Filco KOBO Cover/Fascia

[therecorder]

http://www.keyboardco.com/index.asp - LOOK UNDER "FILCO ACCESSORIES"

Nice looking, but a bit expensive, and you must purchase with a Filco keyboard.  Fitted before shipment, and you don't get to keep the original!

[AKIMbO]

Damn...why make it so you have to purchase a keyboard with the case.  Sell the case separately Bruce! T__T

[xenon_chris]

You sure that you can only purchase with keyboard, says nothing of the sort on the page only "Keyboard not included."

[therecorder]

You sure that you can only purchase with keyboard, says nothing of the sort on the page only "Keyboard not included."

Read the description below the photo.

[jeroplane]

You sure that you can only purchase with keyboard, says nothing of the sort on the page only "Keyboard not included."

The Filco KOBO cover/fascia in Red Wood design is a direct replacement for the standard cover/fascia on a Tenkeyless Filco keyboard. However, covers/fascias are not sold separately, they must be purchased with a standard Filco Tenkeyless keyboard and will be fitted before despatch (we will not ship the original black cover/fascia).
To order, just add the cover/fascia to your shopping cart and then add the Tenkeyless keyboard of your choice.

But that redwood... Oh my...

[xenon_chris]

I still cant see that text, most odd.... no wait im a spaz - was looking at the "Filco Keyboard Roof, Perspex Protecter/Platform" /humblepie

Didn't notice the fascias till just now /splurge 

[IvanIvanovich]

Yes, that seems quite annoying. I can understand they want to fit it with a new keyboard if all purchased together for warranty reasons. But, not just selling it separate for aftermarket modders that already have a board and also not including the original (what are they going to do with it?) is quite perplexing.

[tp4tissue]

What a rip off. Keyboard co can go screw themselves.

And they won't ship the original case that YOU PAID FOR?

So essentially it's value OFF of your purchase, because they STEAL your freaking original case..

what a bunch of thieves...


I hope none of you fall for this.

It doesn't even look like those cases are well painted... designer my ass,, more like a guy in his garage with a can of spray paint.

We should boycott this garbage and shady business.


I am genuinely angry.... !!!!! 

the only things good outta Britain are those BBC documentaries, everything else is subpar, Way to drop the ball after the industrial revolution.

[tjcaustin]

Top Gear is pretty alright.  And not at all a documentary.

[tp4tissue]

Top Gear is pretty alright.  And not at all a documentary.

I've been told by my car enthusiast friends that top gear has very little to do with the actual hobby since high priced cars are like alienware and mac. Huge markup for a pretty shell, but very little added performance.

But, I've always thought that the pretty shell was the point, so I'm not sure I agree with him.

I would think that the people who are rich enough to buy a ferrari are well educated enough to know that t=e car isn't actually much faster. It's more on the line of, this will make me irresistible to poon.

[WhiteFireDragon]

The wood looks pretty nice. But the gold and silver looks like a $4 paint job. I pretty sure the reason they don't include "original" case is because this IS the original case that they painted.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Would you really be interested in women who are shallow enough to swoon over a flash car? (Probably just means that they see money to be extracted out of you or some such.)

No idea WTF is with those keyboard cases though – the price is around the same as on the Diatec website, but Google can't translate the page well enough to suggest what Diatec are selling. I can't even figure out what their page does – seems awfully complicated just to order some lame replacement case.

[tp4tissue]

The wood looks pretty nice. But the gold and silver looks like a $4 paint job. I pretty sure the reason they don't include "original" case is because this IS the original case that they painted.

Exactly, keyboard co, THIEVESSSSSSS..........

[MMB]

The wood looks pretty nice. But the gold and silver looks like a $4 paint job. I pretty sure the reason they don't include "original" case is because this IS the original case that they painted.

Keyboardco didn't make these cases. They are made like this from Filco. You can check into their japan site and see the exact same cases.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Opportunists maybe, but they're not stealing what people aren't buying. The proof is in whether anyone seriously wants to spend that kind of money on some of the worst bling around (either here or in Japan, although the Japanese have a somewhat different sense of aesthetics to the west). The wood one is passable, but it just doesn't look right.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Dear me …

[MMB]

http://www.diatec.co.jp/shop/kobo/

[dreamingftw]

The designs look a little tacky IMO.

[BucklingSpring]

Wow - 100 pounds for a dirty blow paint job. 

No thanks.

[longweight]

What a rip off. Keyboard co can go screw themselves.

And they won't ship the original case that YOU PAID FOR?

So essentially it's value OFF of your purchase, because they STEAL your freaking original case..

what a bunch of thieves...


I hope none of you fall for this.

It doesn't even look like those cases are well painted... designer my ass,, more like a guy in his garage with a can of spray paint.

