CM Storm Novatouch

[Shikarikato]

I had the impression that Raj or someone confirmed a ~$180 price point. Maybe I remembered incorrectly.

This sounds like the magic number to me.

Can't wait! That seems to about the same price a Realforce? I expect CM to be aggressively priced.

A realforce is at least 230$ and are not available everywhere.

Cheapest is $215(no sale), but EK has $200(on sale) boards. Anyways don't Realforce boards come with PBT caps?

[Mooby]

I had the impression that Raj or someone confirmed a ~$180 price point. Maybe I remembered incorrectly.

This sounds like the magic number to me.

Can't wait! That seems to about the same price a Realforce? I expect CM to be aggressively priced.

A realforce is at least 230$ and are not available everywhere.

It's still a CM. I wouldn't spend 200$ on one of their keyboards after I had some bad luck with really crappy built QFR XTs. The QFR Rapid I own is great the other hand. So to me it feels like too much of a gamlbe right now, but that's personal experience.

[CommonCurt]

I had the impression that Raj or someone confirmed a ~$180 price point. Maybe I remembered incorrectly.

This sounds like the magic number to me.

This is what I would guess.

[SSIPAK]

my guess is 140 to 160, i think 180 is too much for cm product.

[rowdy]

my guess is 140 to 160, i think 180 is too much for cm product.

I'm hoping towards the lower end.

If this can turn out to be like a Topre version of the QFR, and if the quality and price are right, it may usurp QFR as one of the most often recommended keyboards on GH.

[YuukiHaruto]

my guess is 140 to 160, i think 180 is too much for cm product.

No. Read below. Too much? You got to be joking.

If I were CM, I'd charge $200 because of the stem. Sure you can buy RealForce for that but you have no MX compatible stem!

And that a type heaven costs 200$ and is made in china.

[SSIPAK]

my guess is 140 to 160, i think 180 is too much for cm product.

No. Read below. Too much? You got to be joking.

If I were CM, I'd charge $200 because of the stem. Sure you can buy RealForce for that but you have no MX compatible stem!

And that a type heaven costs 200$ and is made in china.

You honestly think regular consumers will buy novatouch if it was priced at $180 when they don't even know what Topre is? Or they are going to price that high only to sell these keyboards to people on this forum? Yeah i doubt that... CM do not make quality products... sure they are great budget keyboard but their quality isn't anywhere near "top notch"

[epzy]

my guess is 140 to 160, i think 180 is too much for cm product.

No. Read below. Too much? You got to be joking.

If I were CM, I'd charge $200 because of the stem. Sure you can buy RealForce for that but you have no MX compatible stem!

And that a type heaven costs 200$ and is made in china.

You honestly think regular consumers will buy novatouch if it was priced at $180 when they don't even know what Topre is? Or they are going to price that high only to sell these keyboards to people on this forum? Yeah i doubt that... CM do not make quality products... sure they are great budget keyboard but their quality isn't anywhere near "top notch"

QFTK with Greens costs $162 here btw. Green is a 'rare' switch, Topre is a 'rare' switch. Topre with MX compatible stem is even more rare. I wouldn't be surprised if the price was $180.

[MissMurd3r84]

my guess is 140 to 160, i think 180 is too much for cm product.

No. Read below. Too much? You got to be joking.

If I were CM, I'd charge $200 because of the stem. Sure you can buy RealForce for that but you have no MX compatible stem!

And that a type heaven costs 200$ and is made in china.

Typeheaven is only $150 AUD here.

[CommonCurt]

my guess is 140 to 160, i think 180 is too much for cm product.

No. Read below. Too much? You got to be joking.

If I were CM, I'd charge $200 because of the stem. Sure you can buy RealForce for that but you have no MX compatible stem!

And that a type heaven costs 200$ and is made in china.

