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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: MechKB on Wed, 15 January 2014, 18:27:27

Title: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: MechKB on Wed, 15 January 2014, 18:27:27
(http://www.mechkb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/IMG_7290-Custom-604x270.jpg)

Hello all,
We're delighted to introduce the Asia Pacific Edition of the Deck Hassium Pro. Featuring:


You can find more details here: http://www.mechkb.com/blog/news/introducing-deck-hassium-pro-apac-edition/ (http://www.mechkb.com/blog/news/introducing-deck-hassium-pro-apac-edition/)

Feel free to ask any questions or provide feedback (yes, I know it's not ergo TP4Tissue :P)
Title: Re: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: rowdy on Wed, 15 January 2014, 19:01:12
That looks nice!

Reasonable price too.

I also like the switch sampler - first one I've seen that is backlit :)
Title: Re: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: SpAmRaY on Wed, 15 January 2014, 19:17:29
Wow....calling out tp in the OP!
Title: Re: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: MechKB on Wed, 15 January 2014, 19:18:29
I can be a courageous fellow on occasions.
Title: Re: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: SpAmRaY on Wed, 15 January 2014, 19:19:59
Any chance these will come with clear switches?
Title: Re: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: MechKB on Wed, 15 January 2014, 19:23:30
Any chance these will come with clear switches?

Not at this point in time. We are talking with Deck about variants but clear switches are very hard to come by, particularly in sufficient quantities to supply a commercial production run. I will be pointing the powers that be at this post though, just so they know there's definitely interest.
Title: Re: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: Puddsy on Wed, 15 January 2014, 19:27:40
HELVETICA

YES
Title: Re: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: rowdy on Wed, 15 January 2014, 19:28:26
HELVETICA

YES

Helvetica?

Helyesica!
Title: Re: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: fourzeropooh on Wed, 15 January 2014, 19:49:20
Show Image
(http://www.mechkb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/IMG_7290-Custom-604x270.jpg)


Hello all,
We're delighted to introduce the Asia Pacific Edition of the Deck Hassium Pro. Featuring:

  • ABS Laser Etched key caps in Helvetica font (but cheaper vs the US editions).
  • LED lighting patterns user programmable in basic. (We're really looking forward to seeing what people come up with).
  • User define key remaps / macros which can be uploaded and downloaded from the keyboard allowing alternative layout such as Colemak and Dvorak.

You can find more details here: http://www.mechkb.com/blog/news/introducing-deck-hassium-pro-apac-edition/ (http://www.mechkb.com/blog/news/introducing-deck-hassium-pro-apac-edition/)

Feel free to ask any questions or provide feedback (yes, I know it's not ergo TP4Tissue :P)

Better font but crappier caps. Which one is better?
Title: Re: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: demik on Wed, 15 January 2014, 19:52:36
HELVETICA

YES

Helvetica?

Helyesica!

hell jessica?
Title: Re: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: Grendel on Thu, 16 January 2014, 01:43:03
The cap puller is a win !  ;D
Title: Re: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: MissMurd3r84 on Thu, 16 January 2014, 01:55:29
What happened to the TKL Deck off ya site?:O
Title: Re: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: tp4tissue on Thu, 16 January 2014, 02:32:58
(http://www.freesmileys.org/emoticons/tuzki-bunnys/tuzki-bunny-emoticon-020.gif)

I have no idea what that emoticon is doing..

Since I had nothing to say about this board really, and wasn't going to comment.. Enjoy the emoticon


Edit_ to remain positive...

I agree that board has good led features for the young guys coming in on GH.
Title: Re: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: MechKB on Thu, 16 January 2014, 02:47:07
What happened to the TKL Deck off ya site?:O

Our purchasing manager in his infinite wisdom decided to delay our Francium shipment, that's what -_-

Show Image
(http://www.freesmileys.org/emoticons/tuzki-bunnys/tuzki-bunny-emoticon-020.gif)


I have no idea what that emoticon is doing..

