silent mechanical keyboard?

[RayanR]

Hy,

 

As i just spent 500 euros on a new dual monitor setup for my laptop, I'm searching for a good mechanical keyboard. What i really hate about mechanical keyboards is how loud they are and because of that I'd like to have a silent keyboard.

I've looked at those from corsair (k70 lux and strafe mk.2) and i really like them, but at 170 euros, it's a bit pricey.

Also as i would hook it up to my laptop i would like to have only 1 usb cable to plug in, as i've seen keyboads with multiple usb plugs.

 

I'd want something that will last a 'lifetime' so i don't mind paying 170 euros, I just want to know if there are other alternatives out there.

thnx for the help

greetz,

RayanR

[IdiotPenguin]

Look for switches like reds or speed or some other form of silent switches. O rings also dampen the sound a bit so if you wanna go the extra mile then get a silent switch type as well as o rings

 

You can find sound tests on YouTube for specific switches but just avoid blues lmao

[RayanR]

why avoid the blues? i had read about o rings but thought they werent as good as silent swiches

[IdiotPenguin]

1 minute ago, RayanR said:

why avoid the blues? i had read about o rings but thought they werent as good as silent swiches

They’re super loud. 

 

The nice thing about o rings is you can put them on pretty much any Cherry MX (copies or originals, not sure about other offbrand switches) so if you have a silent switch + sound dampening o rings that makes it twice as quiet

[RayanR]

oh and you can buy them seperately yeah?

 

[Mooshi]

1 minute ago, RayanR said:

why avoid the blues? i had read about o rings but thought they werent as good as silent swiches

Because Blues are the louder ones?

 

Sounds like you've never spent time with a mechanical keyboard outside of internet videos.  As for O rings and more silent switch types, I have them on my TKL keyboard with reds and you can still tell it's a mechanical keyboard lol. The feel was better without them as they don't silence keys, only damper sound a bit in exchange of sacrificing feel.

[IdiotPenguin]

Just now, RayanR said:

oh and you can buy them seperately yeah?

 

If you’re talking about O rings then yes. By the way if you want someone to get a notification you responded to them then you should press the reply icon and then type stuff or do an @ 

 

like @RayanR

 

[RayanR]

@IdiotPenguin yeah i knew that, just forgot to do it

thnx for the advise tho

 

@Mooshi So you have a red with o rings? I have spend a lot of time searching for a keyboard, but i just havent had the time to go to a shop and test the different switches

 

[Mooshi]

When I got my first mechanical keyboard, I didn't know what to expect and now I just find the sound soothing. I mean, unless you're going to be typing it complete silence, you aren't going to hear it over a game really.

 

Edit: I don't use the one with the reds + orings anymore since I missed having a numpad. The board I currently use have Logitech's own switches. Sound doesn't bother me on those.

[IdiotPenguin]

2 minutes ago, Mooshi said:

When I got my first mechanical keyboard, I didn't know what to expect and now I just find the sound soothing. I mean, unless you're going to be typing it complete silence, you aren't going to hear it over a game really.

I also could care less about the sound. For me it’s more about the feel yknow? 

Spoiler

That’s what I said

 

[Dissitesuxba11s]

12 minutes ago, RayanR said:

why avoid the blues? i had read about o rings but thought they werent as good as silent swiches

Check it out for yourself:

 

Check out any mechanical keyboard in your area that has Cherry MX Clears. Not the most quiet, but with prebuilts and non-DIY, they should be quiet enough.

 

 

If you want to talk DIY keyboards, then prepare you wallet. Check out Zilent switches (if you can even find some).

[RayanR]

@Mooshi yeah i do think they're pretty loud when i'm typing stuff and as an engineeringstudent i do type a lot, i know in games you dont hear them as much but it's for the non gaming stuff that i would like to have them 'silence'

 

@IdiotPenguin for me it's about the durabillity and silcence4

 

@Dissitesuxba11s well now i get it, though i think i'd like them, if possible, more silent than the clears

[b emoji]

1 hour ago, RayanR said:

Hy,

 

As i just spent 500 euros on a new dual monitor setup for my laptop, I'm searching for a good mechanical keyboard. What i really hate about mechanical keyboards is how loud they are and because of that I'd like to have a silent keyboard.

I've looked at those from corsair (k70 lux and strafe mk.2) and i really like them, but at 170 euros, it's a bit pricey.

Also as i would hook it up to my laptop i would like to have only 1 usb cable to plug in, as i've seen keyboads with multiple usb plugs.

 

I'd want something that will last a 'lifetime' so i don't mind paying 170 euros, I just want to know if there are other alternatives out there.

thnx for the help

greetz,

RayanR

Dedicated Silent Switches & Keyboards
Silent Zealios  (Zilents) Very smooth and tactile switch and very quiet 
Mx Silent Reds in the Leopold FC900r and FC750r are great (Very well built boards with double shot pbt caps) 
Topre Realforce 87/104 Silenced 45g Smooth and tactile and extremely quiet with nice Dye Sublimed pbt keycaps  
HHKB Type-S Similar to the Topre RealForce 87 Silenced but with a different slider and layout also has 0.02mm less travel due to the damping rings

Silent Keyswitches & Keyboards
Most Linear switches are silent as they do not have a click. However they still produce sound during the upstroke and down stroke when the stem hits the housing. This can be partially solved by using orings which dampens the downstroke but not the upstroke. some good linear switches are Cherry Mx red, ALPS SKCL Greens, Gateron Blacks, Reds and Yellows, and Flaretech optical switches. 

