Please check out the Azio MGK1 Backlit Mechanical Gaming Keyboard. It has an amazing build quality as well as Kailh Blue switches that are just as good ( if not better!) as cherry mx blue switches. It looks very similar to the K70 which I absolutely love and feels very similar too despite being half the price!
Guys, forget the Zalman ZM-K500. I had this and didnt last a half of a year. I soldered out the switches last weekend for use in my custom keyboard project. The quality is terrible, both the PCB and the switches. I highly recommend to avoid it.
Now I have a CM Storm QuickFire TK with brown switches, the difference is unbelievable.
http://imgur.com/a/1pEqm/Either way, the keyboard is a piece of crap. A really expensive paperweight.
Kailh has a bit stronger spring, and less sturdier plastic parts, and the tactilic leaf is .. um, that oxidation spot says it all. :) The typing is not as different, but on a longer session you can notice it.
Verdict: Im not saying cherry is worth every penny, but in the price/performance ratio race, it outperforms kailh switches. If you want cheap switches, you can buy Matias, and good luck finding keycaps. :/
Thanks a lot for doing that, really good pictures and I really enjoyed your description.
The reason I was asking was that I was intrigued by kailh switches as I am always up for trying new things :)
Not sure I will bother now honestly, as they are not really that much cheaper.