I know appearance is subjective, but fake metal-look plastic and fake leather always make things look cheap to me. i was shocked when i saw the nearly $200 price tag of this thing. From a distance it looks like one of those cheap knockoff keyboards you can get for $20 on Amazon, perhaps it looks better in person, but they seem to have done everything wrong in my eyes.
"A closer inspection reveals many more interesting details. Most of the keyboard’s body is made of plastic but the frame that surrounds the keyboard is solid aluminum alloy. The same goes for the decorative tag between the control keys and the arrow keys. The surface of the keyboard is covered with real leather. The keycaps are completely plastic, including the copper-colored plastic surrounds, but the paint job is so good that can easily fool an untrained eye." Not fake leather. And while there is fake plastic metal, it's not everywhere. Not saying it's worth the $200, but still.
Wow! Thanks! I needed a good laugh to begin the year - Amazon reviews are very clever...item actually looks pretty cool and interesting...but out of my price range (unless I win the next Powerball/MegaMillion)! For that price you WOULD think that they's throw in free shipping...
To be fair the white version reviewed seems to be the tackiest looking by far, beating out even the wood grain option. The black one looks pretty nice.
Yeah, at least in the photos it looks like a $5 cheap no-name Chinese product. Even if the form parts were actual gold, I would not pay $200 for that, as it'll still be ugly and tacky.
$200? LOL! They are trying to hard to justify the high markup with low-cost items like a stupid badge and fancy paper materials that you would just throw away after opening the package.
"The flat layout of the keyboard makes it very difficult to press the bottom row keys with your palm, creating a major issue for all FPS and action RPG gamers."
How do you hold your hand to do this? Admittedly I have rather large hands, but to touch the space row with the top of my palm while having my fingertips on the home row requires bending my last 2 joints of each finger to the point that I'd be typing with my fingernails. Trying to do the same with the bottom of my palm doesn't require as tight a bend but all positions I tried felt unnatural enough I'd expect them to become painful if kept for any length of time.
It is not like pouring concrete, updates can be made as the story develops.
Alas, the reason why AT is not reporting is not because it is "building up correctness" but because they are infusing pro-intel bias, various was to downplay the severity of the issue and whatnot.
Intel shill dollars are already at play all over the internet. They even tried to sneak in a linux patch that unnecessarily hampers amd performance, even though amd chips are unaffected.
Good old intel, as corrupt as ever. And when it pays, AT dances.
AT hasn't had a habit of posting deep dives on zero-day exploits, because it takes time to write a meaningful article. We come here for meaningful articles, not rumours.
AT has been posting pipeline stories about trivial nonsense with zero relevance nobody cares about, just because someone paid them for the promo.
A bug that compromises kernel space memory and therefore security, that affects 2/3 of all x86 cpus sold the last several years, and whose fix comes with a hefty performance penalty - that's not worth mentioning. Lets hold off and give AT time to write a damage control article, that will involve a bunch of stuff the author copy-pasted with zero actual knowledge or even remote competence on the matter, just to buy some credibility to the conclusion, which will somehow twist it into a "it's no big deal".
I will tell you why you come here - to play pretend you are smarter than you are :) You come to cheer at mediocrity, rampaging consumerism and bias toward rich corporations, believe that makes you intelligent and progressive.
You're only further proving the point: big stories require adequate preparation and research while trivial fluff stories do not. If this is truly a massive problem, then the wait will be worthwhile. Do us all a favor, keep yourself safe and turn off your computer until the problem goes away. Someone will mail you a letter when it's safe to come back online.
You report news, then investigate, then publish the findings, that's how it works. I don't recall any media outlet delaying initial report until they have the "whole story". News is reported immediately, investigations are reported when they are finished. That's how it works.
I am not making a point about absence of investigation, I am making a point about absence of reporting of a verified issue. There is nothing preventing an initial pipeline story to inform of the issue, with a subsequent detailed story on it to "investigate". Nothing other than the "do not speak ill of intel" doctrine of AT... This is not the first time, this is a reoccurring pattern here at AT when it comes to intel or crapple or other of the AT darlings.
Now if that was an amd bug I am sure it would have been reported right away, without holding off in order to cook up damage control.
ddriver - If you dislike Anandtech and feel the site is biased, why are you reading and commenting on so many articles? It seems like you're very actively engaged as a reader and respond very rapidly to discussion comments - more rapidly that any other individual that regularly makes comments. That implies you spend more time here than even the readers with favorable opinions. That kind of attentiveness doesn't make sense in light of the opinion you seem to present.