You honestly think regular consumers will buy novatouch if it was priced at $180 when they don't even know what Topre is? Or they are going to price that high only to sell these keyboards to people on this forum? Yeah i doubt that... CM do not make quality products... sure they are great budget keyboard but their quality isn't anywhere near "top notch"

I hope it's not that expensive, but it wouldn't surprise me if it is.

[esoomenona]

It's still a CM. I wouldn't spend 200$ on one of their keyboards after I had some bad luck with really crappy built QFR XTs. The QFR Rapid I own is great the other hand. So to me it feels like too much of a gamlbe right now, but that's personal experience.

You just need to inform yourself before making these kinds of purchases. Most people here would suggest a QFR because they're known good quality, whereas the XT, not so much. So you may have to wait and see what the consensus of this board is before buying.

[SigLogical]

can i visit you sometime and test out the novatouch?  ) i can't type properly thought 

[lonedruid]

so the legend begins

[Mooby]

It's still a CM. I wouldn't spend 200$ on one of their keyboards after I had some bad luck with really crappy built QFR XTs. The QFR Rapid I own is great the other hand. So to me it feels like too much of a gamlbe right now, but that's personal experience.

You just need to inform yourself before making these kinds of purchases. Most people here would suggest a QFR because they're known good quality, whereas the XT, not so much. So you may have to wait and see what the consensus of this board is before buying.

I can't really approve the XT part, because one reason I bought the board in the first place were the recommendations on Geekhack. (I had three XTs and all of them were faulty, no joke). But on the Novatouch, yes. I'll definately wait how well the board and in particular it's build will be received. 

[Latin00032]

It's still a CM. I wouldn't spend 200$ on one of their keyboards after I had some bad luck with really crappy built QFR XTs. The QFR Rapid I own is great the other hand. So to me it feels like too much of a gamlbe right now, but that's personal experience.

You just need to inform yourself before making these kinds of purchases. Most people here would suggest a QFR because they're known good quality, whereas the XT, not so much. So you may have to wait and see what the consensus of this board is before buying.

I can't really approve the XT part, because one reason I bought the board in the first place were the recommendations on Geekhack. (I had three XTs and all of them were faulty, no joke). But on the Novatouch, yes. I'll definately wait how well the board and in particular it's build will be received.

I'm dumb. I'm buying the first one I can get.

I've resisted buying another mx and topre board waiting for CM to come out with this.

So, yea. Can't wait much longer.

[Latin00032]

Raj did hint at the possibility of a 60 percent topre.

I'm going to guess it will be at least six months before they release something like that at the earliest.

If they did come out with a 60 percent board. I'd imagine it would look more like a poker 2 than a hhkb. (They wouldn't be that adventurous.)

If they did come out with a 60 percent, I just hope they keep the mx cap compatibility and let the board be much more user configurable and programmable.

[avtar]

I wonder if it still ships with a rubber coated case:



I'd like to see someone replace the case with one of the Vortex aluminium cases. Otherwise it'll be a pain to try to keep it clean.

[HPE1000]

I wonder if it still ships with a rubber coated case:

Show Image

I'd like to see someone replace the case with one of the Vortex aluminium cases. Otherwise it'll be a pain to try to keep it clean.

Well I plan on getting one day one as long as it isn't over $200 and I have a vortex case I want to try with it.

[avtar]

Well I plan on getting one day one as long as it isn't over $200 and I have a vortex case I want to try with it.

Awesome! I'm looking forward to that.

[HPE1000]

Fingers crossed it fits, MK.com would probably sell out pretty fast

[BucklingSpring]

MX Caps Compatible Topre Switch. Oh lord. If CM make it available in 55g then I'll be buying one for sure.

Cooler Master found a way to make me look at them again. How sneaky.
(I'm a CM hater)

[Mooby]

It's still a CM. I wouldn't spend 200$ on one of their keyboards after I had some bad luck with really crappy built QFR XTs. The QFR Rapid I own is great the other hand. So to me it feels like too much of a gamlbe right now, but that's personal experience.

