Filco Majestouch Tenkeyless Cherry Blue's Now Available!

[jkkhop]

Finally. I am writing on the Filco as we speak Totally paid $200 to get this little sucker. Well, I have spent more on mouses and mousepads, think I can get one good keyboard too.

The keyboard. I expected much, but was still surprised by the build quality, feel, responsiveness.. everything in this keyboard seems perfect. Right now I can't sum it up any better

[lam47]

So happy for you!
I have spent a lot on Mice prior to my keyboard fixation.
Ans I will keep your post in mind Lal

[ch_123]

but was still surprised by the build quality,

So was I. First thing I thought when I picked it up was "woah, this is heavy". For such a tiny little keyboard, it weighs almost as much as a Dell AT. Must be the steel plate in it.

[Viett]

The FKBN87MC/NPEK I ordered arrived today. It's a great board so far. I love the switches, even if they're a little noisy. The build quality is fantastic.

I also love the NKRO. I played an old school SNES game, Super Metroid, with it. The game requires so many simultaneous presses that it's almost impossible with thumbs/shoulders on a gamepad. It's also impossible with a regular keyboard.

I didn't buy the board for its gaming potential, but I don't think I'll be disappointed.

[arbrandes]

My 2 cents on my FKBN87MC/NPEK, which arrived today:

* Contrary to the Das, no USB headaches with this baby.  I even have it hooked up to a 3-meter USB extension cable with the PS2 adapter at the end.  No problems at all.

* The blue cherries feel exactly the same as on the Das.  That is to say, they feel great!  I can't imagine myself typing on anything else other than a clicky keyboard, nowadays.  Das III at work, Filco at home.  I'm still planning on getting a Unicomp one of these days, though.

* I was afraid I'd miss the numpad, but the tenkeyless form-factor is perfect for my home setup.  I have one of Dennis's CommandCons (which I highly recommend: http://gamechair.net), and the gigantic Microsoft Ergocrap 4000 had to sit too much to the left.  Now the keyboard is in a comfortable typing position, with space remaining for the joystick.  Here's what it used to look like (too lazy to take a new picture):



* Excellent service at elitekeyboards.com.  They shipped it out fast, and it got here (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) in a week.

All in all, I'm a very happy customer.  Thanks everybody for the tips!

[arbrandes]

Ya gotta post a pic in Computing Setups when you get a chance to take a new photo.  That's just wild.

Will do.  Problem is, wifey's got the camera, and she's at her mom's for the weekend.  I'll try to post a few shots next week.

In any case, the setup really is pretty comfortable, specially now with the Filco taking up so much less space!

I've got that CH Pro throttle and Fighterstick too - just need someone to ship a good A-10 Warthog game.

I'm actually more into World War II propeller flightsims.  I do fire up Lock On occasionally, though.  In any case, I haven't had much time for flying, what with Real Life and all... :/

Adolfo

[itlnstln]

just need someone to ship a good A-10 Warthog game.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A-10_Tank_Killer
 
The BEST A10 flight sim ever.  Also, one of the few flight sims, in general, I had the patience to play.  DOSbox it.

[o2dazone]

your name is Adolfo and you love WWII sims? There's a joke in here somewhere...I can't quite figure it out though

[itlnstln]

your name is Adolfo and you love WWII sims? There's a joke in here somewhere...I can't quite figure it out though

Strong.

[arbrandes]

your name is Adolfo and you love WWII sims? There's a joke in here somewhere...I can't quite figure it out though

Heheheh, I've been hearing this one in various incarnations since I was five...  But yes, I only fly German planes on Il-2.

[nycxandy]

Hi guys, I just joined the forum after spending hours reading it the past couple of days.

I just placed an order in for this keyboard from elitekeyboards.com and hopefully it's all that and lives up to its praise.  I definitely look forward to using it.

Currently I'm using a Microsoft Ergo 4000 keyboard and have been looking for a replacement with backlit keys.  My hunt first started with a search of the big two (Microsoft and Logitech).  The Logitech Illuminated and diNovo Edge keyboards definitely stood out to me.  They were pretty pricey so I started looking up and doing some research on keyboards to justify the high purchase prices.  This ultimately led to me discovering the wonders of a mechanical keyboard.  Upon reading the advantages of a mechanical keyboard over those that are membrane or dome-switch, I couldn't ever see myself spending such a large sum of money for a keyboard that's ultimately inferior.

