Where can I buy Filco brand mechanical keyboards?

[Rezengyal]

Hi all!

I've read amazing things about Filco's NKRO keyboard... and yet I can't seem to find any place (online or physical) that actually sells them!

Does anyone have any insight as to where exactly to go to purchase a Filco Brown MX keyboard? I have my eyes on the Filco FKBN104M/EB specifically.

Thanks!

 

[corkyg]

Looks like you have several choices.

https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GGLG_enUS316US316&q=Filco+keyboards

 

[Rezengyal]

Actually I did a bit more research... it seems that Leopold is pretty well a Filco re-brand of sorts, and its more readily available here in the states.

Thanks Corky for your open ended reply. Incase my initial post wasn't clear, I was specifically looking for vendors etc... that you perhaps could have recommended directly, rather than simply posting a google search link.

 

[Ben90]

Looks like you have several choices.

https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GGLG_enUS316US316&q=Filco+keyboards

I am generally pro LMGTFY type answers, but this one is pretty bad.

The first three links point to Elitekeyboards, a place that doesn't sell Majestouch keyboards. The fourth link is European, which impressively is the best on the list.
The fifth, sixth, and seventh links once again point to Elitekeyboards with one even going so far as to: "Elite Keyboards dropping Filco"
The 8th link gets close, if you ignore the fact that the search result you gave us isn't anwhere close to what we need. Amazon doesn't have the specific model he is looking for anyways. Interestingly enough, the actual vendor is the European company mentioned above.
The last link points to ebay which has no new versions of the model he is looking for.

 

[corkyg]

Sometimes clarity resolves things.

 

[cytoSiN]

Amazon sells them, and several are Prime eligible.

 

[Rezengyal]

@ Ben90: your post pretty well summed up my reaction to Corky's google search link; overall it wasn't the most value-added comment I've received so far on the forums, especially from a forum moderator.

Ironically enough, I found the Leopold on the Elite Keyboard's website thanks to corky's link!

With that said, I've looked into the Leopold FC200RT/AB. This will be my first time using a tenkeyless board... for a desktop anyway So far youtube videos and reviews have nothing but positive things to say about this piece. The same friend at work who referred me to the forums mentioned owning a mechanical keyboard and loving it... up to the day his wife spilled coffee on it!

 

[EvilEgg]

Not looking to high-jack the thread, but what makes Filco keyboards worth the money? In all the years i worked with computers, and even when ordering new keyboards for work i usually use the keyboards that come with the systems or buy the ~$15.00 Microsoft keyboards at the local computer store.

Are these keyboards really that much better?

 

[jenneth]

I've had a Filco FKBN87M/EFB2 for about six months now, and I like it quite a bit. For vast majority of the people, it won't worth the price that Filco is asking for, but in my opinion, if you work on computer a lot, and can afford it, I don't see why not.

 

[Ben90]

Not looking to high-jack the thread, but what makes Filco keyboards worth the money? In all the years i worked with computers, and even when ordering new keyboards for work i usually use the keyboards that come with the systems or buy the ~$15.00 Microsoft keyboards at the local computer store.

Are these keyboards really that much better?

Imagine an old television remote. The one with the rubber buttons that you have to mash really hard in order to change the channel or volume. On very worn out remotes you have to press very hard for the switch to activate. It just feels annoying and is more work than it could be.

This is an extreme example of what the $15 Microsoft keyboards feel like to someone used to mechanical keys. It's not nearly as drastic, but if you have the money and spend hours typing, I feel it is worth it.

This sound clip of Cherry MX Blues might give you an idea what they are like to type on. Blues are by far the loudest switch cherry has to offer, but also the most tactile and make a good demonstration. The sequence being typed is

    Now is the time for all good men.....
    Go down home row - A though ENTER
    Do the K key 5 times normal speed
    Do the K key 5 times slowly
    Finally the K key 5 times lightly trying not to bottom out

While typing this, I actually thought of a decent example by comparing two pens. Hopefully you have used and remember clicking both of these pens in question. First pen would resemble a rubber dome and second a mechanical:

*edit* On second thought, the pens would probably resemble Cherry Blacks vs Blues better but I still feel it works well for its intended purpose.

 

[vbuggy]

Unless you have a PS/2 port, it's not NKRO - it's 6KRO.

Newegg has the Corsair K90 for $130.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823816002&Tpk=k90

NKRO over USB. More useful than a Filco/Leopold as it has programmable macros and media transport controls. Red switches - the only switches that makes any possible kind of real sense over a decent rubber-dome. True, some of the keys are dome - specifically not-so-amazingly, the function keys (the home keys are too, but that's kind of irrelevant). Backlit as well, with a screw-on wrist rest supplied as standard.

 

[Ben90]

Unless you have a PS/2 port, it's not NKRO - it's 6KRO.

Newegg has the Corsair K90 for $130.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823816002&Tpk=k90

NKRO over USB.
Still not NKRO
More useful than a Filco/Leopold as it has programmable macros and media transport controls.
Global hotkeys
Red switches - the only switches that makes any possible kind of real sense over a decent rubber-dome.
LOL, K
True, some of the keys are dome - specifically not-so-amazingly, the function keys (the home keys are too, but that's kind of irrelevant). Backlit as well, with a screw-on wrist rest supplied as standard.
Learn to touch type

My thoughts in bold.

Its my opinion that its a known fact that macro keys are stupid. Take an hour of your life to learn to the magic of a scripting program such as autohotkey, and enjoy real program-ability without ever leaving the home row.

 

[vbuggy]

My thoughts in bold.

Its my opinion that its a known fact that macro keys are stupid. Take an hour of your life to learn to the magic of a scripting program such as autohotkey, and enjoy real program-ability without ever leaving the home row.

Separate keys - which you can also bind to autohotkey - are never stupid.

 

[vbuggy]

Not looking to high-jack the thread, but what makes Filco keyboards worth the money? In all the years i worked with computers, and even when ordering new keyboards for work i usually use the keyboards that come with the systems or buy the ~$15.00 Microsoft keyboards at the local computer store.

Are these keyboards really that much better?

They feel different. And a hundred bucks plus is a lot to some people. And not everyone has them. So they are leet to some.

Gaming reaction-wise, the better domes like the Sidewinders are better. In terms of everyday typing - well, the way the keys break and return, once again the benefits of a mechanical between a scissor-action or a decent dome is, IMO, infinitesimal in practical terms - in fact, I probably type slower on my Topres, which are the holy grail for the Geekhack super-nerd contingent. As for the value-due-to-switch-durability argument, you'd have to own a mechanical for almost a decade for it to be cost-effective over a decent rubber-dome, assuming no switches fail. Do you really keep peripherals for a decade? I know I don't.

A lot of these uber-positive reviews you'll see on Youtube will be from that 'I feel leet' contingent. It'll be their first mechanical and it will be different.

Now I'm not a super-nerd. I'm an uber-super-nerd with a wallet to match. And whether it's better is something only you, your peer group, or your ability to sink several thousand into these and not regard as a big deal can decide.

I'm in that last camp - and I use a Sidewinder X6 as my main keyboard. As always, YMMV.