I remember over 20y ago, a filco was the best mechanical keyboard money could buy.
I bought one a couple of years ago, to my surprise it was nearly identical. A bit cheaper material. Still over a 100 USD.
The difference is one can by an Aula for less than half the price, with better 3 Bluetooth settings + 2.4 dongle, blacklit, better sound coming out of the keys, less loud and annoying.
A great company that made the mistake to stay stagnant.
I feel like it could also be example of product that is so long lasting you simply do not need to replace it. Albeit I have done repairs and switch replacements (due to liquids) it still works after 15 years. With more careful use it is a item that you do not need to replace. Which certainly limits the market size.
Years ago I ordered Ninja 2 from Japan and was sadly expecting to pay another 20% or so in customs fees, but the price was given in yen, and the customs probably couldn’t figure it out, so they released it to me for free. It’s still going strong.
Sad news. I'm sitting at a modified Filco keyboard with custom firmware right now. Its sound profile is not very pleasing by today's standards but it has been a reliable workhorse.
One of my colleagues has a mechanical keyboard - possibly a Filco - that they use in preference to their crappy corporate-issued one, and i have come to loathe the machinegun sound. I get that they feel good to use, and the haptic and audible feedback combo is particularly effective. But for the love of $deity I just want the noise to stop.
I got a bluetooth Majestouch sometime a decade or so ago and it's been a daily driver ever since. At the time, there weren't a lot of bluetooth mechanical keyboards out there. The bluetooth bit can be a little bit picky or slow when connecting. It's not as quick and reliable as a Logitech wireless keyboard with a proprietary protocol and dongle. However, the keyboard itself is like nothing Logitech makes. If you know, you know.
I'd absolutely buy another one of these right now if it were showing even the slightest signs of wear, but it's not. Bulletproof. The only keyboard I still use that's older is a Model M.
Filco really put quality first. It's a shame to see them go.
Sad to hear this, one of my first mechanical keyboards was a Filco TKL. At one point in time, it was my go-to "safe recommendation" for a keyboard. Since that point in time, the Majestouch keyboards only received incremental improvements, whereas the likes of Keychron completely overtook them on almost all criteria.
I still have a Filco TKL keyboard with custom SA keycaps, this is my go-to keyboard, and I own many including a few Unicomp (too clacky), Topre (constant USB problems) and Keychron (why do I need a webapp to configure a keyboard)
A shame, my first mechanical keyboard was a Filco Majestouch tenkeyless with cherry blue switches, I've used it as a daily driver since 2011 (I just checked when I bought it) and only replaced it a few months ago because some of the keys didn't register properly.
I still have it, I should open it up and clean it again, probably just a dirty contact or something. Solid piece of gear.
currently using a NuPhy Field75 because it looks and sounds cool, lol. The linear magnetic switches are a neat feature but in practice I don't use any features that it theoretically supports.
Some of the switches started dying at the same time last year. I guess I tipped over the lifetime of cherry switches.
I looked around but there are so few UK TKLs. I didn't want a layout change of page/home/end cluster or lose "useless" keys ins/pause/etc. (I remap them and now rely on them). I didn't like the look of prebuilts from Keychron or want to pay £500 or mess with shady "group buys" for parts.
So I bought a bag of switches and a soldering iron instead and expect to get another 15 years out of them.
I have 2 of their Filco Majestouch 2 models. The are great and this make me sad as I had planed to buy a new model when I visit Japan again in a few months.
I've never had a Filco, but I remember it was significant in the early start of the keyboard hobby. Many mods had been tried on the Filco Majestouch first. The first custom key sets had been made for Filco's Majestouch layouts first, etc.
My daily driver at home for over a decade is a keyboard that I had built myself around community-designed replacement parts for the Filco Majestouch TKL.
This included a controller to customise the firmware, and that was my first start in programming microcontrollers.
Am I the only one unhappy with mechanical keyboards? I find them all tactily unpleasant, plus what's with the stripped down layouts? Basic $10 office keyboards with all the keys and the classic layout are my go to. Keep the chopped down, squished down, expensive keyboards.
I was late to the mechanical keyboard party. It felt like everyone else was already bored with nice switches and had moved on to fancy lights, bespoke keys, exotic materials, custom firmware, swanky ergonomics, bluetooth.
I just wanted the model T of keyboards. Black, wired, hefty, basic. FILCO delivered. I have such a soft spot for products like that. Understated but reliable companions.
I bought a FILCO keyboard when I moved to Japan in 2009....I think it was ~3000 yen at the time, was not expecting much. To my surprise it was a very nice mechanical!
Last year I went back and decided to get another as the old one's keys are quite worn off now and it did have some wine spilled on it that one time; same keyboard cost ~10000 yen so I decided to go with an upgrade, different switches, US layout but stayed with the brand.
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[ 4.1 ms ] story [ 54.6 ms ] threadI bought one a couple of years ago, to my surprise it was nearly identical. A bit cheaper material. Still over a 100 USD.
The difference is one can by an Aula for less than half the price, with better 3 Bluetooth settings + 2.4 dongle, blacklit, better sound coming out of the keys, less loud and annoying.
A great company that made the mistake to stay stagnant.
I'd absolutely buy another one of these right now if it were showing even the slightest signs of wear, but it's not. Bulletproof. The only keyboard I still use that's older is a Model M.
Filco really put quality first. It's a shame to see them go.
I still have it, I should open it up and clean it again, probably just a dirty contact or something. Solid piece of gear.
currently using a NuPhy Field75 because it looks and sounds cool, lol. The linear magnetic switches are a neat feature but in practice I don't use any features that it theoretically supports.
I use an IBM model M today with a Model H controller replacement.
Some of the switches started dying at the same time last year. I guess I tipped over the lifetime of cherry switches.
I looked around but there are so few UK TKLs. I didn't want a layout change of page/home/end cluster or lose "useless" keys ins/pause/etc. (I remap them and now rely on them). I didn't like the look of prebuilts from Keychron or want to pay £500 or mess with shady "group buys" for parts.
So I bought a bag of switches and a soldering iron instead and expect to get another 15 years out of them.
Happy customer but I guess not a repeat customer.
My daily driver at home for over a decade is a keyboard that I had built myself around community-designed replacement parts for the Filco Majestouch TKL. This included a controller to customise the firmware, and that was my first start in programming microcontrollers.
https://share.google/eQk4xJAJmeVnbLnjz
I was late to the mechanical keyboard party. It felt like everyone else was already bored with nice switches and had moved on to fancy lights, bespoke keys, exotic materials, custom firmware, swanky ergonomics, bluetooth.
I just wanted the model T of keyboards. Black, wired, hefty, basic. FILCO delivered. I have such a soft spot for products like that. Understated but reliable companions.
http://www.filco.com.tw/index.php/news_view/index/36
Last year I went back and decided to get another as the old one's keys are quite worn off now and it did have some wine spilled on it that one time; same keyboard cost ~10000 yen so I decided to go with an upgrade, different switches, US layout but stayed with the brand.
Sad to hear this :(