Now with a mechanical keyboard set in mind, I looked into the Deck Legends as it was backlit which was what I originally wanted.  The research ultimately led me to this keyboard haven.  With the popularity and glowing praise of the Filco keyboards by you members, I just had to hop along on the ride and pick up the Filco Cherry Blue's since they are in limited supplies.

I'm definitely a keyboard noob, but someday maybe I'll join you guys as keyboard connoisseurs.

[sixty]

Hi guys, I just joined the forum after spending hours reading it the past couple of days.

I just placed an order in for this keyboard from elitekeyboards.com and hopefully it's all that and lives up to its praise.  I definitely look forward to using it.

Currently I'm using a Microsoft Ergo 4000 keyboard and have been looking for a replacement with backlit keys.  My hunt first started with a search of the big two (Microsoft and Logitech).  The Logitech Illuminated and diNovo Edge keyboards definitely stood out to me.  They were pretty pricey so I started looking up and doing some research on keyboards to justify the high purchase prices.  This ultimately led to me discovering the wonders of a mechanical keyboard.  Upon reading the advantages of a mechanical keyboard over those that are membrane or dome-switch, I couldn't ever see myself spending such a large sum of money for a keyboard that's ultimately inferior.

Now with a mechanical keyboard set in mind, I looked into the Deck Legends as it was backlit which was what I originally wanted.  The research ultimately led me to this keyboard haven.  With the popularity and glowing praise of the Filco keyboards by you members, I just had to hop along on the ride and pick up the Filco Cherry Blue's since they are in limited supplies.

I'm definitely a keyboard noob, but someday maybe I'll join you guys as keyboard connoisseurs.

Haha, this might go faster than you think.
Just about half a year ago I still had no clue about mechanical keyboards or anyhting related to them. And now here I am with about 20 keyboards in my collection and typing in obscure keywords on eBay to find mislabeled ancient boards and analyzing switch types between clients at work :|

By joining this forum will most likely end up emptying your wallets by buying more and more keyboards.

Damn you geekhack!

[wellington1869]

Just about half a year ago I still had no clue about mechanical keyboards or anyhting related to them. And now here I am with about 20 keyboards in my collection and typing in obscure keywords on eBay to find mislabeled ancient boards and analyzing switch types between clients at work

it took me about 6 months too  Doesnt take long.

[lam47]

I just got my Filco
Seems pretty nice but I do have one key that sticks down and needs wiggling to get back up. I don't want to go opening it and replacing the switch. Any ideas how to stop it?
Its the switch and not the cap that is causing the problem.

Thanks.

Laurie.

[itlnstln]

I just got my Filco
Seems pretty nice but I do have one key that sticks down and needs wiggling to get back up. I don't want to go opening it and replacing the switch. Any ideas how to stop it?
Its the switch and not the cap that is causing the problem.
 
Thanks.
 
Laurie.

Which one does it? I didn't notice it when I was testing it out. You might want to just pull the cap, press the stem down and spray it with an air duster. Why do the blue Cherrys seem to have problems sticking from time-to-time? I guess the sliding plastic piece might be causing the problem.

[lam47]

Its the =+ key. I think it is getting better now though as it is not sticking every time.

[ch_123]

Don't know what it's like in England, but we've had flooding over here... :S

[o2dazone]

Lam, you seem to often have sticky problems - hope this one goes away on it's own.  I'd accuse the London fog but your pics say it's sunny over the pond.

I've got a hypothesis as to why his keys are sticky :B

[lam47]

Its very very hot over here.
About 30c. Might not sound that hot but in the UK its a horrible kind of heat with very thin sticky air.
Don't think it has anything to do with this though.
Just a switch not working properly.

[talis]

Its the =+ key. I think it is getting better now though as it is not sticking every time.

If you can pull the key cap off, take a look at the key stem (inside the back of the key cap).  The stem actually enters the switch housing when you actuate it, and if there's a burr or any sort of molding artifact on the stem it can rub against the switch housing and possibly jam.

[lam47]

I did check the stem and it looked fine.
I have some spare blue switches but the thought of taking the whole thing apart just to solder one switch in does not appeal to me today

[fuzzybyte]

they're sold out now

is there going to be more in the future?
i wonder if they ship to Finland...

[itlnstln]

they're sold out now
 
is there going to be more in the future?
i wonder if they ship to Finland...

He will ship to Finland, but you may want to ask about warantee work should you need it. I think there was some issues overseas folks had with shipping costs, or something.

[lal]

He will ship to Finland, but you may want to ask about warantee work should you need it. I think there was some issues overseas folks had with shipping costs, or something.

It's simple.  There is NO warranty for international customers.