Rubber domes are also quite silent as they bottom out softy. However, they have a loud upstroke. This can be solved in some dome with slider keyboards by adding O-Rings to the sliders like hyperspheres on Topre Boards. Some good Rubber Domes are 55g Topre and BKE Heavies. 

Most Silent Switches in each category
Linear: Silenced Gateron Reds and Black and Mx Silent Reds Most silent in Leopold's enclosures 
Tactile: Silenced Topre in Topre Realforce 87/104 Silenced & ZealPc Zilents (implementation varies)

Clicky: Clicky and Silence don't go togther but Mx Milks/Whites are pretty quiet for a clicky switch due to the factory applied grease on the click jacket 

 

Keyboard Design and other factors
Open/Floating Switches like the ones on Corsair k70s are louder and more high pitched compared to a more enclosed housing. Some companies also add a vibration/sound absorbing mat into their keyboards to dampen the sound and vibration aswell.  

Recommendations: 
Leopold FC750r (TKL) and FC900r (Full 104) are probably the most silent board I know as they have a damping mat and a closed board design this combined with Mx Silent reds makes for a very silent keyboard. Also Keycaps play a role in the sound and Leopolds keycaps are some of the best. Theyre thick doubleshot PBT which are super durable and make the switches sound more bassy. And Leopold has top notch build quality and has a steel back plate and will last for quite a while. 

[b emoji]

20 minutes ago, RayanR said:

why avoid the blues? i had read about o rings but thought they werent as good as silent swiches

1 - O-Rings only reduce the clack of the keyboard which is produced when you bottom out the switch heavily these do not reduce the click of the keyboard which is the sound the key makes on purpose in this case it is produced by a click jacket, also O-Rings only silence the down stroke of the keypress and not the up stroke. 
2- O-Rings reduce travel more than an internal damping mechanism would

 

[Dissitesuxba11s]

5 minutes ago, b emoji said:

Topre Realforce 87 Silenced 45g Smooth and tactile and extremely quiet with nice Dye Sublimed pbt keycaps  
HHKB Type-S Similar to the Topre RealForce 87 Silenced but with a different slider and layout also has 0.02mm less travel due to the damping rings

I was debating on recommending Topre switches but not sure if OP wants to go significantly over budget 

[RayanR]

@b emoji thanks for the explenation on o rings, ive seen you listed a bunch of keyboards but as i'm from belgium, they arent as easy to get

[geo3]

24 minutes ago, RayanR said:

why avoid the blues? i had read about o rings but thought they werent as good as silent swiches

O-Rings completely ruin the feel of any switch they are on. I'd really go with silent switches I were you. To me silent switches also feel too soft, but I'm super picky and it's leagues better than how an O-ring feels.

 

You can get something like a GMMK or other hot swap keyboards and install Zilents from ZealPC.

[RayanR]

@Dissitesuxba11s @b emoji those topre's are the quitetness i'm searching for. but i forgot to mension that i really want a numpad, and yeah 200 euros it absolute max

[RayanR]

@geo3 i'm not planning on buying a keyboard and breaking it down to switch the keys

[b emoji]

8 minutes ago, Dissitesuxba11s said:

I was debating on recommending Topre switches but not sure if OP wants to go significantly over budget 

he could always sell his organs 

[b emoji]

8 minutes ago, RayanR said:

@Dissitesuxba11s @b emoji those topre's are the quitetness i'm searching for. but i forgot to mension that i really want a numpad, and yeah 200 euros it absolute max

If you like light linear switches then go for the FC900r with doubleshot pbt keycaps. Also normal topre switches are still very quiet, and I believe they make a silence realforce 104 aswell. 

 

[geo3]

1 minute ago, RayanR said:

@geo3 i'm not planning on buying a keyboard and breaking it down to switch the keys

That's why I said get a GMMK or other modular keyboard. There's no disassembly or soldering required. You just pop the switch into place and that's it.

[b emoji]

8 minutes ago, RayanR said:

@Dissitesuxba11s @b emoji those topre's are the quitetness i'm searching for. but i forgot to mension that i really want a numpad, and yeah 200 euros it absolute max

I think the Massdrop CTRL is also hotswappable but massdrop isnt very reliable. I would replace those keycaps on the GMMK aswell those look pretty bad. 

[Dissitesuxba11s]

4 minutes ago, b emoji said:

I think the Massdrop CTRL is also hotswappable but massdrop isnt very reliable.

Yes, it's hot swappable but unfortunately no numpad.

[RayanR]

@b emoji yeah those leopold keyboards are hard to get in belgium

 

@geo3 that would be 200 euros for a 'selfmade keyboard' without easy warranty, thats a to big risk for me as i'm only a student