KUL WITH BLUES IS FINALLY HERE

[Puddsy]

https://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=keyed_up_labs,tenkeyless&pid=es87u_ce_sss_al

and i see they took my suggestion for gold legends

[Dihedral]

Someone needs to do a side-by-side comparison of Build Quality for the common TKL boards. QFR, Filco, KUL. I'm not convinced the difference is as big as the manufacturers would have you believe.

[Puddsy]

I've done one, since i own all 3 boards. The difference between Filco and QFR isn't huge, but it's there, but KUL is MILES above the other 2.

[dante]

Would love to see a battle between the KUL ES87 VS. Leopold FC750R VS. Vortex Type M

[dorkvader]

CRIUSE CONTROL!

Someone needs to do a side-by-side comparison of Build Quality for the common TKL boards. QFR, Filco, KUL. I'm not convinced the difference is as big as the manufacturers would have you believe.

There are big differences in construction between them, but how much that matters to reliability or usability is questionable. Some keyboards there are huge differences that absolutely make a difference, but perhaps most plate mounted keyboradsa re effectively the same.

That said, if you plan on desoldering or modifying your keyboard, the KUL is an excellent choice.

KUL is MILES above the other 2.

but everyone knows you're biased ;p

[Puddsy]

Only because it's true

[BucklingSpring]

The difference between Filco and QFR isn't huge, but it's there, but KUL is MILES above the other 2.

Really? You got me curious now. What makes the KUL so much better?

Some of their dip switch settings are puzzling. Why would someone switch between 6KRO and NKRO or between 125Hz or 1000Hz polling rate?

[Puddsy]

The difference between Filco and QFR isn't huge, but it's there, but KUL is MILES above the other 2.

Really? You got me curious now. What makes the KUL so much better?

Some of their dip switch settings are puzzling. Why would someone switch between 6KRO and NKRO or between 125Hz or 1000Hz polling rate?

It's a huge brick. If you want a solid typing experience, this is a winner.

yeah they need to work on their DIP settings, but at least they have DIP switches, unlike the other 2.

[Dihedral]

I've done one, since i own all 3 boards. The difference between Filco and QFR isn't huge, but it's there, but KUL is MILES above the other 2.

Link to post?

[Hypersphere]

I've had two Kul boards, but I sold them both and ended up with a WASD V2 87 Barebones. The Kul is solid and has some useful DIP switch settings, but I prefer Costar-style stabilizers. I also liked the fact that I could get the WASD without keycaps, and I found that WASD customer support was the best I had encountered with any company.

[dante]

I sold my KUL due to the incredibly gritty Red switches.  Otherwise the keyboard was OK.

Would be nice if they experimented with Gateron's because I hear they are incredibly smooth.

[Puddsy]

I've done one, since i own all 3 boards. The difference between Filco and QFR isn't huge, but it's there, but KUL is MILES above the other 2.

Link to post?

i'm bad at finding things that i've done

but it's not much more in depth than what you've just quoted

i keep threatening to do a full one but i'm too lazy

[derb2k2]

I was about to order a ES-87 with red switches but have some upcoming expenses which precluded this. I've heard enough good things to eventually get one though.

[hwood34]

I wish these had been out when I bought my first board. Still really want one, especially now that they're in blues

[LechnerDE]

Has anybody heard any news about the colored top covers?

I don't want to pay international shipping twice...

[Fragil1ty]

https://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=keyed_up_labs,tenkeyless&pid=es87u_ce_sss_al

and i see they took my suggestion for gold legends

I just wish they'd use a different keycap material, abs is disgusting. I've bought aftermarket keycaps for mine anyway, so it's not that big of a problem, but still, it'd make the keyboard that much better.
Fantastic board though, best tkl board that I've ever owned to be honest.

[LechnerDE]

https://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=keyed_up_labs,tenkeyless&pid=es87u_ce_sss_al

and i see they took my suggestion for gold legends

I just wish they'd use a different keycap material, abs is disgusting. I've bought aftermarket keycaps for mine anyway, so it's not that big of a problem, but still, it'd make the keyboard that much better.
Fantastic board though, best tkl board that I've ever owned to be honest.

Did you import your KUL from the US?

If so how much was it including shipping and fees?

[Puddsy]

Has anybody heard any news about the colored top covers?

