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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Kblavkalash on Sat, 23 October 2010, 10:01:15
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It may sound a little stupid but anyways.
Imagine you have rubber dome keyboard (only one) and you want a mechanical keyboard. Only Filco majestouch - nothing else.
Would you buy a Filco mechanical keyboard for 200$ if you were a student with a monthly salary of 250$?
That's what situation I have - sending to my country is so expensive that it's pretty much whole my monthly salary. Average monthly salary in my country ~600$, but I am student so..
What would you do? :)
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If parents = give money THEN
BUY = 1
ELSE
Buy = 0
End IF
But that's just me.
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I wouldn't. Are you sure you've exhausted your options? There are other decent mechanical keyboards other than Filco (and some are less expensive). I recall that the Cherry one I reccomended you check out is. And are you sure that you want Cherry blue?
A major purchase needs time to think about and weigh all options. I wouldn't make a decision until you've done that.
Edit: or, if you absolutely need to have it, put a little money aside every month depending on your means and needs. It is a shame though about the lack of options and prices in eastern europe :(
That's why we need more competition! Capitalism FTW!
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really sounds like there should a better economical way, and truely this doesn't make sense on many scales of thought.
ebay in that country? i'm sure there's one, get something comparable and used that way. You just have to balance typing on a mechanical keyboard you like and not eating for a month.
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I cannot buy a keyboard in my country cause noone sells them. So if I buy it from another country there are huge shipping + VAT costs so it does not really matter that much if I will safe 20-30 bucks on cheaper keyboard you know.
Anyways it's not like I don't have money, I can buy 10 filco keyboards if I want but they are still amazingly expensive by our prices.
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No. Absolutely not. Not even if you have money saved away. I think that you should try to save some money each month for when you find yourself without a job in the future.
When I was a student, I had more than you did, but I was still poor .. by my country's standards. I did not have much more time, but I did have more freedom in deciding when to do various things.
This allowed me to visit thrift stores in the middle of the day and it also allowed me to rebuild/repair stuff that I brought home when there was still light out.
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Just don't buy a > $200 graphics card.
Now THAT is dumb.
I already did :(
Actually what's interesting is that people pay so much money for mobile phones, headsets, Mp3 players, computer hardware, but pretty much never for a keyboard.
No. Absolutely not. Not even if you have money saved away. I think that you should try to save some money each month for when you find yourself without a job in the future.
Thanks for your opinion. But look on the other side - people who does not have much money still buy expensive mobile phones, and that's nothing wrong, right? But when it comes to keyboards it's very unusual to pay so much money for a keyboard. And you use keyboard much more than a mobile phone!
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I wonder - would ordering to another country and traveling there and back possibly be cheaper than the shipping/VAT costs? I have friends in Romania who did that - traveling to Austria or Germany for example for electronics saved them money.
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Set aside $25 each month till you have enough saved.
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It depends on how much you want it, but without some extra cash coming in, I would probably buy a decent scissor switch for much less instead.
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I would not. As much as I like my Filcos, for 80% of your monthly salary, they're not worth it.
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... people who does not have much money still buy expensive mobile phones, and that's nothing wrong, right?
Don't get me started on what I think of expensive mobile phones and the idiots who buy them ... ;-)
It is all about priorities and capabilities. Do you really need a phone with all these features? Do you really need a keyboard like a Filco Majestouch in college? My old rubber dome Keytronic keyboard did not present an obstacle for me getting my degree.
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expensive mobile phones
hey, most of the cost is in the service plan.
Sent from my iPhone
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Don't get me started on what I think of expensive mobile phones and the idiots who buy them ... ;-)
It is all about priorities and capabilities. Do you really need a phone with all these features? Do you really need a keyboard like a Filco Majestouch in college? My old rubber dome Keytronic keyboard did not present an obstacle for me getting my degree.
Do I really need? No. But I really want :) Pretty much noone really need, but people buy things they really want.
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No. Look around for a freebie Model M. That's what I did when I was a student. I would rather eat fruit than ramen.
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Do I really need? No. But I really want :) Pretty much noone really need, but people buy things they really want.
Your question is mostly a philosophical one. Since you said that you have money set aside, then I would say that if you really want one, then get one. A Filco should last you for quite a while. That's just an opinion based on what you said, however. Only you will know whether you should buy one or not though.
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That's an insane amount of money. It doesn't make sense spending that much on a keyboard, unless you can afford it. If good kbds are that expensive where you live, plan a trip out of the country and buy some keyboards while you are away.
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Acctualy I would even go so far that I would suggest not buying one, if you have to use other computers. Owning one instead of dreaming of owning makes life just more miserable...
Still, I got one, I had some savings, but still it was pretty hefty amount of my current income.
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If you type a lot (like doing it for 3 hours or more a day), save some every month, it's worth it.. if not.... use whatever means u have now:D
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Kalash, I've just bought 10 clicky old Dells on Alps for peanuts. Pay shipment and one is yours. ;)
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in soviet russia keyboard hit you
i say get an optimus
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in soviet russia keyboard hit you
i say get an optimus
Optimus is the iphone of keyboards.
If I where Kblavkalash I'd walk staight to Warsaw by feet and collect a Dell with Alps for free.
ps: @trievalot: how happened that with the keyboard and the monitor?
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Even given the salary scale it doesn't quite tell the whole story financially without knowing what would be sacrificed in lieu of other expenses (food? utilities? weekend keg parties?)
It all depends on how much that keyboard factors into your daily quality of life. I am a terrible financial advisor, and quite broke more often than not, BUT I find that some of the best things I have appreciated are items of high quality that I maybe spent more on, and also found that they tend to last longer as well, prehaps because I care for them well. Only you can decide how much something is worth to you, and if you feel you want it badly enough that you won't suffer from having spent the money on it after the fact, then don't let anyone else tell you you shouldn't based on the numerical price tag alone. Value/=Price. Value is better measured by comparing the non-money costs of how your life will be improved by having it vs how your life will be unimproved by not having the funds allotted. It also bears consideration whether it can be considered as an investment in a future return if you intend to make a living with your hands on a keyboard every day.
Who was it that posted here that they had more often regretted spending less money on a lesser quality thing than regretted buying something pricey but higher quality? I had actually wanted to put that on my favorite quotes to remind myself of this when necessary.
Especially when I am not having money, it is hard for me to remember that it is a TOOL- and the desire to cling to it for its own sake is the epitome of foolishness.
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If you are determined to buy one one day, then it's (probably) going to cost the same if you buy it now or in the future. The difference is the sooner you buy it the sooner you start getting enjoyment from it.
Are you the kind of person who makes things last? If so it might be a good idea to buy it as soon as possible.
There are some people who convince themselves they look after things, but their purchases mysteriously fail on a regular basis. If you are one of these people who are rough on equipment maybe you should spend your money on something less extravagant.
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crappy keyboards make me swear.
plus, my hands get tired :(