Any reason to get a filco over CM quickfire rapid?

[immortalz]

Is there any reason for me to consider ever buying a filco over a CM quickfire rapid that is half the price?  I know some people hate the branding but you save 50-70$ by getting the same keyboard with different branding.  Then you can use that extra money to buy new keycaps or something. 

Also I know this has been asked a lot before but what do you guys think is better switches for gaming, reds or browns?  Leaning towards the reds at the moment but would also like to hear what you all think.  The red CM quickfire also looks the best =)

[longweight]

Not really, I couldn't live with the branding on the board and you won't be able to get an aluminium case for it if that might be something that you want to do in the future.

[poxeclipse]

No difference, indeed. If you hate the logo on the CM case, you can wrap the case in vinyl and it looks nice.

[derb2k2]

regarding what switch is best for gaming:

http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=33573.0

[immortalz]

regarding what switch is best for gaming:

http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=33573.0

I read through that thread already, I'm just looking for some more input if anyone has any. Thanks for the link though.

[Harlequin]

well, ppl say filco majestouch 2's build quality is the best but filco is truly over priced imo.
Great kb but not a good value kb. Quickfire is def better value, i would say one of the best value kbs out there now.
About the gaming switch, i would say depends on game genres.

Personally i would use Red, and Black for FPS.
Blue and Brown for RTS.
Red, Brown for MMO.

Red is designed for gaming but i srsly dunno why. It just has low activation force that's it.
Nothing special for gaming imo.

So in conclusion,

If you have a lot of money, just go for filco. It might be easier to sell it to ppl later than quickfire.

Except this, just go for quickfire and if it's your first mech kb, just go for quickfire too.

[immortalz]

well, ppl say filco majestouch 2's build quality is the best but filco is truly over priced imo.
Great kb but not a good value kb. Quickfire is def better value, i would say one of the best value kbs out there now.
About the gaming switch, i would say depends on game genres.

Personally i would use Red, and Black for FPS.
Blue and Brown for RTS.
Red, Brown for MMO.

Red is designed for gaming but i srsly dunno why. It just has low activation force that's it.
Nothing special for gaming imo.

So in conclusion,

If you have a lot of money, just go for filco. It might be easier to sell it to ppl later than quickfire.

Except this, just go for quickfire and if it's your first mech kb, just go for quickfire too.

I never used reds only blues and blacks but I assume red is considered the best because low activation force = faster input meaning you will be faster in your games.  Can someone confirm this?

[Hyde]

If you're getting tenkeyless, I'd go for CM Storm QuickFire Rapid.  I only bought a Filco because I need a full size MX Red keyboard, and CM Storm doesn't have that yet.  But yes it's true with what people said, CM Storm is the best bang for the buck.

As for the switch, Red is better for gaming hands down due to the fact that it's super light and no bump (linear) which is good if you want to spam the keys fast.  As for typing, I'd give it a tie between brown and red for now

[Harlequin]

If you're getting tenkeyless, I'd go for CM Storm QuickFire Rapid.  I only bought a Filco because I need a full size MX Red keyboard, and CM Storm doesn't have that yet.  But yes it's true with what people said, CM Storm is the best bang for the buck.

As for the switch, Red is better for gaming hands down due to the fact that it's super light and no bump (linear) which is good if you want to spam the keys fast.  As for typing, I'd give it a tie between brown and red for now

I thought they had full size kbs for quite long.

http://www.cmstorm.com/en/products/keyboards/quickfirepro/
http://www.cmstorm.com/en/products/keyboards/Trigger/

[Djuzuh]

If you're getting tenkeyless, I'd go for CM Storm QuickFire Rapid.  I only bought a Filco because I need a full size MX Red keyboard, and CM Storm doesn't have that yet.  But yes it's true with what people said, CM Storm is the best bang for the buck.

As for the switch, Red is better for gaming hands down due to the fact that it's super light and no bump (linear) which is good if you want to spam the keys fast.  As for typing, I'd give it a tie between brown and red for now

I thought they had full size kbs for quite long.

http://www.cmstorm.com/en/products/keyboards/quickfirepro/
http://www.cmstorm.com/en/products/keyboards/Trigger/

I believe some of those models aren't made by costar. So build quality is not the same for all CM products.

[stingrae]

http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=33240.msg625590#msg625590

Not sure whether Carter is right but it's a post that got less interest than I thought it would (mind you with the hacking period it was to be expected)...Sure is interesting.

On Filco, nothing wrong with cm storm but something about filco makes me still want one...so tempted ...

[thegunner100]

Just get the quickfire and save yourself some money for another keyboard, keycaps, or whatever you like to spend your money on

They both have pretty much the same build quality, but the quickfire uses a detachable USB cable whereas the filco doesn't. The quickfire logos suck, but its not like you're constantly staring at the keyboard as you're typing anyways.

Red vs browns, it'll vary between eveeyone. With the money you're saving by buying the quickfire, why not buy both the red and brown versions?

[MarkPharaoh]

I own both a CM Storm Rapid and a FILCO MJ2 and it's obvious that the FILCO is a more solid board. So, if money was no issue then it's no contest. But, is the FILCO worth double the price of the Rapid, or more? Ehhhhh, for me it is, for many others it wouldn't be. I just notice too big of a difference when I'm slamming on my CM board like a mad man to really consider it over a FILCO.

I think that if you never use a FILCO, the Rapid will be great. But if you end up buying both like I did, the differences may be enough for you to never want to use the Rapid as your main board.

Edit: removed false info because I'm dumb :-)

[alaricljs]

I own both a CM Storm Rapid and a FILCO MJ2 and it's obvious that the FILCO is a more solid board. FILCO uses costar stabilizers in their boards and I notice the difference.