We should boycott this garbage and shady business.


I am genuinely angry.... !!!!! 

the only things good outta Britain are those BBC documentaries, everything else is subpar, Way to drop the ball after the industrial revolution.

lol! I hope that you are being a troll!

[tp4tissue]

What a rip off. Keyboard co can go screw themselves.

And they won't ship the original case that YOU PAID FOR?

So essentially it's value OFF of your purchase, because they STEAL your freaking original case..

what a bunch of thieves...


I hope none of you fall for this.

It doesn't even look like those cases are well painted... designer my ass,, more like a guy in his garage with a can of spray paint.

We should boycott this garbage and shady business.


I am genuinely angry.... !!!!! 

the only things good outta Britain are those BBC documentaries, everything else is subpar, Way to drop the ball after the industrial revolution.

lol! I hope that you are being a troll!

Did you even look at the pictures?? It's horrible.. Those cases are straight up ugly. And for that amount of dough, the surface isn't even even,looks ripple-y.

[nar]

Would you really be interested in women who are shallow enough to swoon over a flash car? (Probably just means that they see money to be extracted out of you or some such.)

No idea WTF is with those keyboard cases though – the price is around the same as on the Diatec website, but Google can't translate the page well enough to suggest what Diatec are selling. I can't even figure out what their page does – seems awfully complicated just to order some lame replacement case.

The Diatec Kobo page is offering you custom Filcos. You get to choose the case (From normal black to the expensive gold casing), the format (Fullsize, TKL, English or Japanese Layout), Printing Type (Normal Japanese, Normal English Only, Ninja) and the Cherry Switch you want.

If you notice though, the only thing different from just picking any of the available combinations of Normal/Tenkeyless/Ninja/Cherry MX Switch is the case and thats what Keyboardco is doing, they are just offering the Kobo in the way that doesn't require a custom web page.

So, its not a replacement case your ordering a custom case from the very start, thats why keyboardco doesn't sell those cases standalone.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

It's a bit vague – you could read the keyboardco pages as saying that they (keyboardco) fit the covers for you, or it could mean that they order them from Japan for you on demand.

If they're really just ordering them from Diatec on your behalf, then why the doubling in price?

[tp4tissue]

It's a bit vague – you could read the keyboardco pages as saying that they (keyboardco) fit the covers for you, or it could mean that they order them from Japan for you on demand.

If they're really just ordering them from Diatec on your behalf, then why the doubling in price?

Because they like to rip people off.

[SmallFry]

Well... they could just stop stocking boards totally. Thus, the EU would be out of a source for boards. They have to make money somehow.

[tp4tissue]

Well... they could just stop stocking boards totally. Thus, the EU would be out of a source for boards. They have to make money somehow.

is that your way of callin' me a commie? 

[Bruce]

Hi Guys

I would normally wait for a question in our forum so as to avoid jumping into your chats but some of this seems to be directed at me so here I am.

Filco are finishing these themselves to a much higher standard than anything I've seen before. They DO rock. We decided it would be better fitted by us because we are keen to avoid issues around warranty and that top cover is not easy unless you know what you're doing, so we sell you the cover and you break something - was what we wanted to avoid.

We didn't foresee an issue with the old cover being returned and adding that to the keyboard meant it messed up our packaging and on overseas could cost more and we couldn't code it for the back office system easily -  so we just though it easier to bin it, after all, once the Kobo is fitted, what you gonna do with it?
We can send the old cover to you if you ask.

Price is high, I don't normally apologize for that and I'm not going to now. We want to be able to offer this option to anyone who might want it.

Remember, these are hand finished in Tokyo, sent in small batches to UK where they are then lovingly fitted to the board of your choice. It's a labor (Labour) thing.

We have the Gold, Black Metallic and Red Wood models in stock now.
http://www.keyboardco.com/keyboard_search.asp?SR=kobo&SG=1&SP=1&SS=code

[tp4tissue]

Hi Guys

I would normally wait for a question in our forum so as to avoid jumping into your chats but some of this seems to be directed at me so here I am.

Filco are finishing these themselves to a much higher standard than anything I've seen before. They DO rock. We decided it would be better fitted by us because we are keen to avoid issues around warranty and that top cover is not easy unless you know what you're doing, so we sell you the cover and you break something - was what we wanted to avoid.

We didn't foresee an issue with the old cover being returned and adding that to the keyboard meant it messed up our packaging and on overseas could cost more and we couldn't code it for the back office system easily -  so we just though it easier to bin it, after all, once the Kobo is fitted, what you gonna do with it?
We can send the old cover to you if you ask.

Price is high, I don't normally apologize for that and I'm not going to now. We want to be able to offer this option to anyone who might want it.