You just need to inform yourself before making these kinds of purchases. Most people here would suggest a QFR because they're known good quality, whereas the XT, not so much. So you may have to wait and see what the consensus of this board is before buying.

I can't really approve the XT part, because one reason I bought the board in the first place were the recommendations on Geekhack. (I had three XTs and all of them were faulty, no joke). But on the Novatouch, yes. I'll definately wait how well the board and in particular it's build will be received.

I'm dumb. I'm buying the first one I can get.

I've resisted buying another mx and topre board waiting for CM to come out with this.

So, yea. Can't wait much longer.

I just bought a new keyboard this week so I can justify to wait. One good thing about CM is that there are often good deals for their products.

[Latin00032]

I wonder if it still ships with a rubber coated case:

Show Image

I'd like to see someone replace the case with one of the Vortex aluminium cases. Otherwise it'll be a pain to try to keep it clean.

Well I plan on getting one day one as long as it isn't over $200 and I have a vortex case I want to try with it.

I admit, if its over $200, I might not buy it.

I assume its not.

I want to swap the case with my blue photoelectric case if its compatible.

[esoomenona]

Raj did hint at the possibility of a 60 percent topre.

I'm going to guess it will be at least six months before they release something like that at the earliest.

If they did come out with a 60 percent board. I'd imagine it would look more like a poker 2 than a hhkb. (They wouldn't be that adventurous.)

If they did come out with a 60 percent, I just hope they keep the mx cap compatibility and let the board be much more user configurable and programmable.

I'm sure that IF they do decide to do that, it will depend on how well this keyboard does first.

[dante]

I wouldn't be surprised if EK picked up some business from this.  If they were mentioned in reviews and people go searching for them the consumer might say, "well for only $30 more I can get PBT keycaps..."

[YuukiHaruto]

can i visit you sometime and test out the novatouch?  ) i can't type properly thought 

Sure, within this week. You in singapore?

MX Caps Compatible Topre Switch. Oh lord. If CM make it available in 55g then I'll be buying one for sure.

Cooler Master found a way to make me look at them again. How sneaky.
(I'm a CM hater)

LOL. When i first told my friend I am doing reviews for CM he was like "I thought you hated CM?". Who hates CM and has 3 of their cases ...

I wouldn't be surprised if EK picked up some business from this.  If they were mentioned in reviews and people go searching for them the consumer might say, "well for only $30 more I can get PBT keycaps..."

And no customizable MX keycaps. And no rubber case.

[BucklingSpring]

"I thought you hated CM?". Who hates CM and has 3 of their cases ...

If you want to be credible, you must own a couple of the things you hate.   

[Hypersphere]

Thanks for showing us the Novatouch. It is great that the keycaps can be changed. The key thing, as it were, is how these Topres sound and feel compared to other Topre-switch boards, such as the RF 87u and HHKB Pro 2. Looking forward to more details and the ultimate general release of the product.

[Mooby]

can i visit you sometime and test out the novatouch?  ) i can't type properly thought 

Sure, within this week. You in singapore?

MX Caps Compatible Topre Switch. Oh lord. If CM make it available in 55g then I'll be buying one for sure.

Cooler Master found a way to make me look at them again. How sneaky.
(I'm a CM hater)

LOL. When i first told my friend I am doing reviews for CM he was like "I thought you hated CM?". Who hates CM and has 3 of their cases ...

I wouldn't be surprised if EK picked up some business from this.  If they were mentioned in reviews and people go searching for them the consumer might say, "well for only $30 more I can get PBT keycaps..."

And no customizable MX keycaps. And no rubber case.

I would pay 30$ more just if there was no rubber case 

[epzy]

Can't you remove the rubber coating with sand paper if it's such a big deal?

[HPE1000]

Can't you remove the rubber coating with sand paper if it's such a big deal?

