Author Topic: Cheapest RELIABLE keyboard with Cherry Blues (Read 26361 times)

zwmalone · « **on:** Mon, 19 January 2009, 18:59:24 »

The Cherry G80-3000LSCRC-2 is only $65 here

It's black even though the picture is white. It's a USB model so no adapter necessary for use but I don't think it's US layout

Still a good deal though. I figured I'd post it for anyone who is still looking for a cheap Cherry Blue board (I am

) and didn't want to risk the reliability issues of the Scorpius M10.
It is US layout with extra character printing on the keycaps.

Chloe · « **Reply #1 on:** Mon, 19 January 2009, 19:31:09 »

I think RC is for Chinese/US layout:
http://goods.ruten.com.tw/item/show?11080922198685

zwmalone · « **Reply #2 on:** Mon, 19 January 2009, 19:34:00 »

So it is a standard US layout with extra keycap printings?

Chloe · « **Reply #3 on:** Mon, 19 January 2009, 19:42:58 »

Based on the photo I would say yes.

zwmalone · « **Reply #4 on:** Mon, 19 January 2009, 19:45:50 »

Duly noted.

Chloe · « **Reply #5 on:** Mon, 19 January 2009, 19:59:21 »

Some clearer pictures:
http://goods.ruten.com.tw/item/show?11081030621891

sandy55 · « **Reply #6 on:** Tue, 20 January 2009, 00:09:32 »

Both link don't work for me but I assume RC ( in LSCRC ) stands for Republic China.

xyzzy · « **Reply #7 on:** Tue, 20 January 2009, 03:34:04 »

Quote from: sandy55;18880

Both link don't work for me but I assume RC ( in LSCRC ) stands for Republic China.

Here you go

lowpoly · « **Reply #8 on:** Tue, 20 January 2009, 06:10:36 »

I think the extra characters on the keycaps are cool.

Mur · « **Reply #9 on:** Tue, 10 March 2009, 20:12:03 »

Thread bump

This morning I found a comparatively great deal on the G80-3000LSCRC-2 here and I went ahead and ordered one. The seller seems to have a lot of traffic and has great reviews seen here. If it does come with the extra printings, no problem; I second lowpoly in that it seems cool. The great news is that shipping is free (as of now), so my grand total was only $66.25 with three day UPS ground.

If it is of any help I will report what key printings are on the RC model so we have reference.

Cheers.

FKSSR · « **Reply #10 on:** Tue, 10 March 2009, 20:39:18 »

The RC has english and chinese characters. I just got one. The chinese kind of bug me personally, but the biggest pain is the lack of bumps on the F and H keys. I can get used to both of those things, though. I never look at my keyboard when I'm typing so I won't really even notice once I stop thinking about it. I've also been thinking of putting blank black keys on instead of the letters and numbers to make a half-stealth keyboard, but I'm having a hard time figuring out what would look good.

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #11 on:** Tue, 10 March 2009, 22:50:53 »

So tempting. I'm currently repeating to myself that I should not buy another keyboard. Which vendor would you guys recommend between http://www.poshouse.com and geminicomputers.com? I have to e-mail them and see if they ship via USPS, which seems to be best as far as custom broker fee is concerned when shipping North of the border.

This keyboard is motivating me to do my tax returns to see if I will get a refund or not

Mur · « **Reply #12 on:** Tue, 10 March 2009, 23:16:59 »

Quote

Which vendor would you guys recommend between http://www.poshouse.com and geminicomputers.com?

Well, I haven't received my board just yet. However judging by the reviews and traffic of Gemini I would go with them for reliability. Gemini is also located in New York if that plays well for you. I live in Oregon so it has some ways to travel lol. However, they could have warehouses elsewhere.

After scouting over poshouse.com it seems that they will be a great choice too and they are located in California. I guess when it comes down to it you can choose which company is closest to you and charges less for shipping

For others here is poshouse.com's listing.

Err . . edit on this note. POShouse charges $19.95 for ground shipping in the US which makes the board $84.90 there. Stick with Gemini for now

cmr · « **Reply #13 on:** Tue, 10 March 2009, 23:32:19 »

i haven't had any problems with my m10 since that brief business with the spacebar sending two strokes, which only went on for a couple of days

o2dazone · « **Reply #14 on:** Wed, 11 March 2009, 23:14:24 »

Does anyone know if the blue cherries in the G80-3000LSCRC-2 sound and/or feel any different than the dasIII or Scorpius M10?

chongyixiong · « **Reply #15 on:** Thu, 12 March 2009, 01:21:50 »

http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?t=150

How about this? Is this blue cherries?

zwmalone · « **Reply #16 on:** Thu, 12 March 2009, 08:03:21 »

Nobody knows. Although it would be killer if it wer as the board is only $20-40...

