WASD V2 Barebone Is Out

[Hyde]

I got bored today and started browsing through keyboard websites, and I just noticed that the barebone version of WASD V2 is out.

Surprise they didn't make a big deal out of it.  Because I'd imagine this would sell really well.

http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/index.php/wasd-v2-87-key-barebones-mechanical-keyboard.html

$99.99 with the option of having MX Clear ($10 extra).

However at that price range, it seems like if you're ok with ABS Keycaps then you're better off getting CM QFR.  Unless you know for sure you want to buy PBT keycaps separately or need the extra layout options (colemak, dvorak... etc) then this option might be a better choice.

Oh it's also a good option for those that want a MX Clear and doesn't want to go for Ducky or Vortex.


EDIT:  I didn't feel too much about this before but the more I look at it, the more I think that adding extra $5 for Brown, $10 for Red and $10 for Clear is kind of a cheap marketing strategy.  We all know all the switches cost the same to produce and this is kinda lame.

EDIT 2:  LOL didn't expect to start a war on this topic.  Though I must say for some odd reason I remember most companies used to sell all switches same price before.  I wonder what happened, now indeed most of the companies out there all have varied pricing on different switches.

[AGmurdercore]

EDIT:  I didn't feel too much about this before but the more I look at it, the more I think that adding extra $5 for Brown, $10 for Red and $10 for Clear is kind of a cheap marketing strategy.  We all know all the switches cost the same to produce and this is kinda lame.

Well as you look at the prices of everything they offer you will notice that cheap marketing all around. Even the prices for the caps are too big for the quality they offer. I don't want to be mean or anything they are making a living out of selling all of this but still. And yeah the cost of the switches is kinda the same (even as you think if it the blues should cost more because you need 1 more mold to make the plastic parts in them) but as i have read the rarity is not the same for them. Anyway i agree with you 100%.

[Photoelectric]

EDIT:  I didn't feel too much about this before but the more I look at it, the more I think that adding extra $5 for Brown, $10 for Red and $10 for Clear is kind of a cheap marketing strategy.  We all know all the switches cost the same to produce and this is kinda lame.

It's definitely propagating the erroneous notion that some Cherry switches are better than others.  I personally find it laughable that Reds are so heavily promoted, since they are now actually a very common and easily obtainable switch, and incidentally the least interesting one for me.  But for people venturing into mechanical keyboards without knowing much, buzzwords and higher prices propagate the illusion that Reds are some godmode upscale gamer switch.

[TimIsABat]

I personally hate how they are charging extra for the other switches. Atleast the barebones board is not as badly priced as the regular V2. I might consider getting this with blues or clears.

[duq]

You are overlooking the layout layout switch functionality. Really great price for that kind of board off the bat.

[kenmai9]

You are overlooking the layout layout switch functionality. Really great price for that kind of board off the bat.

What?

[Photoelectric]

You are overlooking the layout layout switch functionality. Really great price for that kind of board off the bat.

No one's criticizing the board.  It looks like you didn't really read the replies...

[duq]

You are overlooking the layout layout switch functionality. Really great price for that kind of board off the bat.

No one's criticizing the board.  It looks like you didn't really read the replies...

I was talking in response to the original post because the ability to switch from qwerty to Dvorak should be considered when trying to evaluate a price point.

[Photoelectric]

The OP stated exactly that in his post.

"However at that price range, it seems like if you're ok with ABS Keycaps then you're better off getting CM QFR.  Unless you know for sure you want to buy PBT keycaps separately or need the extra layout options (colemak, dvorak... etc) then this option might be a better choice."

[tp4tissue]

I am not seeing a compelling reason to buy this over the trusty Quickfire Rapid// Stealth

None of the "extra" features are the type that people actually use or care about.

If anything the Rapid// Stealth is much more "svelte" looking.

This gives me the impression of extra purposeless fat edges.

[duq]

The OP stated exactly that in his post.

"However at that price range, it seems like if you're ok with ABS Keycaps then you're better off getting CM QFR.  Unless you know for sure you want to buy PBT keycaps separately or need the extra layout options (colemak, dvorak... etc) then this option might be a better choice."

Sorry for the misunderstanding. Glad you're around to clarify and point that out.

[daerid]

I am not seeing a compelling reason to buy this over the trusty Quickfire Rapid// Stealth

None of the "extra" features are the type that people actually use or care about.

If anything the Rapid// Stealth is much more "svelte" looking.

This gives me the impression of extra purposeless fat edges.

