Is Filco still relevant?

[Novus]

Filco used to be that legendary brand, priced 30-40% higher than the rest of the stock boards.
We used to always ask - Is it better than a Filco?
Do you think Filco is still the gold standard today?

[Flyersfan1]

I still really enjoy using mine. I do think they've rested on their laurels a bit and let some competitors like Ducky and KUL catch up in regards to quality. Not to mention they are also somewhat difficult to obtain in the US Market currently.

[sorijealut]

I wasn't around at the time of Filco's pinnacle, but it's probably still doing well enough so they don't feel the need for an update.

If they're not the standard, they could easily reclaim that spot.

In my personal comparison I found the KUL better than Filco MJ2

[brimborion]

I think since they let Rosewill rebrand one, they must have lost their cachet.

(I have no basis for this claim, just something i read somewhere. They do look similar though.)

[hwood34]

Surprisingly enough, I haven't really heard anyone talking about Filcos recently. Not to say that their quality or anything is a problem, people have just moved on to other companies

[BrewCaps]

Filco is life.  Blues are heaven.

[Puddsy]

yes

[lolkey]

Filco still has the sexiest stock case.

[demik]

i was asking myself this the other day

Filco still has the sexiest stock case.

KUL's cases are pretty cool tho

[Novus]

The new "modern" standard is definitely thick PBT keycaps and thicker keyboard feet.
Just some stuff I've noticed.
Internals is still another story though.

[CommonCurt]

Filco still has the sexiest stock case.

Hands down 

[swill]

Interestingly I was thinking about this recently. A filco was one of my first mechs. I used it as my daily driver for years until I got into the building scene. I have built and used two different boards/layouts in the past year and they have been my daily driver. I also have an fc660c at work. Recently I sold my last build project, so I dusted off the old filco and threw on some gmk dolch caps on it. After about an hour on that board I remember thinking "damn, I did pretty good with my first mech purchase, this thing is ****in solid". So ya, it is still up there as one of the best boards I own. I don't think you can go wrong with filco tbh.

I am currently splitting time at home with my filco and a unicomp board.

[hwood34]

Filco still has the sexiest stock case.

Hands down 

Uhh I beg to differ:

[Touch_It]

Filco still has the sexiest stock case.

Hands down 

Uhh I beg to differ:

Show Image

not.....even......fair......

Delux!

[slip84]

We all know what they need to do to be relevant again: add a volume knob and a ruler to the bottom of the case. Obviously.

[strict]

Uhh I beg to differ:

Show Image

[daerid]

If they made a board with Clears, I'd ditch my WASDs for Filcos in a heartbeat.

[madhias]

Filco still has the sexiest stock case.

Definitely! Nice case for sure, I like it much more than those Duckys for example.

[Special K]

I bought my first Filco from EK in 2009 and am still using it as my daily driver at home.  I recently picked up a 2nd one for work.  Finding one can be kind of hit or miss, but if you know where to look (The Keyboard Co (and their US-based Amazon storefront), NCIXUS) and are patient, you can still get a new one.

That said, some of the legends on my 2009 Filco have completely worn off and I now wish Filco would use PBT and some other printing method for more durable keycaps and legends.

[Nai_Calus]

I have to admit that as someone newer to the keyboard scene, Filco is something that hasn't ever actually crossed my radar. I never really see them anywhere or hear about them to where when I first saw one mentioned I assumed it was some obscure low-end brand until I learned more. XD;;;

[rowdy]

Has Filco made any new keyboards recently?

Ducky has had quite a few, of various sizes.

DAS has had one or two.

KUL is around, CODE arrived, all these Koren keyboards.

But nothing from Filco?  Maybe people are starting to forget about them in the absence of any new keyboards.

[KatzenKinder]

I just picked up my second and third filcos from my package-holding-friend simultaneously today (they had full-size MX blues for $90 w/ free shipping on amazon some time ago) so I got them for friends.