Much of the stuff I do professionally takes computational time - rendering batches, simulations, builds... That gives me time to kill waiting for stuff to get done, which is when I comment. God forbid I dedicate any of my free time to AT, that would be a sad day...
There's just too much good stuff in my life. I need bad stuff to balance things out. People tend to lose appreciation of the good stuff if they are exposed solely to it. And of course, wherever I am, I do whatever I can to help out poor mediocre souls ;)
I think you're onto something. Another kickstarter for a retro steampunk USB typewriter is in order. Can charge $500 for initial investors. And outsource it China, all plastic, and have it print BW memes when certain words or gestures are detected. Oh and did I mention it would be made out of plastic.
The idea isn't bad, but they managed to f up allmost all of it. For the switches to start with use some Cherry MX Blue or Topre 45G. Anything else is a cheap copout. Lights... a retro-keyboard shoudn't have lights. And most people I know turn off the lights in their keyboards to start with, if they have them. Plastic and painted keycaps.... use some quality doubleshot keycaps, as the paint won't last very long. Seriously. This is just cheap chinaware.
Holy Retro, Batman! Did we just forget about words like "comfort" and "ergonomically designed"? Because that beasty-stiff-sore-eye looks painful just to use! I'm sticking with my $24.95 Microsoft wireless ergo-comfort keyboard, thank you.
I find it more likely that the edges of the keys are vacuu-metalized. It is difficult to get such a good result with paint.
This is not Kailh's first switch with a centred LED. Steelseries QS1 switch was made by Kailh and is very similar but not exactly the same model.
Making the space bar heavier is an old convention. Additional springs under a key don't add stability - the stabiliser bar does that. Most of Cherry's own keyboards have only a heavier variation of the main switch under the space bar. (blue->green, brown->clear, black->grey etc.) Many rubber-dome keyboards have additional metal springs under the space bar as well.
The main problem with this keyboard is the keys. I have one, I like it's feel quite a bit. The keys, however, are simply painted, not molded through. So depending on your level of use, they don't last long. I'm lots a few keys after about six months, tops completely worn off. If you write ASIO and ask nicely, they'll send replacement keytops -- or did so far. Still, the original HP portable calculators from the 1960s had properly designed keytops. This isn't rocket surgery.
I bought it on a deal $49.99, and have been very happy with it. Is it a $200 keyboard? No. But for $50, it looks good, has a nice solid feel and with 2 years on it, it's still working nicely.
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50 Comments
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Flunk - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - link
I know appearance is subjective, but fake metal-look plastic and fake leather always make things look cheap to me. i was shocked when i saw the nearly $200 price tag of this thing. From a distance it looks like one of those cheap knockoff keyboards you can get for $20 on Amazon, perhaps it looks better in person, but they seem to have done everything wrong in my eyes.SonicKrunch - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - link
"A closer inspection reveals many more interesting details. Most of the keyboard’s body is made of plastic but the frame that surrounds the keyboard is solid aluminum alloy. The same goes for the decorative tag between the control keys and the arrow keys. The surface of the keyboard is covered with real leather. The keycaps are completely plastic, including the copper-colored plastic surrounds, but the paint job is so good that can easily fool an untrained eye." Not fake leather. And while there is fake plastic metal, it's not everywhere. Not saying it's worth the $200, but still.mrvco - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - link
It’s worth $200 to ‘that guy’. Don’t be that guy.PeachNCream - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - link
There are more expensive keyboards out there like The Seafarer by Datamancer that's presently listed at $1,650 and $20 in shipping on Amazon.https://www.amazon.com/Datamancer-The-Seafarer-Key...
Diji1 - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - link
Good Lord ...wolfemane - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
The comments for that keyboard are the real jewel of the Amazon listing.PeachNCream - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
Yuppers, the comments are absolutely worth reading.dennphill - Monday, January 8, 2018 - link
Wow! Thanks! I needed a good laugh to begin the year - Amazon reviews are very clever...item actually looks pretty cool and interesting...but out of my price range (unless I win the next Powerball/MegaMillion)! For that price you WOULD think that they's throw in free shipping...boeush - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
While that listing in itself is impressive as all get out, it's really all about the "Customer reviews" beneath it... :Dnotashill - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - link
To be fair the white version reviewed seems to be the tackiest looking by far, beating out even the wood grain option. The black one looks pretty nice.Glock24 - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
Yeah, at least in the photos it looks like a $5 cheap no-name Chinese product.Even if the form parts were actual gold, I would not pay $200 for that, as it'll still be ugly and tacky.
mooninite - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - link
$200? LOL! They are trying to hard to justify the high markup with low-cost items like a stupid badge and fancy paper materials that you would just throw away after opening the package.DanNeely - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - link
"The flat layout of the keyboard makes it very difficult to press the bottom row keys with your palm, creating a major issue for all FPS and action RPG gamers."How do you hold your hand to do this? Admittedly I have rather large hands, but to touch the space row with the top of my palm while having my fingertips on the home row requires bending my last 2 joints of each finger to the point that I'd be typing with my fingernails. Trying to do the same with the bottom of my palm doesn't require as tight a bend but all positions I tried felt unnatural enough I'd expect them to become painful if kept for any length of time.