The majority of people, maybe not. But there is a non-trivial amount of people who do care about that. And they are the market that this board is aimed at.

[tp4tissue]

I am not seeing a compelling reason to buy this over the trusty Quickfire Rapid// Stealth

None of the "extra" features are the type that people actually use or care about.

If anything the Rapid// Stealth is much more "svelte" looking.

This gives me the impression of extra purposeless fat edges.

The majority of people, maybe not. But there is a non-trivial amount of people who do care about that. And they are the market that this board is aimed at.

Sup, Dae

Configurable Key Output
- Switch between QWERTY, Mac, Dvorak, and Colemak output modes

This is the only standout feature.


I would say people who use Dvorak/ Colemak are so few in between, that from a sales standpoint, it's trivial.


The MX CLEAR option is good, but sooner or later cm will release one too, not such a biggie.

[jabar]

The majority of people, maybe not. But there is a non-trivial amount of people who do care about that. And they are the market that this board is aimed at.

And they can have this board.

Everyone else in the normal market should opt for any of the CM Quickfire series.

[TimIsABat]

I am not seeing a compelling reason to buy this over the trusty Quickfire Rapid// Stealth

None of the "extra" features are the type that people actually use or care about.

If anything the Rapid// Stealth is much more "svelte" looking.

This gives me the impression of extra purposeless fat edges.

One of the few things that I like about Windows 8 = win+spacebar = switch layouts. Easy as pie.

The majority of people, maybe not. But there is a non-trivial amount of people who do care about that. And they are the market that this board is aimed at.

Sup, Dae

Configurable Key Output
- Switch between QWERTY, Mac, Dvorak, and Colemak output modes

This is the only standout feature.


I would say people who use Dvorak/ Colemak are so few in between, that from a sales standpoint, it's trivial.


The MX CLEAR option is good, but sooner or later cm will release one too, not such a biggie.

[ITzNybble]

Or if your like me. I may keep my caps from my V1 and get the barebones V2 and sell my V1 barebone to mitigate the cost a little.  Anyone interested in a V1,

[TimIsABat]

Or if your like me. I may keep my caps from my V1 and get the barebones V2 and sell my V1 barebone to mitigate the cost a little.  Anyone interested in a V1,

I have PBT keycaps! What switch is your V1

[ITzNybble]

Blue

[jonathanyu]

I like light switch, like red or 45g spring, but i can't understand why they sell some switch cheaper the the others. some people like linear, some like tactile, some like click. and the price of every switch is the same. so i think every kind of switch should have the same price. (Even their website sell switch at the same price! but why not the keyboard with different switch?)

[Hyde]

I think it's the same with Das Keyboard, they charge their "Silent" version (MX Brown) $10 more because it's "Silent".  Just companies trying to milk money here and there if they can.

In this respect I'll give Ducky and Vortex props for selling all their boards the same price regardless of switches.  (Ok maybe minus the specialty switches like MX Clear and Green)

But yeah at the moment it seems like CM XT/QFR might still be a better choice for the most part.

[insilica]

Agreed with OP.

It's really silly to charge more money for different switches.

Maybe there is high demand on clears? I can understand browns price hike because I believe they have been in short supply recently, maybe its wholesale price being passed to consumers I don't know TBH or an opportunity to cash in because clears are being discussed more frequently.

The premium of the board however I'm happy with, will be ordering one shortly, hesitant because I would like one with clears and the 10$ hike is not justifiable, but may bite nevertheless given the jumper settings. [Will go nicely with Ivan's Blank PBT set from the recent groupbuy]

I'm currently lucky to have full control over my install at home and at work so I can modmap/ switch layouts as I please. This board allows you to dvorak, qwerty and colemak (though I have a Mac I don't really care re: Mac layout) without fuss, simple jumper set, reconnect and you're all set., i.e. no 3rd party programmable controller required.

Awesome for people that care about such functionality, otherwise price premium not worth it IMO, go CM QFR or other.

[x2o]

Nice to see the barebone is out

As for the switch pricing, from MY understanding, companies that price things in this manner (some switches costing more) do it because of order quantity.

As we all know, cherry sells to distributors/manufacturers in large quantities, the larger quantity the order, the better chance of scoring each switch for a few pennies less (say on an order of 50,000 switches you may get 8 cents per switch, as opposed to an order of 10,000 switches being 10 cents a switch).