FKSSR · « **Reply #17 on:** Thu, 12 March 2009, 09:20:35 »

I emailed Cherry to see if they can sell replacement keys (with just English letters or all blank).

I have not heard back from DataCal yet. I asked them the same question.

After seeing the all black keyed Unicomp in the mods section, I've been thinking of doing the same to the G80-3000.

FKSSR · « **Reply #18 on:** Thu, 12 March 2009, 09:32:57 »

I was told by Cherry to contact DataCal. If I don't hear back from DC in a couple days, I'll just give them a call.

itlnstln · « **Reply #19 on:** Thu, 12 March 2009, 09:56:35 »

FKSSR, try this contact info. She'll be glad you called. (You might want to tell her you're from GeekHack)

Loree L. Rolnick
Sales Director
DataCal Enterprises
1345 N. Mondel Dr
Gilbert, AZ 85233
480-813-3108 Phone
480-813-3280 Fax

lrolnick@datacal.com
http://www.datacal.com

FKSSR · « **Reply #20 on:** Thu, 12 March 2009, 10:23:33 »

Awesome! Will do! I need to decide exactly what I'm doing with my G80-300 first and wait for another paycheck. I'll also be ordering some replacement keys for the Filco I'm going to get (ordering some light gray ones for a few keys as it will be for gaming).

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #21 on:** Thu, 12 March 2009, 16:26:38 »

I looked for advice from this board and was able to make a good decision when buying my Dell. Once again, I need your advice. How is this keyboard? Is it clicky and tactile similar to the Das (even though I have never seen a Das in person)?

The reason why I'm asking is I'm very tempted in getting this one (and a SpaceSaver too). I called GeminiComputers.com and they only charge $10.00 for shipping through FedEx ground. The person on the phone told me that FedEx should not collect any custom broker fee like for the Customizer, because they use their own broker. $66.25+$10.00 = $76.25 X 1.33 = (about) CDN $101.42. Not bad, considering I'll be getting a refund from my income tax returns

zwmalone · « **Reply #22 on:** Thu, 12 March 2009, 16:28:19 »

Same exact switches as the das but without the rollover issues

Mur · « **Reply #23 on:** Fri, 13 March 2009, 00:38:45 »

Quote from: FKSSR;24266

I emailed Cherry to see if they can sell replacement keys (with just English letters or all blank).

I have not heard back from DataCal yet. I asked them the same question.

After seeing the all black keyed Unicomp in the mods section, I've been thinking of doing the same to the G80-3000.

I spoke with them and Signature Plastics. As with any small order the prices are a bit high. Here are the quotes I requested:

Ron from DataCal states:
"I don't really have a minimum but the nature of the business makes small production runs very expensive. Setting up to make blank keys in this case would be about $900. Set up for printing one color would be $250. Depending on your quantity this could add a little or a lot to your per unit cost."

Mellisa from Signature Plastics took the time to fill out a nice quote for me:
Pricing for the full 104 keyboard:

Blanks / Pad Printed / Sublimated
1 set $ 518.71 / set $ 795.79 / set $ 792.69 /
set
2 sets $ 269.01 / set $ 443.56 / set $ 420.40 /
set
3 sets $ 185.78 / set $ 326.14 / set $ 296.30 /
set
4 sets $ 144.15 / set $ 267.44 / set $ 234.25 /
set
5 sets $ 119.18 / set $ 232.21 / set $ 197.03 /
set
10 sets $ 69.24 / set $ 161.76 / set $ 122.56 / set

Pricing for the 'Alphabet and Number' section (total of 36 single size keys)
Blanks / Pad Printed / Sublimated
1 set $ 148.33 / set $ 232.33 / set $ 265.09 /
set
2 sets $ 76.98 / set $ 128.90 / set $ 145.65 /
set
3 sets $ 53.20 / set $ 94.42 / set $ 105.80 /
set
4 sets $ 41.31 / set $ 77.19 / set $ 85.89 /
set
5 sets $ 34.18 / set $ 68.84 / set $ 73.94 /
set
10 sets $ 19.91 / set $ 46.16 / set $ 50.05 / set

Quote from: patrickgeekhack;24329

I looked for advice from this board and was able to make a good decision when buying my Dell. Once again, I need your advice. How is this keyboard? Is it clicky and tactile similar to the Das (even though I have never seen a Das in person)?