[lam47]

Also you will most likely have to pay any customs duty + VAT.
These were a limited run. I don't know if there will be more or not.

[fuzzybyte]

Also you will most likely have to pay any customs duty + VAT.
These were a limited run. I don't know if there will be more or not.

I know. I've ordered a brown cherry FILCO from Taiwan before and I didn't have to pay any customs or VAT that time. I think there's about 150EUR limit or something before you have to pay them...

or then I just got lucky that time.

[lam47]

That would be a great limit! Ours in the UK is £30. Anything over you have to pay.

[majestouch]

Its the =+ key. I think it is getting better now though as it is not sticking every time.

I saw this on one of the blue cherry boards, but it goes away after pressing it a few dozen times. Leads me to believe there is a small plastic burr on the key stem that causes some initial binding until it wears down a bit. I suppose it makes sense that Blues are more prone to this than other Cherry switches due to their Mexican-jumping-bean-like clicking mechanism; as I haven't seen this with a Brown or Black switch ever.

[lam47]

My = Is working fine now Just needed to bed in a bit I think.

Laurie.

[itlnstln]

My = Is working fine now Just needed to bed in a bit I think.
 
Laurie.

Equality is a good thing.

[o2dazone]

Just needed to bed in a bit I think.

Is that like Wellingtons "I just had sex with my Topre" thread?

[lam47]

Any word on the key sets for these? I will refrain from using these nice coated ones if they are on the horizon. Keep them in the box all new and special

[fuzzybyte]

got a mail from elitekeyboards saying that there's no schedule when more non-NPEK models are coming. only the blank key models are left now.

should i get the blank key model? it's not that blank keys are an issue, but it looks so... so nerdy (isn't that just what otaku translates to?). the blank keys look so cool yet incredibly stupid at the same time, it just blows my mind.

[lam47]

I don't think they look stupid at all. I guess it all depends on your perception.
Otaku is not quite nerdy. More like a fan, a hardcore fan mind.
I guess it does kind of mean nerd

[o2dazone]

UrbanDictionary doesn't give accurate responses. They are pretty good on most things, but "Otaku" is mostly reserved for anime nerds who collect piles of anime "crap", posters figurines, and body pillows with their favorite anime character printed on them (not joking). I think if you directly translated that, it wouldn't exactly be the same exact thing that 'otaku' is used for 90% of the time

edit: at least when used in the Western world

[o2dazone]

lol oh yeah him...
also I'm not talking about those pillows, Ripster

[kyamei]

UrbanDictionary doesn't give accurate responses. They are pretty good on most things, but "Otaku" is mostly reserved for anime nerds who collect piles of anime "crap", posters figurines, and body pillows with their favorite anime character printed on them (not joking). I think if you directly translated that, it wouldn't exactly be the same exact thing that 'otaku' is used for 90% of the time

edit: at least when used in the Western world

You called?

[lam47]

lol oh yeah him...
also I'm not talking about those pillows, Ripster

Show Image

Oh my Christ.

[lal]

should i get the blank key model? it's not that blank keys are an issue, but it looks so... so nerdy (isn't that just what otaku translates to?). the blank keys look so cool yet incredibly stupid at the same time, it just blows my mind.

I guess it's a matter of taste.  For me the coolness factor is long over.  It may be funny to impress visitors with a blank keyboard.  But while I do touchtype I occasionally want to type some words or key combos one-handed, which is very hard with blank keys.  And since I don't find blank keys particularly good looking (in fact I even think it looks like a prototype, an unfinished product pulled from the middle of the production line (well, that's what it is after all)) there's absolutely no question for me.  I just get the lettered variant if there's a choice, because sometimes I need the printings and don't think blank keys look good (not ugly either, though).  It's a practical decision for me.

[Rajagra]

lol oh yeah him...
also I'm not talking about those pillows, Ripster

Show Image

That pillow looks worried. With good reason.:fear:

[talis]

Looks like there's no brokerage or duty when it comes FedEx (at least my Filco just showed up with no issues).

The morale of this story, please please please don't ship UPS internationally.  The worst I've ever had with them was being charged $30 in brokerage for Free samples from Texas Instruments.

Well, I guess this was too good to be true.

Came home today to an invoice from FedEx (almost 2 weeks after I received the keyboard) for $51.50CDN in brokerage and duty.

$28.50 - Brokerage
$5.85 - Disbursment/Bond fees
$15.43 - GST
Then GST on top of the fees.