Since I had nothing to say about this board really, and wasn't going to comment.. Enjoy the emoticon

I'm enjoying~~
Title: Re: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: rowdy on Thu, 16 January 2014, 03:01:09
What happened to the TKL Deck off ya site?:O

Welcome back MissMurd3r!
Title: Re: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: MissMurd3r84 on Thu, 16 January 2014, 03:07:17
What happened to the TKL Deck off ya site?:O

Welcome back MissMurd3r!
Thanks ;) Came back in search for a keyboard to replace my Leopold since it's the 2nd time to get stupid stuttering keys. Though I will only buy TKL. (That is why I asked above about the Deck :D )
Title: Re: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: tp4tissue on Thu, 16 January 2014, 03:13:04
What happened to the TKL Deck off ya site?:O

Welcome back MissMurd3r!
Thanks ;) Came back in search for a keyboard to replace my Leopold since it's the 2nd time to get stupid stuttering keys. Though I will only buy TKL. (That is why I asked above about the Deck :D )

welcome back   1 of 6....  lotta desperate guys up in this forum...


has the stat changed since the last time we checked it ?? was it always  28.3:1

Title: Re: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: joneslee85 on Thu, 16 January 2014, 05:56:12
Looks good, this font is much better than their original font

Btw, MechKB is a good Aus dealer, bought few things from them and very happy with the services.
The only thing I want now is the Ducky Premiere
Title: Re: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: tuxsavvy on Thu, 16 January 2014, 07:27:05
For once the font on the Deck keyboards look much more reasonable (No offense to Deck keyboards US but those fonts are ...  :blank: ). Though the legends are centre aligned at least the typeface used is nice. Also the stuff bundled for the APAC release is nice. The only downside is that it is ABS but meh. Overall the idea is really good.
Title: Re: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: SpAmRaY on Thu, 16 January 2014, 07:37:37
I need an australian proxy :(
Title: Re: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: tuxsavvy on Thu, 16 January 2014, 07:51:25
I need an australian proxy :(

Knock knock MechKB, you have an international customer here.  ;D

Quote from: http://www.mechkb.com/faq
Do you ship internationally?
We only ship to Australia at this time.
Title: Re: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: Hyde on Thu, 16 January 2014, 09:22:50
Oh man why didn't Deck go with this in the first place?  This look much much nicer.  In my opinion this even look better than Ducky Shine 3, not a big fan of the giant snake spacebar on the Ducky.

In contrast this just look a lot more clean.  Now if only this was PBT double shot  >____>
Title: Re: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: MechKB on Thu, 16 January 2014, 16:07:40
I need an australian proxy :(

Knock knock MechKB, you have an international customer here.  ;D

Quote from: http://www.mechkb.com/faq
Do you ship internationally?
We only ship to Australia at this time.
That FAQ is out of date, I need to update it -_-
Title: Re: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: SpAmRaY on Thu, 16 January 2014, 16:10:27


 :o

I just sent a message on your website...


http://www.mechkb.com/vortex-ikbc-keycap-puller (http://www.mechkb.com/vortex-ikbc-keycap-puller)
http://www.mechkb.com/deck-cherry-sampler (http://www.mechkb.com/deck-cherry-sampler)

^^ I'm after two of each of those....
Title: Re: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: MechKB on Thu, 16 January 2014, 16:42:17


 :o

I just sent a message on your website...


http://www.mechkb.com/vortex-ikbc-keycap-puller (http://www.mechkb.com/vortex-ikbc-keycap-puller)
http://www.mechkb.com/deck-cherry-sampler (http://www.mechkb.com/deck-cherry-sampler)

^^ I'm after two of each of those....

Ok, shipping to the US has been set to opened to every product. We're only doing this because of interest and on a trail basis. It's not cheap though, you've been warned.
Title: Re: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: SpAmRaY on Thu, 16 January 2014, 16:43:39


 :o

I just sent a message on your website...


http://www.mechkb.com/vortex-ikbc-keycap-puller (http://www.mechkb.com/vortex-ikbc-keycap-puller)
http://www.mechkb.com/deck-cherry-sampler (http://www.mechkb.com/deck-cherry-sampler)

^^ I'm after two of each of those....