I don't want to pay international shipping twice...

they told me that they were coming with the MX blue version, but I've not seen them nor heard anything from KUL

https://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=keyed_up_labs,tenkeyless&pid=es87u_ce_sss_al

and i see they took my suggestion for gold legends

I just wish they'd use a different keycap material, abs is disgusting. I've bought aftermarket keycaps for mine anyway, so it's not that big of a problem, but still, it'd make the keyboard that much better.
Fantastic board though, best tkl board that I've ever owned to be honest.

i like the keycaps honestly

i put GMK on it and it's miles better though

[Puddsy]

https://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=keyed_up_labs,tenkeyless&pid=es87u_ce_sss_al

and i see they took my suggestion for gold legends

I just wish they'd use a different keycap material, abs is disgusting. I've bought aftermarket keycaps for mine anyway, so it's not that big of a problem, but still, it'd make the keyboard that much better.
Fantastic board though, best tkl board that I've ever owned to be honest.

Did you import your KUL from the US?

If so how much was it including shipping and fees?

I usually tell people to add 20-25%

[Fragil1ty]

https://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=keyed_up_labs,tenkeyless&pid=es87u_ce_sss_al

and i see they took my suggestion for gold legends

I just wish they'd use a different keycap material, abs is disgusting. I've bought aftermarket keycaps for mine anyway, so it's not that big of a problem, but still, it'd make the keyboard that much better.
Fantastic board though, best tkl board that I've ever owned to be honest.

Did you import your KUL from the US?

If so how much was it including shipping and fees?

Erm, the actual price taking directly from my PP is: $186.86 in dollars and then I paid about 22.50 in Custom Charges (that's in pounds though), so it was a little expensive, worth it though for sure. I'd advise you get one, I just bought one and then I bought some amazing Leopold Low Profile Keycaps (ninja printed) off ebay, they're amazing keycaps.

Has anybody heard any news about the colored top covers?

I don't want to pay international shipping twice...

they told me that they were coming with the MX blue version, but I've not seen them nor heard anything from KUL

https://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=keyed_up_labs,tenkeyless&pid=es87u_ce_sss_al

and i see they took my suggestion for gold legends

I just wish they'd use a different keycap material, abs is disgusting. I've bought aftermarket keycaps for mine anyway, so it's not that big of a problem, but still, it'd make the keyboard that much better.
Fantastic board though, best tkl board that I've ever owned to be honest.

i like the keycaps honestly

i put GMK on it and it's miles better though

 


I like the effort that they put into them to be honest, giving you the extra keycaps for the extra functions, e.g. the smaller backspace? the ctrl to capslock and stuff like that? so well done and thought out, they're going to go far as a company for sure.

[LechnerDE]

https://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=keyed_up_labs,tenkeyless&pid=es87u_ce_sss_al

and i see they took my suggestion for gold legends

I just wish they'd use a different keycap material, abs is disgusting. I've bought aftermarket keycaps for mine anyway, so it's not that big of a problem, but still, it'd make the keyboard that much better.
Fantastic board though, best tkl board that I've ever owned to be honest.

Did you import your KUL from the US?

If so how much was it including shipping and fees?

I usually tell people to add 20-25%

Yeah, I just checked the prices.

Elitekeyboards charges ~58$ for shipping to Germany and MechanicalKeyboards.com charges ~35$.

Since both companies will declare the actual value I am looking at another 35$ of import fees


Is 35$ really the cheapest option to ship a keyboard? Time is not important - I'd rather wait 2-3 months and pay half the price

[Puddsy]

https://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=keyed_up_labs,tenkeyless&pid=es87u_ce_sss_al

and i see they took my suggestion for gold legends

I just wish they'd use a different keycap material, abs is disgusting. I've bought aftermarket keycaps for mine anyway, so it's not that big of a problem, but still, it'd make the keyboard that much better.
Fantastic board though, best tkl board that I've ever owned to be honest.

Did you import your KUL from the US?

If so how much was it including shipping and fees?

I usually tell people to add 20-25%

Yeah, I just checked the prices.

Elitekeyboards charges ~58$ for shipping to Germany and MechanicalKeyboards.com charges ~35$.

