Just a quick rundown of the four most common switch types to help you decide:

Blues are somewhere in the middle of the mechanical switch spectrum in terms of stiffness, so there are lighter switches that can help with your stamina. But they make a tactile, audible click when pressed, which benefits your accuracy. But I personally wouldn't recommend them unless you plan to pick up another mechanical keyboard down the line, as they make double-tapping more difficult by design (which slightly sacrifices the consistency of repeated presses in order to make the feedback more tactile).

Browns are on the lighter end, but the tactile feedback isn't as tactile nor as loud. It is still there though, so it will still help a bit. And it doesn't have the double-tapping issue that I mentioned about the Blues, as the design of the switch is different. The only real negative that it has is that it isn't as light as Reds, nor as tactile as Blues. It's somewhere in between.

On the other hand, a lot of players seem to recommend Red switches (at least for standard mode), which are the lightest you can get. They're amazing for stamina, but they have no tactile feedback at all (aside from bottoming out, but that won't help your accuracy much, as mechanical keyboards actuate at the halfway point), so I'd be reluctant to recommend them for osu!mania. I've also heard people say that the lightness makes it easier to make mistakes when typing, so that might be something to consider.

There are also Blacks, which are the stiffest out of the popular four. They're just like Reds in that they don't have tactile feedback, but the high resistance could potentially make your fingers lift faster and allow you to stream quicker. But they're the most demanding on your stamina, so I wouldn't recommend them unless you have strong fingers.

Overall, I'd personally recommend Browns as a good all-around switch. It's what I use, as well as a few top players of other rhythm games. But it's really up to you to decide which switch you'd prefer, as each one has its benefits.

And regarding the two that you linked: You can get both of those keyboards with your choice of switch, so the only real difference is that one has a number pad and the other one doesn't.

YayMii wrote:

Just a quick rundown of the four most common switch types to help you decide:

Blues are somewhere in the middle of the mechanical switch spectrum in terms of stiffness, so there are lighter switches that can help with your stamina. But they make a tactile, audible click when pressed, which benefits your accuracy. But I personally wouldn't recommend them unless you plan to pick up another mechanical keyboard down the line, as they make double-tapping more difficult by design (which slightly sacrifices the consistency of repeated presses in order to make the feedback more tactile).

Browns are on the lighter end, but the tactile feedback isn't as tactile nor as loud. It is still there though, so it will still help a bit. And it doesn't have the double-tapping issue that I mentioned about the Blues, as the design of the switch is different. The only real negative that it has is that it isn't as light as Reds, nor as tactile as Blues. It's somewhere in between.

On the other hand, a lot of players seem to recommend Red switches (at least for standard mode), which are the lightest you can get. They're amazing for stamina, but they have no tactile feedback at all (aside from bottoming out, but that won't help your accuracy much, as mechanical keyboards actuate at the halfway point), so I'd be reluctant to recommend them for osu!mania. I've also heard people say that the lightness makes it easier to make mistakes when typing, so that might be something to consider.

There are also Blacks, which are the stiffest out of the popular four. They're just like Reds in that they don't have tactile feedback, but the high resistance could potentially make your fingers lift faster and allow you to stream quicker. But they're the most demanding on your stamina, so I wouldn't recommend them unless you have strong fingers.

Overall, I'd personally recommend Browns as a good all-around switch. It's what I use, as well as a few top players of other games. But it's really up to you to decide which switch you'd prefer, as each one has its benefits.

And regarding the two that you linked: You can get both of those keyboards with your choice of switch, so the only real difference is that one has a number pad and the other one doesn't.

That is very helpful, thank you!

Keeping the prices of the two aforementioned keyboards in mind, I will most likely end up going with CM Storm QuickFire Rapid - Tenkeyless Mechanical Gaming Keyboard with CHERRY MX Brown Switches

I wouldn't buy the rapid tenkeyless... I heard that one has some problems. I also think it doesn't have USB NKRO if I remember correctly
I don't know about the other ones, but I can say that I am very happy with CM Storm Quickfire Pro. I also don't know about the XT, I only know about rapid and pro.

here: http://www.amazon.com/CM-Storm-QuickFire-Pro-Mechanical/dp/B007VDOOBU/ref=sr_1_27?ie=UTF8&qid=1390330418&sr=8-27&keywords=cm+quick+fire+pro
The partial lit keys look kinda stupid though, thankfully you can disable them (or go for ultimate)

Ah dang, alright. I suppose I'll look into the Pro version. Seems like any decent mechanicals are ~$100. I would check out the Blackwidow but I have had bad experiences with Razer products and durability.

Keep in mind that the BlackWidow only comes in Blues. There is a BlackWidow Stealth that uses Browns, but they're far less available than the standard BWs (I don't think any of the stores in my area even carry them).

Oh okay, thanks for the info.

I guess I'll just save up for a couple of months and pick up a CM Storm QuickFire Pro for ~$100 from Amazon for o!mania and eventually the mode I have always really wanted to get into for some dumb reason... Taiko.

Just one more thing :p
If you receive your CM keyboard, remember to push the usb connector really hard into your keyboard, else it won't make proper contact.
I used to think my keyboard was broken when I received it but I just had to push really hard xD

I have a keyboard with black switches and I'm at the point where I'm annoyed by their "mushiness" as my fingers are pretty slow. Do you think I'd be more comfortable with red switches? If yes, any recommendations? I have a Steelseries 6Gv2 right now, I like my keyboards sturdy and without useless lights and gimmicks.