I'm sure they have based demand of switch types off of the V1 sales, blues and blacks are usually in very high demand. Browns as well, but reds and clears are not as popular sales-wise (while clears are highly sought after by some keyboard enthusiasts, blue/black/brown are the most common switches among most people who buy mechanical keyboards from what i've seen)

So, instead they could just charge an extra $10 to the base price and have all switches cost the same, which means they'd make a bit more profit off of blues/blacks, but doing it this way means they can sell the boards with their highest quantity switches for a slightly cheaper price, to reflect the bulk discount.

Not 100% sure if this is true, but this is generally how things go in the wholesale world. I used to work in importing manufactured goods from china in very large quantites, and they most certainly price orders by the amount of pieces. Generally when we would get back a price estimate sheet, they would include quotes for 10,000 50,000 100,000 piece orders, with the prices getting gradually cheaper with more pieces.

[berserkfan]

I wish there was a group buy for Cherry whites.

(yes, I know there was one a while ago for 1000x, it got snapped up damn fast.)

[Jixr]

I commented on WASD's Facebook post about the new V2, I asked why there is a $10 charge extra for red's, their response was that they are not produced in the same quanaties as some others, and therefore they have to bid higher for the switches.

I don't understand how the v2 cost more than the v1, but I may just order the custom keycaps and put them on a QFR.  ( even though it will cost about the same price )

[daerid]

Sup, Dae

Configurable Key Output
- Switch between QWERTY, Mac, Dvorak, and Colemak output modes

This is the only standout feature.


I would say people who use Dvorak/ Colemak are so few in between, that from a sales standpoint, it's trivial.


The MX CLEAR option is good, but sooner or later cm will release one too, not such a biggie.

:wave:

Yeah, true. But there's quite a large amount of companies who cater to small niche markets with highly specialized products.

I will say that I do think that, given the level of quality board you can get from CoolerMaster, the V2 was definitely introduced at a higher price point than it should have. AFAIC the whole convo is moot as I can't really use standard staggered qwerty boards these days.

Cherry just needs to fix the Clear spring already. The amount of people who prefer lighter springs with the clear stem seems to vastly dwarf the amount of people who prefer stock clears. It's a no-brainer.

[Photoelectric]

Nice to see the barebone is out

As for the switch pricing, from MY understanding, companies that price things in this manner (some switches costing more) do it because of order quantity.

As we all know, cherry sells to distributors/manufacturers in large quantities, the larger quantity the order, the better chance of scoring each switch for a few pennies less (say on an order of 50,000 switches you may get 8 cents per switch, as opposed to an order of 10,000 switches being 10 cents a switch).

I'm sure they have based demand of switch types off of the V1 sales, blues and blacks are usually in very high demand. Browns as well, but reds and clears are not as popular sales-wise (while clears are highly sought after by some keyboard enthusiasts, blue/black/brown are the most common switches among most people who buy mechanical keyboards from what i've seen)

So, instead they could just charge an extra $10 to the base price and have all switches cost the same, which means they'd make a bit more profit off of blues/blacks, but doing it this way means they can sell the boards with their highest quantity switches for a slightly cheaper price, to reflect the bulk discount.

Not 100% sure if this is true, but this is generally how things go in the wholesale world. I used to work in importing manufactured goods from china in very large quantites, and they most certainly price orders by the amount of pieces. Generally when we would get back a price estimate sheet, they would include quotes for 10,000 50,000 100,000 piece orders, with the prices getting gradually cheaper with more pieces.

That's true, but Reds have been very popular among people who buy "gaming" keyboards, which is what WASD specializes in.  I am not aware of Blacks being in high demand, as they seem to be one of the least popular switches in terms of popular opinions I've seen.  Blues and Blacks are always the left over versions, well after Browns and Reds get sold out.  You can still find Ducky Shines with MX Black switches, but others are generally sold out.  Same with most keyboards I've seen, monitoring stock, Blues and Blacks are still there when others are not (take CM QFRs, for another example).  If anything, Browns should be higher in price because of the recent shortage.  Clears I understand in this case, as it's they are still a very uncommon switch for the general public, and are purchased in smaller quantities.  But charging $10 more for Reds is a pure marketing strategy.

[Carter]

Everyone needs to know its truly not a marketing strategy. The cost of switches do vary a LOT when you move the kind of QTY these companies are moving.

Low-High
Blues = Black
Browns
Reds
Rare switches > ++++++

[Photoelectric]

So you order more keyboards with Blues and Blacks and fewer of Reds, Browns, etc.?  That would be another explanation for being able to get MX Black and Blue keyboards so easily.
Ducky only charges within $3 or so difference for different switches.

