Quick reviews of keyboard related companies

[sixty]

I just got inspired to write this down due to my comment in another post regarding one company. I contacted all of these companies over the past years, usually about very obscure things such as custom keycap orders or long out of production keyboards.

Access (UK) - http://www.access-is.com/
I contacted them about a custom keyboard they made years ago (the one hoggy has been selling on this forum for a while). They got back to me quick and kindly. In their first reply they asked for the serial number of the keyboard. They were able to help out on my software related questions, but could not help me out on anything else regarding the keyboard, since I was not the original customer of that batch. Might seem a bit snobby, but out of a business point of view this is the right thing to do.

Cherry (Germany) - http://cherry.de
I contacted them about various things. Cherry seems to be a too big company and their support seems to strongly vary depending on whom your mail reaches. I had everything from "I have never heard of that keyboard model" to "I will send you a PDF of the force diagrams right away". Overall decent customer support, even for obscure requests... as long as you get the right person from their staff. Response time varies from 48 hours to a week. It does not seem to matter if you e-mail or send a physical letter.

Devlin (UK) http://devlin.co.uk/
These guys have been extremely helpful. I contacted them with a very obscure request and a picture of some keycaps which I assumed were made by them. I got a very kind reply along with a price list if I was going to want the keycaps replicated. The response came in less than two hours.

keybo.de (Germany) - http://keybo.de
Cherry's official distributor for Germany. I contacted them three times over the past 2 years. They have been very helpful to my first request and offered to make me a blank G80-3000 for as little as EUR 50. When I got back to them about that a year later they said it was impossible and could not be done. Huh? Since these guys seem to be very close to Cherry, I guess their answers and support might also vary in relation to Cherry. Since Cherry has been going downhill over the past years, it seems these guys are going down with them too.

Signature Plastics (USA) - http://www.signatureplastics.com/
We all know how awesome these guys are (yeah, even if they still did not get the kerning right on the geekhack key...). It seems all support requests regarding keycaps are answered by the same person. Melissa is very helpful and open to even the most obscure keycap questions. Private customers and small orders are handled with the same respect and support as big company orders. This is how customer support should be. Now fix the kerning on our next geekhack keys and I shall be bowing to you and wave a Signature Plastics flag.

TG3 (USA) - http://www.tg3electronics.com/
I first contacted TG3 (not Deck) with a request similar to the one I made to Devlin. They never got back to me. I contacted them again regarding a keyboard they made in the 90s - they never got back to me again. Very disappointing.

Topre (Japan) - http://www.topre.co.jp
I asked a friend who is fluent in Japanese to help me translate a letter to Topre. I contacted Topre by writing a physical letter. I got a very kind reply in proper English along with a mail address of an English speaking direct contact at Topre. This guy helped me out very fast and accurate. He even sent me one of the Topre event keychains free of charge from Japan to Germany.

tastaturen.com (Germany) - http://tastaturen.com
These claim to be one of Cherry's official distributors. They also do custom keycaps and stuff. I contacted them about the first batch of geekhack keys and they never replied. Bummer.

Tipro (Slovenia) - http://www.tipro.si/
I asked them about a very ancient one-hand-keyboard, with having no information but the scratched in numbers on the label and PCB. They got back to me within a day. Their friendly support member told me that he had to search deep down in their most dusty archives to find any kind of information on the keyboard, but then was able to answer all my questions regarding it. As a "bonus" he told me when the last batch of these left their factory and that I made "a good catch on eBay". One of the best customer support experiences so far!

[Moogle Stiltzkin]

Please include these other companies.

Below are a list of keyboard companies that send their specs to Costar Electronics an OEM Taiwanese company to manufacture them. So basically their all done by the same manufacturer but with different specs.

Costar Electronics Inc, was established in 1987. Costar Electronics has concentrated mostly on ODM Business which includes a series of Products, like Keyboards as well as Keypads with high quality and now Costar further becomes the most competitive OEM / ODM Business maker which has an increasing market share for PC’s, Industrial & Medical Keyboards and P.O.S in the whole world.

Diatec (A Japanese company) = Filco Majestouch
I spoke to a Japanese representative from Diatec via mail enquiring about buying directly from them. They were very professional courteous, and surprisingly communicated with excellent mastery of English in their email correspondence.