Ok, shipping to the US has been set to opened to every product. We're only doing this because of interest and on a trail basis. It's not cheap though, you've been warned.

Hmmm wonder if anyone else wants any of this to split up the shipping cost...
Title: Re: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: MechKB on Thu, 16 January 2014, 16:49:04


 :o

I just sent a message on your website...


http://www.mechkb.com/vortex-ikbc-keycap-puller (http://www.mechkb.com/vortex-ikbc-keycap-puller)
http://www.mechkb.com/deck-cherry-sampler (http://www.mechkb.com/deck-cherry-sampler)

^^ I'm after two of each of those....

Ok, shipping to the US has been set to opened to every product. We're only doing this because of interest and on a trail basis. It's not cheap though, you've been warned.

Hmmm wonder if anyone else wants any of this to split up the shipping cost...

Australia Post does the shipping by weight brackets, so given how much cheaper postage is domestically in the US, it probably makes more sense for a group of people to buy bunch as a 'pseudo' group buy of sorts... or just buy a bunch and ebay the rest :P

The weight for the Deck Samplers are not exact atm, I'm getting my colleague to weigh them now, hopefully that'll also save a little bit for orders of 3-4. (Orders of only one will not be affected since up to 500g is one weight bracket).
Title: Re: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: tuxsavvy on Thu, 16 January 2014, 17:11:10
I need an australian proxy :(

Knock knock MechKB, you have an international customer here.  ;D

Quote from: MechKB http://www.mechkb.com/faq
Do you ship internationally?
We only ship to Australia at this time.

That FAQ is out of date, I need to update it -_-

Hehe, glad I guess that I pointed it out.

I must also admit the "teaser" photo you used in OP looks bloody nice. Blue legends on black, that is like two of my most favourite colours when combined (in a certain way) melts me away.

Alas, I am a little broke, have no experience with Cherry MX (though about to get one soon - in the mail) and would probably have been somewhat more interested if there were more interesting specs to go along with the keyboard (personally I am a fan of PBT). Then again, if this experiment of yours goes well, I'll have something to look forward to.
 
Title: Re: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: berserkfan on Fri, 17 January 2014, 12:55:24
ABS keycaps defeat the purpose of having a Deck.

What are you trying to do, produce Asian editions to break into the lucrative Filipino or Indian markets?

If Deck wants to produce keyboards with ABS keycaps and no Clear switches, what makes it that different from the vastly cheaper CoolerMaster then?
Title: Re: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: MechKB on Fri, 17 January 2014, 15:21:12
ABS keycaps defeat the purpose of having a Deck.

What are you trying to do, produce Asian editions to break into the lucrative Filipino or Indian markets?

If Deck wants to produce keyboards with ABS keycaps and no Clear switches, what makes it that different from the vastly cheaper CoolerMaster then?

Hello berserkfan, we consulted extensively with Deck before this decision was made to offer this model and the decision to go to ABS was not done lightly and is being done in conjunction with the DS PBT model currently available in the USA. The reason for a Helvetica ABS model is because of feedback in two fronts:

1. Users, particularly those for whom English is a first language (in particular Australia and New Zealand), dislike the deck font and were generally unwilling to pay a premium for it.

2. DS PBT is expensive to produce and, accordingly, costs more  at retail which put it out of reach of many in APAC who have relatively low buying power.

We believe that a having an ABS Helvetica option was a suitable solution to both these problems. And, even not withstanding the above, we believe the consistant quality of deck keyboards across their whole line, the addition of a key remapping layer and LED scripting layer makes the Deck Hassium Pro an attractive value proposition in it's own right compared to it's competitors, particularly as the library of user created layouts and LED patterns increase. I understand these features may not be attractive to everyone and we hope to be able to offer a fuller range of Deck products as time goes on.
Title: Re: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: rowdy on Fri, 17 January 2014, 18:44:04
ABS keycaps defeat the purpose of having a Deck.

