Truth is, the harder the choice is, the higher the odds, you'll be happy, whichever way you go.
getdigital (http://www.getdigital.de/products/Das_Keyboard_Model_S) carries the Das Model S in any layout. they also carry the Filco Majestouch but it's more expensive and only comes in US layout.
Note that Activekey sells the Déck 82 fire with german layout for 99€ + 7€ shipping for you.
I think, I don't really need backlight; for the Filco I could get fluorescent WASD keys they should be enough to game in the dark... I don't look @ the KB while gaming but need to find wasd Keys e.g. fast...
You'd better not be gaming (or whatever) in the dark if you have plans to use your eyesight some years later.
The Deck 82 is 82 Key only (wow who would expect this? xD) and I really want a full board (legend / filco). I also found out that the deck 82 is only available with mx blacks...
You'd better not be gaming (or whatever) in the dark if you have plans to use your eyesight some years later. As to finding quickly the WASD - you don't have to look them up at all, just practice some more.
AND DON'T SIT TOO CLOSE IN FRONT OF THE TV YOUNG MAN!
I used to think the Deck keycaps were flat to cut cost on profiling but sculpted keycaps have no advantage they act as a guide for your fingers like nibs. Adam at Deck has answered a lot of engineering questions and so far everything has been designed for a specific reason. maybe they are flat so your fingers are not constantly climbing and dropping? :)
I thought all Deck 82s only have the 6 key rollover since they all come with a USB instead of PS/2 connector? Now u telling me that the gold and red version have even less than that ?!?!? Like, wtf... Is anything other than green+blue a code in US hardware manufacturing for "crap version" ? :D
I was already confused why in the hell they offer red and yellow cheaper than blue and green, while it's the same friggin keyboard. But Ripster said already, Decks price structure is all ****ed up anyway and I simply assumed the "blue and green are just more popular colors"-stance....
Anywho, I will stay in touch with ActiveKey, let's see what they say monday about the blue. I could get it for around 170 Dolares with GER layout, which is kinda "cheap" considering, they normally retail for round 210 cash money round nah. I was actually kinda feeling that I could get my hands on a dying breed of kickass keyboard tech here, so I was really looking forward to close the deal, now that I decided to pay that much for a board... Fingers crossed ;)
About iOne:
Hm, still not sure bout them. If they are as good as anyone (I knew that the x-Armor prolly kicks the razer squaw in the nuts) and ActiveKey continues to stonewall me because they already realized internally that the Deck brand is doomed and don't really want to produce anything no more, then I might just wait for the x-Armor to be released here with German layout in November.
Particularly considering, I was already in touch with the iOne subsidiary in Germany and got some primo price offers for the x-Armor. Particularly if I order bulk.
About what I prefer in terms of switches:
How the hell do I know. I live in a desert of mechanical keyboards... Well technically I live in the land of Cherry.... But do they look like they display their mechs in stores? nuuhooooooohhhh....
So I never even laid hand on one. From reading, I'd say I prolly prefer linear blacks over tactile blues, bar the option of going for browns (at least for backlit mechs)...
Let me get that Deck first and see how I likes it. Everything else shall be decided after that.
Thx for ur infos though peeps! A well of knowledge here. I would have almost compromised for the red 82 deck. Now I know it's prolly good to wait for the blue.
Kind regards,
Senor_Cartmenez
Deck Legend 105 Toxic only comes in Linear.
/Edit:
Fun fact about iOne in Europe: I was talking to them about purchasing their mech boards for reselling. While talking price, lead times, etc., the BlackWidow was announced at Gamescom in Germany (dunno if it was announced elsewhere earlier, first I heard of it tho, fits the timing). When I heard bout that, I told my iOne contact that it may be tough to start compete against a brand like Razer which had just announced their own mech board which looked oddly familiar to the x-armor u9BL. My hope was to push the price a little. The answer I got was a bit strange. Now that I know iOne probably produces the BlackWidow, it kinda makes sense though. Until I received an answer to that mail, we were all very business like and serious. The answer from my contact was kinda loosey goosey though say stuff like "As a salesperson, I should tell you that it makes sense to compete with Razor :-)" (yes, the contact really used a smiley in a business mail ;) ). Was kind of a hopeless tone in terms of making a deal. What I wonder is, if they sold their concept to Razer, why do they bother to sitll bring it out in Europe under their own name, while they have such weak distribution and aren't that much cheaper?
Kinda get the feeling that the peripherals market is dominated by behemoths like Logitech+Cherry who just keep playing their oldschool game (one more successful than the other, while Cherry owns all those patents). On the other side you have new company's like Roccat. Razer and Steelseries, who recognized a niche in the market and fill it with proper management and skilled marketing. In between you have a lot of companies that seem to be kinda going nowhere, being a bit clueless. Deck and iOne seem to fit that bill, just like the Saiteks and RaptorGaming duds...