Since both companies will declare the actual value I am looking at another 35$ of import fees


Is 35$ really the cheapest option to ship a keyboard? Time is not important - I'd rather wait 2-3 months and pay half the price

That's a little more than what it would cost to have it proxied. Keyboards a big and heavy, yo.

[Patchwrks]

I'm curious, a lot of people have said that KULs with reds are very gritty.  Is this basically the entire experience that people have had for that particular switch in that particular board?  I just bought one with reds so hopefully that's not the case overall like the left alt issue with QFR browns a while ago

[Flyersfan1]

I'm curious, a lot of people have said that KULs with reds are very gritty.  Is this basically the entire experience that people have had for that particular switch in that particular board?  I just bought one with reds so hopefully that's not the case overall like the left alt issue with QFR browns a while ago

I bought one from Amazon a month ago and the reds were butter smooth out of the box with the exception of 1-2 keys, so I don't think it's an inherent issue.  They break in rather quickly with continuous use.

[dorkvader]

Is 35$ really the cheapest option to ship a keyboard? Time is not important - I'd rather wait 2-3 months and pay half the price

That's a little more than what it would cost to have it proxied. Keyboards a big and heavy, yo.

From having proxied at least 6 QFRs abroad, the shipping weight in the lightest possible (safe) box is just under 4 lbs. USPS charges $35.06 as the cheapest possible option (first class mail, $10 declared value)
http://ircalc.usps.com/MailServices.aspx?country=10137&m=6&p=4&o=0&MailingDate=1/6/2015&MailingTime=8:00%20AM&dv=10

It's a huge brick. If you want a solid typing experience, this is a winner.

Custom KBs aside, the typenow Solid is more so.

[sorijealut]

Someone needs to do a side-by-side comparison of Build Quality for the common TKL boards. QFR, Filco, KUL. I'm not convinced the difference is as big as the manufacturers would have you believe.

This is crazy because these are the exact 3 boards I've owned so far.

QFR feels poorly built compared to the sturdy and heavy Filco, flimsy in many ways at the plastic is hollow and thin feeling in some parts.

KUL is better for me than the Filco because the keystrokes feel more "deadened" as in they don't have as much of a distinguished thock. KUL also feels much more low profile whereas the Filco feels a bit taller and less ergonomic for my tastes. Stabilized keys do not have any pinging issues like the Filco.

Just let me know if you need me to describe any specifics.

[Huxley2500]

Cool

[sorijealut]

I'm curious, a lot of people have said that KULs with reds are very gritty.  Is this basically the entire experience that people have had for that particular switch in that particular board?  I just bought one with reds so hopefully that's not the case overall like the left alt issue with QFR browns a while ago

I think I can answer this. What you're about to read is an amateur's comparison.

I sat down and compared Filco vs. KUL, doing just about everything you can think of (switching keycaps with one another, legs up and down, typing speed test.
Here's what I found:

Key presses:
The initial impression that I got was that Filco MX reds felt much smoother than KUL MX reds. Maybe you can call it gritty - I'm not sure - but the KUL is more silent and easier to type without bottoming out.
The switch feels slower in speed, which allows more control. I found a difference in gaming in games like CS:GO when I had to strafe at corners to peek. Filco in my mind felt like I was walking tightropes and the typing/gaming experience felt less grounded and secure.

Other differences: KUL key travel felt shorter (even though we know key travel can't actually be shorter).
I chalked up the reason of shorter key travel feel to the case, which is much lower profile than the Filco.

Plates
Typing on the Filco had more finger fatigue due to a harsher landing (is this due to the switches being stiffer on the KUL, which decreases the speed?). I think the typing on Filco felt smooth to reach the bottom and each bottom-out gave you a nice reminder of a thock that a solid plate was under. I found this thock a bit fatiguing, actually.

KUL's plate is silent compared to Filco's, which I preferred. It may not seem premium, if sound feedback from the plate is what you want, but the KUL is a lot quieter.

[Flyersfan1]

I'm curious, a lot of people have said that KULs with reds are very gritty.  Is this basically the entire experience that people have had for that particular switch in that particular board?  I just bought one with reds so hopefully that's not the case overall like the left alt issue with QFR browns a while ago

I think I can answer this. What you're about to read is an amateur's comparison.

