Vortex Aluminum Filco Case

[Xaviz]

Appreciate the help, it's definitely an easy fix. Will buy them tomorrow, but meh, tad silly for this to happen.

[tp4tissue]

Appreciate the help, it's definitely an easy fix. Will buy them tomorrow, but meh, tad silly for this to happen.

More important issue is making sure the top matches the bottom..

My first set were two completely different colors.. silver top, with a "grey bottom"

[Xaviz]

Appreciate the help, it's definitely an easy fix. Will buy them tomorrow, but meh, tad silly for this to happen.

More important issue is making sure the top matches the bottom..

My first set were two completely different colors.. silver top, with a "grey bottom"

Haha, looks like I lucked on that front.

[Leslieann]

Appreciate the help, it's definitely an easy fix. Will buy them tomorrow, but meh, tad silly for this to happen.

I agree, but if you think that's bad, mine didn't come with any screws.

[calavera]

So my understanding is that there are no stand offs in these aluminium cases? What's required in order to fit a stock filco internals into these cases?

[tp4tissue]

So my understanding is that there are no stand offs in these aluminium cases? What's required in order to fit a stock filco internals into these cases?

No, if you are using the "stock" filco plate.. this case sandwitch-es the plate against the top and bottom. MUCH better than standoffs.  Standoffs suck donkey c... compared to the way this case mounts.

If you are using a phantom plate Then you will need to fasten a length of wire against the front and back riser lips to prop up the plate.

This case relies on the bent lips of the "stock filco" or QFR plate rather than standoffs.

[calavera]

Ah thanks for that. Are there any reviews of this case? I think I saw one earlier but can't find it.

[tp4tissue]

Ah thanks for that. Are there any reviews of this case? I think I saw one earlier but can't find it.

I'll give you one right now..

Ah......

Cons:

Some ghost machine marks left on the surface, very subtle, only visible from <1 feet away.

Minor imperfections, little dings here and there..

Top and bottom color "slightly" different, "this is luck of the draw"

The "alignment" between top and bottom can be off slightly, 1/4-1/3 of a mm.


Pros:

You can buy one TODAY, and it'll arrive in a week.

Quality quite acceptable for the low price.

Key spacing is superb even better than stock filco cases.

[calavera]

Those LED's are trippy. Well, I'm gonna give this case a try. I just want a case that matches a beige/white keycap set better than the ol' black.

[tp4tissue]

Those LED's are trippy. Well, I'm gonna give this case a try. I just want a case that matches a beige/white keycap set better than the ol' black.

silver goes with pretty much anything except black keycaps..

Black keycaps makes a silver board look like there's BIG HOLES in it.. I guess some people like that... they can diaf...

[Leslieann]

Two more cons... No feet, and you may get screws, you may not, and if you do, they may or may not fit. LOL

Screws are an easy, cheap fix. The alignment, ghosting, and color issues are also easily fixed if you plan on refinishing the case. Feet are really the worst problem on the newer shipments.

My full review is in the middle of page 12.

[calavera]

Thanks, just read your review. I never use the feet on any keyboard so that's not really a big deal for me. Does it come with rubber feet though? I don't want the case to slide around on my desk. My main concern is the quality and finish of the case. Wish me good luck, I should have it next week.

edit: I believe ripster or someone on the boards did a review of this case with high-res pics but can't find it anymore.

[dirge]

tempted... but I don't want to pay a crazy amount again.  I think I've paid my dues for a bit of metal.

[Leslieann]

I never use the feet on any keyboard so that's not really a big deal for me. Does it come with rubber feet though?

It comes with no feet, you can get some on Ebay for cheap.

[tp4tissue]

So my understanding is that there are no stand offs in these aluminium cases? What's required in order to fit a stock filco internals into these cases?

at 3.6lbs + 2 lb keyboard guts, this thing doesn't slide, even if you had a slippery surface... Like a ROCK

[Leslieann]

So my understanding is that there are no stand offs in these aluminium cases? What's required in order to fit a stock filco internals into these cases?

at 3.6lbs + 2 lb keyboard guts, this thing doesn't slide, even if you had a slippery surface... Like a ROCK

Agreed, they top 5 pounds on the desk, they qualify as not only a (brick) paperweight, but a deadly weapon as well.

[Xaviz]

http://imgur.com/XMX4bgm,Et46FuW,iAneEvb,3NpGiDv,pwQ9dZ0,DbKhWb0,Zq49NRj

Never again. Next purchase will be WASD v.2

[Sifo]

Meh, kinda glad I didn't get one of these.