They really are super solid, more so than say my first board which was a Zowie. I didn't remember stock blues being so scratchy though -.- ah also I like their use of costar stabs over cherry stabs compared to say ducky and kul

If anything I think they're just not putting themselves out there as much, and other companies have catered to the US far more extensively than they have.

[SpikeBolt]

What better (stock) keyboard is there with Costar stabilizers and ISO support? 

[Polymer]

They're still relevant..and still probably the gold standard...but with a few good solid contenders out there that are easier to get and with more options, you're just not seeing them mentioned as often...

But the fact that people still compare their keyboards to them and when someone is speaking positively about say, a KUL there is often mention of Filco...

[oledome]

The advice I had from here before purchasing my first mechanical keyboard in January was to get a Filco rather than Ducky as far as quality was concerned. So if Filcos are still recommended they are still relevant. I love my Filco.

Has Filco made any new keyboards recently?

Ducky has had quite a few, of various sizes.

DAS has had one or two.

KUL is around, CODE arrived, all these Koren keyboards.

But nothing from Filco?  Maybe people are starting to forget about them in the absence of any new keyboards.

People like the new shiny shiny.

[SpAmRaY]

I've never had a filco.

[davkol]

Filco Majestouch2 is still the go-to high-quality ordinary keyboard with a huge modding potential, esp. in Europe, where Ducky isn't as strong and WASD or KUL have to be imported.

They have the new Filco Convertible 2 model as well.

[i3oilermaker]

Still my daily driver at work - rock solid feel.

[pexon]

I have used Filcos as my go to boards for work. I've had 2x Brown switch and 1x Black switch models and all have been real solid boards. I regret selling my beige with stainless steel plate, it was one of my favourite boards.

[madhias]

Has Filco made any new keyboards recently?

Ducky has had quite a few, of various sizes.

DAS has had one or two.

KUL is around, CODE arrived, all these Koren keyboards.

But nothing from Filco?  Maybe people are starting to forget about them in the absence of any new keyboards.

Exactly that is what I like. Why change a good product just because. I wanted to buy a beige Filco recently, but then the TX1800 came across

[jdcarpe]

I love my Filcos. It's still my favorite stock keyboard.

My main Filco is a full size that I modded with clear stems, 85g gold Korean springs, and lubed with Krytox, and aboStudio clear switch tops. With a stainless steel switch plate I had laser cut. With Cherry keycaps, that keyboard is as good as any I own, honestly.

In total, I own 9 Filcos currently. I have sold several over the years, and picked up new ones.

I own a Ducky Shine 3, which is almost as good, and I just sold my KUL ES-87.

[madhias]

I love my Filcos. It's still my favorite stock keyboard.

My main Filco is a full size that I modded with clear stems, 85g gold Korean springs, and lubed with Krytox, and aboStudio clear switch tops. With a stainless steel switch plate I had laser cut. With Cherry keycaps, that keyboard is as good as any I own, honestly.

In total, I own 9 Filcos currently. I have sold several over the years, and picked up new ones.

I own a Ducky Shine 3, which is almost as good, and I just sold my KUL ES-87.

Oh wow, you are like the guys with several HHKBs like Bunny Lake, but with Filcos

[pexon]

I love my Filcos. It's still my favorite stock keyboard.

My main Filco is a full size that I modded with clear stems, 85g gold Korean springs, and lubed with Krytox, and aboStudio clear switch tops. With a stainless steel switch plate I had laser cut. With Cherry keycaps, that keyboard is as good as any I own, honestly.

In total, I own 9 Filcos currently. I have sold several over the years, and picked up new ones.

I own a Ducky Shine 3, which is almost as good, and I just sold my KUL ES-87.

A Filco with a stainless steel plate is heaven

[Novus]

I love my Filcos. It's still my favorite stock keyboard.

My main Filco is a full size that I modded with clear stems, 85g gold Korean springs, and lubed with Krytox, and aboStudio clear switch tops. With a stainless steel switch plate I had laser cut. With Cherry keycaps, that keyboard is as good as any I own, honestly.

