Say good-bye to Cherry Clears...?

[chimborazo]

More specifically: You can't trust Cherry USA product codes. The German ones were quite accurate even over decades!

But yeah, those big POS boards exist both in brown and clear variants - but with the same product code and even apparently from the same batch (going by serial numbers). Some are even stranger and have the F keys in clears and the rest browns or vice versa.

yes. i agree. i just confirmed it today - right after i saw the latest ncbound’s mx8100 listing on ebay. same model or s/n and yet w/ different switches. it seems as if cherry corp neglects or overlooks to state that feature in the specs provided- tantamount to those who are specifically looking for a particular switch instead of an uncalled for verbosity like ‘high quality keyboard for professionals, or robust and reliable’. one of their ftsc technology switches for example fails to provide any further detailed description, unless of course, someone takes the time to read the manual or for that matter the downloadable fine print and even then it sadly becomes an exercise in futility when such fine print makes it clear that “the manufacturer accepts no liability for errors or non-availability, and reserves the right to change specifications without prior notice.” thank you cherry. the cherry board g81 is one of them. those consumers who have ordered it either from amazon, newegg, or elsewhere were in for a surprise when they had to find out later that it was just a hybrid board instead.

but why stop there? in fairness to cherry corp this is not an exclusive approach from them. so are the topre switches and surprisingly this switch still has its own share of followers who swear by the technology, although a number of users have had a hard time to consider it a mechanical switch in the first place. and i dont blame them.
at any rate, it is my understanding that clears were most likely implemented on the hrbus and not the lcrus but my own board proves otherwise. and at this point, it is less obvious which of the cherry boards in the u.s. has ‘em though. take care sixty.

[keyboardlover]

Dude, you are QUITE the rambler.

[chimborazo]

Dude, you are QUITE the rambler.

nay. i just missed you guys. but unlike gh let's stay on topic here. lol.
let me reply pretty quick to your thoughts - which unlike ek prices, may be subject to change soon.

I don't think EK decided their prices because of the Filcos.

you don’t think so. okay. just ask yourself this: is ek a merchant as competitive nowadays w/ the leopolds as it was back then when they were the only ones in town who carried the filcos? please, enlighten me.

were ek prices w/ the filcos set slighty less or were these prices set slightly more than the current price that kbco is asking for the filcos through amazon? if it was less then definitely the asking price set by kbco w/ the filcos through amazon did not have a speck of influence over ek to lower the asking price w/ the leopolds. if it was slightly more, then they are not very competitive, they just reconsidered their prices. heck, it has been like two months- if im not mistaken - since one of ocn moderators divulged the board that ek intended to carry. whether it may have had an unintended consequence on ek’s profits w/ the leopolds, i dont know. and i don’t care.

to sum it up kbl, whose prices seemed higher for the filcos? ek or kbco? that shall change your mindset. take care.

[keyboardlover]

I can't understand a word you just said.

EK doesn't carry Filco anymore, because Majestouch said Diatec wasn't competitive, and he's right. Leopold offers the best bang for the buck. It has little to do with how these distributors set their pricing. The margins are likely a lot thinner than you think.

[chimborazo]

I can't understand a word you just said.

EK doesn't carry Filco anymore, because Majestouch said Diatec wasn't competitive, and he's right. Leopold offers the best bang for the buck. It has little to do with how these distributors set their pricing. The margins are likely a lot thinner than you think.

do i have to chop it up for you 'dude': how much was ek asking for the filcos?

[daedalus]

Around the same that Keyboard Co is asking now?

EK had competition when they were still selling Filcos, and they kept their prices. They switched to Leopolds so that they could offer a better deal, and arguably a better keyboard.

[keyboardlover]

you seem slow or do i have to chop it up for you 'dude': how much was ek asking for the filcos?

You don't have to chop it up dude, just learn to write English using normal grammar and sentence structure.

