Hello Everyone.
Edgar Matias here. I've been reading the comments on the Silver & Black Tactile Pro and thought I'd clear up a few things...
The keycaps are indeed laser printed, so there shouldn't be any wearing issues.
The extra symbols on the keys are a Mac-specific feature. Most of our customers are Mac users, which is why we chose Alps switches and not Cherry. Apple originally used Alps switches, so that's what most of the old timers like. To an Alps fan, Cherry switches feel cheap and non-tactile.
The Caps Lock key is linear (not tactile) because the LED indicator fills the cavity where the tactile leaf normally resides. Without the metal leaf, the key loses its tactile feel.
The case is a high-polish transparent polycarbonate, coated with aluminum paint, using the same process by which Apple paints their aluminum laptops. In fact, our painting vendor has done work for Apple in the past. Since it's metallic paint, it should stay new-looking for a very very long time.
The case will squeak if you torque it -- why anyone would want to do this, I don't know. This is not an indication of the quality of materials. It's because (for aesthetic reasons) the keyboard is curvy and held together with only 2 screws, plus a series of hooks around the edges of the case. We put a lot of effort into the design of the case. Other mechanical keyboards have a very flat case design, with 8+ screws holding everything together.
As for cost, the cheapest cases are the textured black ABS plastic ones that Filco and others use. The Das has a polished black painted top case, with a cheaper textured ABS bottom case. Razer uses some expensive coatings on their high-end keyboards, but underneath they're still ABS. The most expensive case is that of the Tactile Pro with polished polycarbonate for both the top and bottom case, painted internally or externally depending on the colour.
Let me know if you have any questions...
Best regards,
Edgar
