Author Topic: BeNippon pricing  (Read 4934 times)

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Offline zillidot

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BeNippon pricing
« on: Mon, 04 February 2008, 23:21:31 »
I've been thinking about buying a HHKB. So I took a look at the BeNippon website. But the prices seem significantly higher than what I remember from a couple of months ago. The black HHKB Pro 2 costs almost USD$290!
http://benippon.com/shop/index.php?manufacturers_id=360

Have they raised the prices or is this just a result of exchange rate fluctuations?
My keyboards:
Realforce 87U (all 55g)
HHKB Pro 2 (black on black)
Filco Majestouch (n-key rollover, brown cherries)
Unicomp Customizer 101 (black with black keys)

Offline xsphat

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BeNippon pricing
« Reply #1 on: Tue, 05 February 2008, 00:36:36 »
They've been slowly raising the price for a while now. The American Dollar is in really rough shape right now, so I suspect that is the reasoning.

Watch other items on the site, it appears to be across the board. Between the time I desided to buy the Filco and the time I actually ordered it, it went up $2.

Offline fkeidjn

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BeNippon pricing
« Reply #2 on: Tue, 05 February 2008, 22:06:32 »
I think the prices are automatically adjusted by computer according to the exchange rate.  So if the dollar ever does increase in value in the near future, then I'll consider buying a HHKP2.  Currently, I have my eyes set on a Realforce (gotta sell off some the keyboards that I'm not even using).
Kinesis Keypad - Filco FKBN104M/EB - Unitek space-saver - Acer 6511-TW - Apple Extended II (M3501) - Scorpius M10 - Cherry G80-1800, AT - SGI Granite - vintage Fujitsu - IBM Model M, 101 and mini - Model F, 84-key AT - Dell AT101W - Northgate 101

Offline zillidot

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BeNippon pricing
« Reply #3 on: Tue, 05 February 2008, 23:48:08 »
I ended up ordering a HHKB Pro 2 via the shopping service Crescent Shop.

The price was $237.53 USD plus shipping. Quite a bit cheaper than BeNippon!

I just checked the BeNippon site again. The price of the black HHKB Pro 2 has come back down, it's now just below $260 USD, in line with the other colours. I suspect there's more going on here than just exchange rate fluctuations...
My keyboards:
Realforce 87U (all 55g)
HHKB Pro 2 (black on black)
Filco Majestouch (n-key rollover, brown cherries)
Unicomp Customizer 101 (black with black keys)

Offline xsphat

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BeNippon pricing
« Reply #4 on: Tue, 05 February 2008, 23:54:51 »
The shipping on the Filco was $37

Offline fkeidjn

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BeNippon pricing
« Reply #5 on: Wed, 06 February 2008, 01:08:15 »
Which method of shipping?
Kinesis Keypad - Filco FKBN104M/EB - Unitek space-saver - Acer 6511-TW - Apple Extended II (M3501) - Scorpius M10 - Cherry G80-1800, AT - SGI Granite - vintage Fujitsu - IBM Model M, 101 and mini - Model F, 84-key AT - Dell AT101W - Northgate 101

Offline xsphat

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BeNippon pricing
« Reply #6 on: Wed, 06 February 2008, 01:14:01 »
Sub-Total:     11150„
[EMS] Express (Zone 2-A / US / 1300g):    3200„
Payment Method Fee (4.5%):    646„
Total:    14996„

That works out to be $112 for the keyboard, about 32 shipping and $6 something for the fee.

Offline zillidot

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BeNippon pricing
« Reply #7 on: Wed, 06 February 2008, 01:44:04 »
Quote from: xsphat;2800
[EMS] Express (Zone 2-A / US / 1300g):    3200„

That's odd. The keyboard itself is 1.2kg according to the manufacturer's website. The retail packaging (for the n-key rollover model, which I have; I assume this one is similar) weighs more than 400g. I would expect there to be additional packaging as well...
My keyboards:
Realforce 87U (all 55g)
HHKB Pro 2 (black on black)
Filco Majestouch (n-key rollover, brown cherries)
Unicomp Customizer 101 (black with black keys)

Offline xsphat

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BeNippon pricing
« Reply #8 on: Wed, 06 February 2008, 01:50:11 »
I'm not a numbers man, so none of what you said made sense to me. I copied and pasted the info from my order on the site. I care only about first having the money to buy the thing and secondly about the day the keyboard arrives.

