Out of the box the iOne Scorpius M10 looks like just another $10 cheapo keyboard that you can buy just about anywhere. So why does it cost $59? How does it differ from most keyboards on the market? Let’s read on!

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The Keyboard Talk

The iOne Scorpius M10 uses Cherry MX Blue key switches. They are “clicky” and provide noticeable tactile feedback each time a key is pressed. There are several keyboards from various manufactures that use the MX Blues key switches by Cherry, notable ones include the DAS keyboard Professional Model S and the Filco Tenkeyless. At US$59 the Scorpius M10 is the cheapest out of all current (May 2010) keyboards that use the MX Blue key switches.

What are the differences between the options that cost twice as much as the Scorpius M10 you might ask? As they all use identical key switches from Cherry, the main difference is build quality; out of the box the M10 looked like a $10 keyboard from you local tech store, and by twisting it at opposite ends it flexes just like a $10 keyboard. The DAS and Filco keyboards mentioned above use higher quality materials for the keyboard casing and more importantly the keys themselves. These keys can all be removed easily with a key removal tool and custom keys (color, material, style) can be ordered from online resellers. The M10, on the other hand, has had complaints about key alignment issues (Keys of the same row don’t line up properly). Fortunately this was not the case with my unit.

Closer examination of the M10 though reveals that it clearly is not a simple $10 keyboard, not only because of the Cherry switches. At just over 3lbs, the Scorpius M10 is much heavier than most keyboards you will find at Bestbuy and the like. The cause of the excessive weight is the steel plate that is the backing of the keyboard. This results in close to zero keyboard flex when the keys are pressed.

The Real Deal

Enough with the hardware talk! So how does this seemingly pricey keyboard feel during typing? Coming from a Logitech Wave as a first time mechanical keyboard user, the difference is delightful, each key press is met with a “click” and a good deal of tactile feedback. The key action feels clean and you know exactly when a key is pressed. The entire key pres process can be described by the graph below (the information was collected from Cherry’s information sheet).

After a week or so with the M10, my typing precision has improved significantly. Also improving was my typing speed. After half a dozen different typing tests, the average consistent speed was around 15 words per minute faster.

To get an idea of how the keyboard sounds and reacts click here for a video.

Conclusion

Even without all the fancy media keys and short cuts offered by other keyboards such as the Logitech Wave, the Scorpius M10 is the one to pick. The typing experience is far more enjoyable. It has demonstrated why so many mechanical keyboard users love their keyboard and refuse to recommend anything else. At $59, the iOne Scorpius M10 is one of the cheapest mechanical keyboards out there and the Cherry MX Blue switches offer first time users the real deal.