Filco Majestouch 2 Silent with Cherry MX Pink switch - Quick Review

[phoenix1234]

Long time no see, GH 
Again, I just received the newest model from Filco - the Filco Majestouch 2 Silent with Pink switch.
So I'm going to do a quick review about it.

Un-boxing:
- The keyboard
- User manual
- Keyboard cover in plastic
- PS2 converter



Price
I purchased this keyboard at 3,190,000 VND (~143 USD) from the Filco local agent in Vietnam (PCX - 01.net.vn/ban-phim-co-filco)

Building Quality

At first, it seems the build quality is similar to Filco Majestouch 2 with ABS keycap.




The keyboard is Made in Taiwan, probably by Costar manufacturer with Costar stabilizers.


However, inside, between the plate and the PCB, there is 5 bolts with washers.
This is very interesting to me because it may help the keyboard assembly better and higher quality. Plus, this will help to damp the sound and make the keyboard quieter.



The keyboard controller is nothing special, it is similar to other Filco family keyboard.

It is quite mod-friendly, users may remove the controller and replace with their own design.

Switch type
Filco Majestouch 2 Silent uses the Cherry MX Pink switch.



I took one switch out of the keyboard to see what is inside



The switch is pretty with factory-damper




Most importantly and surprisingly, I can see the factory-oil inside of the switch. I'm not sure if you can see the oil in the picture but appearance the oil appears on the stem and the copper legs. 



For me, it seems the Cherry MX Pink is produced with new tools and machines so I can see the precision and completeness of the switch is pretty high.



Typing experience
The keyboard is very solid and it delivers a good typing experience. The switch is pretty smooth - right from the factory. It is as smooth as Cherry MX Red lubed with Krytox 105 but lighter and not sticky! The Cherry MX pink switch is pretty silent with feedback due to the factory-damper. The feedback feeling is quite similar when typing on Real Force 45g. Before purchasing this keyboard, I thought it is similar to Cherry MX red but I'm quite surprise when typing on it because it is very different. It feels like a lubed Cherry MX red plus damper but it is not exactly the same.


Final words
Filco Majestouch 2 Silent delivers a great typing experience for people who is looking for a mechanical keyboard with quieter sound and different feedback. For those people who already had Cherry MX Red, it is worth a try, at least at the shop before you buy it, I believe you will see the difference.

I'm going to replace the keycap set with a PBT set and put it as my main daily keyboard. I will update this thread more in the future if there is any new discovery.

Thank you for your reading. 

[chyros]

"Cherry MX Pink"

wat

[klennkellon]

Wait, a non vintage Cherry switch that's actually smooth?

[xondat]

I think it's fair to say we're here for the switch.

Any more pictures of the switch?

[Vittra]

Thanks for the tear down and review.

"Cherry MX Pink"
wat

Yeah, seems to be more of a salmon even from their promo photos.

[thelaughingman]

"Cherry MX Pink"

wat

supposedly improved-Cherry-MX-Silent that was used in the Corsair Strafe RGB.

The feedback feeling is quite similar when typing on Real Force 45g.

I'm very intrigued given that I love my Novatouch with Filco SA. Will probably have to drag my butts to store to test myself.

[Erikdayo]

I picked up a WASD V2 with these same switches. They're quite nice. But one thing to note is they feel heavier than normal Cherry MX Reds. Perhaps it is part of the internal dampening. You can't press as lightly to get the switch in motion.

I figured they were just the Corsair switches without LEDs. Are they confirmed different otherwise?

[jwaz]

I want it just because it's pink

[zslane]

Is this new Filco available for purchase anywhere?

[ceflame]

Hmm the stem looks identical to the MX Silents that I have. I guess they just changed the name and put the stem in stock housing rather than the clear ones.

[bloorocket]

Please compare MX Red + O rings vs MX Pink Stock
Maybe if its more silent I would invest in MX Pink + O rings one day...

[czarek]

Hey man, can you update on how it fares as your daily driver so far?

[CPTBadAss]

I wonder if there's an easy way to get a hold of one of these in the States. I'd love to try one out. Like jwaz, I'm very intrigued by the pink....and now more interested because of the description of the switch in the OP.