PeachNCream - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - link
Hah! I totally suspected you of having big hands! It's great to get confirmation and justification to have a victory Diet Coke.ddriver - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - link
Is AT going to be the last to report on intel's new huge bug?Taking all bets!
nathanddrews - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - link
Do you want your data now or do you want your data correct?ddriver - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - link
It is not like pouring concrete, updates can be made as the story develops.Alas, the reason why AT is not reporting is not because it is "building up correctness" but because they are infusing pro-intel bias, various was to downplay the severity of the issue and whatnot.
Intel shill dollars are already at play all over the internet. They even tried to sneak in a linux patch that unnecessarily hampers amd performance, even though amd chips are unaffected.
Good old intel, as corrupt as ever. And when it pays, AT dances.
linuxgeex - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - link
AT hasn't had a habit of posting deep dives on zero-day exploits, because it takes time to write a meaningful article. We come here for meaningful articles, not rumours.ddriver - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - link
Oh wow, so now it is a rumor, is it? LOLAT has been posting pipeline stories about trivial nonsense with zero relevance nobody cares about, just because someone paid them for the promo.
A bug that compromises kernel space memory and therefore security, that affects 2/3 of all x86 cpus sold the last several years, and whose fix comes with a hefty performance penalty - that's not worth mentioning. Lets hold off and give AT time to write a damage control article, that will involve a bunch of stuff the author copy-pasted with zero actual knowledge or even remote competence on the matter, just to buy some credibility to the conclusion, which will somehow twist it into a "it's no big deal".
I will tell you why you come here - to play pretend you are smarter than you are :) You come to cheer at mediocrity, rampaging consumerism and bias toward rich corporations, believe that makes you intelligent and progressive.
nathanddrews - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - link
You're only further proving the point: big stories require adequate preparation and research while trivial fluff stories do not. If this is truly a massive problem, then the wait will be worthwhile. Do us all a favor, keep yourself safe and turn off your computer until the problem goes away. Someone will mail you a letter when it's safe to come back online.ddriver - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - link
Nobody says there shouldn't be research fanboy.You report news, then investigate, then publish the findings, that's how it works. I don't recall any media outlet delaying initial report until they have the "whole story". News is reported immediately, investigations are reported when they are finished. That's how it works.
I am not making a point about absence of investigation, I am making a point about absence of reporting of a verified issue. There is nothing preventing an initial pipeline story to inform of the issue, with a subsequent detailed story on it to "investigate". Nothing other than the "do not speak ill of intel" doctrine of AT... This is not the first time, this is a reoccurring pattern here at AT when it comes to intel or crapple or other of the AT darlings.
Now if that was an amd bug I am sure it would have been reported right away, without holding off in order to cook up damage control.
PeachNCream - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - link
ddriver - If you dislike Anandtech and feel the site is biased, why are you reading and commenting on so many articles? It seems like you're very actively engaged as a reader and respond very rapidly to discussion comments - more rapidly that any other individual that regularly makes comments. That implies you spend more time here than even the readers with favorable opinions. That kind of attentiveness doesn't make sense in light of the opinion you seem to present.ddriver - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - link
Much of the stuff I do professionally takes computational time - rendering batches, simulations, builds... That gives me time to kill waiting for stuff to get done, which is when I comment. God forbid I dedicate any of my free time to AT, that would be a sad day...PeachNCream - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - link
I didn't ask why you have free time. I'm just curious why you spend quite a bit of it with a website you say you dislike.ddriver - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - link
There's just too much good stuff in my life. I need bad stuff to balance things out. People tend to lose appreciation of the good stuff if they are exposed solely to it. And of course, wherever I am, I do whatever I can to help out poor mediocre souls ;)edzieba - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - link
"You report news, then investigate,"Investigate, THEN report. If you get it the other way around, what you are doing is regurgitating, not reporting.
supdawgwtfd - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - link
Interesting...It appears AT are actively deleting comments?
