RGB Mechanical keyboards?

[jn77]

After getting my first Alienware laptop 4 years ago, I have gotten accustomed to full RGB color backlighting for keyboards. Now I want a plug in Keyboard with the same features (Any color backlight I want to chose, etc) in a mechanical keyboard for my desktop computers....

I saw the Razor Backwidow Chroma, but $139/USD. Are they smoking crack? Maybe $79.00/USD. Are there any other options for what I am looking for? I need to pick up 4 of these things so you can see how the cost adds up.

 

[sizzling]

Good quality mechanical keyboards are expensive. I'm UK based but $139 for the Blackwidow Chroma seems really cheap.

Have you looked at the Corsair range?

 

[sizzling]

http://www.corsair.com/en-gb/gaming-keyboards

 

[jn77]

Sizzling, I those are expensive also if you want full rgb back lighting. I can't believe that these keyboards are that expensive for them to produce. I don't want to spend more than $100 max for any one keyboard. It would be $400 for 4 of them.

 

[sizzling]

Your going to have to compromise on quality of the key switches then. How about something like these https://steelseries.com/gaming-keyboards/apex-350

 

[sizzling]

Sizzling, I those are expensive also if you want full rgb back lighting. I can't believe that these keyboards are that expensive for them to produce. I don't want to spend more than $100 max for any one keyboard. It would be $400 for 4 of them.

When has the price to produce something had any bearing on cost Just look at Beats headsets <£20 to make and sold for >£250 or compare the 1070 and 1080, they must cost about the same to make.

 

[ulises314]

Sizzling, I those are expensive also if you want full rgb back lighting. I can't believe that these keyboards are that expensive for them to produce. I don't want to spend more than $100 max for any one keyboard. It would be $400 for 4 of them.

When has the price to produce something had any bearing on cost Just look at Beats headsets <£20 to make and sold for >£250 or compare the 1070 and 1080, they must cost about the same to make.

Well, membrane keyboards are really cheap to make, about $1 to $4, and they sell for about $30. The list of materials grows a lot for mechanical keyboards, first those pesky german switches cost about one dollar to end users, but i don't really think they go below 10 cents for manufacturers, that's about $10 on switches alone, more if the keyboard has programmable keys; then you have the higher end keycaps (that come in color choice at least on the wasd keys), the usually stronger build, the rgb leds are another 104 (in common american keyboards) pieces that cost about 5 cents each; then you have to use a microcontroller for those rippling rgb effects that adds at least another 50 cents to the bill and I'm thinking more in the vicinity of one full buck; then you have to get a small team of developers to make a driver and desktop software to configure said effects and keep them on the pay role for at least a year cause the software is going to have issues; and finally the variable polling rate circuitry necessary for compatibility. So these keyboards are about $20-$30 dollars to make.

 

[fluffycookieman]

You can usually find RGB mechincal keyboards at decent price the only downfall they aren't cherry switches and will have different brand of switches and will not have software for some easier customization for the RGBS. But I think hands down the K70 RGB is my top pick.