[xtrafrood]

Almost looks like a cherry MX red soaked in alcohol long enough to dull the color to pink! That's cray! How about the weight of the switch? Any way to measure it?

The only mention I could find of Cherry MX Pink is here:https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=15206.0 (2011 - Probably a fake?)

Ok, sorry, just found the product pages

Majestouch 2 S [PinkSwitch/Fullsize/US ASCII] http://www.diatec.co.jp/en/det.php?prod_c=2268
Majestouch 2 S Tenkeyless [PinkSwitch/Tenkeyless/US ASCII] http://www.diatec.co.jp/en/det.php?prod_c=2270

45cN. Looks legit Thank you for the review!

[zslane]

I wonder if there's an easy way to get a hold of one of these in the States. I'd love to try one out. Like jwaz, I'm very intrigued by the pink....and now more interested because of the description of the switch in the OP.

It looks like mechanicalkeyboards.com intends to sell them but does not have them in stock yet.

[czarek]

Wasd sells keyboatds with those switches. I may decide to import one to try it out.

[zslane]

Their website doesn't allow you to buy a barebones keyboard with these switches. 

[ika]

chill with the bokeh and take usable pics...

[Flyersfan1]

I wonder if there's an easy way to get a hold of one of these in the States. I'd love to try one out. Like jwaz, I'm very intrigued by the pink....and now more interested because of the description of the switch in the OP.

Almost looks like a cherry MX red soaked in alcohol long enough to dull the color to pink! That's cray! How about the weight of the switch? Any way to measure it?

The only mention I could find of Cherry MX Pink is here:https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=15206.0 (2011 - Probably a fake?)

Ok, sorry, just found the product pages

Majestouch 2 S [PinkSwitch/Fullsize/US ASCII] http://www.diatec.co.jp/en/det.php?prod_c=2268
Majestouch 2 S Tenkeyless [PinkSwitch/Tenkeyless/US ASCII] http://www.diatec.co.jp/en/det.php?prod_c=2270

45cN. Looks legit Thank you for the review!

It looks like mechanicalkeyboards.com might be getting them soon...hopefully it won't be too much longer, I got a chance to try these on that corsair strafe board, and they really do feel nice.  I can imagine the feeling would be better on a more solidly built keyboard like a Filco.

[Findecanor]

Ah, so the official name is "Cherry MX Silent Red" but Diatec (Filco) decided to call them "Cherry MX Pink".

Edit: But what is the real colour? Is the slider colour different from Cherry MX Red?

[czarek]

Their website doesn't allow you to buy a barebones keyboard with these switches. 

Does mechanicalkeyboard.com allow you to buy Filco barebones? Stock keycaps are crap in both cases anyways.
I bit the bullet and ordered one from wasd. Shipping to Europe is horrendously expensive, I will also have to pay import duties. It will end up costing as much as Realforce easily. I'm going to equip it with thick PBT blanks (Gateron's EnjoyPBT) and will put it through some tests.

[xtrafrood]

I wonder if there's an easy way to get a hold of one of these in the States. I'd love to try one out. Like jwaz, I'm very intrigued by the pink....and now more interested because of the description of the switch in the OP.

Almost looks like a cherry MX red soaked in alcohol long enough to dull the color to pink! That's cray! How about the weight of the switch? Any way to measure it?

The only mention I could find of Cherry MX Pink is here:https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=15206.0 (2011 - Probably a fake?)

Ok, sorry, just found the product pages

Majestouch 2 S [PinkSwitch/Fullsize/US ASCII] http://www.diatec.co.jp/en/det.php?prod_c=2268
Majestouch 2 S Tenkeyless [PinkSwitch/Tenkeyless/US ASCII] http://www.diatec.co.jp/en/det.php?prod_c=2270

45cN. Looks legit Thank you for the review!

It looks like mechanicalkeyboards.com might be getting them soon...hopefully it won't be too much longer, I got a chance to try these on that corsair strafe board, and they really do feel nice.  I can imagine the feeling would be better on a more solidly built keyboard like a Filco.

