ABS keycaps defeat the purpose of having a Deck.
What are you trying to do, produce Asian editions to break into the lucrative Filipino or Indian markets?
If Deck wants to produce keyboards with ABS keycaps and no Clear switches, what makes it that different from the vastly cheaper CoolerMaster then?
Hello berserkfan, we consulted extensively with Deck before this decision was made to offer this model and the decision to go to ABS was not done lightly and is being done in conjunction with the DS PBT model currently available in the USA. The reason for a Helvetica ABS model is because of feedback in two fronts:
1. Users, particularly those for whom English is a first language (in particular Australia and New Zealand), dislike the deck font and were generally unwilling to pay a premium for it.
2. DS PBT is expensive to produce and, accordingly, costs more at retail which put it out of reach of many in APAC who have relatively low buying power.
We believe that a having an ABS Helvetica option was a suitable solution to both these problems. And, even not withstanding the above, we believe the consistant quality of deck keyboards across their whole line, the addition of a key remapping layer and LED scripting layer makes the Deck Hassium Pro an attractive value proposition in it's own right compared to it's competitors, particularly as the library of user created layouts and LED patterns increase. I understand these features may not be attractive to everyone and we hope to be able to offer a fuller range of Deck products as time goes on.
MechKb, just wanted to tell you, I love your responsiveness. You are serious about your product.
Deck has many good features. Too bad I'm one of these guys who prefers PBT keycaps, and doesn't want to stint on cheaper and less lasting keycaps.
Consider this: Model Ms use PBT keycaps. Many model M keycaps are still as good as new after a couple of decades or more. If they have signs of wear or shine, it's because they were really, really, really used like mad everyday for years.
In contrast, ABS keycaps won't last you past a year, and that's only if you are not a heavy user.
Yes, you can break into the Asiapac markets now when people are poor. But over time, they will upscale and look for something better. The poor teenagers who can barely afford a mechanical keyboard in Indonesia now, will become discerning professionals 20 years from now, who want to put down money on a keyboard that lasts at least 5 years.
Ducky also offers solid quality with a broad range from 'above average price' to 'very high price' and quality to match. Indonesians or Filipinos are going to migrate from Cheap Chinese Kailh Armageddon knockoff, to Razer or CoolerMaster, to Ducky. If Deck insists on being inflexible, they will only offer 'very high price' with 'fairly high quality'. It's not that attractive.
I want ABS keycap, might as well get Ducky. Cheaper, more options, more customizability with things like Ducky keycaps, higher resaleability.