In total, I own 9 Filcos currently. I have sold several over the years, and picked up new ones.

I own a Ducky Shine 3, which is almost as good, and I just sold my KUL ES-87.

yes

Let me ask you two this because I know you guys liked your KUL.
If you had to choose between kul or filco TKL to use exclusively as your only and main board for the next year which would it be? Also you can't pick between MX greens and MX clear which only kul offers

[foxer]

I still really miss my ISO Filco TKL with browns. Luckily, Baldgye is awesome and I know he looks after it dearly.

[CommonCurt]

Filco still has the sexiest stock case.

Hands down 

Uhh I beg to differ:

Show Image

Wow!  Dat case  :eek:

Is Filco still relevant?  I think so.

More

                  I did sell one of the 104s though.

[BucklingSpring]

Filco still has the sexiest stock case.

Hands down 

I drink to it too :-)

[BucklingSpring]

Uhh I beg to differ:

Show Image

Low blow

[ianbullock]

Just got a Filco Minila (MX Blue) today. Liking it. Pretty interesting keyboard with the mini-spacebar and easy access to the function layer on either side. I think the layout is actually pretty unconventional in terms of what the commercial manufacturers are providing (but I could be wrong).

At any rate it seems like they are at least open to trying new things, which may help them stay relevant in the future.

[IPT]

i still prefer my filco boards more than all the other boards i've used.
Sold my ducky's and leopolds cause i just don't like cherry stabs.

i have 4 filcos right now, 1 MJ1 104 (mx red), 1 MJ2 104 (mx blue), 2 MJ2 TKL (mx red & blue).
i've been using my MX clear CODE for a little bit, but im thinkin of sellin it and going back to my fulltime Filcos.

Only slight annoyance for me is the non detachable USB in some situations, but that's easily remedied if you need.

[tbc]

last one filco made was the minila?

super awesome board except the keycaps ( so bad )

[skuko]

even though i don't use my filcos anymore (or at least haven't used them for a relatively long time, since i got my FC660C), i do not think they are any less relevant.

quite the opposite, this thread has me actaully think about getting my MX red and MX black out of their boxes

[Battou62]

All I know is that I have had a Filco in the classifieds at an extremely nice price, for a long time now. Demand seems to have gone down quite a bit.

[Dihedral]

All I know is that I have had a Filco in the classifieds at an extremely nice price, for a long time now. Demand seems to have gone down quite a bit.

Subtle advertising

[miroslav]

Filco was my first REAL mech kb after coming from a Razer BW (blue switches). It was also my first step into the world of premium keyboards. I currently own 6 Filcos (2 fullsized, 2 tkl and 2 minila air) and I still love them. I think most boards put out today are still often compared to a Filco in terms of build quality but I'm not too sure (I still compare boards that I buy to a Filco but ofc IBM Model M wins hands down). Also Filco have finally released a full size with bluetooth into the English market. (Filco Convertible 2) and it can connect via either mini b or the BT4. The board was originally exclusive in a Japanese Layout but I believe it now has both US and UK layout.

http://www.gdm.or.jp/pressrelease/2015/0227/105364 (release of their red edition)
https://www.diatec.co.jp/en/det.php?prod_c=1877 (Filco convertible 2 standard case)

Even to this day my daily driver is still a Full sized Filco but alternate between an RF 55G uniform.

[vivalarevolución]

As long as beauties like these are still available, Filco is still relevant:

http://www.diatec.co.jp/shop/kobo/

[Novus]

If only they stopped using thin abs haha

[jackalope]

As long as beauties like these are still available, Filco is still relevant:

http://www.diatec.co.jp/shop/kobo/

I need this in my life. droool

[Novus]

Oh right so I always whine about the ABS.
What about detachable usb vs fixed or do you not care?

[strict]

Oh right so I always whine about the ABS.
What about detachable usb vs fixed or do you not care?

Personally I prefer a fixed cable. For how often I disconnect my keyboards, it seems like a waste to have an extra failure point. I consider the fixed cable a positive for both my Filco and Realforce.