. The one I found on Asus' website has 13 macro keys which is even better.

As for the mat... whoa. 90cm across. I could fit my MIDI keyboard on that as well as normal KB+M with ample room. Sold.

I wouldn't know what else to recommend as for mice, I'm not really a mouse guy

And yeah I remembered wrong, the Asus Strix board has 10 dedicated macro keys plus some under the first 8 F keys.

I have that mat by the way and I love it. I have my TKL keyboard and mouse on it and still have extra room for a second mouse (currently connected to my main PC, but in the future will be for my second PC) and room for much more stuff. The horizontal space is awesome, but the vertical space helps too.