Ducky Channel (Some Taiwanese company that caters to KBC a Chinese keyboard enthusiast forum) = Ducky 9000, 9008, 1087, 1008

Metadot Corporation (Austin, Texas, USA company) = DAS

Steelseries (A Dannish company) = Steelseries 6gv2, 7G


PS: For some reason, Ducky Channels website also lists DAS keyboards. I am unsure what their relation is to Metadot Corporation who owns the DAS franchise.

[CeeSA]

Active Key GmbH & Co. KG  (Germany, Swiss, UK) http://www.activekeyboards.com/

i asked via email about the AK-S100 PW35. i wanted to know whether a PS/2 input connector exist (like cherry ML4700 Keypad).
unfortunately  i got no answer

They have some deck keyboard listed

[Moogle Stiltzkin]

Razer (A USA company) = Razer Black Widow Ultimate

Razer is a privately held computer peripherals manufacturer specializing in products specifically marketed to gamers. Originally started in the 1990s, it suffered a period of dormancy during the millennial change and has then seen a resurgence, with new products released during 2004 and 2005 and has been constantly growing throughout ever since, despite the financial crisis end 2008. The Razer brand is now currently being marketed under Razer USA Ltd, and this article refers to the whole brand instead of the various entities that have held it.

I don't know who manufactures their keyboards for them, or whether they have their own factory :/

Anyway, Razer and Steelseries are both famously known amongst gamers, and they both have very large coverage of distributors in many countries compared to the competition when it comes to gaming keyboards.


Until Logitech start releasing mechanical keyboards, i refuse to acknowledge them as gamer keyboard :X Already Steelseries and Razer are paving the way toward quality mechanical gaming keyboards.

[Senor_Cartmenez]

ActiveKey:

The Decks are not really their core business. Dealing with retail customers in generall does not seem like their core business at all.
That said after "warming up" a little I got good and quickish responses. I asked several times wether or not and why it isn't possible to get a new version of the Deck 82 or the Legend with German layout. They always responded to me kindly and in detail. Furthermore I always spoke with 1 person which I see as a major plus, too. Just know that you aren't their target group so if u want info, you should stay "on the ball" when talking to them. They are not a helpdesk/hotline.
Oh and I think BucklingSpring might be a staffy over at activekey

Also:

http://www.getdigital.de
Kind and helpful. Offer a 30 day return policy while basically no one in Germany offers more than the mandatory 14 days. I asked if I could replace my blue switch Das keyboard I won the auction of on ebay for a brown switch one. Got a quick response within the same day that it's unfortunately not possible because the ebay auction was a returned product not factory new. Was kind of a bummer because the ebay auction said "new" on several places but they behaved correctly and were nice.

keyboardco.com
have their own sub-forum on geekhack. 'nuff said
Bruce is awesome.

[keyboardlover]

What's everyone's opinion of EliteKeyboards? Thus far my experience has been very positive with them, with one exception. I ordered 2 Red HHKB Esc keys but only received one. I contacted them but have not heard back from them about it yet though. So long as they send me the missing key, I will say that my experience with them is 100% positive.

[Moogle Stiltzkin]

Well elitekeyboards seems to be a distributor for Diatec's Filco Keyboards.

So i'm thinking ordering directly from Diatec could be cheaper :/ hm .... i'm pending a price quote so i can compare.

[itlnstln]

Well elitekeyboards seems to be a distributor for Diatec's Filco Keyboards.

So i'm thinking ordering directly from Diatec could be cheaper :/ hm .... i'm pending a price quote so i can compare.

You would be incorrect unless you are planning to buy in bulk in order to be a distributor.  If it's cheaper at all, it'll be minimal (exchange rates) or in shipping (which doesn't count when looking at retail; just total cost).

[Laggy-gaga]

Please include these other companies.

Below are a list of keyboard companies that send their specs to Costar Electronics an OEM Taiwanese company to manufacture them. So basically their all done by the same manufacturer but with different specs.







Diatec (A Japanese company) = Filco Majestouch
I spoke to a Japanese representative from Diatec via mail enquiring about buying directly from them. They were very professional courteous, and surprisingly communicated with excellent mastery of English in their email correspondence.

Ducky Channel (Some Taiwanese company that caters to KBC a Chinese keyboard enthusiast forum) = Ducky 9000, 9008, 1087, 1008

Metadot Corporation (Austin, Texas, USA company) = DAS

Steelseries (A Dannish company) = Steelseries 6gv2, 7G


PS: For some reason, Ducky Channels website also lists DAS keyboards. I am unsure what their relation is to Metadot Corporation who owns the DAS franchise.