[keyb_gr]

Reds are now also available for MO from Cherry.
Interestingly it seems like they are expanding their catalog, while MOQ and delivery time is about doubled to quadrupled. Prices also have been raised.

Dunno if all of this is a good sign or a bad sign.

Keep in mind that it hasn't been too long since Cherry was taken over. Now they'll certainly focus on profitability and competitiveness. Reds apparently sell, and any company likes stuff that sells. (Speaking of which, they are the #1 producer of mechanical keyswitches now with some really solid options, so they can afford a bit of a price increase.) At the same time, raising MOQ keeps overhead down.

[chimborazo]

Around the same that Keyboard Co is asking now?

EK had competition when they were still selling Filcos, and they kept their prices. They switched to Leopolds so that they could offer a better deal, and arguably a better keyboard.

daedalus the legend behind model f. there is this pervasive propensity where we overreact to other opinions and the unwillingness to correct our own faults. in any case i dislike favoritism. thank you f/ your reply and thank you for interceding in this matter and otherwise interesting thread. back to the ek and their prices, the last time i checked - when they had the filcos in stock - they had no competition whatsoever. unless all of these following merchants are considered competitors like kbco, rakuten group, pchome, and army group which unfortunately are all located overseas, there was no competition for ek. at two hundred dollars for a filco versus one hundred fifty four - last time i checked at amazon - through kbco, the difference is obvious. furthermore, ocn decision to introduce the duckys - although i doubt it - may have had like i said some sort of effect on ek selling prices. the forecast was around one twenty and one thirty. nobody guessed it was going for under a hundred, like it turned out to be in the end.

[webwit]

This drive for the lowest price is good. I advise rubber dome keyboards.

[daedalus]

Reds are now also available for MO from Cherry.
Interestingly it seems like they are expanding their catalog, while MOQ and delivery time is about doubled to quadrupled. Prices also have been raised.

Dunno if all of this is a good sign or a bad sign.

Keep in mind that it hasn't been too long since Cherry was taken over. Now they'll certainly focus on profitability and competitiveness. Reds apparently sell, and any company likes stuff that sells. (Speaking of which, they are the #1 producer of mechanical keyswitches now with some really solid options, so they can afford a bit of a price increase.) At the same time, raising MOQ keeps overhead down.

I'm pressing on a Red switch now. Just not feeling the love here.

[daedalus]

Around the same that Keyboard Co is asking now?

EK had competition when they were still selling Filcos, and they kept their prices. They switched to Leopolds so that they could offer a better deal, and arguably a better keyboard.

daedalus the legend behind model f. there is this pervasive propensity where we overreact to other opinions and the unwillingness to correct our own faults. in any case i dislike favoritism. thank you f/ your reply and thank you for interceding in this matter and otherwise interesting thread. i do appreciate your response so it keeps the discussion flowing and although i was off topic w/ a few ad hominem fallacies to other members who regardless of their lower than average iq and sub-par-pathetically-gpa accomplished in school, should not have been attacked. my apologies. it’s my fault. i should’ve known better not to pet a skunk. back to the ek and their prices, the last time i checked - when they had the filcos in stock - they had no competition whatsoever. unless all of these following merchants are considered competitors like kbco, rakuten group, pchome, and army group which unfortunately are all located overseas, there was no competition for ek. at two hundred dollars for a filco versus one hundred fifty four - last time i checked at amazon - through kbco, the difference is obvious. furthermore, ocn decision to introduce the duckys - although i doubt it - may have had like i said some sort of effect on ek selling prices. the forecast was around one twenty and one thirty. nobody guessed it was going for under a hundred, like it turned out to be in the end.

I was referring moreso to comparable keyboards available in the US - the Rosewill RK9000 which is effectively identical to the Filco NKRO 104-key, except $99 instead of the $130-140 that EK was selling them at. There's also the Das, who had various sales, free shipping and student discount offers which put them in a competitive position with the Filco. There was quite some time on the likes of Geekhack and OCN where people were going for different keyboards because the Filco was too expensive compared with the competition.