[RickyJ]

How do WASD's pcb's compare to Filco's? Just as durable for desoldering?

[jabar]

So you order more keyboards with Blues and Blacks and fewer of Reds, Browns, etc.?  That would be another explanation for being able to get MX Black and Blue keyboards so easily.
Ducky only charges within $3 or so difference for different switches.

Yep, the cost difference for other producers is diminished compared to WASD.

If WASD can't negotiate throughput of switch sales so as to not pass the cost onto customers, then they shouldn't be in the market of including rarer switches.

[tipo33]

No ISO

[Macsmasher]

I am not seeing a compelling reason to buy this over the trusty Quickfire Rapid// Stealth

None of the "extra" features are the type that people actually use or care about.

If anything the Rapid// Stealth is much more "svelte" looking.

This gives me the impression of extra purposeless fat edges.

The majority of people, maybe not. But there is a non-trivial amount of people who do care about that. And they are the market that this board is aimed at.

I'm Colemak and know two other devs who are Dvorak. The idea of a dip switchable Colemak layout is intriguing. Not so much for my workstation because it's already set up, but for when I'm at my clients. It's a pain to have to pull out my flash drive with my PKL just so I can work at their locations.

Further, it's nice that you can order keycaps with Colemak or Dvorak inscriptions. I'm a Topre fanboy, so I won't be getting a WASD board, but I like the direction in which they're moving. Now, if they offered a Topre switch option...I'd be all over that. Better yet, a variable with 45g and 55g! That gives me a chubby!

[ra7c7er]

.I'd be all over that. Better yet, a variable with 45g and 55g! That gives me a chubby!

You can get them with variable switches (at least you could with the V1) Just send them an email or call them and see about it. WASD did a blog post on a black and blue switch keyboard they did custom for someone.

[Lu_e]

Love how people are *****ing about them selling switches at different prices.

All 'Ships from and sold by Amazon.com':; (best prices and best customer service around IMO)

Cooler Master qfr ;

blues List Price:   $79.99
blacks List Price:   $79.99
browns List Price: $89.99
reds List Price:   $89.99
greens List Price:   $114.99

but ya lets pick on WASD, the 'only ones' who do this...   ? At lease WASD is a US originating company that is trying to show innovation

[Photoelectric]

Just because another company does it, it doesn't mean we can't discuss the price difference and the reasons behind it (and whether it makes sense).

[Lu_e]

Yes, obviously I understand that. My last sentence shows my general impression of this thread...

Of course it gets brought up when talking about WASD's new offerings. Like that makes sense?

[Photoelectric]

It does, because CM is the only other "common" brand that has such dramatic price differences for various switches.  If you look at other keyboards offered on MechanicalKeyboards or EliteKeyboards, you won't see such price fluctuations.  Many even cost exactly the same for all switch types.  So naturally people wonder why you'd want to pay $10 more for MX Red over Blue or Black, because the actual price difference is likely not that high.

[Lu_e]

I was just on MK.com and the rosewill's price vary by switch, the ducky vary by switch (albeit 1-3 dollars). Also this isn't even a good example becuase it's not MSRP or LIST price.... it's dependent on the individual vendors stock a lot of the time. & you do realize the leopolds pricing at EK is different depending on switch right?

Yes some companies have identical pricing across switch types, from what i've seen personally, many do not. (Those with low pricing across switch type seems to be the cheapest, mainland-china factory made, boards eh?) interesting.

I'm in agreement it's interesting some companies prices vary by switch, and some do not. But how will we ever know everything until you're a company ordering millions of switches from Cherry, designing (or not) the kb, and stocking the product... maybe they are saving on the 'cheaper' switches, which allows them to price the 'less common' switches the same...?

Sooooo... we'll never know... this is why I am glad carter said SOMETHING.

[Photoelectric]

Oops, didn't notice the $10 difference for Leopolds on EK--I incorrectly remembered it being the same.  In any event, that inconsistency being corrected, I stand by the fact that $10 difference in common switch prices is silly, as switches are bought in bulk, and there's no way it'd be a $10 difference for the manufacturers.  It's most likely a small difference for the manufacturers followed by mark up due to marketing.

[Lu_e]

There's other things like the factory receiving the different type of switches, the process of getting the variety of different switch types into the KB themselves.

I'm not saying it's a different soldering process, but there are a ton of little things to running a FULL kb company (not just keycaps) that we know nothing about. As well as how the factories run.