I actually have had my eye on those KOBO frames

[zslane]

Those KOBO frames do look tasty. I just wish they had an off-white and/or biege frame.

[dakuzo]

I emailed mechanicalkeyboards.com last week. They told me they had placed an order for these Filco Majestouch S keyboards. No ETA though.

[Erikdayo]

Their website doesn't allow you to buy a barebones keyboard with these switches. 

they do. But they're still not listed on the site. Just email customer service, and they'll get you what you want. That is what I did anyway.

[czarek]

Their website doesn't allow you to buy a barebones keyboard with these switches. 

they do. But they're still not listed on the site. Just email customer service, and they'll get you what you want. That is what I did anyway.

And how do you like it? Do you have a topre for comparison? I am pretty happy with my RF 104 Silent, but I do like light linear switches. My overall favourite would probably be Vintage MX Black with lighter springs (those from MX Reds), as it's relatively quiet, light, and buttery smooth. If the new switch is that (light and smooth) + dampening to make the annoying upstroke silent (I almost never bottom out on those light blacks so don't care about downstroke) that would make me switch from my Realforce (and probably even return it while I still can).

[lolkey]

Do they make these in tenkeyless ninja? Also, can we get a sound test? I want to hear how it sounds!

[czarek]

There are couple videos on youtube showing the sound:

The sound on those videos is phenomenal. Really if it is as smooth as vintage blacks, as light as reds and sounds like that, I don't want realforce any more
Basically on the first video it sounds like my RF 104 with factory silencing (purple sliders). On second video, with DSA keycaps it sounds precisely like my HHKB with Hypersphere's rings.

[Heezy]

Got 'em!





Since I've heard of the 'MX Pinks' and reading the reviews here in GH, and knowing that they are pretty close to a Topre in terms of smoothness, I have to give them a try.

I won't go into details as to taking the switch out as OP had already had a much in depth review on them, I am just going into how I feel about the keyboard.

Now I have had numerous MX Reds in the past, of which I still own some of them today, some hidden away. Such as the Aorus K7, Ducky 9087g2 (At least that's the name I remember..), CM Rapid I, and so on. I have also owned KMAC2 with 62g vintage blacks, also some stock MX black keyboards, like Steelseries 6gv2, CM Trigger. Also currently have these tactile keyboards in stash - Cheats 62g MX Clear, CM Rapid I MX Brown, CM QFR MX Blue, Topre 87 modified with 45g alphas, and the rest 55g, oiled stabs. I have also owned several Filcos in the past (White casing, camo casing, black casing all browns unfortunately.)

Feeling wise - oh boy, MX reds were like typing on a cloud of boobs? These are like natural size D/E feeling (I know how they felt.. until she left me...), soft, smooth. I think that's enough of an example to understand how smooth these are. MX reds feels a little bit empty now comparing it to MX pink, as what I read in here, it is somewhat closer to what a Topre would feel, but without the tactile that Topre has. I loved gaming on MX reds, the Aorus K7 was my keyboard of choice for gaming for awhile since they've been given to me by the Gigabyte boys, so no doubt I would prefer these on gaming (have yet to try though), not to say that Topre's are bad for gaming, they are great as well.

I am currently waiting on my EnjoyPBT set to get to me, and then I'll compare these again. From the videos in this thread, the thick cherry keycaps seems to be very close to what I would want, so I'll just wait until the EnjoyPBT to arrive.

SIDENOTE - the keyboard feels a little bit sturdier + heavier for some reason, compare to other Filcos that I've had before. Not sure if they've changed OEM or something, but by looking at the pictures in this thread, it doesn't seem like it... if that's the case, seems like they've buffed it up a little bit. It just seems a little bit more solid now.

[ntw]

good stuff from fellow Malaysian!!

[Hyde]

There are couple videos on youtube showing the sound:

The sound on those videos is phenomenal. Really if it is as smooth as vintage blacks, as light as reds and sounds like that, I don't want realforce any more
Basically on the first video it sounds like my RF 104 with factory silencing (purple sliders). On second video, with DSA keycaps it sounds precisely like my HHKB with Hypersphere's rings.

Damn they really do sound like my modded Topre RealForce silent.  I'm curious to try the switch now too. 