What are you trying to do, produce Asian editions to break into the lucrative Filipino or Indian markets?

If Deck wants to produce keyboards with ABS keycaps and no Clear switches, what makes it that different from the vastly cheaper CoolerMaster then?

Hello berserkfan, we consulted extensively with Deck before this decision was made to offer this model and the decision to go to ABS was not done lightly and is being done in conjunction with the DS PBT model currently available in the USA. The reason for a Helvetica ABS model is because of feedback in two fronts:

1. Users, particularly those for whom English is a first language (in particular Australia and New Zealand), dislike the deck font and were generally unwilling to pay a premium for it.

2. DS PBT is expensive to produce and, accordingly, costs more  at retail which put it out of reach of many in APAC who have relatively low buying power.

We believe that a having an ABS Helvetica option was a suitable solution to both these problems. And, even not withstanding the above, we believe the consistant quality of deck keyboards across their whole line, the addition of a key remapping layer and LED scripting layer makes the Deck Hassium Pro an attractive value proposition in it's own right compared to it's competitors, particularly as the library of user created layouts and LED patterns increase. I understand these features may not be attractive to everyone and we hope to be able to offer a fuller range of Deck products as time goes on.

Any thoughts about selling keycap sets?

The PBT ones for those who really want backlight-friendly PBT keycaps, or ABS for those that prefer the legends?
Title: Re: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: dante on Fri, 17 January 2014, 19:24:03
I like it - just wish it was made in the USA. :(
Title: Re: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: berserkfan on Sun, 19 January 2014, 11:26:12
ABS keycaps defeat the purpose of having a Deck.

What are you trying to do, produce Asian editions to break into the lucrative Filipino or Indian markets?

If Deck wants to produce keyboards with ABS keycaps and no Clear switches, what makes it that different from the vastly cheaper CoolerMaster then?

Hello berserkfan, we consulted extensively with Deck before this decision was made to offer this model and the decision to go to ABS was not done lightly and is being done in conjunction with the DS PBT model currently available in the USA. The reason for a Helvetica ABS model is because of feedback in two fronts:

1. Users, particularly those for whom English is a first language (in particular Australia and New Zealand), dislike the deck font and were generally unwilling to pay a premium for it.

2. DS PBT is expensive to produce and, accordingly, costs more  at retail which put it out of reach of many in APAC who have relatively low buying power.

We believe that a having an ABS Helvetica option was a suitable solution to both these problems. And, even not withstanding the above, we believe the consistant quality of deck keyboards across their whole line, the addition of a key remapping layer and LED scripting layer makes the Deck Hassium Pro an attractive value proposition in it's own right compared to it's competitors, particularly as the library of user created layouts and LED patterns increase. I understand these features may not be attractive to everyone and we hope to be able to offer a fuller range of Deck products as time goes on.

MechKb, just wanted to tell you, I love your responsiveness. You are serious about your product.

Deck has many good features. Too bad I'm one of these guys who prefers PBT keycaps, and doesn't want to stint on cheaper and less lasting keycaps.

Consider this: Model Ms use PBT keycaps. Many model M keycaps are still as good as new after a couple of decades or more. If they have signs of wear or shine, it's because they were really, really, really used like mad everyday for years.

In contrast, ABS keycaps won't last you past a year, and that's only if you are not a heavy user.

Yes, you can break into the Asiapac markets now when people are poor. But over time, they will upscale and look for something better. The poor teenagers who can barely afford a mechanical keyboard in Indonesia now, will become discerning professionals 20 years from now, who want to put down money on a keyboard that lasts at least 5 years.

Ducky also offers solid quality with a broad range from 'above average price' to 'very high price' and quality to match. Indonesians or Filipinos are going to migrate from Cheap Chinese Kailh Armageddon knockoff, to Razer or CoolerMaster, to Ducky. If Deck insists on being inflexible, they will only offer 'very high price' with 'fairly high quality'. It's not that attractive.