Not easily, QFRs are the biggest pain in the ass to sand down. ~1+ hours of sanding if you want it perfect from my experience sanding down 3 or so tops.

And they still look terrible after sanding down, they have to be painted.

[epzy]

Well if you aren't going to buy the keyboard because of the rubber coating (like Beserkfan) that ~1 hour is worth it then.

[SigLogical]

can i visit you sometime and test out the novatouch?  ) i can't type properly thought 

Sure, within this week. You in singapore?

MX Caps Compatible Topre Switch. Oh lord. If CM make it available in 55g then I'll be buying one for sure.

Cooler Master found a way to make me look at them again. How sneaky.
(I'm a CM hater)

LOL. When i first told my friend I am doing reviews for CM he was like "I thought you hated CM?". Who hates CM and has 3 of their cases ...

I wouldn't be surprised if EK picked up some business from this.  If they were mentioned in reviews and people go searching for them the consumer might say, "well for only $30 more I can get PBT keycaps..."

And no customizable MX keycaps. And no rubber case.

i live in singapore, not too sure about this upcoming week since college is re-opening 

[YuukiHaruto]

i live in singapore, not too sure about this upcoming week since college is re-opening 

I'm free this monday so make your way down if you want to.

[paco]

my guess is 140 to 160, i think 180 is too much for cm product.

No. Read below. Too much? You got to be joking.

If I were CM, I'd charge $200 because of the stem. Sure you can buy RealForce for that but you have no MX compatible stem!

And that a type heaven costs 200$ and is made in china.

Typeheaven is only $150 AUD here.

In Canada, you can get a Type Heaven for 140$CND easily. They come up for sale about every month at NCIX.ca.

[berserkfan]

Well if you aren't going to buy the keyboard because of the rubber coating (like Beserkfan) that ~1 hour is worth it then.

Don't actually understand what you are saying here, but I would happily swap a casing top with someone's PLU casing top or whatever is compatible, and pay that somebody else a few extra bucks. The rubberized tops are really crap. The very fact that CM is big in Singapore and most ordinary people in Singapore are not against CM, suggests that they don't actually expect to use their CM keyboards past a certain period. Such as the one year warranty. If you're living in Norway you may not experience deterioration until after a pretty long period eg 10 years, but in tropical areas, anything rubber or plastic (except very good plastic) spoils fast.

[epzy]

Well if you aren't going to buy the keyboard because of the rubber coating (like Beserkfan) that ~1 hour is worth it then.

Don't actually understand what you are saying here, but I would happily swap a casing top with someone's PLU casing top or whatever is compatible, and pay that somebody else a few extra bucks. The rubberized tops are really crap. The very fact that CM is big in Singapore and most ordinary people in Singapore are not against CM, suggests that they don't actually expect to use their CM keyboards past a certain period. Such as the one year warranty. If you're living in Norway you may not experience deterioration until after a pretty long period eg 10 years, but in tropical areas, anything rubber or plastic (except very good plastic) spoils fast.

You said:

If they rubberize the case, I'll never buy it. Simple as that. Anybody who lives in these parts should be well aware that rubberized case = nasty case within a few months to a year.

[lonedruid]

good to know there is alot of geekhackers from singapore  )

[katushkin]

I don't think the price will be justifiable if it is $200 and a rubber case. Rubber feels a lot less slick than a normal gloss finish or matte finish, a la WASD.

I think I need to expand out into new switches, either topre or BS, but I don't think this will make me want to spend £120+ on another board, even with these new stems.

[YuukiHaruto]

Well if you aren't going to buy the keyboard because of the rubber coating (like Beserkfan) that ~1 hour is worth it then.