DAS is listed under Ducky because DAS III is manufactured by the Ducky, Ducky is also presenting DAS brand as  Asian area agent.

[Moogle Stiltzkin]

So buying from distributor is actually better

Well i'm still pending price quote so we will see :/


The price for Filco Majestouch NKRO from the Singaporean distributor is  RM 452 (presumably shipping to Malaysia already included).

DAS was listed under Ducky because they are OEM by the same factory, Ducky is also presenting DAS as  Asian area agent.

Ah thx for the info.


By the way any news who manufactures for Razer ? Just wondering.



Is realforce a Diatec keyboard brand ? Or is that Topres ?

[mrbill]

I would add Unicomp to the list.  They've been helpful, informative, and have given great customer service the couple of times I've ordered direct from them or called on the phone.

[Laggy-gaga]

blackwidow will be manufactured by IONE in Taiwan
you can find mass info about IONE
also search for keyboard Model U9BL, u may find they are famaily members!

[Moogle Stiltzkin]

ione (Some Taiwan OEM company. Manufactures their own keyboards, as well as for Razer.) = Xarmor-U9BL, Razer Black Widow Ultimate
     

At Ione our mission is to produce cutting edge input solutions to help people enjoy better with the digital world. We created our slogan "Innovative Lifestyle" based on this belief. For each of our product categories, we study how our customers use their digital devices, and then our designers and engineers strive to help create a better experience with those devices: more innovative, more comfortable, more fun, more productive, more convenient, and more !V you.

With more than 20 years of experience in professional designing and manufacturing of computer personal peripherals. We not only distribute products under our brand Ione but also provide OEM/ODM services to world's leading brands, designers, manufacturers and retailers.

To accommodate our global clients, we are headquartered in Taipei and have branches in Germany and the United States , in addition to our production centers in southern China . Our marketing and distribution network is formed by locations in Asia, Europe, and North America , allowing worldwide exposure of our products.

We are pursuing a vision to become the worldwide leader in providing premium input device solutions. Taking advantage of the company's good enterprise structure and excellent technical background, Ione Technology is confident in achieving this ambition.

[sixty]

Moogle Stiltzkin, I think you are missing the point of this thread.
I am looking for reviews of customer support about certain keyboard related companies (mostly from an enthusiast view like ours), not copy-written information about keyboard OEMs.

[Moogle Stiltzkin]

Fair enough. However please include a background info for them for those of us who don't know about those companies :X would be helpful.

[keyboardlover]

Well, EK got back to me and my Esc key is in the mail. They still rock hard in my book =)

[Senor_Cartmenez]

You sure have fun with that duster ^^

[hoggy]

Sixty, this thread was a great idea.

[muchadoaboutnothing]

Brian's been good to me, even when I dropped the ball and left a kindly written reply regarding some B-stock purchases in my spam for over a month. Polite when I finally replied and got it finished.

Funny enough, I got a reply after several months from a small company (Hydro Flask) for the same reason yesterday - so I guess what goes around comes around.

[hoggy]

My experience with Access-IS is exactly the same.  They ask for just enough information for them to stop having to talk to you anymore.

Second Devlin too, haven't ordered or attempted to order anything from them, but they sounded interested and happy and help.

[lowpoly]

Costar Electronics

I emailed them twice during the early Miniguru days (prototype finished, website not).

They never wrote back.

[Moogle Stiltzkin]

U still play with Legos :d ??

[Moogle Stiltzkin]

I emailed them twice during the early Miniguru days (prototype finished, website not).

They never wrote back.

Hm nice info.





@rip

No Ducky to play with :{

I changed keyboard order to this one

DK-9008 with Laser-Etched PBT Keycaps & leather wrist rest special bundle / Cherry MX Brown switches

:washing:

[Ekaros]

Dunno if there should be own wiki for these. Still, good to get info which companies are good to work with and support them...

[Moogle Stiltzkin]

Diatec seems pretty much professional in their correspondence :}

Their working with some local Malaysian company to bring in Filco keyboards to the Malaysian IT tech shops in say Lowyat for example.

They will inform me the price quote once done :}

I wonder how much the price is hm....


Anyway i was quite impressed how courteous they were.

[Senor_Cartmenez]

rofl ripster

u should give Susan Williams a link to your various Lego exploits on geekhack.

Might get more than 1 free lego guy as a reward

[Senor_Cartmenez]

is that a **** stain on the left flush button?

your realism impresses me ^^

[MyNameIsDan]

Don't think so....

Show Image

10/10, would lol again.