[Leslieann]

http://imgur.com/XMX4bgm,Et46FuW,iAneEvb,3NpGiDv,pwQ9dZ0,DbKhWb0,Zq49NRj

Never again. Next purchase will be WASD v.2

I didn't see anything obvious, so what were you expecting?

I'm not sure exactly how WASD fixes it since they don't offer an aluminum case last I heard.

[Xaviz]

http://imgur.com/XMX4bgm,Et46FuW,iAneEvb,3NpGiDv,pwQ9dZ0,DbKhWb0,Zq49NRj

Never again. Next purchase will be WASD v.2

I didn't see anything obvious, so what were you expecting?

I'm not sure exactly how WASD fixes it since they don't offer an aluminum case last I heard.

I expected getting correct screws. I expected the bottom plate to not rub against the pins. I expected above average construction. I expected something that was at least worth half of what you pay. It was a learning experience anyway, so I'm not too bothered. Just not anything I would recommend or pretend that it's good. Definitely more bad points than good, but if you're desperate for an aluminium case, I guess it works. Either way, I look forward to WASD v2 for other reasons.

[Leslieann]

I expected getting correct screws. I expected the bottom plate to not rub against the pins. I expected above average construction. I expected something that was at least worth half of what you pay. It was a learning experience anyway, so I'm not too bothered. Just not anything I would recommend or pretend that it's good. Definitely more bad points than good, but if you're desperate for an aluminium case, I guess it works. Either way, I look forward to WASD v2 for other reasons.

Screws are an annoyance, but not the end of the world (typical Vortex).
Didn't know your pins rubbed, that is not good. I know mine is close, but I haven't seen any indication of them grounding.

I wish there were alternatives, but I'm not paying $350-$400 for a used MKC case.

[calavera]

Alright, I received my grey case today, Here's my review.


Nasty/deep scratch. Lucky for me it's at the bottom where I don't care as much. Otherwise I would have returned this in a heart beat.


The filco plate wouldn't fit because of that edge. Either the drill bit they used for that particular corner was a bigger size or whatever.
I used 180 grit sand paper to sand it off. Easy fix but I shouldn't have had to.



Screws are too short. They barely hold on to the upper case. I mean look at the pics. That's less than 1mm of thread.
I was only able to screw in 5 out of 8. The other 3 just spin freely. Vortex should include longer than 10mm screws.


Bottom case needs a little more room. The switch pins were coming in contact with the case and causing some switches to not register.
I used masking tape on the bottom 3 rows to cover the pins.


I expected better rubber feet that would fit in the square pockets like Filcos. Nice metal feet though.


I personally would have preferred that there is no step in the upper lid as I pointed in the pic. But that's just my pet peeve.



PROs
Relatively cheap price
Easily available
Sturdy, heavy
couple of color choices

CONs
Overall finish
Short screws


I have mixed feelings on this one. I feel like I got a prototype or beta version. They really need to replace the 10mm screws with 12mm. These cases should come with better rubber feet, not those dinky dimples. But to be honest I wasn't expecting any rubber feet at all.

I gotta say it does feel really good to type on. Has the sturdiness of a model M. I also love the grey color as I think it compliments the white/beige key caps quite nicely.
If they fix the problems I mentioned above, I would buy again. So there you have it.



Ignore the capslock, will replace them later.

[jdcarpe]

You got feet. Still waiting on mine. I ordered from the first batch, on the first day they were available from MK.

[eyesmiles]

Screws are too short. They barely hold on to the upper case. I mean look at the pics. That's less than 1mm of thread.
I was only able to screw in 5 out of 8. The other 3 just spin freely. Vortex should include longer than 10mm screws.

Show Image

Those screws look like M4 as opposed to M3 like Leslieann mentioned. Any confirmation on that calavera?

[Leslieann]

Calavera, 10mm screws are plenty long, my bet is that they didn't properly countersink the screws.

Eyesmiles, some of my screws get wedged in the holes, others fall right out, dont use the holes to judge the screw size.

Now I need to send a note off to MK and see about getting my feet, though my bar foot works extremely well, I would like the right ones.

[calavera]

Those screws look like M4 as opposed to M3 like Leslieann mentioned. Any confirmation on that calavera?

How can I find out? Those are the screws that were included in the package.

Calavera, 10mm screws are plenty long, my bet is that they didn't properly countersink the screws.

Eyesmiles, some of my screws get wedged in the holes, others fall right out, dont use the holes to judge the screw size.

Now I need to send a note off to MK and see about getting my feet, though my bar foot works extremely well, I would like the right ones.