Don't actually understand what you are saying here, but I would happily swap a casing top with someone's PLU casing top or whatever is compatible, and pay that somebody else a few extra bucks. The rubberized tops are really crap. The very fact that CM is big in Singapore and most ordinary people in Singapore are not against CM, suggests that they don't actually expect to use their CM keyboards past a certain period. Such as the one year warranty. If you're living in Norway you may not experience deterioration until after a pretty long period eg 10 years, but in tropical areas, anything rubber or plastic (except very good plastic) spoils fast.

Just so you know, we really use our keyboards for a long time AND we have 3 year warranties. Again, the sales figures here show that most people are sort of against CM.

good to know there is alot of geekhackers from singapore  )

It does.

I don't think the price will be justifiable if it is $200 and a rubber case. Rubber feels a lot less slick than a normal gloss finish or matte finish, a la WASD.

I think I need to expand out into new switches, either topre or BS, but I don't think this will make me want to spend £120+ on another board, even with these new stems.

I don't want a slick case, i want it to be grippy and not go shiny after 1 year. Maybe it's your personal preference
Anyway the review is actually up
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=56838.msg1286304#msg1286304

[rowdy]

Just so you know, we really use our keyboards for a long time AND we have 3 year warranties. Again, the sales figures here show that most people are sort of against CM.

"... most people are sort of against CM"?

Really?

QFR is one of the most recommended keyboards on GH.

CM was praised for offering replacement keyboard case tops, which led to a spurt of customisations of QFR.

The CM switch tester sold out almost immediately - many GHers have one (I have two).

Apart from a few problems with small batches of QFR a year or two ago (which was quickly solved with great communication from a CM rep on GH), CM is very much in favour

[YuukiHaruto]

Just so you know, we really use our keyboards for a long time AND we have 3 year warranties. Again, the sales figures here show that most people are sort of against CM.

"... most people are sort of against CM"?

Really?

QFR is one of the most recommended keyboards on GH.

CM was praised for offering replacement keyboard case tops, which led to a spurt of customisations of QFR.

The CM switch tester sold out almost immediately - many GHers have one (I have two).

Apart from a few problems with small batches of QFR a year or two ago (which was quickly solved with great communication from a CM rep on GH), CM is very much in favour

No. read again

The very fact that CM is big in Singapore and most ordinary people in Singapore are not against CM

[MissMurd3r84]

CM has a 3 year warranty? Cool. Shame other companies don't take notice of that.

edit: All products from Cooler Master at least carry 1 year warranty from the date of purchase, with the exception of power supply units which carry a 2-5 year warranty.

[rowdy]

CM has a 3 year warranty? Cool. Shame other companies don't take notice of that.

edit: All products from Cooler Master at least carry 1 year warranty from the date of purchase, with the exception of power supply units which carry a 2-5 year warranty.

Having somewhere local to return the keyboard to in the event of problems would be a big plus.

[Latin00032]

I'm a fan of CM. They have good ideas.

[YuukiHaruto]

I'm a fan of CM. They have good ideas.

I am, too 

CM has a 3 year warranty? Cool. Shame other companies don't take notice of that.

edit: All products from Cooler Master at least carry 1 year warranty from the date of purchase, with the exception of power supply units which carry a 2-5 year warranty.

Having somewhere local to return the keyboard to in the event of problems would be a big plus.

Yep.

CM has a 3 year warranty? Cool. Shame other companies don't take notice of that.

edit: All products from Cooler Master at least carry 1 year warranty from the date of purchase, with the exception of power supply units which carry a 2-5 year warranty.

Depends on your local warranty terms. USA is not the only country in the world 

[epzy]

He didn't mention USA.

[exitfire401]

All I know is this is getting picked up, those sliders are getting harvested, and I WILL have toxic on my realforce 

[epzy]

All I know is this is getting picked up, those sliders are getting harvested, and I WILL have toxic on my realforce 

Hmm... I think Dolch will look pretty neat on a 'black' Realforce also!

[Latin00032]

All I know is this is getting picked up, those sliders are getting harvested, and I WILL have toxic on my realforce 

Have we confirmed that the sliders can be harvested?