XArmor U9BL price drop

[Phaedrus2129]

http://www.xarmor-usa.com/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=1

I knew about this beforehand but was under NDA. The XArmor U9BL backlit mechanical keyboard is now being sold for $130. This puts it in a much more favorable price bracket where they don't have to compete with Deck, and also makes it a viable competitor for the Razer BlackWidow Ultimate.

[WhiteRice]

Pretty nice board, and competitive pricing is always good.

[Phaedrus2129]

Oh, and they still have gaming mice packaged with them. That's for the first 500 last I checked, don't know how many they've sold so far.

They told me the educational discount would be reduced (to 10-15% instead of 25%), because otherwise they'd be selling below cost. But it's still there I think.

[elbowglue]

Hmm.   Not a bad deal.  My daughter who is in first grade might need one of these..  educational discount.

Thanks for the update this makes this keyboard very competitive price wise.

[ricercar]

I love my XArmor U9BL almost as much as Cherry browns. It's a great introduction to Cherry blues, and without any Scorpius M10 build-quality issues.

[Phaedrus2129]

So Ricercar, who do you think got the better of that deal? I mean, obviously you did in terms of monetary value, a $130/160 keyboard for a $25 one. But I do like my SPOS, especially with doubleshots.

[washuai]

I'd rather have the SPOS, even over backlit U9BL with browns.  I miss the G80 feel;  the compaq just doesn't do it;  I'll have to stick to my Realforce.

[ricercar]

Well, I now have one of each, so I'm pretty happy with my position. The U9BL sees more use than the SPOS MX ever saw, but the SPOS MX invariably travels when I do.

However, you traded an off-the-shelf mass-produced product for a rare collectible single-run Cherry keyboard, with an unparalleled Cherry brown touch-and-feel. I'm unwilling to concede you traded down. Even if the first SPOS MX was discovered at $25, I had to pay more than twice discovery price for the one you now own, and I'm going to be totally unsurprised when the next SPOS MX sold goes for 4× discovery price.

My only SPOS MX regret is that the unit stolen from my car is unlikely ever to be appreciated.

[Phaedrus2129]

I know I'm just joking around, and I've got no complaints with the SPOS (at least none that aren't easily fixed, and attributable to the rushed nature of the batch).

As for the stolen SPOS, . Let's hope it makes someone's work day slightly more tolerable, even if they don't know why.

[002]

"...now let me show you how it sounds when typing"

*hilarious mash*

"...can you hear it click?"

[Lanx]

that was the best spokesperson they could get? dear lord i'm sure those teeny vampire movie ppl could read a script better.

[ricercar]

What do I Google to get a set of those cans. Er, headphones, of course.

[itlnstln]

You know, I'm down with babes dancing and all, but that's just dumb.  I almost see that as more demeaning than stripping.

[ricercar]

I make no value judgements.  I only provide links.

He meant to say, he makes no value judgments; he only provokes hijinks.

[Amp]

I knew Razer getting into the mechanical keyboard business was going to be a good thing.

Say what you will about the quality of their products and their false insistence of being the "great innovators," Razer has a tendency to, depending on your belief, either be the trendsetters, or at least signify what the next trend will be.

More mechanical keyboards coming out means a more competitive market, means prices will go down like we're seeing now, while hopefully product quality will go up as well, though that part isn't always guaranteed.

Hopefully soon I'll be able to sample the various types of switches without expecting the price of admission to be $80+.

[002]

snip

While I'd like to think it will drive prices down of our current favourite mechanical boards, I don't think it will.

I know it's snobby and elitist but I'm actually a little sad that Little Johnny 14 year old can now boast that his Razer Hyper Megaboard 3000 with LED's, Spinners and a rear spoiler is better than my Filco, however untrue that may be.

Oh well...when Razer decides that Topre is cool, I guess I'll throw in the towel.

[Amp]

I see you have an arcade-style stick as your avatar.

Need I remind you what happened to that market, once almost a Hori monopoly, after MadCatz got on the scene?

[002]

You know, I actually thought of that as I was typing my reply and almost mentioned it but you're absolutely correct.
I own one of the Madcatz TE sticks too and it was sickeningly expensive ($300US?). I'm pretty sure they can be had for around 150 dollars now - it's too depressing to check.

It was a pleasant surprise coming from MadCatz [who had a pretty ****house reputation for its peripherals up til that point].

I feel sorry for anyone who bought this:

[Amp]

Taking this tangent off on another tangent, the TE FightStick not only was a great thing for the North American fighting game scene (NOW EVERYONE CAN HAVE A STICK!), but it was exactly what MadCatz needed to actually make something tangible for that time when their PR came out and said "Look, we know about our reputation, we want to change that." (paraphrased). It was pretty much the product that changed most people's minds so that now they're a legit peripheral company.

...Their R.A.T. mouse still scares the **** out of me though, and I have a personal vow not to ever touch another PTE mouse again.

But yeah...Razer mechanical keyboard, okay. More competitive market, really good[/b].