Uh what?  Filco and CM Storm Quickfire both use Costar stabilizers and are both manufactured through Costar.

[MarkPharaoh]

Are they? My mistake, I'll edit. Am I thinking of my Noppoo? That's what I get from browsing In bed before coffee. :-)

[jdcarpe]

Save yourself $70 and buy the Filco. If you get a CM Storm QuickFire Rapid, you will be happy with it, for a while. But you will always wonder what that Filco is like, and is it better than your QFR. You will then end up buying a Filco, anyway, and even though they feel the same, you will always give the edge to the Filco. Since it costs more, it must be better, right?

For full disclosure, I own 3 Filco TKLs, and have never owned or used a CM Storm QuickFire Rapid.

[rknize]

I have a Filco, CM Storm, and a Leopold tenkeyless.  The CM Storm is about 90% of the Filco for about half the price.  Both are very solid boards.  The Leo is solid too, but the difference is more noticeable and I think I know why.

It's all about what is more important to you.  If you end up being a collector, you'll end up with a Filco regardless.    As others have said, the CM Storm is the best bang for your buck by far.  The branding on the case is not bad at all once you replace those keys.

I've had them all apart.  Both the Filco and the CM Storm support the switches by the plate, which is supported directly by the base.  The switch/plate/PCB assembly is almost exactly the same and they both use Costar stabilizers.  The Leopold supports the plate via the PCB, which is then supported by the base.  The key differences between the Filco and the CM Storm are:

- The Filco has two screws holding the plate down to the base and the base has some extra webbing on the Filco.  The plate is then sandwiched between the two halves on both, but the CM Storm lacks the extra screws.

- The Filco has a thicker, double-sided PCB.  The CM Storm is a bit thinner and is single-sided.  Both look to be FR4, but the Filco may be a higher grade.

The Leopold has a lighter and thinner PCB material (looks FR3 to me).  This coupled with the way the PCB has to support the plate and switches is the reason for the difference in typing feel.  Obviously, the Cherry stabilizers are also a factor.

[thegunner100]

Screw it, just get a topre and be done with your keyboard journey

[MarkPharaoh]

Screw it, just get a topre and be done with your keyboard journey

I like where your head is at :-) Just bought MMBs, can't wait until I get it.

[Xerobasix]

FWIW I have a CM Storm and love it (browns feel awesome for gaming / typing and I play FPS mostly)... but I'm going to be buying a Filco (with reds) soon for the exact reason mentioned by jdcarpe.  I must know if I'm missing something.  And, I want a case that says "Filco".

[immortalz]

I had a CM quickfire rapid in blues before guys but I hated the switch so much that I got rid of it.  I got it right when it came out.  For some reason my hands got really tired from gaming on it, maybe it was because I was bottoming out every key? 

For the people that have the filco mj2 and the CM can you guys compare the size and width of the keyboard?  I am just curious how much exactly they are alike =p.  Pictures will be appreciated

[alaricljs]

The casing outside dimensions are identical within manufacturing tolerances and whatever changes that CM Storm coating makes.

[False_Dmitry_II]

If the problem is bottoming out on everything, getting different switches that require less force will just make that worse, which would be both reds and browns.

So you'll either have to deal with that fact and stick with cherry, maybe get blacks or something. Otherwise you'll have to get a non-cherry something. There aren't very many things which are currently being made that aren't.

Sticking to the original question only, I see no reason to blow that much more money just to get a filco over something that still has a metal backplate and uses the same switches.

[DasHHKBProM]

.

[alaricljs]

Now you have me wondering which component is responsible for the weight difference.  The Filco cable should be somewhat offset by the 3rd PCB w/ USB connector inside the CM, any idea how much of the cable was suspended from the Filco?  I'd bet that without keycaps and without the cable/connector board the 2 would be near identical.

[DasHHKBProM]

i dropped the other 2 images so page loads faster

I did think about the cable. majority of the cable was resting on the glass maybe 4 inches of cable from KB

[DasHHKBProM]

I figure the 4 inch of cable or so included in the weight of filco will account for the full usb connecter in the CM

[alaricljs]

Oh wait... those blues have that extra slider in every switch.  87 switches, .25-.5 g per slider?  Then again the CM is also single layer PCB. The new Filco is dual, so more copper there.

[DasHHKBProM]

they are both rohs which if im not mistakes no PB(lead) in product including solder? i could be wrong tho about that 

[rknize]

The Filco PCB is thicker.  I didn't measure them.  Glass is heavy.

[dorkvader]

Oh wait... those blues have that extra slider in every switch.  87 switches, .25-.5 g per slider?  Then again the CM is also single layer PCB. The new Filco is dual, so more copper there.

Pretty sure it's the PCB that makes up the bulk of the difference. The Cmstorm has a somewhat thin one layer PCB. 'Course all the jumpers add mass, but I suspect a whole PCB layer adds more.

[swagpiratex]

An extra layer of PCB sounds like it would add 50 grams.

I had my suspicions (who doesn't, regarding a $160 keyboard?), and now having owned it, I can safely say that if Filco had not released the Multicam version, I never would have bought it. (It matches my Lightfighter RAID II pack and multicam pants). Way overpriced.

I would have been happy with the Quickfire Rapid in Browns. But because there are so many examples of customized keyboards on this website, this kind of question is moot, anyhow. Spend any significant number of time on this site and you'll end up with more keyboards than you really need. As evidenced by the number of sales by senior members here in the classfiieds section.

Hell, even I gave my Das keyboard to my dad, who missed his Model M from years ago, just so I could keep the Filco at work, and justify piecing together a TKL config with LED-backlit rainbow keys with assorted novelty keycaps for my personal computer.