Wrap this all together with a warranty that even covers non-damaging modifications, and I would have to say that price is more than warranted. Like I mentioned earlier, the LEDs alone total to around $76 and if you add that to the top of the line Cherry MX switches that they use, it really makes you wonder why the SteelSeries 6G cost so much damn money. I mean after 82 Cherry switches, the LEDs, the PCB, steel plate, the housing, and the manufacturing costs, how much money is there actually to be made even at a large scale? According to our contact at Deck, there is actually very little profit involved. These keyboards are a part of their product line simply because they can be, and if people would like to invest in having the best of the best, they make it. If not, then go with something else. Their theory is that they aren’t around to make a killing in gaming, but they can make the best damn keyboard available to gamers.
Anywho, I will stay in touch with ActiveKey, let's see what they say monday about the blue. I could get it for around 170 Dolares with GER layout, which is kinda "cheap" considering, they normally retail for round 210 cash money round nah.
@darkrider
I would still consider ordering from Activekey, clueless and disinterested as they are, they are here at least... Don't forget that those bastards at the airport will most likely also charge u some hefty import duty, just cause they can...
> red and yellow cheaper than blue and green, while it's the same friggin keyboard.
This may simply be due to LED prices varying by color.
@Jalal
The Legend with German layout is defo dead for now and quite possibly forever. I am also quite positive that they never had a "prototype". I don't think ActiveKey is really willing to invest anything. Deck and thus "Gaming" Keyboards are not even close to their core business. I think they only have the Decks because they need industrial strength keyboards for their customers and some of them need backlit keyboards --> Deck
And apparently for the backlit ones they have another product to sell to their industrial customers if they ask for a 105 key backlit...
Schnell, Bitte!
I would just swap the Y and Z keys, keep/set German in Windows and as long as the Deck has the same amount of keys or one useless key fewer, it should work. This is what lmnop meant.
But you would suggest the RF with different strong keys (http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=topre_keyboards,realforce&pid=rf_se02b0), not the 55g version (http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=topre_keyboards,realforce&pid=rf_se02c0), right?
Just don't go Brazilian OK?
Show Image(http://www.math.ucdavis.edu/~greg/images/keyboard.png)
Some women think men that use fingernail polish are sexy (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071128085827AAMbl91). I used to clear coat mine for guitar playing.
They certainly don't.
I wonder if they are already peeing themselves because of Razer or if they are just saying "it was good while it lasted" and are ready to retire or what.
@lmnop's comment where he said Deck has been around since 2000 something and will be for much longer:
Look at there homepage. All kind of content has been disappearing, be it manuals, be it the pathetic forum, be it the products themselves.
Deckkeyboards.com doesn't actually sell much **** anymore. They only offer 2 keyboards in either tactile OR linear, the other 3 are only available with linear switches. They only offer 1 single type if 82 deck. The 21-key numpad has disappeard, the single keys and bags o' keys have disappeared. All the stuff they sell in their "components" section are looking like production leftovers (I am sure they had better fram colors to offer than that wicked baby blue and wierd red that looks like orange for the Deck 82).
I don't like this development at all. ActiveKey is already packing it in now. And I wonder how many more years Deck USA will continue to exist if they continue to shrink their business instead of growing it...
I mean I asked Deck if they had any future plans for Europe or if they might be looking for a distributor, now that Activekey is abandoning ship. They didn't even give me any answer to that at all. Come on.
They certainly don't.
I wonder if they are already peeing themselves because of Razer or if they are just saying "it was good while it lasted" and are ready to retire or what.
@lmnop's comment where he said Deck has been around since 2000 something and will be for much longer:
Look at there homepage. All kind of content has been disappearing, be it manuals, be it the pathetic forum, be it the products themselves.
Deckkeyboards.com doesn't actually sell much **** anymore. They only offer 2 keyboards in either tactile OR linear, the other 3 are only available with linear switches. They only offer 1 single type if 82 deck. The 21-key numpad has disappeard, the single keys and bags o' keys have disappeared. All the stuff they sell in their "components" section are looking like production leftovers (I am sure they had better fram colors to offer than that wicked baby blue and wierd red that looks like orange for the Deck 82).
I don't like this development at all. ActiveKey is already packing it in now. And I wonder how many more years Deck USA will continue to exist if they continue to shrink their business instead of growing it...
I mean I asked Deck if they had any future plans for Europe or if they might be looking for a distributor, now that Activekey is abandoning ship. They didn't even give me any answer to that at all. Come on.
Deck has been around since 2003 and they are still here. I don't think your German jokes translate.
Deck is a subsidiary of TG3 Electronics.
I don't think Razer threatens Deck because Deck isn't trying to make a dollar. the market for gaming peripherals is large.
don't put words into my mouth.
don't put words into my mouth.
I thought that i also need a backlight... my final descision was that i ordered a flico with german layout and blank keys - so i dont need a backlight!
what the ****?