Wooting One keyboard tested against Logitech G Pro Keyboard
Posted: 11 Jul 2019, 17:51
[EDIT: see viewtopic.php?f=10&t=5540&p=42961#p42961 for further results. The Wooting One's electronics are less performant than initially measured, so it no longer deserves the glowing recommendation in the bottom of this post. It is still a decent keyboard.]
I bump tested the Wooting One (Linear55) against my Logitech G Pro Keyboard (Romer G tactile), using this software: https://github.com/ad8e/input-polling-test. I set the Wooting One on its "Tachyon Mode". I also disabled Xinput but I'm not clear what that affects.
Result: overwhelming victory for Wooting One, 9 - 20 ms advantage. Tried Ctrl vs Alt, then Alt vs Control.
Interpretation: this test sucks, the victory is not reasonable. Bump testing will have unfair advantages for the keyboard with lower actuation force, since the keys are lightweight and fixed force, and the lighter key will give way. This is compared to your finger, which doesn't give way. I expected this problem in advance, and designed another test.
Next test: took an empty toilet paper roll (basically a cardboard tube), flattened it. The goal was to have a long rigid object. Then I rest it on two keys, one from each keyboard, so that it's tall but not wide. Then I press down on the top center of the roll. Hopefully, this depresses both keyboards equally fast. The goal of using a long and narrow connector is to reduce rotational problems for uneven pressing.
Result of toilet paper roll test: this test sucks but it's much better than the bump test. The roll is stiff enough, but it's not long enough. That makes it hard to get an equal force on both keyboards. A longer cardboard object would fix this issue. As my finger inches toward one keyboard, that keyboard gains an advantage. Even so, the Wooting One seems to have 0 - 5 ms advantage over the Logitech.
Conclusions:
Keyboard recommendations.
1. Wooting One, Linear55, $140. This is the new standard.
Its Wootility software actually closes when you exit it, it doesn't hang around like the Wacom Intuos drivers.
Key wobble is less of a problem on my Wooting than on my Logitech G Pro, because on the Wooting, the key tilts and actuates anyway despite unevenly depressing. So the force needed to actuate doesn't change much no matter where you press it. That's a good thing.
As for its analog sensitivity, I am going to ignore it completely.
Reviews say that old models have more key wobble, and newer models were improved. Because of reseller inventory reasons, I decided to buy it straight from Wooting's store, knowing that their most recent stock has the reduced key wobble. The Clicky55 keys have more wobble than the Linear55.
My current model is equal volume to my Logitech G Pro; other people have complained about loud pings.
2. Logitech G Pro, Romer-G tactile: this is not obsolete, because its price is $110 vs the Wooting One's $140. However, it has multiple problems that make it a significantly inferior keyboard when the price is not considered.
The tactile point and operating point are dislocated far apart, so it's worse than having no tactility at all. This means the keyboard will feel annoying, since it's lying to your fingers. From an ergonomics design viewpoint, this is a big no-no.
Key wobble binds keys, and pressing any key off-center will require significantly more force than usual.
3. Corsair K70/K65 Rapidfire: this is obsolete now. It's no longer on the Pareto frontier because its price is $140, it has no speed advantage, and it has a reputation for breaking down.
4. Cherry MX 6.0: this is simply out of stock. I have no idea what its price is, but its latency is worse than the other keyboards listed here.
5. Logitech G513 Carbon, Romer-G Linear. We don't know how this performs but it might do well. If someone has too much money, he can buy one and benchmark it against the Wooting One. I dunno if this is worth either the effort or the money.
I bump tested the Wooting One (Linear55) against my Logitech G Pro Keyboard (Romer G tactile), using this software: https://github.com/ad8e/input-polling-test. I set the Wooting One on its "Tachyon Mode". I also disabled Xinput but I'm not clear what that affects.
Result: overwhelming victory for Wooting One, 9 - 20 ms advantage. Tried Ctrl vs Alt, then Alt vs Control.
Interpretation: this test sucks, the victory is not reasonable. Bump testing will have unfair advantages for the keyboard with lower actuation force, since the keys are lightweight and fixed force, and the lighter key will give way. This is compared to your finger, which doesn't give way. I expected this problem in advance, and designed another test.
Next test: took an empty toilet paper roll (basically a cardboard tube), flattened it. The goal was to have a long rigid object. Then I rest it on two keys, one from each keyboard, so that it's tall but not wide. Then I press down on the top center of the roll. Hopefully, this depresses both keyboards equally fast. The goal of using a long and narrow connector is to reduce rotational problems for uneven pressing.
Result of toilet paper roll test: this test sucks but it's much better than the bump test. The roll is stiff enough, but it's not long enough. That makes it hard to get an equal force on both keyboards. A longer cardboard object would fix this issue. As my finger inches toward one keyboard, that keyboard gains an advantage. Even so, the Wooting One seems to have 0 - 5 ms advantage over the Logitech.
Conclusions:
Keyboard recommendations.
1. Wooting One, Linear55, $140. This is the new standard.
Its Wootility software actually closes when you exit it, it doesn't hang around like the Wacom Intuos drivers.
Key wobble is less of a problem on my Wooting than on my Logitech G Pro, because on the Wooting, the key tilts and actuates anyway despite unevenly depressing. So the force needed to actuate doesn't change much no matter where you press it. That's a good thing.
As for its analog sensitivity, I am going to ignore it completely.
Reviews say that old models have more key wobble, and newer models were improved. Because of reseller inventory reasons, I decided to buy it straight from Wooting's store, knowing that their most recent stock has the reduced key wobble. The Clicky55 keys have more wobble than the Linear55.
My current model is equal volume to my Logitech G Pro; other people have complained about loud pings.
2. Logitech G Pro, Romer-G tactile: this is not obsolete, because its price is $110 vs the Wooting One's $140. However, it has multiple problems that make it a significantly inferior keyboard when the price is not considered.
The tactile point and operating point are dislocated far apart, so it's worse than having no tactility at all. This means the keyboard will feel annoying, since it's lying to your fingers. From an ergonomics design viewpoint, this is a big no-no.
Key wobble binds keys, and pressing any key off-center will require significantly more force than usual.
3. Corsair K70/K65 Rapidfire: this is obsolete now. It's no longer on the Pareto frontier because its price is $140, it has no speed advantage, and it has a reputation for breaking down.
4. Cherry MX 6.0: this is simply out of stock. I have no idea what its price is, but its latency is worse than the other keyboards listed here.
5. Logitech G513 Carbon, Romer-G Linear. We don't know how this performs but it might do well. If someone has too much money, he can buy one and benchmark it against the Wooting One. I dunno if this is worth either the effort or the money.