You're probably right because 5 of the 8 screws went in fine. But then again, how hard is it to counter sink every hole the same depth? It's not like they're eyeballing it; surely they have a stop or marker on their machine that gives them the same depth every time.

I measured the length of the screw and it's not quite 10mm. Overall length starting from top of head to bottom of thread was ~9mm. So these are 10mm screws? I'm thinking of giving 12mm screws a try.

[tp4tissue]

Wo. Wo. Wo.. You got the FEET?

ALSO Calvera,, what keyboard is that you put in there, filco with alps?. 

Ok, gotta contact MK

Oh, and that's a "weird color".... It should be "silver.."  Pretty sure you can ask for another one if the color's a problem because "silver" was the advertised color.

[calavera]

Wo. Wo. Wo.. You got the FEET?

ALSO Calvera,, what keyboard is that you put in there, filco with alps?. 

Ok, gotta contact MK

Oh, and that's a "weird color".... It should be "silver.."  Pretty sure you can ask for another one if the color's a problem because "silver" was the advertised color.

I ordered the grey case last week. MK has silver, grey, red, blue, and black on their website. The internals are a filco zero with modded complicated alps.


EDIT: I just realized those rubber feet were meant for the bottom of the metal feet, weren't they? Since they gave me four I put them on the case instead. ha

[Leslieann]

How can I find out? Those are the screws that were included in the package.

Depending on the screw type decides how they are measured.
My advice is take the screw with you to the hardware store and match it up and find one longer.

That was how I got mine, was I found a screw that fit thread-wise, then went to a hardware store and got two different lengths that were about what I needed. If you buy as individual screws (instead of pre-bagged packs) you can get them for $2 a set.

You're probably right because 5 of the 8 screws went in fine. But then again, how hard is it to counter sink every hole the same depth? It's not like they're eyeballing it; surely they have a stop or marker on their machine that gives them the same depth every time.

The depth should be the same every time, but so should the side milling where you had a bit of extra. Another case had holes go all the way through the top.  Mistakes happen even with CNC, but it's not this sis of or that is off, it's everything, or something went wrong. It shouldn't just be inconsistencies. This seems rather par for the course with Vortex though.

EDIT: I just realized those rubber feet were meant for the bottom of the metal feet, weren't they? Since they gave me four I put them on the case instead. ha

In your defense, SOME sort of instructions would be nice, but considering they come as loose parts (no retail packaging), inconsistent as heck, no feet, and often none or incorrect screws... Instructions are again, just par for the course.

What kills me is, if they charged $5 more and fixed the issues, they could probably sell a lot of these and people would be happier.

[tp4tissue]

How can I find out? Those are the screws that were included in the package.

Depending on the screw type decides how they are measured.
My advice is take the screw with you to the hardware store and match it up and find one longer.

That was how I got mine, was I found a screw that fit thread-wise, then went to a hardware store and got two different lengths that were about what I needed. If you buy as individual screws (instead of pre-bagged packs) you can get them for $2 a set.

You're probably right because 5 of the 8 screws went in fine. But then again, how hard is it to counter sink every hole the same depth? It's not like they're eyeballing it; surely they have a stop or marker on their machine that gives them the same depth every time.

The depth should be the same every time, but so should the side milling where you had a bit of extra. Another case had holes go all the way through the top.  Mistakes happen even with CNC, but it's not this sis of or that is off, it's everything, or something went wrong. It shouldn't just be inconsistencies. This seems rather par for the course with Vortex though.

EDIT: I just realized those rubber feet were meant for the bottom of the metal feet, weren't they? Since they gave me four I put them on the case instead. ha

In your defense, SOME sort of instructions would be nice, but considering they come as loose parts (no retail packaging), inconsistent as heck, no feet, and often none or incorrect screws... Instructions are again, just par for the course.

What kills me is, if they charged $5 more and fixed the issues, they could probably sell a lot of these and people would be happier.

Pretty sure the problem is they bought the CHEAPEST worst CNC machine EVAR. because foxconn bought all the good ones to make Iphones.

My iphone 5 is terrific.. Only problem... I got suckered into buying this damn thing just like TOPRE...

Bored with it after 30mins...  But I can't return or sell this damn thing because I'm on company contract, and they give me free unlimited internet.

[calavera]

I keep going back to the screws. Apparently when it says M3-.5x8 for example, the last number stands for the length of the thread only. I thought it was the length of the entire screw from head to bottom. :palmface:

Anyways in that case the screws that I got were 8mm. They should have included 10mm screws.