The reason why I'm asking is I'm very tempted in getting this one (and a SpaceSaver too). I called GeminiComputers.com and they only charge $10.00 for shipping through FedEx ground. The person on the phone told me that FedEx should not collect any custom broker fee like for the Customizer, because they use their own broker. $66.25+$10.00 = $76.25 X 1.33 = (about) CDN $101.42. Not bad, considering I'll be getting a refund from my income tax returns

I am experimenting with the Das right now so I am quite thrilled to get the G80-3000. Wellington posted a great thread using a program called NoisyKeyboard that demonstrates different key clicks here

I also spoke with GeminiComputers the other day, just to see if my order was moving along without issue. They were very nice and informative. Btw, that is a pretty good deal too!

Quote from: o2dazone;24201

Does anyone know if the blue cherries in the G80-3000LSCRC-2 sound and/or feel any different than the dasIII or Scorpius M10?

Not sure if they feel any different but according to the audio thread by Wellington the Das and M10 sound a bit different.

Quote from: zwmalone;24330

Same exact switches as the das but without the rollover issues

I can't wait to give it a shot

FKSSR · « **Reply #24 on:** Fri, 13 March 2009, 09:04:01 »

Quote from: Mur;24363

Ron from DataCal states:
"I don't really have a minimum but the nature of the business makes small production runs very expensive. Setting up to make blank keys in this case would be about $900. Set up for printing one color would be $250. Depending on your quantity this could add a little or a lot to your per unit cost."

Mellisa from Signature Plastics took the time to fill out a nice quote for me:
Pricing for the full 104 keyboard:
...

Ouch! That's rough. However, if enough people on the board wanted a specific type of key (such as blank black) for cherry boards, it could be worth it. I would be in...

I would think that DataCal would stock up on many different colors of keys for their different orders. Blank black may be a little different, but even that could be a good investment for them, I would think.

Maybe Das Keyboard has extra blank keys they would sell... I'll email them.

itlnstln · « **Reply #25 on:** Fri, 13 March 2009, 09:33:14 »

Quote

Maybe Das Keyboard has extra blank keys they would sell... I'll email them.

I have e-mailed them in the past on this, and they have said they do not sell extra key sets. This might be due to them not manufacturing their own 'boards.

FKSSR · « **Reply #26 on:** Fri, 13 March 2009, 10:17:05 »

Crap... That stinks. You'd think they would at least be able to sell them to people that bought the Das boards with legends...or direct you to a place where you can buy the keys.

Well, I already emailed them, so I'll let you know if they say something different this time.

FKSSR · « **Reply #27 on:** Fri, 13 March 2009, 11:25:07 »

Das just gave me the same response:

"Unfortunately, we do not sell blank key caps."

Ugh.

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #28 on:** Fri, 13 March 2009, 12:09:25 »

I think I'll order one tonight. I have to place the order on the phone since I used a 6-character postal code, whereas the site is setup to use a 5-digit zip code.

I'm hoping I'm not making a mistake. May the force be with me.

lam47 · « **Reply #29 on:** Fri, 13 March 2009, 13:15:38 »

I was told by Das that they planned on selling complete key cap sets some time this year.
I have the email somewhere.

Dear Laurie,

I hope this email finds you well.

We are currently working on obtaining replacement key-sets from our manufacturer. It is our aim to have this completed at the beginning of the new year. We do have some keys in stock however, so if you are looking for a specific key I am able to send something to you, otherwise we will need to wait a bit.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions.

Thank you, Alisha

FKSSR · « **Reply #30 on:** Fri, 13 March 2009, 13:48:53 »

lam47: When did you receive that message? I'm wondering if that is still their plan. The person that answered my email didn't say that, but I'm wondering if I should ask.