I sat down and compared Filco vs. KUL, doing just about everything you can think of (switching keycaps with one another, legs up and down, typing speed test.
Here's what I found:

Key presses:
The initial impression that I got was that Filco MX reds felt much smoother than KUL MX reds. Maybe you can call it gritty - I'm not sure - but the KUL is more silent and easier to type without bottoming out.
The switch feels slower in speed, which allows more control. I found a difference in gaming in games like CS:GO when I had to strafe at corners to peek. Filco in my mind felt like I was walking tightropes and the typing/gaming experience felt less grounded and secure.

Other differences: KUL key travel felt shorter (even though we know key travel can't actually be shorter).
I chalked up the reason of shorter key travel feel to the case, which is much lower profile than the Filco.

Plates
Typing on the Filco had more finger fatigue due to a harsher landing (is this due to the switches being stiffer on the KUL, which decreases the speed?). I think the typing on Filco felt smooth to reach the bottom and each bottom-out gave you a nice reminder of a thock that a solid plate was under. I found this thock a bit fatiguing, actually.

KUL's plate is silent compared to Filco's, which I preferred. It may not seem premium, if sound feedback from the plate is what you want, but the KUL is a lot quieter.

That's a very interesting breakdown, thanks for sharing!

[sorijealut]

I'm curious, a lot of people have said that KULs with reds are very gritty.  Is this basically the entire experience that people have had for that particular switch in that particular board?  I just bought one with reds so hopefully that's not the case overall like the left alt issue with QFR browns a while ago

I think I can answer this. What you're about to read is an amateur's comparison.

I sat down and compared Filco vs. KUL, doing just about everything you can think of (switching keycaps with one another, legs up and down, typing speed test.
Here's what I found:

Key presses:
The initial impression that I got was that Filco MX reds felt much smoother than KUL MX reds. Maybe you can call it gritty - I'm not sure - but the KUL is more silent and easier to type without bottoming out.
The switch feels slower in speed, which allows more control. I found a difference in gaming in games like CS:GO when I had to strafe at corners to peek. Filco in my mind felt like I was walking tightropes and the typing/gaming experience felt less grounded and secure.

Other differences: KUL key travel felt shorter (even though we know key travel can't actually be shorter).
I chalked up the reason of shorter key travel feel to the case, which is much lower profile than the Filco.

Plates
Typing on the Filco had more finger fatigue due to a harsher landing (is this due to the switches being stiffer on the KUL, which decreases the speed?). I think the typing on Filco felt smooth to reach the bottom and each bottom-out gave you a nice reminder of a thock that a solid plate was under. I found this thock a bit fatiguing, actually.

KUL's plate is silent compared to Filco's, which I preferred. It may not seem premium, if sound feedback from the plate is what you want, but the KUL is a lot quieter.

That's a very interesting breakdown, thanks for sharing!

Thanks for that! as someone new, it's encouraging to think my comparsion can be useful

I'm haven't really seen the two compared in detail so I recalled what I felt in my testing for a few days before I sold my Filco.

[Flyersfan1]

I'm curious, a lot of people have said that KULs with reds are very gritty.  Is this basically the entire experience that people have had for that particular switch in that particular board?  I just bought one with reds so hopefully that's not the case overall like the left alt issue with QFR browns a while ago

I think I can answer this. What you're about to read is an amateur's comparison.

I sat down and compared Filco vs. KUL, doing just about everything you can think of (switching keycaps with one another, legs up and down, typing speed test.
Here's what I found:

Key presses:
The initial impression that I got was that Filco MX reds felt much smoother than KUL MX reds. Maybe you can call it gritty - I'm not sure - but the KUL is more silent and easier to type without bottoming out.
The switch feels slower in speed, which allows more control. I found a difference in gaming in games like CS:GO when I had to strafe at corners to peek. Filco in my mind felt like I was walking tightropes and the typing/gaming experience felt less grounded and secure.

Other differences: KUL key travel felt shorter (even though we know key travel can't actually be shorter).
I chalked up the reason of shorter key travel feel to the case, which is much lower profile than the Filco.

Plates
Typing on the Filco had more finger fatigue due to a harsher landing (is this due to the switches being stiffer on the KUL, which decreases the speed?). I think the typing on Filco felt smooth to reach the bottom and each bottom-out gave you a nice reminder of a thock that a solid plate was under. I found this thock a bit fatiguing, actually.