Things that could vary by company as well as the different factories they are using. Like I said before how can we know the logistics of EVERY factor from marketing, design, to production, and financial balance of these companies, big AND small.

[tp4tissue]

I am not seeing a compelling reason to buy this over the trusty Quickfire Rapid// Stealth

None of the "extra" features are the type that people actually use or care about.

If anything the Rapid// Stealth is much more "svelte" looking.

This gives me the impression of extra purposeless fat edges.

The majority of people, maybe not. But there is a non-trivial amount of people who do care about that. And they are the market that this board is aimed at.

I'm Colemak and know two other devs who are Dvorak. The idea of a dip switchable Colemak layout is intriguing. Not so much for my workstation because it's already set up, but for when I'm at my clients. It's a pain to have to pull out my flash drive with my PKL just so I can work at their locations.

Further, it's nice that you can order keycaps with Colemak or Dvorak inscriptions. I'm a Topre fanboy, so I won't be getting a WASD board, but I like the direction in which they're moving. Now, if they offered a Topre switch option...I'd be all over that. Better yet, a variable with 45g and 55g! That gives me a chubby!

Both Colemak and Dvorak are EXTREMELY flawed.

They both put vowels in the CENTER row.

This is bad, because there's a huge misunderstanding within the community that the CENTER row is "home position"

However, any seasoned keyboard user would know that the fingers do not rest in a bar/line shape horizontally on the center row.

It does a curve shape.  on qwerty it rests on   awef  jio'

4 vowels in rest position.   Qwerty > Cole// Dvo

[ITzNybble]

I am not seeing a compelling reason to buy this over the trusty Quickfire Rapid// Stealth

None of the "extra" features are the type that people actually use or care about.

If anything the Rapid// Stealth is much more "svelte" looking.

This gives me the impression of extra purposeless fat edges.

The majority of people, maybe not. But there is a non-trivial amount of people who do care about that. And they are the market that this board is aimed at.

I'm Colemak and know two other devs who are Dvorak. The idea of a dip switchable Colemak layout is intriguing. Not so much for my workstation because it's already set up, but for when I'm at my clients. It's a pain to have to pull out my flash drive with my PKL just so I can work at their locations.

Further, it's nice that you can order keycaps with Colemak or Dvorak inscriptions. I'm a Topre fanboy, so I won't be getting a WASD board, but I like the direction in which they're moving. Now, if they offered a Topre switch option...I'd be all over that. Better yet, a variable with 45g and 55g! That gives me a chubby!

Both Colemak and Dvorak are EXTREMELY flawed.

They both put vowels in the CENTER row.

This is bad, because there's a huge misunderstanding within the community that the CENTER row is "home position"

However, any seasoned keyboard user would know that the fingers do not rest in a bar/line shape horizontally on the center row.

It does a curve shape.  on qwerty it rests on   awef  jio'

4 vowels in rest position.   Qwerty > Cole// Dvo

Really, is this suppose to be a logical reason?

[daerid]

Both Colemak and Dvorak are EXTREMELY flawed.

They both put vowels in the CENTER row.

This is bad, because there's a huge misunderstanding within the community that the CENTER row is "home position"

However, any seasoned keyboard user would know that the fingers do not rest in a bar/line shape horizontally on the center row.

It does a curve shape.  on qwerty it rests on   awef  jio'

4 vowels in rest position.   Qwerty > Cole// Dvo

Maybe if you stretch your fingers out, but that's not how the fingers are when at rest. There's a curl. And at least for me personally my fingers when relaxed rest on the (traditional) home row.

[tp4tissue]

Both Colemak and Dvorak are EXTREMELY flawed.

They both put vowels in the CENTER row.

This is bad, because there's a huge misunderstanding within the community that the CENTER row is "home position"

However, any seasoned keyboard user would know that the fingers do not rest in a bar/line shape horizontally on the center row.

It does a curve shape.  on qwerty it rests on   awef  jio'

4 vowels in rest position.   Qwerty > Cole// Dvo

Maybe if you stretch your fingers out, but that's not how the fingers are when at rest. There's a curl. And at least for me personally my fingers when relaxed rest on the (traditional) home row.

post pic of your hand, 1 flat against table, and one resting on keyboard

[daerid]

post pic of your hand, 1 flat against table, and one resting on keyboard

Flat:



Resting naturally on my 'dox:



I'm sure I can dig up my RealForce if this isn't sufficient.

Granted, I do have fairly large hands.

