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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Jumpjet on Sat, 18 January 2014, 06:45:34

Title: Just received my new camo Filco...but
Post by: Jumpjet on Sat, 18 January 2014, 06:45:34
...it hasn't got the braided cable, just a green smooth plastic one. I do know there are/were some issues associated with the cable on this keyboard so perhaps this is a Filco fix. Everything about the keyboard screams of the highest quality, and it even came with a rather beautiful Filco keyboard brush and the box was well packaged inside a high quality cardboard dialec carton, so I've no real concerns that it's a fake. If it is, then it's an exact replica :-)

Compared to the other filco I've had, and the numerous 'lesser' boards ( shoddy Corsairs,  sci-fi Black Widows etc), I'm really astonished at the build quality and visual appeal of the board. Everything feels so much tighter that even my previous regulation black Majestouch 2. I was very nervous at buying such an over-the-top statement keyboard, but took a punt on it being a good platform for keycap modding. In reality the Camo colour scheme looks incredibly chic. Tasteful even! It reminds me strongly of something the guys at Eboy (google it) would come up with. Very 8bit.

Modding has already begun, with a set of Filco's Doubleshots on the way and one of those red-with-a-yellow-star doubleshot escape keys.

I'll post pictures once it's all done. Should look fantastic :-)
Title: Re: Just received my new camo Filco...but
Post by: zoolzoo on Sat, 18 January 2014, 07:03:54
Nice! I had a camo filco, wish I didnt sell it. Awesome board.
Title: Re: Just received my new camo Filco...but
Post by: SpAmRaY on Sat, 18 January 2014, 07:04:58
You should take some pics! I'd like to see this Filco keyboard brush!
Title: Re: Just received my new camo Filco...but
Post by: RESPRiT on Sat, 18 January 2014, 07:46:21
What switches did you choose to settle with?
Title: Re: Just received my new camo Filco...but
Post by: AKIMbO on Sat, 18 January 2014, 07:51:14
...it hasn't got the braided cable, just a green smooth plastic one. I do know there are/were some issues associated with the cable on this keyboard so perhaps this is a Filco fix. Everything about the keyboard screams of the highest quality, and it even came with a rather beautiful Filco keyboard brush and the box was well packaged inside a high quality cardboard dialec carton, so I've no real concerns that it's a fake. If it is, then it's an exact replica :-)

Compared to the other filco I've had, and the numerous 'lesser' boards ( shoddy Corsairs,  sci-fi Black Widows etc), I'm really astonished at the build quality and visual appeal of the board. Everything feels so much tighter that even my previous regulation black Majestouch 2. I was very nervous at buying such an over-the-top statement keyboard, but took a punt on it being a good platform for keycap modding. In reality the Camo colour scheme looks incredibly chic. Tasteful even! It reminds me strongly of something the guys at Eboy (google it) would come up with. Very 8bit.

Modding has already begun, with a set of Filco's Doubleshots on the way and one of those red-with-a-yellow-star doubleshot escape keys.

I'll post pictures once it's all done. Should look fantastic :-)

Yeah...sometime around mid-to-late last year Filco stopped making the camo boards with the braided cable.  I've owned 3 camo filcos in total and only 1 had the braided cable (the earliest one I purchased).  The OD gloss cable detracts a tad from the looks of the board, but if you're really itching for a braided cable TJ at mimic-cables.com makes Filco cables.
Title: Re: Just received my new camo Filco...but
Post by: noisyturtle on Sat, 18 January 2014, 08:26:36
Mmmmmmm, new camo Filco...butt
[attachimg=1]
Title: Re: Just received my new camo Filco...but
Post by: Awful on Sat, 18 January 2014, 15:44:33
I miss my camo Filco sometimes :( anyway, nice board you got buddy!
Title: Re: Just received my new camo Filco...but
Post by: Jumpjet on Sat, 18 January 2014, 18:50:19
Thanks for the heads-up  AKIMbO. looks like they went back to the regular failure-resistant design!