Remember, these are hand finished in Tokyo, sent in small batches to UK where they are then lovingly fitted to the board of your choice. It's a labor (Labour) thing.

We have the Gold, Black Metallic and Red Wood models in stock now.
http://www.keyboardco.com/keyboard_search.asp?SR=kobo&SG=1&SP=1&SS=code

Alright keyboard co, I apologize for my other obtuse comments.

But, I find it quite dishonest for you to claim that you'd simply throw out the keyboard covers you harvested .. because you're not an idiot, and you know that a Filco cover can be resold.


So, yea, stop giving the run around. You're not politicians.

Is the rippling in the painted surface a "feature" or just poor execution?

[Bruce]

LOL.

Thanks tp4tissue

All I can say is I have never sold a standard cover on it's own and I don't see a lot of mileage in so doing.
And like I say, if you want it - just ask.

I'm not sure why the texture is exactly as it is - but I like it.

[SmallFry]

People on the forum here want them for their custom projects like the Phantom. That being said, has anyone bought a Kobo and not wanted the case that you'd be willing to sell?

[therecorder]

Bruce,

Thanks for your input.

However, I have a different problem with these covers.  The expression goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words."  Unless, unfortunately, one is dealing with the colors of things.  In that case, "A picture isn't worth jack.  A few weeks ago, I received a Filco AI from The Keyboard Company.  I was looking forward to brightening up my desk with that shiney, light, sort of reflective blue seen in your photos of this keyboard (as well as scores of other photos of it across the Internet).  What I got was a dark purplish blue keyboard.  The only way to make it look like it is in the photos is to take another flash photo of it, or to shine a bright flashlight on it from less than an inch away...  I learned my lesson.

Want a better example of what I'm getting at?  Look at your photos of the Filco KOBO Dark Metal Cover/Fascia:

http://www.keyboardco.com/keyboard_big.asp?PRODUCT=1019
http://www.keyboardco.com/keyboard_big.asp?PRODUCT=1020

Which part of the keyboards is closest to its "actual" color?

[Daniel Beardsmore]

It will be monitor/browser dependent (e.g. if the image has a colour profile) but words I wouldn't use to describe those photos include "light" and "shiney". They look scorched, like they've been rescued from a house fire. The gold one also looked similarly unappealing. If you bought it on the strength of the photos, then I might possibly suggest that your next port of call should be Specsavers ;-)

(What's annoying is that the proper metal cases being made are mostly if not all TKL – 100+ key keyboards don't get enough love.)

[Edit: Oops. I get now which one you really bought, but I still think the KOBO photos suck. Of course, shiny objects do depend highly on lighting and plenty of photos I'm getting up look dark as you're suggesting. Looks better darker to me IMO – the keyboardco photos from Diatec look all washed out and pale.]

[therecorder]

It will be monitor/browser dependent (e.g. if the image has a colour profile) but words I wouldn't use to describe those photos include "light" and "shiney". They look scorched, like they've been rescued from a house fire. The gold one also looked similarly unappealing. If you bought it on the strength of the photos, then I might possibly suggest that your next port of call should be Specsavers ;-)

(What's annoying is that the proper metal cases being made are mostly if not all TKL – 100+ key keyboards don't get enough love.)

[Edit: Oops. I get now which one you really bought, but I still think the KOBO photos suck. Of course, shiny objects do depend highly on lighting and plenty of photos I'm getting up look dark as you're suggesting. Looks better darker to me IMO – the keyboardco photos from Diatec look all washed out and pale.]

You're missing my point.  The links I gave are to Dark Metal covers.  Does this mean that in real life that they are closer to the right side of the covers in the photos?

[Daniel Beardsmore]

I don't know what colour they're supposed to be! The photos are just too terrible.

[Binge]

Most people will white balance/chroma correct the photos for products.  If they photographed on a white backdrop and balanced by level to white it may have completely ruined the gradient of that keyboard cover.  Photo editing is a tricky bit if you're rushing.

[Eszett]

I agree with the angry people here. At first glance, the white cover looked nice in my eyes. But on a closer look, it looks like cheap plastic. I would call it a rip off, too. I would pay 20$ for this.

[Kakkun]

I don't know if this has been mentioned here, but you can send in your current Filco keyboard to Diatec to get the cover replaced. It costs a bit more than what they're charging on Keyboard Co.
Also, they only take domestic orders.

Lastly, I think these are ugly. My $0.02.

[Bruce]

These do look good in the flesh. I love the Gold one. The carbon ones are a little less to my liking, but then real carbon looks like plastic anyway.

[Vanilla]

Wow the real carbon one is really nice; I might end up getting it if I think about it too much. 
With real honest to goodness carbon, there will be character adding imperfections from the lamination and wrapping of the layers of carbon weave if you look closely enough.