These expert sites and chat rooms can be a great help because there are a lot of potentially important details about key switches, layouts, firmware variations, key cap styles / materials and other characteristics that you may want more information prior to making a purchase.
For those wanting real-time guidance, point your IRC client to the FreeNode network (irc.freenode.net) or go to their webchat here:
https://webchat.freenode.net
...and pop in to the #geekhack channel.
These expert sites and chat rooms can be a great help because there are a lot of potentially important details about key switches, layouts, firmware variations, key cap styles / materials and other characteristics that you may want more information prior to making a purchase.