KUL's plate is silent compared to Filco's, which I preferred. It may not seem premium, if sound feedback from the plate is what you want, but the KUL is a lot quieter.

That's a very interesting breakdown, thanks for sharing!

Thanks for that! as someone new, it's encouraging to think my comparsion can be useful

I'm haven't really seen the two compared in detail so I recalled what I felt in my testing for a few days before I sold my Filco.

No Problem! I too have a KUL w/ Reds and I always love seeing other peoples opinions on them, I'm very satisfied with mine in terms of overall feel and construction.  You can really tell some thought went into the design and construction of the case.  I really do think it's one of the best stock keyboards out there for the money at the moment, and while the stock keycaps are nothing to write home about, they appear to be a touch thicker than any other I have ever seen, which is a nice bonus.

[sorijealut]

I'm curious, a lot of people have said that KULs with reds are very gritty.  Is this basically the entire experience that people have had for that particular switch in that particular board?  I just bought one with reds so hopefully that's not the case overall like the left alt issue with QFR browns a while ago

I think I can answer this. What you're about to read is an amateur's comparison.

I sat down and compared Filco vs. KUL, doing just about everything you can think of (switching keycaps with one another, legs up and down, typing speed test.
Here's what I found:

Key presses:
The initial impression that I got was that Filco MX reds felt much smoother than KUL MX reds. Maybe you can call it gritty - I'm not sure - but the KUL is more silent and easier to type without bottoming out.
The switch feels slower in speed, which allows more control. I found a difference in gaming in games like CS:GO when I had to strafe at corners to peek. Filco in my mind felt like I was walking tightropes and the typing/gaming experience felt less grounded and secure.

Other differences: KUL key travel felt shorter (even though we know key travel can't actually be shorter).
I chalked up the reason of shorter key travel feel to the case, which is much lower profile than the Filco.

Plates
Typing on the Filco had more finger fatigue due to a harsher landing (is this due to the switches being stiffer on the KUL, which decreases the speed?). I think the typing on Filco felt smooth to reach the bottom and each bottom-out gave you a nice reminder of a thock that a solid plate was under. I found this thock a bit fatiguing, actually.

KUL's plate is silent compared to Filco's, which I preferred. It may not seem premium, if sound feedback from the plate is what you want, but the KUL is a lot quieter.

That's a very interesting breakdown, thanks for sharing!

Thanks for that! as someone new, it's encouraging to think my comparsion can be useful

I'm haven't really seen the two compared in detail so I recalled what I felt in my testing for a few days before I sold my Filco.

No Problem! I too have a KUL w/ Reds and I always love seeing other peoples opinions on them, I'm very satisfied with mine in terms of overall feel and construction.  You can really tell some thought went into the design and construction of the case.  I really do think it's one of the best stock keyboards out there for the money at the moment, and while the stock keycaps are nothing to write home about, they appear to be a touch thicker than any other I have ever seen, which is a nice bonus.

Agreed in your points! Made to feel like a Korean custom?  We should make a KUL fan club.
I haven't seen many MX red KUL owners yet (most own clears) so it's good to see you!

[Ius]

I'm curious, a lot of people have said that KULs with reds are very gritty.  Is this basically the entire experience that people have had for that particular switch in that particular board?  I just bought one with reds so hopefully that's not the case overall like the left alt issue with QFR browns a while ago

I think I can answer this. What you're about to read is an amateur's comparison.

I sat down and compared Filco vs. KUL, doing just about everything you can think of (switching keycaps with one another, legs up and down, typing speed test.
Here's what I found:

Key presses:
The initial impression that I got was that Filco MX reds felt much smoother than KUL MX reds. Maybe you can call it gritty - I'm not sure - but the KUL is more silent and easier to type without bottoming out.
The switch feels slower in speed, which allows more control. I found a difference in gaming in games like CS:GO when I had to strafe at corners to peek. Filco in my mind felt like I was walking tightropes and the typing/gaming experience felt less grounded and secure.

Other differences: KUL key travel felt shorter (even though we know key travel can't actually be shorter).
I chalked up the reason of shorter key travel feel to the case, which is much lower profile than the Filco.

Plates
Typing on the Filco had more finger fatigue due to a harsher landing (is this due to the switches being stiffer on the KUL, which decreases the speed?). I think the typing on Filco felt smooth to reach the bottom and each bottom-out gave you a nice reminder of a thock that a solid plate was under. I found this thock a bit fatiguing, actually.

