How is the kul es 87 compared to filco ?

[LifeIsGooD2]

I basically want a new keyboard identical to my filco with cherry browns but with a dip switch switching caps lock and control. Does the es 87 fit the bill ? O and another need of mine is ps2 support I dont want usb.

[jdcarpe]

Yes, it's just as good.

[raymogi]

The whole thing is very sturdy and I also like how it doesn't have any markings whatsoever.

[intelli78]

I have owned both and they are very similar keyboards. The biggest difference is probably that the KUL has a detachable cable.

[Adriel]

I have owned both and they are very similar keyboards. The biggest difference is probably that the KUL has a detachable cable.

And don't forget that it has Cherry Stabilizers instead of the Costar ones found on Filcos which OP might or might not prefer.

For me I have switched from a Filco board to a ES-87 and due to the fact that I was pretty annoyed with the Costar stabilizers that the Filcos had and I actually like my ES-87 better just because I bought the one with the blue frame and it adds a bit of personality to my board.

[jaffers]

I haven't owned either but I really really like the look of the kul es87. Its such a timeless keyboard, especially in black. Simplicity at it's best for a pretty affordable price

[njbair]

I don't know of it has DIP switches, but I hear the KBP boards are also very similar in build quality.

[Jokrik]

I've done a brief review here

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=70856.0

[tronbeaver]

Looked to me like the Leopold won that review.   The KUL and Filcos have thin ABS keys.

[jaffers]

Thank's to this thread I had a dream that I had a KUL Es87 last night and this morning I woke up and I didn't. ^:[

[mrboovn]

I'd prefer KUL ES87 cause it has removable cable(but you can easily mod cable for Filco) and good ABS caps.I used my friend's Es 87 and was surprised how good are there ABS keycaps

[sgtpopwell]

I have owned several Filco MJ1 and MJ2's over the years. These are by far and away my favorite board. However, I recently purchased a KUL ES-87 because, like you, I wanted some more modern features. I wanted to try out a board with MX greens, and Filco does not make the MJ2 equipped with those switches.

The Filco MJ2 TKL is a fantastic board. Very sturdy, extremely well made, and good looking. I have owned these in both MX black and MX blue.

My thoughts on the ES-87 are as follows:
- First off, it is very sturdy. It actually weighs more then my Majestouch 2. I'm sure that if I needed to, I could defend myself in the event of a break in armed with only my ES-87.
- It is a nice bonus to have some media controls. This is something most boards have nowadays, however the MJ2 is ill-equipped to handle.
- Being the dork that I am, I also really appreciate the fact that they have different color top plates to choose from.
- As nice as the Costar stabilizers are in the Filco, I was very interested in having Cherry stabs for ease of keycap replacement. I like that the KUL is equipped with the Cherry stabs, however I was surprised upon receiving it to find out how "squishy" they feel in the ES-87. I had had Cherry stabs previously in a Poker 2, and they felt very crisp and quite nice. I ended up modding my KUL by "clipping" the stabilizers in order to get rid of that squishy-ness. It was an easy mod, and now it feels as excellent as I was hoping.
- The only real issue is that I kind of prefer the led's on the outside of the case for caps and scroll lock (as they are on the Filco), because I am the kind of chap who likes to switch out keycaps. The KUL is meant to be used with windowed keycaps, which most keycap sets are not compatible with. This of course is a very small issue but still an issue nonetheless as it means that the LED's are nearly invisible underneath a set of DSA keycaps, for instance.
- Lastly, I do also really appreciate the DIP switch settings, and the detachable usb cable.

Best of luck in your purchase and I hope the ES-87 is everything you wish for!

[LifeIsGooD2]

Any boards that have the costar stabilizers that aren't the kul es 87? because I am afraid I wont like it if it feels squishy. I dont know that I wouldnt like it but I haven't tried anything but the filco but I am afraid to switch without trying the new one.

[sgtpopwell]

I'm pretty sure the CODE keyboard uses Costar stabs.

[Altis]

Love my KUL ES-87 with MX Clears and the white top case. It goes well with the HHKB since you can make the backspace key the '\' key, which I'm somewhat used to (despite decades of muscle memory).

The only thing about the ES-87 is the ping. I'm hoping it'll go away when I put Zealios in it and sound-deaden the case, but it might not.

It is a very well made and well thought out keyboard though and I'd buy it again.

[LifeIsGooD2]

Im about to pull the trigger on a cherry brown from WASD. Any thoughts ?

[macguy80]

Have never used a WASD, but I love my ES 87. The build quality is awesome!

[digi]

Both are great boards, IMO they're the best out-of-the box 87 key cherry boards you can get.

The only reason I'd pick the KUL over the Filco is because of the pcb mounted stab's.

[SixtyLife]

I had a kul, sold it, then ended up buying another kul. I think it is definitely one of the best, if not the best non-custom TKL you can get. amazing build quality and looove the fact that kul allows switching ctrl/caps, backspace/backslash with dip switches. mac compatibility through another dip switch is also one of the best I've seen

[DukeMugen]

For now i think kul es 87 is the best tkl keyboard on the market. I've owned cm storm qfr, tk, corsair k70 rgb, filco, poker2, rzer tournament chroma but never lasted to use any of those atmost 3months and sold it. I'm not rich so i cant afford those gorgeous custom keyboards around here so i can only settle for the type of keyboards that ive previously owned, Which for me is garbage (no offense). I was so done with using keyboards with backlight, i find it very distracting. And not to mention the software to program your settings on macros and lights, horrible! I was looking for just a keyboard that is simple and solid. So now, i have a kul es87. The best keyboard that i used so far. The only problem with it is that thin abs caps and no option to disable the windows key. But the build quality is super solid and i love how sexy the bezels looks, not too thin and not too thick. Perfect

[jameslr]

The KUL ES-87 is my favorite cherry MX board so far (previously owned Filco MJ2, Ducky Shine 3, and CM QFR). My only complaints are my enter key stabilizer has started to squeak a bit and I've noticed a bit of key chatter on a few keys. The only way to fix that is to isolate the switches that are chattering and re-solder or replace them. That isn't a problem if you have experience soldering, but for those that don't they have to send the board back to KUL for them to fix it.

[Wilkie]

Have been using a KUL with MX Blacks for a year, enjoy everything about it except how quickly the legends on the stock caps began to show wear.

[rowdy]

Have been using a KUL with MX Blacks for a year, enjoy everything about it except how quickly the legends on the stock caps began to show wear.

Fortunately keycaps can easily be replaced, preferably with PBT or doubleshots ...