Help choosing a 1st Mech

I was in a situation like yours and felt the same way. I really liked the Cherry MX Blue switches and wanted full RGB or blue backlighting. Alas, Corsair no longer makes a Vengeance with blue switches and blue/RGB LEDs. I started mainly looking at blue LED boards to match the rest of my computer. I looked at all of the following and weighed the pros and cons of each:

  • Das Keyboard 4 Professional Clicky - Pros: reputable brand, takes standard keycaps, has volume knob and media keys near the right side of the keyboard which I like; Cons: no backlighting
  • CM Storm QuickFire XT - Cons: no backlighting, gamer font
  • WASD keyboard - Pros: standard keycap sizes; Cons: no backlighting
  • WASD CODE - Pros: white backlighting; Cons: white backlighting only, replacement backlight-compatible keycaps aren't available from WASD but you could probably find some elsewhere
  • Tt eSPORTS Poseidon Z Blue Switch Illuminated Keyboard - Pros: only costs $80; Cons: uses Kailh switches rather than Cherry MX, but from what I've heard they are about the same, also the Windows, Fn, and menu keys are 1x size so replacements are harder to find (though I have seen sets by Max Keyboard that fit)
  • Max Keyboard Nighthawk-X7 - same as above regarding Windows, Fn, and menu keys
  • Sentry Cobalt Pro - same as above, and I really just didn't like the way it looks
  • QPAD MK-80 - another one of those generic looking boards, pretty much same as above only harder to find

Then I came across this post linking a Chinese off-brand board. I fell in love with the aluminum and blue backlighting and ordered it yesterday. It will probably take 30 to 40 days to arrive. It's only on sale for another 3 hours. That seller only offers the version with the black keycaps and case but according to another user here they do have Cherry MX Blue if you tell them that's what you want in the comments box during checkout. I got mine for $62.84 shipped from China to the United States.

If I really like it I might order another one from here in white.

/r/MechanicalKeyboards Thread