I can't say Tear as I've never really tried Black, I've only read the info as I assume so have you. All I can say is what do you have to lose with trying it (except money? xD)
Also, if the CM storm can survive my mash (I play whack-a-mole-mania), you can be pretty sure it's a damn sturdy keyboard! Probably not as strong as 6Gv2 but still :p

CM Storm looks good but I'd miss the numpad ;_;

Tear wrote:

CM Storm looks good but I'd miss the numpad ;_;

Cooler Master makes a bunch of different mechanical keyboards... The one Xcrypt is using (CM Storm QuickFire Pro) has a numpad, and comes in Blues, Browns and Reds.

Thinking of buying that cm storm quickfire keyboard as well. However the board I've got know uses flatkeys. Do you guys think I'll feel a big difference between flat and normal keys?

I don't think you should obsess over such little things, it might feel weird at first but you'll get used to it.
However CM Storm Quickfire Pro is only one keyboard. Remember there are other ones that are very nice too. Recently Drace has told me which keyboard he uses and that one looks very cool too: http://www.duckychannel.com.tw/en/Shine_3_DK9008.html
It has all the features you'd want plus a really funky lighting mode xD

Xcrypt wrote:

I don't think you should obsess over such little things, it might feel weird at first but you'll get used to it.
However CM Storm Quickfire Pro is only one keyboard. Remember there are other ones that are very nice too. Recently Drace has told me which keyboard he uses and that one looks very cool too: http://www.duckychannel.com.tw/en/Shine_3_DK9008.html
It has all the features you'd want plus a really funky lighting mode xD

Wow this looks like my kind of keyboard. I was actually looking for a good Red switch.
Now I just have see if they have anything like this here.

Xcrypt wrote:

I don't think you should obsess over such little things, it might feel weird at first but you'll get used to it.
However CM Storm Quickfire Pro is only one keyboard. Remember there are other ones that are very nice too. Recently Drace has told me which keyboard he uses and that one looks very cool too: http://www.duckychannel.com.tw/en/Shine_3_DK9008.html
It has all the features you'd want plus a really funky lighting mode xD

Just thought I'd ask. Your Quickfire keyboard uses brown switches right? How much noise does it make from tapping and such stuff? And if you know, which switches makes less sound, red or brown? (Noise is an important factor in this case)

Taadashi wrote:

Xcrypt wrote:

I don't think you should obsess over such little things, it might feel weird at first but you'll get used to it.
However CM Storm Quickfire Pro is only one keyboard. Remember there are other ones that are very nice too. Recently Drace has told me which keyboard he uses and that one looks very cool too: http://www.duckychannel.com.tw/en/Shine_3_DK9008.html
It has all the features you'd want plus a really funky lighting mode xD

Just thought I'd ask. Your Quickfire keyboard uses brown switches right? How much noise does it make from tapping and such stuff? And if you know, which switches makes less sound, red or brown? (Noise is an important factor in this case)

Reds make slightly less sound (though it depends on the conditions of the switches and the keyboard base). o-ring switch dampeners can help to reduce noise.

Corsair Vengeance k70, Ducky Shine 3.

Stay away from Razer Blackwidow(s) if you can at all help it.

Don't make the same mistake I did, my laptop keyboard isn't replaceable and as the damage was caused by me it isn't covered by warranty.

I use a quickfire TK which cost me under £60, I chose red keys because i need a smaller keyboard for portability( replacing my laptop keyboard) and I was undecided between those and browns. I wouldn't say it has improved my O!M any more than my normal rate of improvement but I did jump up 100,000 taiko ranks in the space of about 2 hours although that's probably due to the fact that it's taiko and has hardly any active players. I'm not going to recommend my keyboard over others because the deciding factor for me was the brand and the price but it's been with me for a few months now and is still going strong.

Taadashi wrote:

Just thought I'd ask. Your Quickfire keyboard uses brown switches right? How much noise does it make from tapping and such stuff? And if you know, which switches makes less sound, red or brown? (Noise is an important factor in this case)

I'd suggest looking into getting o-ring dampeners. Most of the noise from Browns and Reds come from bottoming out, so having those will reduce the noise significantly.
Personally, I use them. While it does slightly alter the feel of the keys, I feel that the reduced travel distance as well as the reduced noise makes up for it.

YayMii wrote:

Taadashi wrote:

Just thought I'd ask. Your Quickfire keyboard uses brown switches right? How much noise does it make from tapping and such stuff? And if you know, which switches makes less sound, red or brown? (Noise is an important factor in this case)

I'd suggest looking into getting o-ring dampeners. Most of the noise from Browns and Reds come from bottoming out, so having those will reduce the noise significantly.
Personally, I use them. While it does slightly alter the feel of the keys, I feel that the reduced travel distance as well as the reduced noise makes up for it.

Thanks for answering. Might look into them o-ring thingies as well then.

Edit: Thanks goes to Full Tablet as well.

I've also wanted to get those damn o-rings but they are not easy to get in Europe and for stupid reasons I can't buy them internationally...

After some consideration I have decided on the CM Storm QuickFire Rapid - Tenkeyless Mechanical Gaming Keyboard with CHERRY MX Brown Switches along with a PS/2-USB adapter (it only has NKRO in PS/2 mode). Budget and (mostly) space limitations prohibit me from picking up something other than a relatively small keyboard.

Thanks for all the help!

Remember never to press all the keys at once. I know one guy that broke his rapid tenkeyless like that.