Tom's hardware has no news on this bug either....
Ryan Smith - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - link
"It appears AT are actively deleting comments?"The only comments I've deleted this week have been spam. Deleting critical comments is not a good way to do business.
supdawgwtfd - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
My belief in you is 0.Many a time i have come across people who claim "i didn't delete anything".
They truth always came out in the end that yes in fact it was deleted and usually by the person making the claim that they didn't delete it at all.
Now... I want out of this train wreck of a website...
Where is the delete account button?
supdawgwtfd - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
NOT REPORTING ON REALLY REALLY REALLY IMPORTANT NEWS IF FUCKING BUSINESS SUICIDE!!!Where is the bloody account delete button on this train wreck of a website? Afte 15 years i'm out.
woggs - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - link
Why did you feed the troll?DanNeely - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - link
Check the Twitter feed before posting next time."We're working on something"
https://twitter.com/IanCutress/status/948558178639...
ddriver - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - link
Yeah, working on damage control that is...HardwareDufus - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - link
Dude (ddriver), this is an article about an expensive keyboard.... Seriously, take the vitriol elsewhere unless it's related to this keyboard.Sweetbabyjays - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - link
Looks like a cheaper white version of the Keian KFK51Nsonofgodfrey - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - link
If they wanted a real retro look, they should have put a paper tape reader on the side:https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2553/3916969051_ecc0...
sonofgodfrey - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - link
Or perhaps attach it to a keypunch:https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7443/16296856470_f51...
wolfemane - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
I think you're onto something. Another kickstarter for a retro steampunk USB typewriter is in order. Can charge $500 for initial investors. And outsource it China, all plastic, and have it print BW memes when certain words or gestures are detected. Oh and did I mention it would be made out of plastic.jrs77 - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - link
The idea isn't bad, but they managed to f up allmost all of it. For the switches to start with use some Cherry MX Blue or Topre 45G. Anything else is a cheap copout.Lights... a retro-keyboard shoudn't have lights. And most people I know turn off the lights in their keyboards to start with, if they have them.
Plastic and painted keycaps.... use some quality doubleshot keycaps, as the paint won't last very long.
Seriously. This is just cheap chinaware.
Lau_Tech - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - link
wow another keyboard review.mind-blowing stuff, this... totally dissimilar in every way to the others...
moblues29 - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
Holy Retro, Batman! Did we just forget about words like "comfort" and "ergonomically designed"? Because that beasty-stiff-sore-eye looks painful just to use! I'm sticking with my $24.95 Microsoft wireless ergo-comfort keyboard, thank you.Danvelopment - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
Looks like these guys got themselves a pretty sweet contract.https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1mdPsPVXXXXaaapXXq6x...
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/DIY-Retro-steam-pu...
supdawgwtfd - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
So how does one delete their AT account?I'm done here with the completely 0 coverage on this massive CPU bug that has come out.
Phiro69 - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
>It is a standard 104 keys keyboard that does fully adheres to the ANSI layout.English no so good.
Ryan Smith - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
Whoops. That one was my bad.AdmrlAhab - Tuesday, January 9, 2018 - link
When will this company's evil reign of terror and creating crappy, overpriced keyboards end? Nobody in their right mind would purchase from them.koin123 - Tuesday, January 23, 2018 - link
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Findecanor - Friday, January 26, 2018 - link
I find it more likely that the edges of the keys are vacuu-metalized. It is difficult to get such a good result with paint.This is not Kailh's first switch with a centred LED. Steelseries QS1 switch was made by Kailh and is very similar but not exactly the same model.
Making the space bar heavier is an old convention. Additional springs under a key don't add stability - the stabiliser bar does that. Most of Cherry's own keyboards have only a heavier variation of the main switch under the space bar. (blue->green, brown->clear, black->grey etc.) Many rubber-dome keyboards have additional metal springs under the space bar as well.
hazydave - Saturday, March 23, 2019 - link
The main problem with this keyboard is the keys. I have one, I like it's feel quite a bit. The keys, however, are simply painted, not molded through. So depending on your level of use, they don't last long. I'm lots a few keys after about six months, tops completely worn off. If you write ASIO and ask nicely, they'll send replacement keytops -- or did so far. Still, the original HP portable calculators from the 1960s had properly designed keytops. This isn't rocket surgery.MQBlood - Wednesday, June 2, 2021 - link
I bought it on a deal $49.99, and have been very happy with it. Is it a $200 keyboard? No. But for $50, it looks good, has a nice solid feel and with 2 years on it, it's still working nicely.