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #31 on:** Fri, 13 March 2009, 14:44:22 »

Quote from: FKSSR;24079

The RC has english and chinese characters. I just got one. The chinese kind of bug me personally, but the biggest pain is the lack of bumps on the F and H keys. I can get used to both of those things, though. I never look at my keyboard when I'm typing so I won't really even notice once I stop thinking about it. I've also been thinking of putting blank black keys on instead of the letters and numbers to make a half-stealth keyboard, but I'm having a hard time figuring out what would look good.

How do you like your Cherry G80-3000? I'm still debating on what to do

Mur · « **Reply #32 on:** Fri, 13 March 2009, 15:18:36 »

Quote from: FKSSR;24370

Ouch! That's rough. However, if enough people on the board wanted a specific type of key (such as blank black) for cherry boards, it could be worth it. I would be in...

I would think that DataCal would stock up on many different colors of keys for their different orders. Blank black may be a little different, but even that could be a good investment for them, I would think.

Maybe Das Keyboard has extra blank keys they would sell... I'll email them.

I would totally want to get in on that. Maybe we should start a separate thread and see if people would like to do an order

Quote from: lam47;24389

I was told by Das that they planned on selling complete key cap sets some time this year.
I have the email somewhere.

Dear Laurie,

I hope this email finds you well.

We are currently working on obtaining replacement key-sets from our manufacturer. It is our aim to have this completed at the beginning of the new year. We do have some keys in stock however, so if you are looking for a specific key I am able to send something to you, otherwise we will need to wait a bit.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions.

Thank you, Alisha

This would be awesome. I hope they are still working out a plan to obtain their key-sets.

FKSSR · « **Reply #33 on:** Fri, 13 March 2009, 15:33:46 »

I really like the G80-3000.

Here are the two "negatives" I have so far (my positive first impressions are posted in this thread or another one already):
1.) It's too loud to take to my work and type on.
2.) Since I have an AT101W at my work, I'm getting used to the heavier feel of alps, and typing on the blue cherries sort of feels like I'm typing on a toy at times. However, I feel if I typed on the blue cherries more often, I would actually prefer them a lot more.

Saying that, I still really like it a lot. I really want to get a brown cherry board to see if I like it better than the blue cherries. I also am planning to get a buckling spring board soon to see if perhaps I just really prefer alps and bs over cherry switches.

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #34 on:** Fri, 13 March 2009, 16:20:54 »

Quote from: FKSSR;24400

I really like the G80-3000.

Here are the two "negatives" I have so far (my positive first impressions are posted in this thread or another one already):
1.) It's too loud to take to my work and type on.
2.) Since I have an AT101W at my work, I'm getting used to the heavier feel of alps, and typing on the blue cherries sort of feels like I'm typing on a toy at times. However, I feel if I typed on the blue cherries more often, I would actually prefer them a lot more.

Saying that, I still really like it a lot. I really want to get a brown cherry board to see if I like it better than the blue cherries. I also am planning to get a buckling spring board soon to see if perhaps I just really prefer alps and bs over cherry switches.

I just placed my order with geminicomputers.com. I use the Customizer at home, and the Dell at work. The Dell, I sometimes put a small towel underneath it when I'm work, but it's like keeping the plastic wrap on the car seats. Believe it or not, the keys feel so much smoother when there is not towel involved. Weird, isn't it? Now, I'll get the chance to try a Cherry switches keyboard.

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #35 on:** Fri, 13 March 2009, 22:44:07 »

Quote from: Mur;24363

...I also spoke with GeminiComputers the other day, just to see if my order was moving along without issue. They were very nice and informative. Btw, that is a pretty good deal too!

I called them to place my order this afternoon before leaving the office. They were very helpful, and very quick on the phone. 10 minutes later I the transaction was done and I received a confirmation e-mail. I would have taken less time online, but because their site only accept 5 characters (ZIP Code), I had to do it over the phone. So far, it has been a good experience. I'm waiting to see what it would be like when I get the keyboard.

lam47 · « **Reply #36 on:** Mon, 16 March 2009, 11:48:28 »

Quote from: FKSSR;24392

lam47: When did you receive that message? I'm wondering if that is still their plan. The person that answered my email didn't say that, but I'm wondering if I should ask.

Sorry this is a late response.
This was in September or November.

Mur · « **Reply #37 on:** Tue, 17 March 2009, 02:07:42 »

I received my G80-3000 today. It is everything I expected. Good times

lam47 · « **Reply #38 on:** Tue, 17 March 2009, 04:12:19 »

Cool. Which switches did you go for?
I have blacks in mine as I took the blues out for another board.