I want ABS keycap, might as well get Ducky. Cheaper, more options, more customizability with things like Ducky keycaps, higher resaleability.
Title: Re: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: MechKB on Sun, 19 January 2014, 15:57:52
MechKb, just wanted to tell you, I love your responsiveness. You are serious about your product.

Much appreciated! :)

Deck has many good features. Too bad I'm one of these guys who prefers PBT keycaps, and doesn't want to stint on cheaper and less lasting keycaps.

Consider this: Model Ms use PBT keycaps. Many model M keycaps are still as good as new after a couple of decades or more. If they have signs of wear or shine, it's because they were really, really, really used like mad everyday for years.

In contrast, ABS keycaps won't last you past a year, and that's only if you are not a heavy user.

Yes, you can break into the Asiapac markets now when people are poor. But over time, they will upscale and look for something better. The poor teenagers who can barely afford a mechanical keyboard in Indonesia now, will become discerning professionals 20 years from now, who want to put down money on a keyboard that lasts at least 5 years.

Ducky also offers solid quality with a broad range from 'above average price' to 'very high price' and quality to match. Indonesians or Filipinos are going to migrate from Cheap Chinese Kailh Armageddon knockoff, to Razer or CoolerMaster, to Ducky. If Deck insists on being inflexible, they will only offer 'very high price' with 'fairly high quality'. It's not that attractive.

I want ABS keycap, might as well get Ducky. Cheaper, more options, more customizability with things like Ducky keycaps, higher resaleability.

Deck considers Double Shot PBT as one of their main selling points. Quality-wise, these key caps are unparalleled with Backlit capability to boot. There was a lot of consternation when we told them that the font was really killing their product, especially where we're located (Australia), hence why the US Deck Rep was around earlier stressing that US Deck Keyboard will have high quality Double Shot PBT compared to other regions.

There's a lot of discussion back and forth atm about what the best way to do this is (i.e. increase the popularity of Double Shot PBT), there's some thought that maybe future editions of Deck Keyboards will come natively with ABS but be bundled with a set of DS PBT caps or vice versa. In some parts of Asia (such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, etc.), the font does not appear to be as big an issue, so the Deck DS PBT will continue to be offered although not on the initial run (until they settle down some logistics issues). I understand that the DS PBT edition of the Deck Hassium Pro is currently available in Singapore.

From our point of view, the Double Shot PBT Hassium non-pro will continue to be available for sale here. We feel that those who care for the quality that a Double Shot PBT enough to look past the Deck font are probably not interested in LED scripting effects so the lack of this feature on the non-pro edition of the Deck Hassium is probably won't be an issue and also allows the price to be adjusted downwards since less sophisticated circuitry is required.

We're talking with Deck on having a more full range of products but that increases the complexity significantly. Currently there are five LED colours (with one more on the way) with four Cherry Switch types each, which makes a total of 20 models with four more in the offing. Along with the DS PBT and ABS versions, that makes 48 models eventually, in total. Add the Francium and you have 96 models. To offer a more flexible alternative, say a non-LED scripting capable model with DS PBT in all LED colours and in both full-sized and TKL formats, will add another 48 models to bring that total up to 144 manufacturing variations. This is a real headache production wise. I can appreciate that, as an end user, these details probably don't concern you. For our purposes though, it takes time to organise all these things, which is why there's only one 'high price' - 'high quality' model available atm.
Title: Re: Deck Hassium Pro (Asia Pacific Edition)
Post by: Hyde on Sun, 19 January 2014, 19:36:24
The Deck font has always been killing their sales, I wonder why they never realized that and somehow decided to kept it when they were developing the mold for PBT double shot.

Because to be honest they should've went with the Helvetica + PBT double shot option.  I'm guessing at this point the mold is already made so to make it again will cost too much money.

It's like people said, if we want ABS keycaps we'd just buy Ducky, we buy Deck for double shot PBT.

Though at this point I'm not really sure what they can do.  Sorry to be a bit blunt but... I think Deck messed up this time.  >___>