[Leslieann]

I keep going back to the screws. Apparently when it says M3-.5x8 for example, the last number stands for the length of the thread only. I thought it was the length of the entire screw from head to bottom. :palmface:

Anyways in that case the screws that I got were 8mm. They should have included 10mm screws.

Depends, on panhead screws it goes to the very top, at least according to mine.

[laffindude]

Pretty sure the problem is they bought the CHEAPEST worst CNC machine EVAR. because foxconn bought all the good ones to make Iphones.

I was skeptical of the "2nd batch is better quality" claim. "Because Vortex."

And you guys need some real feet ;o

[Moosecraft]

This wouldn't fit a ducky board right?

[calavera]

Pretty sure the problem is they bought the CHEAPEST worst CNC machine EVAR. because foxconn bought all the good ones to make Iphones.

I was skeptical of the "2nd batch is better quality" claim. "Because Vortex."

And you guys need some real feet ;o

Where can I get those? I've been looking for something exactly like that!!

[dirge]

Pretty sure the problem is they bought the CHEAPEST worst CNC machine EVAR. because foxconn bought all the good ones to make Iphones.

I was skeptical of the "2nd batch is better quality" claim. "Because Vortex."

And you guys need some real feet ;o

Where can I get those? I've been looking for something exactly like that!!

I made something similar with high heel stick on grips..

[laffindude]

Where can I get those? I've been looking for something exactly like that!!

These are the same feet that Vortex used on the Poker/Pure/Race/Oni/One. I could probably get a few more sets, but I am gonna keep them as spare parts since I have many boards that use these feet.

You could just buy some egrips and cut your own. The hole is roughly 10mm x 40mm. So these will probably fit pretty good: http://flexibleinnovations.com/component/com_rokecwid/Itemid,423/view,ecwid#!/~/product/category=411410&id=1457612  .35" = ~9mm.

[metalliqaz]

Wow, as if I needed another reason to avoid Vortex...

[calavera]

Where can I get those? I've been looking for something exactly like that!!

These are the same feet that Vortex used on the Poker/Pure/Race/Oni/One. I could probably get a few more sets, but I am gonna keep them as spare parts since I have many boards that use these feet.

You could just buy some egrips and cut your own. The hole is roughly 10mm x 40mm. So these will probably fit pretty good: http://flexibleinnovations.com/component/com_rokecwid/Itemid,423/view,ecwid#!/~/product/category=411410&id=1457612  .35" = ~9mm.

Thanks for the info. But those estrips you linked isn't what you have on your case?

[laffindude]

The ones on my case are the strips Vortex used. AFAIK Vortex doesn't sell spare parts.

[brighenne]

Just received a grey case today, screws fit fine in the bottom side recesses, but they're the wrong thread.. that's a good way to get people to strip out their cases.

Also, only received one pair of the rubber feet, not two.

[verbhal]

I got my red case in today.  Looks great.  Luckily all my screws fit just fine, although I only got 2 dots as well.  Will grab something to put on the front part.  Pic quality isn't the best though.  Needs some caps now and the green cord looks a bit silly.

[tp4tissue]

Looks good Verbhal, could you take some high-res photos with Good Natural Sunlight?

[Leslieann]

Response to my inquest from Mechanical Keyboards regarding feet...

We will definitely be sending you out these feet once we receive them. For some reason they sent us the feet for all of the new color cases (blue, red, grey, black) but still did not send any silver feet. We have contacted Vortex asking them why they still didnt send any silver feet, but they are off until March for the Chinese New Years.

[metalliqaz]

They don't have them, they aren't going to send them.  Call it a hunch.

[tp4tissue]

Response to my inquest from Mechanical Keyboards regarding feet...

We will definitely be sending you out these feet once we receive them. For some reason they sent us the feet for all of the new color cases (blue, red, grey, black) but still did not send any silver feet. We have contacted Vortex asking them why they still didnt send any silver feet, but they are off until March for the Chinese New Years.

Yea I got the same letter.... same exact words too...

i don't know why they don't just send us the "colored" ones... I don't really care about matching colors..

[tp4tissue]

They don't have them, they aren't going to send them.  Call it a hunch.

Freakin' don't jinx it 

[brighenne]

Just received a grey case today, screws fit fine in the bottom side recesses, but they're the wrong thread.. that's a good way to get people to strip out their cases.

An update to this:  They were the correct screws, it was actually a poor job of masking during the anodizing process so that each of the screw holes had a lip of the aluminum oxide that needed to be sanded down.

[verbhal]

Yeah tp, I'll try and find the camera tomorrow.

[FinalJeopardy]

FIRST POST!!! I ordered one of these in blue guys. Fingers crossed. I'll let you know how it turns out.