KUL's plate is silent compared to Filco's, which I preferred. It may not seem premium, if sound feedback from the plate is what you want, but the KUL is a lot quieter.

That's a very interesting breakdown, thanks for sharing!

Thanks for that! as someone new, it's encouraging to think my comparsion can be useful

I'm haven't really seen the two compared in detail so I recalled what I felt in my testing for a few days before I sold my Filco.

No Problem! I too have a KUL w/ Reds and I always love seeing other peoples opinions on them, I'm very satisfied with mine in terms of overall feel and construction.  You can really tell some thought went into the design and construction of the case.  I really do think it's one of the best stock keyboards out there for the money at the moment, and while the stock keycaps are nothing to write home about, they appear to be a touch thicker than any other I have ever seen, which is a nice bonus.

Agreed in your points! Made to feel like a Korean custom?  We should make a KUL fan club.
I haven't seen many MX red KUL owners yet (most own clears) so it's good to see you!

I'm thinking about getting the KUL with reds as my first mechanical keyboard. I've been lurking for a few weeks and your HHKB thread almost convinced me to buy the HHKB. I got all the way to checkout on EK but then I got cold feet. That price...
I still haven't made a decision but I'd be interested to hear what you have to say about your HHKB when it arrives (especially in comparison to the reds)

[sorijealut]

I'm curious, a lot of people have said that KULs with reds are very gritty.  Is this basically the entire experience that people have had for that particular switch in that particular board?  I just bought one with reds so hopefully that's not the case overall like the left alt issue with QFR browns a while ago

I think I can answer this. What you're about to read is an amateur's comparison.

I sat down and compared Filco vs. KUL, doing just about everything you can think of (switching keycaps with one another, legs up and down, typing speed test.
Here's what I found:

Key presses:
The initial impression that I got was that Filco MX reds felt much smoother than KUL MX reds. Maybe you can call it gritty - I'm not sure - but the KUL is more silent and easier to type without bottoming out.
The switch feels slower in speed, which allows more control. I found a difference in gaming in games like CS:GO when I had to strafe at corners to peek. Filco in my mind felt like I was walking tightropes and the typing/gaming experience felt less grounded and secure.

Other differences: KUL key travel felt shorter (even though we know key travel can't actually be shorter).
I chalked up the reason of shorter key travel feel to the case, which is much lower profile than the Filco.

Plates
Typing on the Filco had more finger fatigue due to a harsher landing (is this due to the switches being stiffer on the KUL, which decreases the speed?). I think the typing on Filco felt smooth to reach the bottom and each bottom-out gave you a nice reminder of a thock that a solid plate was under. I found this thock a bit fatiguing, actually.

KUL's plate is silent compared to Filco's, which I preferred. It may not seem premium, if sound feedback from the plate is what you want, but the KUL is a lot quieter.

That's a very interesting breakdown, thanks for sharing!

Thanks for that! as someone new, it's encouraging to think my comparsion can be useful

I'm haven't really seen the two compared in detail so I recalled what I felt in my testing for a few days before I sold my Filco.

No Problem! I too have a KUL w/ Reds and I always love seeing other peoples opinions on them, I'm very satisfied with mine in terms of overall feel and construction.  You can really tell some thought went into the design and construction of the case.  I really do think it's one of the best stock keyboards out there for the money at the moment, and while the stock keycaps are nothing to write home about, they appear to be a touch thicker than any other I have ever seen, which is a nice bonus.

Agreed in your points! Made to feel like a Korean custom?  We should make a KUL fan club.
I haven't seen many MX red KUL owners yet (most own clears) so it's good to see you!

I'm thinking about getting the KUL with reds as my first mechanical keyboard. I've been lurking for a few weeks and your HHKB thread almost convinced me to buy the HHKB. I got all the way to checkout on EK but then I got cold feet. That price...
I still haven't made a decision but I'd be interested to hear what you have to say about your HHKB when it arrives (especially in comparison to the reds)

Perfect. Thanks for letting me know! I didn't know someone was watching my thread haha.
I will be more than happy to tell you about either boards. To be honest I'm still scared of the money spent too, but I comfort myself in knowing it has good resell value given that I will take great care of it.