Offline zillidot

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BeNippon pricing
« Reply #9 on: Wed, 06 February 2008, 02:01:06 »
Quote from: xsphat;2802
I'm not a numbers man, so none of what you said made sense to me. I copied and pasted the info from my order on the site. I care only about first having the money to buy the thing and secondly about the day the keyboard arrives.

That's okay, all I'm saying is that the shipping cost seems less than it should be. :)

The shipping cost of my Filco (via EMS) was 5400„ (around $50 USD when I bought it). So that means either I got ripped off or you got a good deal. :)
My keyboards:
Realforce 87U (all 55g)
HHKB Pro 2 (black on black)
Filco Majestouch (n-key rollover, brown cherries)
Unicomp Customizer 101 (black with black keys)

Offline xsphat

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BeNippon pricing
« Reply #10 on: Wed, 06 February 2008, 02:43:36 »
How are the browns? I've heard they're light like the HHKB Pro.

Offline zillidot

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BeNippon pricing
« Reply #11 on: Wed, 06 February 2008, 05:08:19 »
Quote from: xsphat;2804
How are the browns? I've heard they're light like the HHKB Pro.

I don't have an HHKB Pro to compare with, but they are certainly a lot lighter than my buckling spring 'board. :) The tactile point of the keystroke feels kind of like pushing the key past a "bump". It's very different from the sharp "break" of buckling springs.
My keyboards:
Realforce 87U (all 55g)
HHKB Pro 2 (black on black)
Filco Majestouch (n-key rollover, brown cherries)
Unicomp Customizer 101 (black with black keys)

Offline Nonmouse

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BeNippon pricing
« Reply #12 on: Wed, 06 February 2008, 11:43:21 »
Quote from: zillidot;2805
I don't have an HHKB Pro to compare with, but they are certainly a lot lighter than my buckling spring 'board. :) The tactile point of the keystroke feels kind of like pushing the key past a "bump". It's very different from the sharp "break" of buckling springs.

Yeah, I'd say that's a pretty good description of the the browns.  I like them better than my white Alps keyboard, because I do a better job of not bottoming out on them- on the Alps, the drop-off in force at the activation point is so great that I end up slamming the key the rest of the way down.  The browns kind of ease off from the break point, so I can stop the stroke before it bottoms out.

Offline xsphat

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« Reply #13 on: Wed, 06 February 2008, 12:41:19 »
I just got my MacNally 96 key with white Alps sliders and I really them so far. (More on the 'board later) Please tell me the browns aren't like the blacks, I'd be quite mad ...

Offline iMav

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BeNippon pricing
« Reply #14 on: Wed, 06 February 2008, 14:54:39 »
Being totally ignorant of the brown Cherries, I still say that the blue ones rule.  ;)

Offline sashomasho

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BeNippon pricing
« Reply #15 on: Thu, 07 February 2008, 01:42:34 »
Quote from: zillidot;2797
I ended up ordering a HHKB Pro 2 via the shopping service Crescent Shop.

The price was $237.53 USD plus shipping. Quite a bit cheaper than BeNippon!


Thank you for this site! I bought one two - black with black letters (not enough confidence for the no letters one, IŽll have to get used to the layout after all). The price which I got was $241.73, I guess that the US dollar has had a tough day :) I hope that the keyboard really rocks. I have to admit that I would not have bought if it were not for you  guys, so many positive reviews, all geekhack typists canŽt be wrong :) Now the waiting begins, argh!

alex

Offline xsphat

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« Reply #16 on: Thu, 07 February 2008, 02:22:59 »
Quote from: sashomasho;2823
I hope that the keyboard really rocks.


Don't worry, it does.