[keyboardlover]

daedalus the legend behind model f. there is this pervasive propensity where we overreact to other opinions and the unwillingness to correct our own faults. in any case i dislike favoritism. thank you f/ your reply and thank you for interceding in this matter and otherwise interesting thread. i do appreciate your response so it keeps the discussion flowing and although i was off topic w/ a few ad hominem fallacies to other members who regardless of their lower than average iq and sub-par-pathetically-gpa accomplished in school, should not have been attacked. my apologies. it’s my fault. i should’ve known better not to pet a skunk. back to the ek and their prices, the last time i checked - when they had the filcos in stock - they had no competition whatsoever. unless all of these following merchants are considered competitors like kbco, rakuten group, pchome, and army group which unfortunately are all located overseas, there was no competition for ek. at two hundred dollars for a filco versus one hundred fifty four - last time i checked at amazon - through kbco, the difference is obvious. furthermore, ocn decision to introduce the duckys - although i doubt it - may have had like i said some sort of effect on ek selling prices. the forecast was around one twenty and one thirty. nobody guessed it was going for under a hundred, like it turned out to be in the end.

Lolwut?

GPA?! I'd be more concerned about your grade school English teachers.

There's this thing called a "sentence". You must have been out sick that day.

[BababooeyHTJ]

What exactly do clears feel like? Based on the few descriptions that I've heard they honestly sound a lot like Alps black. Is the tactile bump as steep as MX blues or is it closer to browns?

[keyboardlover]

No way...much smoother than black alps and less force/resistance too. They have a pronounced tactile bump in the middle of the switch. Dunno about a comparison to blues but they remind me most of a 55g Topre with a more pronounced tactile bump. But I actually prefer them to 55g Topre.

[Fuel]

So its just the Decks and what else that are still available with clears?

[Evil_Spork]

So its just the Decks and what else that are still available with clears?

Decks and Decks.

[sixty]

Cherry G80-3000 LQ.... also use clears.
I agree, they are close in feel to the 55g Topre, but not quite.

[keyboardlover]

The tactile bump is more pronounced on clears than 55g Topre. Also, for some reason I find them less straining to type on.

[itlnstln]

It's probably the difference in force curve that makes the Cherrys less tiring. The clears build up to the tactile point while Topres are front-loaded. It why I like browns better than Topres, too.

[Evil_Spork]

How much larger is the tactile bump on clears vs browns?

To be honest I cant feel the bump on m browns unless I'm very very slowly intentionally pressing a single button just to feel the bump. In regular typing they feel linear/smooth..

[keyboardlover]

It's much more noticeable.

[Evil_Spork]

I wish there was a way to magically mod browns to clears..
Perhaps a dental rubber band bumper would shorten the throw and soften the landing of bottoming out on my browns.. and give them a bump. The bump would be on landing but it would be soft!

[drsauced]

I've been typing on the Browns for a couple of days now, and the bump is pretty noticeable. I can only imagine the Clear bump must be very pronounced, something like a BS but without the click. Pure speculation from me, though.

Edit: I think this means that instead of starting to upgrade my computer, I should start saving for another Deck.

[calavera]

I have a modded clear switch keyboard and it feels similar to browns. But describing key strokes feel is very difficult.

[sixty]

I have a modded clear switch keyboard and it feels similar to browns. But describing key strokes feel is very difficult.

I agree. I think the modded clears feel like what browns should have felt like. Not stiff but very tactile.

[pzlate]

Weak.

[Magna224]

My only two boards are clears =S

[YetAnotherDeveloper]

I really want to try clears... I think it might be the next one i try.

[Sugoi]

Guess the clears haven't been to popular to justify the keep them in Cherry's range. Well, as along as they don't ditch the blues and browns I won't complain...