Geekhack "approved" OEMs

[Xrayz0r]

Hi. I just returned my EU layout Das Keyboard in order to exchange it for a US layout one, only to stumble upon the Das Keyboard thread on this forum where you guys are saying the new OEM is a ****ty low quality manufacturer.

First of all, can someone explain to me in a nutshell why this partifular chinese manufacturer is so terrible? Besides a few space bar nitpickers, none of the reviewers seem to notice any problems.

Also, which high quality keyboard brands are definitely "GH approved"? For instance my options (at this particular place where I just exchanged my Das Keyboard for a voucher) are Filco, Cooler Master, Matias and Leopold.

Is there any consensus on which brand(s) is/are the best?

[IvanIvanovich]

Here's my tiered list of most popular brands (models) best to worst...
Leopold, Ducky, Filco
Noppoo
CM QFR/XT, Rosewill RK9000, Keycool, Steelseries (though I generally would avoid them because of the dumb enter key they are well made)
Cherry, Vortex
iOne (Razer BW, qPad, CM Pro, Tesoro, Max, etc...)