I was really surprised when a Filco board brush dropped out of the packaging. It's surprisingly lovely:

Title: Re: Just received my new camo Filco...but
Post by: rowdy on Sat, 18 January 2014, 19:41:56
Nice :)

You can get a custom cable made to match the camo colours, if you wanted.
Title: Re: Just received my new camo Filco...but
Post by: Novus on Sat, 18 January 2014, 22:44:16
Mmmmmmm, new camo Filco...butt
(Attachment Link)

What what in the butt?
Title: Re: Just received my new camo Filco...but
Post by: gameaholic on Sat, 18 January 2014, 22:56:54
Where'd u order the Filco from?  Can we get the brush separately?
Title: Re: Just received my new camo Filco...but
Post by: neunelfer on Sat, 18 January 2014, 23:13:22
Thanks for the heads-up  AKIMbO. looks like they went back to the regular failure-resistant design!

I was really surprised when a Filco board brush dropped out of the packaging. It's surprisingly lovely:

That looks really nice.
Title: Re: Just received my new camo Filco...but
Post by: Jumpjet on Mon, 20 January 2014, 11:42:13
I got the keyboard from a Japan-based vendor called Isehakusan on eBay.co.uk. Search for the camo Filco and his name should show up. I'd buy from him again any day.

The board ended up costing roughly £30 more than buying it in the UK because of Customs and courier surcharges. A price worth paying though; I absolutely love everything about it.

The Keyboard Company have Filco's doubleshots in stock so a set will be arriving in the next couple of days. Full pics when they get here.
Title: Re: Just received my new camo Filco...but
Post by: strict on Tue, 21 January 2014, 08:50:11
Where'd u order the Filco from?  Can we get the brush separately?

I wish all Filco boards came with that brush, that thing looks very nice.
Title: Re: Just received my new camo Filco...but
Post by: SpAmRaY on Tue, 21 January 2014, 08:52:06
I would like to buy a filco brush....
Title: Re: Just received my new camo Filco...but
Post by: Folio on Tue, 21 January 2014, 09:53:06
Where'd u order the Filco from?  Can we get the brush separately?

I wish all Filco boards came with that brush, that thing looks very nice.

Yea especially with that brand name right on there. Now you know it's not just a paint brush.
Title: Re: Just received my new camo Filco...but
Post by: Novus on Tue, 21 January 2014, 13:53:15
Where'd u order the Filco from?  Can we get the brush separately?

I wish all Filco boards came with that brush, that thing looks very nice.

Yea especially with that brand name right on there. Now you know it's not just a paint brush.

yea when I get a filco brush I'll separate it from my proletarian hardware store brushes.
Title: Re: Just received my new camo Filco...but
Post by: laffindude on Tue, 21 January 2014, 21:04:01
What's the serial number? All the Camo I've seen came out of the same batch.
Title: Re: Just received my new camo Filco...but
Post by: Jumpjet on Wed, 22 January 2014, 07:57:03
Full board and keycap review is now in a separate post 'Filco Camo with Filco Doubleshot keycaps review'

serial batch is 130200083
Title: Re: Just received my new camo Filco...but
Post by: laffindude on Fri, 24 January 2014, 05:03:46
that's different. Feb 2013 batch. never seen one before.
Title: Re: Just received my new camo Filco...but
Post by: Jumpjet on Fri, 24 January 2014, 05:58:00
Ah, 1302... year/month. Should have spotted that!

Yeah. The keyboard Company has them listed as discontinued, so that basically covers the whole of Europe in official vendor terms. I thought Filco had actually stopped production, and they may have done, but the Multicam still has a high profile presence on their site. They've dropped reference to the braided cable though.

The Multicam was always a really odd move for Filco. It's their only dedicated gaming board (by which I mean they conceded barest minimum of additional features!), but carries a design that's so art-house that it is almost guaranteed to make its target online buyers think twice. There isn't a Red switch version either, and that might indicate that production runs are few and far between.

Regardless of the boards scarceness, it's a thing of bizarre beauty, especially when modded with the brown, chocolate bar effect of Filco doubleshot keys (check out my post in the review section for pictures of the doubleshots). The water-applied transfer colour scheme sounds like it will look terrible, but in reality it has an almost dye-sublimated lustre to it. The appearance of sub-surface scattering (real or imagined) is lovely!