This is my first pricer keyboard. I did a lot of research and learned about the Cherry MX blue, brown, blacks. Basically the Blues are for typist, Blacks for gamers, Browns are for users that do a little of both. All are super precise and astoundingly great keyboard switch keys. The Blues and Blacks are really for "extremists" and tend to sacrifice other features for their primary intended purpose, and as a result feel hard to use for any other purpose. Browns are universally the most popular for people who use only one keyboard, based on several opinions online.
The Filco comes in three models so you can pick the keys switches that you want. The style and design is "precise" the weight of the keyboard is heavy due to a solid metal interior plate to which the key switches are attached. The plate is encased in a tough plastic exterior.
Key caps on top of the switches are "cylindrical" or "sculpted" to help keep your finger tips on the keys, and let you know when your touching the keys solidly as opposed to sliding left or right and possibly hitting other keys by mistake.
The "F" and the "J" keys have home row "bumps" to help touch typists find the home row without looking at the keyboard.
The key cap font is very slightly "Italic" or slanted to the right, you probably wouldn't notice if many review sites hadn't pointed it out. The print on the key caps is embossed or printed on top of the key cap plastic, it doesn't feel or look Laser Etched, its not raised high enough to really notice unless your looking for it.
The Backspace is full length. The Enter key is normal full length, the enter key is not "extended" or "two stories high" and it is not "vertical".
The cable is USB terminated, the cable has a grommet that tighly binds it to the keyboard body, it is not loose and cannot twist, it is of good quality. The cable is dead center of the back of the keyboard. It does come with a USB to PS/2 purple adapter. It comes in multiple models that support NKRO or does not. NKRO is limited to 6 simultaneous keystrokes over USB by the USB specifications, but is unlimited over PS/2. The NKRO models generally costs about $40 dollars more.
The cable comes wrapped in an attached velcro strap that can be used to tighten or loosen extra cable length. Its a nice touch. The keyboard comes with a precise and firm clear plastic keyboard cover that tightly fits over the keyboard to keep out dust and prevent crumbs from falling in between the keys when its not in use. Its easy to put on and remove. If you've ever had Invisalign for straightening your teeth its tough like that, but soft and crystal clear, you can see the keycaps clearly. Its very stylish and pleasant to look at. Its a nice accent piece. Its something I would definitely think about buying extra for any keyboard if I knew they existed. Its not packing material you'd be likely to throw away.
The keyboard has three blue LEDs. From reviews I thought they would be much brighter than they actually are, but once again its obvious they considered this in the design. Staring straight on, which is almost impossible.. yes they are very bright blue. But the tight angle you must maintain to get that level of brightness is extermely difficult to achieve. Slightly off axis the brightness dimishes rapidly and they rapidly assume a slightly soft filtered look. They must have thought about this. From normal angles they don't look that bright at all.
The bottom of the keyboard is a work of art.
The keyboard thickness from keycap top to bottom is full like a box, the underside is not emanceated or vacumned as if the bottom were sucked against the circuit board under the keys. It is flat like the bottom of a sturdy box.
Four rather largish rubber pads stablize the four corners of the keyboard. They are perfectly level. There are four of them independent of the two elevation feet that can optionally be raised to lift the keyboard at an angle with the desktop. The elevation feet are also rubber wrapped, this makes them easy to grasp and pull down and lift up to close. When extended the rubber around the feet provide the same stablization the front two larger rubber pads do which are now elevated above the table surface.
Near the center of the keyboard between the rubber pads and feet are two plastic bumps that are obviously intended to stablize the keyboard further when it is flat on the table. The bumps are precisely high enough to make up for the height of the rubber pads at the four corners. This provides even greater stablization in case the tough plastic exterior "were" to flex, which looks and feels highly unlikely. The design makes me think they thought a great deal about how to stablize the position and shape of the keyboard under use by all types of users and environments. Simply the keyboard stays put, and no matter how hard the keys are stroked or the keyboard is vibrated is doesn't move or flex or change shape.
The keyboard surfaces and key caps are all a uniform matte black. The entire thing is matte, not just the keys. Front and back are of the same material.
I do not believe there are any user serviable parts inside, but the bottom of the keyboard has two shiney bright easily accesible recessed phillips screws. No attempts have been made to make it difficult to disassemble.
Different keycap sets are available for the keyboard, as is a special tool for lifting and removing the keycaps without damaging the keycaps or the switches. Notably there are full keycap sets of varing colors and fonts available. As well as subsets for adding different arrow keys with side symbols on the vertical surfaces. And mini subsets for changing the Windows key to a flat Windows key (it comes with a raised shiney surface bubble with the Windows logo in the center) or a Linux Tux symbol or a plain flat black Windows key replacement with no symbol. There are even specialty gamers keycaps and I believe a cottage industry specifically for custom Cherry MX switch keycaps which might be universally usable with the Filco keyboards.
There are also "damper" sets available to place a bottom stroke slam damper under each keycap to prevent them from slamming against the Cherry switch base and therefore make them "softer" impact for people who tend to overstroke and bottom out, making the keys quieter.
There are no extra USB ports or built in USB hub, making it simpler and less power hungry.. and therefore more stable under many lower power environments.
This is no hand or arm rest, the frame (or bezel) of the keyboard is minimal, allowing maximum deskspace.
And the Filco logo is a dark brushed steel or aluminum but not shiney or bright, it is professional and not overly visible. The symbols on the keycaps are bright and far easier to see and notice than the logo. The logo does not distract from scanning the keyboard with your eyes if you are a visual hunt and peck typist.
Finally Blue and Black Cherry MX switches tend to require greater effort to stroke. That is they require greater pressure by design. The Browns require less force and appear or feel more responsive taking less effort from your fingers and hands, perhaps prolonging the typists stamina or reducing any discomfort they would feel on keyboards that require greater force.
This is a keyboard for a professional like a writer or programmer. Or anyone who appreciates a fine piece of engineering and knows or cares how a keyboard is put together.
It costs more than the inexpensive keyboards the are given way with mass produced computers. But I think it is worth it.
It contains no speciality, dedicated or multimedia hotkeys. It requires no special drivers or setup software.
The keyboard says made in Taiwan, but I know the Cherry MX parts are German made, and the designer and company that commissions or produces the keyboards is from Japan. Which may explain why they are hard to get in the US and are imported to the UK and then sold to the US market through limited sources like Amazon. The documentation leaflet included in the box appears to be written mostly in Kanji characters. There is a short section in English. And a statement and url that says thank you for purchasing a Diatec product [...] where they also sell Filco leather palm rests.
I purchased mine from Amazon which sourced it from a company in the UK.
| Brand | FILCO |
|---|---|
| Item model number | FKBN104MRL/EB2 |
| Operating System | not_machine_specific |
| Item Weight | 2.64 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 5.43 x 17.32 x 1.42 inches |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 5.43 x 17.32 x 1.42 inches |
| Color | Cherry MX Red |
| Batteries | AA batteries required. |
| Manufacturer | Filco |
| ASIN | B007VAFWN2 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Date First Available | May 2, 2012 |