[jabar]

I was just on MK.com and the rosewill's price vary by switch, the ducky vary by switch (albeit 1-3 dollars). Also this isn't even a good example becuase it's not MSRP or LIST price.... it's dependent on the individual vendors stock a lot of the time. & you do realize the leopolds pricing at EK is different depending on switch right?

Others and I certainly didn't make a carte blanche comment that only WASD had variable switch pricing... so I don't know why you feel affronted when this lesser point is mentioned. The shortcomings of WASD are well beyond this detail; they were discussed here during the overly-extended development of V2 and most points previously brought up before launch were well-prophesied:

The price sucks for what is received.

At lease WASD is a US originating company that is trying to show innovation

What proportion of the components are even produced in the US? Your comment is akin to giving a pizzeria a pass when sourcing tomatoes locally while using canned goods for everything else.

[Lu_e]

I was just on MK.com and the rosewill's price vary by switch, the ducky vary by switch (albeit 1-3 dollars). Also this isn't even a good example becuase it's not MSRP or LIST price.... it's dependent on the individual vendors stock a lot of the time. & you do realize the leopolds pricing at EK is different depending on switch right?

Others and I certainly didn't make a carte blanche comment that only WASD had variable switch pricing... so I don't know why you feel affronted when this lesser point is mentioned. The shortcomings of WASD are well beyond this detail; they were discussed here during the overly-extended development of V2 and most points previously brought up before launch were well-prophesied:

The price sucks for what is received.

At lease WASD is a US originating company that is trying to show innovation

What proportion of the components are even produced in the US? Your comment is akin to giving a pizzeria a pass when sourcing tomatoes locally while using canned goods for everything else.

Several people stated "they...." are  doing this, "they..." 'are making me feel bad' etc... (as well as the OP's comments in a post/topic solely about WASD) & I haven't called anyone out directly so I don't see why you are taking it personally? Just go back and read and you can see what I said above.

...are the canned tomatoes produced by a US-owned/designed company? American citizen(s) as CEO's etc?

Honestly I didn't realize Cooler master was a Thai based business.... at least they work under a democracy in Thailand though right? What I was getting at with my earlier comment was purely: where does your $usd go in the end? stay in the USA or go over-seas? Not seeing how the canned vs fresh analogy is international?

[fuzzyx3000]

I was just on MK.com and the rosewill's price vary by switch, the ducky vary by switch (albeit 1-3 dollars). Also this isn't even a good example becuase it's not MSRP or LIST price.... it's dependent on the individual vendors stock a lot of the time. & you do realize the leopolds pricing at EK is different depending on switch right?

Others and I certainly didn't make a carte blanche comment that only WASD had variable switch pricing... so I don't know why you feel affronted when this lesser point is mentioned. The shortcomings of WASD are well beyond this detail; they were discussed here during the overly-extended development of V2 and most points previously brought up before launch were well-prophesied:

The price sucks for what is received.

At lease WASD is a US originating company that is trying to show innovation

What proportion of the components are even produced in the US? Your comment is akin to giving a pizzeria a pass when sourcing tomatoes locally while using canned goods for everything else.

Several people stated "they...." are  doing this, "they..." 'are making me feel bad' etc... (as well as the OP's comments in a post/topic solely about WASD) & I haven't called anyone out directly so I don't see why you are taking it personally? Just go back and read and you can see what I said above.

...are the canned tomatoes produced by a US-owned/designed company? American citizen(s) as CEO's etc?

Honestly I didn't realize Cooler master was a Thai based business.... at least they work under a democracy in Thailand though right? What I was getting at with my earlier comment was purely: where does your $usd go in the end? stay in the USA or go over-seas? Not seeing how the canned vs fresh analogy is international?

Coolermaster is taiwanese, not thai...

[Hyde]

Everyone needs to know its truly not a marketing strategy. The cost of switches do vary a LOT when you move the kind of QTY these companies are moving.

Low-High
Blues = Black
Browns
Reds
Rare switches > ++++++

Blue and Black are the best selling switches?  I always though people hate Blue and Black switches.  In my opinion Brown is the most balanced and easy to get used to switch and I'm surprised that it's not the best selling one.

lol and come to think about it, I wonder how come I didn't notice the difference in pricing on keyboard with different switches before.  I also vaguely remember Leopold used to have the same price on all switches, maybe they changed recently.

Now Filco is the only one left that has same pricing on all switches, and maybe the CM Storm TK lineup too.

[reaper]

Good thing my favorite switch is black...   so most of the keyboards that I like are cheaper. lol