[nvarsj]

I guess it's a matter of taste.  For me the coolness factor is long over.  It may be funny to impress visitors with a blank keyboard.  But while I do touchtype I occasionally want to type some words or key combos one-handed, which is very hard with blank keys.  And since I don't find blank keys particularly good looking (in fact I even think it looks like a prototype, an unfinished product pulled from the middle of the production line (well, that's what it is after all)) there's absolutely no question for me.  I just get the lettered variant if there's a choice, because sometimes I need the printings and don't think blank keys look good (not ugly either, though).  It's a practical decision for me.

Woohoo, first post. As a counter example, I have no problem finding keys on a blank keyboard. Maybe it comes from being a long time Emacs/Vim user? So like everything, it differs from person to person.

It could also be argued that it's practical to have a blank keyboard. Forces one to become a good touch typist. Also it's great for non-qwerty users and those of us that like to remap keys.

[nvarsj]

Good point, there's no way I can easily type that with one hand. Not that I would, that's craziness! :-)

However I'll admit that blank keys are a bit more form than function. The blank key happy hacker pros look amazing.

[Stevie Wonder]

Yeah.

What he said.

[o2dazone]

matter of opinion
either you can touch type, or you cant
no shame if you cant (even if you buy an expensive keyboard)

[lal]

I think lal was emphasizing the one hand thing - I'm sure he can type two handed fine on a blank keyboard.

Right.

It is just a matter of time, and your old cognitive pattern recognition will be replaced. Not only in touch, also in vision. If I look at a blank key I know exactly which key it is.

Nice, webwit.  Chuck Norris can even press any blank key he wants and the key will emit the character he intended.

But seriously, knowing what char is on a blank key just by looking at it would be nice but require additional training that I'm not willing to do just to be cool in the eyes of my geek friends.  Maybe I can't do it because I learned touch typing the correct way from the beginning, i.e. I *never* looked at the keyboard, even while learning the first few keys.  What a pain in the a*s that was...

[Binge]

Chuck Norris has people who hit the blank key for him.  They know the consequences of failure.



Really though I can't count the times I find myself not looking at the keyboard.  Muscle memory is a wonderful thing, and I give people a ton of credit for typing on blank keyboards.  My only qualm is that I tend to drink, and that might(does) make it harder for me at times.  

[cnt]

I've done a small check and tried touch-typing with one hand, even though I haven't tried it ever before.

Loaded up Stamina and touch-typed a part of Saul Williams' Coded Language, I've had %9 error in my key-presses. Which, IMHO, is surprisingly low given the fact I can't visually picture a keyboard, all I used was muscle memory from regular 2 hands typing and from gaming, which I assume contributed quite a lot more than my usual 2 hand typing.

Nevertheless, I really can't see the benefits of a blank keyboard. if you aren't ever looking at your keyboard as it is, you won't mind whether it's blank or not. If you're a touch-typist who finds himself in need of learning the various symbols layered on various keys (^"'>~* etc), you'll probably find yourself fully capable of touch-typing them if you do indeed end up using them quite often. So yes, a blank HHK looks infinitely more awesome than a regular keyboard, but other than the coolness factor, what other possible benefits do blank keyboards have?

And no, making the computer impossible to use for anyone who isn't a touch-typist isn't a benefit, not in my opinion at least.

[lal]

Interestingly I was quite surprised and disappointed at the same time when my girlfriend used a blank keyboard for the first time.  She's not a geek and a hunt'n'peck typist, but apparently she did okay and even typed her password without real problems.  Must be the more visually oriented brain of women or somethin... At least she said it's not fun and wanted the letters back.

PS: webwit, you know that your sig is practically unreadably tiny?

[lal]

Okay, you're a strong believer in blank keys.  Understood.  I agree to everything you said.  But I don't want to be like that.  I'm good enough a typist for my needs.  I'm into keyboards for two single reasons: 1. I want the best quality gear I can get for my money (within reasonable limits), and 2. I highly enjoy typing on strongly tactile and clicke****lickclicking keyboards, it's huge fun.  These are the most important things for me.  I don't want to be a "keyboardist".  But I'd hate to accidentally hit the wrong blank key and delete files, close windows, submit unfinished forms et cetera when I've only one hand free.  It's just not worth it putting a lot of effort in learning to use a blank board one-handed for these rare occasions.  I rather take part in longish discussions about the pros and cons of blank keys in obscure keyboard geek message boards.  And, this may be the most important point, if I get lettered boards now it will still be possible for me to use them in many years when I'm old and start to forget things, like keyboard layouts for example...