Solution you know whats funny?
As a matter of fact, I agree with 99% of everything you said so far. I guess I just said that comment about backlighting without thinking twice, which is always how I make forum threads, maybe I should try to be more aware of how my text is sounding. I wasnt trying to offend anyone or be condescending, just was typing strait from the brain...as i always have been for the short 1-2 months that ive been here. I am far from a snob, I guess I just have very distinct opinions on things and I dont see a need to filter them.
If you look back at my past posts and threads, you will see that everything you just said in the past 2 pages, I said before almost word for word. So in other words, we totally agree about these companies in mech keyboards.
I DO think that filco and all the oldies are getting left behind in the global trade, but as long as the big companies keep having horrible quality control and constant defects, filco/leo will have a loyal following.
Logitech is the biggest company out of all of them, and yet they refuse to make a mechanical keyboard. Perhaps these boards are just very prone to defects? Why else would logitech opt to go for scissor keys and rubber dome? Regardless, logitech has the best qc ever...I have had a logitech elite keyboard since 2003 and despite a ton of physical damage and abuse, its still working perfectly. I even had a logitech dual optical mouse back in the day that lasted my 7 years, which is unheard of. Even nowadays, logitech is known for strait up replacing your old mice or keyboard for free just because you called in, without you sending them yours in the mail.
daerid said that backlighting if done the way we are seeing here, looks very juvenile, and hes 100% right.
Right now I have a Logitech G500 gaming mouse. At the time i was with my girlfriend in best buy looking at the mice, i was thinking about getting a razer mouse, never having bought anything from them before. Her first response...being 100% computer illiterate and knowing nothing of what we know...was "babe that looks really juvenile, like its for little kids...just get the other ones." The others she was talking about were all logitech models, because they go for a more professional adult look.Its funny because I was going to buy a razer mouse, but instead got the G500...and reading comparisons later on I was so happy I did.
The problem is razer/steelseries/thermalake dont care about a good reputation or maintaining quality standards, they wana make a quick buck nowadays. Remember when razer first came out? They were actually really good "FOR GAMERS BY GAMERS" remember that motto?...and look at them now...they sell 35 dollar mouse pads with "certificates of authenticity" and a box/packaging that looks like it was made for kids age 2-5. All their products come with super awesome stickers and very well made instruction manuals that are beautifully designed on cardboard cutouts. Thing is...what happened to the actual product? Blackwidow ultimate costs 120 bucks, but how much of that is spent on all that extra garbage that noone really cares about? My first mech was bwu, and the backlighting was broken on both original and replacement models. Also, there was a crack in the plastic finish in one of them that was underneath the shiny layer. LEDs on these boards would flicker, die out, come back, etc. etc. so I was not having it, this quality was not what I was expecting for a 120 dollar keyboard....4 times as expensive as my logitech elite kb.
Before I started looking into mechanical keyboards, I had a Logitech Illuminated Keyboard. It was scissor swtich with a very mature professional lightup color. This type of back-lighting is great, you use it when you wana feel like youre in a space ship, and off when u need to focus on the game. Problem is, it had very bad ghosting and shift W space wouldnt even register at once, aka terrible for gaming.
I think that thermalake is going for the same "Juvenile" design as razer is getting a bad rep for. They even have the cardboard manuals now same as razer does.
I DO think that backlighting should be a standard feature in all keyboards, but we are nowhere near there yet man. Did you know that the majority of mechanical keyboards from all these companies are all somehow defective or tainted in some way or form? I am right now typing on my 5th mechanical keyboard in the past 2 1/2 months. The quality control on these things is just horrible...razer especially. Das was actually very good but the piano finish scratches up before you even get it in the mail. Even this 160 dollar filco i have now, has very slight scratches on the sides where the factory guy put it into the box. I have to return this one for a replacement or maybe ill get a different one altogether because there is a broken F7 switch.
The steelseries 7 mechanical had many reports of the key caps flying off, and just lots of issues all around.
Filco/leopold are not elite snobby companies, they're tiny small groups that are just trying to make a living, while being overall dominated by the big companies in the mass market. The filco/leo groups make their niche money off people who want a higher level of quality in their mech, and the filco co is happy with it.
I havent shared this with anyone here yet...but check out this email i sent to diatec, and their response...
Here is my email to them:
"Hello, I am from new jersey USA.
I got a filco ninja linear blackswitch from amazon, from keyboard co UK.
Why does your company only distribute to USA from a UK company?
If Filco company doesn't do something about supply soon, the other mechanical keyboard companies like Razer, Das keyboard, and even Thermalake will start to take over the mechanical keyboard market.
"I know that the Filco and Das keyboards are made in the same factory in taiwan...but why are they different in price and build quality?
The das keyboard I had was all scratched up and had LED light problems, but the filco is much better and has only very small problems like the backspace key squeaking and right windows key making a tick sound if pressed very hard.
What is the difference in production at this factory? Can you explain to me the specifics?"
Here is the response:
"Dear Valued Customer,
Thanks for your contact.
This is our business strategy regarding the co-operation on Amazon running.
We have other strategies going on aiming to have more channels in the US.
Thank you for your comments.
Regarding Das keyboard, we are not involved any of their business as well as
how they control the factory, of course and so are they.
We are two totally different companies controlling the factory.
Every process is different from theirs and this is how you feel about our products are different from theirs.
This is as far as we could answer your questions.
Thanks for your contact and support.
Thanks and best regards,
DIATEC CORPORATION"
So you see...strait from the diatec guy's mouth in a thick authentic accent =D
The filcos are made in the same factory as the das, and leopolds also...probably by all the same workers...but they all have different ideas on what and how they're making. The filco boards concentrate more on typing feel and build quality as much as possible, instead of advertising or gimmicks or shortcuts in production. I can honestly say that the filco feels much better to type on than the das S, and
Did you know that the filco user manual is entirely in some asian language? True story...even the ninja that just came out is 99% taiwan/japanese and only the title says in english: user manual.
The coolest thing I think about filco and leopold are they give you things that actually matter...like a free key cap puller and a detachable connector cable. I think this is much more honest and caring towards their customers than thermalake and razer saying look at us we got 1000hz polling rate! and we got usb ports and audio/mic jacks right in the keyboard! and media features! omg! and wait! we even got backlighting + an awesome box!
I don't deny that thermalake and razer will make 100s of times what filco makes a year in revenue, but at least filco has my respect for not being sell outs and actually trying to deliver honest good products to their fans.
This was the entire point I was trying to make...yes competition is great...but so far razer is just getting worse and worse, and now thermalake is following suit. That is why I disapprove, because dedicated honest companies like filco/leopold/ducky etc. are not getting the recognition they deserve, and having people say why the heck is filco 170 bucks? thats totally overrated! ripoff!
Unfortunately, for all of these companies and keyboards...i think its just a matter of time until logitech just totally destroys them all with a 300 dollar keyboard featuring a brand new state of the art key developed by logitech themselves, with patented exclusive rights.
I cannot see logitech paying cherry to buy their switches, its just not gonna happen =/
They have this already:
http://www.logitech.com/en-us/keyboards/keyboard/devices/192Bottom line is...before I ramble off about something else...
DONT WORRY, BE HAPPY! =)
If you see someone say something that you very seriously disagree with, try to find out why they think that way, maybe they know something you dont or vice versa.
The ultimate keyboard doesnt matter, its the learning journey that we are all here for.