[Giorgio]

Final words [/b]
Filco Majestouch 2 Silent delivers a great typing experience for people who is looking for a mechanical keyboard with quieter sound and different feedback. For those people who already had Cherry MX Red, it is worth a try, at least at the shop before you buy it, I believe you will see the difference.

I'm going to replace the keycap set with a PBT set and put it as my main daily keyboard. I will update this thread more in the future if there is any new discovery.

Thank you for your reading.

I tried the corsair strafe silent some time ago, and I noticed that these switches need more force to actually start moving. Could you try to put some nickels on the key, and see how many ones do you need to see the first infinitesimal movement? And compare them with reds. You'll see that there is a difference of about five grams.

Are the switches pcb mounted? You've been able to remove them without desoldering?

The gmk uniqey clips, if your keyboard is pcb mounted, is much more quiet, particularly in regard to the stabilised keys.

Please update us. Thanks.

[czarek]

Finally received mine. Fullsize WASD with those switches. Yeah WASD has worse QA than Filco, and the case is not as sturdy, but it doesn't have any visible branding, has smaller lock lights, has media keys and hardware Mac / Colemak / Dvorak layouts, proper Control placement etc, so IMO it evens out.
As for the switches themselves. They don't feel anything like stock REDs or Vintage Blacks. Due to this dampening they feel more like linear Topre than Cherry. They are just as smooth as my RealForce (104 UB S), probably even quieter than RealForce and definitely MUCH quieter than my HHKB with Hypersphere's rings. However I'm not sure if I like it or not. The action is very similar to 30G Topre keys (which are almost linear, and somewheat mushy), just a bit heavier, but also kinda mushy towards the bottom. I've put Gateron's EnjoyPBT keycaps on it (thich cherry profile PBT) and going to use it for couple weeks to see how it fares, then I'll compare to Realforce again. I've got about 2 weeks until I can still return my Realforce, but I have a feeling it might eventually stay
Note that I'm comparing $150 keyboard (barebones + PBT keycaps) to $250 keyboard here, but in reality when buying in Europe, they cost almost the same as the Realforce we can buy "locally" in Keyboard Company, and WASD costs fortune to ship and pay import duties.

[zslane]

What do you mean by "media keys"?

[czarek]

Volume controls, play/pause/next/prev track on a hardwired FN layer. Optional as you can disable them with a flick of a dip switch. It's far from being essential or a game changer to me, but is good to have for sure.

Also I don't know if it's the shorter action, or what, but the keys do feel a bit heavier than normal reds. Maybe not to actuate, but definitely to bottom out. The sensation is very similar to the Cherry MY switch where you have smooth and not that heavy linear action on top and super heavy linear part towards the bottom. It's nowhere as heavy as the MY but this feel is there. That's the thing I don't like about this switch. Makes it feel a bit mushy. I know it's good for fingers though as it pretty much stops you from bottoming out and makes you type in the air. I don't know. As I said, I'll give it at least a week or two, then I'll switch back to Realforce and see what I feel.

BTW. When switching to HHKB (which I always have on hand), HHKB feels and sounds very plasticky compared to those switches, it also doesn't feel as heavy as when switching from Realforce, which is very good sign so far.

[Ashlyn]

Those pink switches are pretty

[zslane]

I look forward to trying these out on a Varmilo VA108 some day.

[iLLucionist]

Soooo... MX Pink = Silent Red?

1) What's so silent about the switch?

2) Do they also have MX Clears in Silent edition then?

[zslane]

1. I believe answers can be found in the first post in this thread.

2. No. At this time it only exists as a variant of MX Red.

[iLLucionist]

1. I believe answers can be found in the first post in this thread.

2. No. At this time it only exists as a variant of MX Red.

1. Thanks! Should've read a bit more carefully.

[Giorgio]

Also I don't know if it's the shorter action, or what, but the keys do feel a bit heavier than normal reds. Maybe not to actuate, but definitely to bottom out.