Glad you are having fun. Cherry make great boards!
I love the snap together design. Makes modding and cleaning so easy.

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #39 on:** Tue, 17 March 2009, 08:12:14 »

Quote from: Mur;24687

I received my G80-3000 today. It is everything I expected. Good times

You got yours from geminicomputers.com? I placed an order last Friday, and I'm waiting impatiently for it to arrive.

Ulysses31 · « **Reply #40 on:** Tue, 17 March 2009, 10:02:18 »

I've been using the G80-3000 with blues for about a week now. It isn't going back.

FKSSR · « **Reply #41 on:** Tue, 17 March 2009, 12:10:17 »

Yeah, I really like mine. I figured out last night that the F and J keys have more of a concave dip in them. Yeah, I didn't notice until last night when I was using it. So, ignore my complaint about not having the dimples.

o2dazone · « **Reply #42 on:** Tue, 17 March 2009, 21:29:26 »

Quote from: patrickgeekhack;24703

You got yours from geminicomputers.com? I placed an order last Friday, and I'm waiting impatiently for it to arrive.

I also ordered mine on Friday, it's getting here (Nevada) on Thursday.

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #43 on:** Tue, 17 March 2009, 21:33:03 »

Quote from: o2dazone;24793

I also ordered mine on Friday, it's getting here (Nevada) on Thursday.

If everything goes fine, I should receive mine before the end of the week. I may be close to New York, but it has to clear custom first...

cmr · « **Reply #44 on:** Wed, 18 March 2009, 01:06:47 »

this is the most recent information i have about das keycap sets.

Quote

Date: Mon, 2 Feb 2009 14:53:17 -0600 (15:53 EST)
--------------------------------------------------------------
Ticket #365404: Blank keycap set for Das III
Company: Individuals
Queue: Purchase request
Priority: normal
Status: in progress

Comment by Alisha Guthery-Morse:
.---
| Dear Chris,
|
| My apologies but we do not carry blank keycap sets at this time. If you have a specific key that you are having issues with I might be able to accommodate. Please let me know.
|
| Thank you, Alisha
`---

o2dazone · « **Reply #45 on:** Wed, 18 March 2009, 17:11:57 »

You should just send them an email "I'm missing 104 keys exactly, in dire need of replacements. Thanks!"

And then they'll charge you $2 a key or something x_x

FKSSR · « **Reply #46 on:** Wed, 18 March 2009, 21:48:33 »

Well, I decided that I am going to try and trade away my G80-3000 with blue cherries.

As I say in my marketplace thread, I thought I would really like the click of the blue cherry switches, but it is starting to wear on me. Over time, I'm realizing that I really prefer the clack of keys more than the click that blue cherries have.

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #47 on:** Thu, 19 March 2009, 08:46:03 »

Quote from: FKSSR;24736

Yeah, I really like mine. I figured out last night that the F and J keys have more of a concave dip in them. Yeah, I didn't notice until last night when I was using it. So, ignore my complaint about not having the dimples.

Got mine about two minutes ago (at the office). Can't really test it here because it is noisier than my Dell. One thing for sure, I will have to get use to the concave dip.

FKSSR · « **Reply #48 on:** Thu, 19 March 2009, 09:13:33 »

haha. No, I'm just going with the brown cherries in the FKBN87M/EB.

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #49 on:** Thu, 19 March 2009, 10:55:18 »

Quote from: FKSSR;24400

I really like the G80-3000.

1.) It's too loud to take to my work and type on.

I have both my AT101W and the G80-3000 connected to my computer currently

Definitely noisier than the AT101W if I start typing fast.

Quote

2.) Since I have an AT101W at my work, I'm getting used to the heavier feel of alps, and typing on the blue cherries sort of feels like I'm typing on a toy at times. However, I feel if I typed on the blue cherries more often, I would actually prefer them a lot more.

The Cherry blue switches have the least resistance among my 3 keyboards which can be ranked like this: Customizer 104, Dell AT101W, Cherry G80-3000.

That being said, I like the feeling. I'll probably use it a night when my baby is sleeping. It's noisy, but not as noisy as the buckling spring.

I've spent quite a lot of money on three keyboard in two months, but I'm very happy. I should avoid buying any keyboard for a while now...

News:

Author Topic: Cheapest RELIABLE keyboard with Cherry Blues (Read 26361 times)