Anyway, it's hard to say "this or that is one best board" as we should always be cautious about personal differences, but I think KUL would be a great starting MX board for you, as was for me

P.S. Oh, and HHKB has ETA tomorrow if mailman survives through 6 inches of snow and below 0 Farenheight.

[Ius]

I'm curious, a lot of people have said that KULs with reds are very gritty.  Is this basically the entire experience that people have had for that particular switch in that particular board?  I just bought one with reds so hopefully that's not the case overall like the left alt issue with QFR browns a while ago

I think I can answer this. What you're about to read is an amateur's comparison.

I sat down and compared Filco vs. KUL, doing just about everything you can think of (switching keycaps with one another, legs up and down, typing speed test.
Here's what I found:

Key presses:
The initial impression that I got was that Filco MX reds felt much smoother than KUL MX reds. Maybe you can call it gritty - I'm not sure - but the KUL is more silent and easier to type without bottoming out.
The switch feels slower in speed, which allows more control. I found a difference in gaming in games like CS:GO when I had to strafe at corners to peek. Filco in my mind felt like I was walking tightropes and the typing/gaming experience felt less grounded and secure.

Other differences: KUL key travel felt shorter (even though we know key travel can't actually be shorter).
I chalked up the reason of shorter key travel feel to the case, which is much lower profile than the Filco.

Plates
Typing on the Filco had more finger fatigue due to a harsher landing (is this due to the switches being stiffer on the KUL, which decreases the speed?). I think the typing on Filco felt smooth to reach the bottom and each bottom-out gave you a nice reminder of a thock that a solid plate was under. I found this thock a bit fatiguing, actually.

KUL's plate is silent compared to Filco's, which I preferred. It may not seem premium, if sound feedback from the plate is what you want, but the KUL is a lot quieter.

That's a very interesting breakdown, thanks for sharing!

Thanks for that! as someone new, it's encouraging to think my comparsion can be useful

I'm haven't really seen the two compared in detail so I recalled what I felt in my testing for a few days before I sold my Filco.

No Problem! I too have a KUL w/ Reds and I always love seeing other peoples opinions on them, I'm very satisfied with mine in terms of overall feel and construction.  You can really tell some thought went into the design and construction of the case.  I really do think it's one of the best stock keyboards out there for the money at the moment, and while the stock keycaps are nothing to write home about, they appear to be a touch thicker than any other I have ever seen, which is a nice bonus.

Agreed in your points! Made to feel like a Korean custom?  We should make a KUL fan club.
I haven't seen many MX red KUL owners yet (most own clears) so it's good to see you!

I'm thinking about getting the KUL with reds as my first mechanical keyboard. I've been lurking for a few weeks and your HHKB thread almost convinced me to buy the HHKB. I got all the way to checkout on EK but then I got cold feet. That price...
I still haven't made a decision but I'd be interested to hear what you have to say about your HHKB when it arrives (especially in comparison to the reds)

Perfect. Thanks for letting me know! I didn't know someone was watching my thread haha.
I will be more than happy to tell you about either boards. To be honest I'm still scared of the money spent too, but I comfort myself in knowing it has good resell value given that I will take great care of it.

Anyway, it's hard to say "this or that is one best board" as we should always be cautious about personal differences, but I think KUL would be a great starting MX board for you, as was for me

P.S. Oh, and HHKB has ETA tomorrow if mailman survives through 6 inches of snow and below 0 Farenheight.

Godspeed to your mailman. And good luck sleeping tonight

[sorijealut]

Godspeed to your mailman. And good luck sleeping tonight

Thanks!

[Findecanor]

Some of their dip switch settings are puzzling. Why would someone switch between 6KRO and NKRO or between 125Hz or 1000Hz polling rate?

6KRO/NKRO: Compatibility with BIOS:es and MacOS. They can be finicky.
Polling rate: I suppose that low polling rate could save battery when used with a laptop, but lighting the LEDs overshadow that.

[azhdar]

Still waiting on their ISO layout boards .

[Fragil1ty]

I own the red version of the KUL to be honest and I think it's a fantastic keyboard, one of the best keyboards that I've ever owned. I've used a Noppoo Choc Mini for the better part of 2 years and I legitimately think that the KUL is a better keyboard, now only if I could get used to TKL boards, I think I would use it on a more primary basis. ;_;