I'm quite sure that what you say is true, since I tested them many months ago, but now there's another geekhacker who says that they're lighter than actual reds. Can you please test how many nickels or eurocents are needed to register the first movement of the switch, and then how many are needed to bottom out?

thanks

[Giorgio]

How could you remove one switch, without desoldering all the other switches? It seems that the plate has come coutouts that allows the removal of the top of the switch? Not sure about this.

[cutterline]

How could you remove one switch, without desoldering all the other switches? It seems that the plate has come coutouts that allows the removal of the top of the switch? Not sure about this.

and since when you need to remove all the switches to remove one switch? That logic baffled me. With that logic, if one key is chattering/broken, you're doomed because you need to desolder all the switches first . After desoldering properly, you need to unhook the switch hook from the plate as well to take it off. If it's snug, then push the black stem from pcb side also help, repeat the step of unhook and push until you can take it off.

No cut out, you can see it from his picture of removing his pause/break key. Otherwise he didn't even need to desolder that one switch to open it up.

[Giorgio]

How could you remove one switch, without desoldering all the other switches? It seems that the plate has come coutouts that allows the removal of the top of the switch? Not sure about this.

and since when you need to remove all the switches to remove one switch? That logic baffled me. With that logic, if one key is chattering/broken, you're doomed because you need to desolder all the switches first . After desoldering properly, you need to unhook the switch hook from the plate as well to take it off. If it's snug, then push the black stem from pcb side also help, repeat the step of unhook and push until you can take it off.

No cut out, you can see it from his picture of removing his pause/break key. Otherwise he didn't even need to desolder that one switch to open it up.

Then why are there cutouts in plates? Explain.

[brighenne]

How could you remove one switch, without desoldering all the other switches? It seems that the plate has come coutouts that allows the removal of the top of the switch? Not sure about this.

and since when you need to remove all the switches to remove one switch? That logic baffled me. With that logic, if one key is chattering/broken, you're doomed because you need to desolder all the switches first . After desoldering properly, you need to unhook the switch hook from the plate as well to take it off. If it's snug, then push the black stem from pcb side also help, repeat the step of unhook and push until you can take it off.

No cut out, you can see it from his picture of removing his pause/break key. Otherwise he didn't even need to desolder that one switch to open it up.

Then why are there cutouts in plates? Explain.

Exactly what you said before, it's just to allow removal of the switch top. That allows you to swap stems/springs without desoldering.

[Hyde]

Seems like everyone's really enjoying the switch, unfortunately I'm gonna be the first one to to say otherwise. 

I finally get a chance to try Corsair Strafe MX Silent (same switch).  First impression is that it actually feels very similar to Matias Quiet ALPS, I mean it makes sense because the dampening technology behind it is pretty much identical.  Only difference is that one is tactile and one is linear.

That being said, I still feel like Topre is equally silent and feels better.

I always find MX Silent / Quiet ALPS feels too mushy for me when bottoming out.

So for me if you want the authentic mechanical feel, go with the regular MX switches, if you want quiet switches, go Topre. 

[zslane]

But what if you want a silenced/damped linear switch? Topre doesn't help there, and neither do regular MX switches.

[Hyde]

But what if you want a silenced/damped linear switch? Topre doesn't help there, and neither do regular MX switches.

Well yes in that case then you're correct, that will be the only option.

But for me the bottom out feel gets too soft for me, similar reason why I chose not to use o-ring.

I guess in that case it's sort of a "which would you rather have" scenario. 

[tonykwon79]

Ah, so the official name is "Cherry MX Silent Red" but Diatec (Filco) decided to call them "Cherry MX Pink".

Edit: But what is the real colour? Is the slider colour different from Cherry MX Red?

Are they really same but the naming is just different?
Most of us know that it is Cherry MX silent Red. Filco named it on their own way. lol

In Korea, Leopold also released silent Red products.

[Giorgio]

Ah, so the official name is "Cherry MX Silent Red" but Diatec (Filco) decided to call them "Cherry MX Pink".

Edit: But what is the real colour? Is the slider colour different from Cherry MX Red?

Are they really same but the naming is just different?
Most of us know that it is Cherry MX silent Red. Filco named it on their own way. lol

In Korea, Leopold also released silent Red products.

it's the same
pink= silent mx red