Filco Majestouch-2 Tenkeyless mechanical keyboard review

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Feb 032013
 

In my never-ending quest to find the perfect keyboard, I settled on the Cherry G80-3000LSCGB-2 keyboard in 2011. This is a really good keyboard but my cramped desktop meant that this full-size keyboard was probably too large for me. I hardly ever used the number-pad and, from an ergonomics point of view, I wanted the Logitech mouse and Wacom digitiser physically closer to me; I’m right-handed so it seemed getting a keyboard without the number-pad (i.e. a “tenkeyless” keyboard) would suit me fine.

Whilst I liked the Cherry MX Blue switches I was open to trying the Cherry MX Brown switches or something similar. The Cherry MX Blue switches have a very loud and crisp click which provides positive audible feedback in addition to the tactile feedback when a key is pressed. The Cherry MX Brown switches are quieter than the MX Blue and require a little less pressure to activate but still have a reassuringly solid and mechanical tactile feel to them. Here are some resources on keyboard switches:

  1. http://techreport.com/review/23405/rosewill-rk-9000-series-mechanical-keyboards-reviewed/3
  2. http://www.daskeyboard.com/blog/?page_id=1458#keyswitches
  3. http://williamjudd.com/2011/06/10/mechanical-keyboard-guide/
  4. http://www.keyboardco.com/blog/index.php/2012/12/an-introduction-to-cherry-mx-mechanical-switches/

My requirements for a new keyboard were clear:

  • PS/2 port
  • Tenkeyless
  • Cherry MX Blue or Cherry MX Brown switches
  • Quality construction

There were a number of keyboards that looked suitable but, finally, in August 2012 I opted for the Filco Majestouch-2 tenkeyless model FKBN88M/UKB2 which uses Cherry MX Brown switches and has a UK layout with all the keys labelled on top:

http://www.diatec.co.jp/en/FKBN88MUKB/

UK Filco Majestouch-2, Tenkeyless, NKR, Tactile Action, Keyboard

More details can be found here:

The Ten-Keyless version of the Majestouch-2
This is the 88 key version of Majestouch (the Majestouch without the number pad). With this compact keyboard, you can save space while having the same layout, and the same tactile feel as the existing Majestouch series.
You can customize your saved space by placing the ‘Ten Key Keypad’ (sold separately, see below) on your left side or right side, when you feel the need.

True N-key rollover
The functionality by which all the typed keys are recognized on the PC, even when many keys are typed simultaneously. All the keys typed simultaneously are recognized on the PS/2 port (limited to 6 keys typed simultaneously for the USB due to the specifications of USB). Completely dedicated electronic circuitry, a diode is soldered on the PCB for every key switch to prevent ‘counter currency’.

Solid and stylish
The rigid case construction gives a sure and comfortable typing experience with a specially designed font, for better visibility and a stylish and long lasting appearance.

An excellent feel with the ‘brown’ MX tactile feel key switch
The Cherry MX ‘brown’ key switch, gives a tactile feel without the audible click of the ‘blue’ switch, it has a long key stroke of 4mm with the actuation point (key press) at 2mm. Easy, fast and stress-free typing, the famous features of Cherry MX tactile feel.

When the keyboard arrived I was surprised that it was even more robust than my Cherry G80-3000LSCGB-2 keyboard. The Majestouch-2 is heavy and solid, a quality piece of kit.

It’s now February 2013 and I can report that I have really enjoyed typing on this keyboard, even more so than on the Cherry G80-3000LSCGB-2 keyboard. I did gamble on the Cherry MX Brown switches but they have exceeded my expectations and I prefer these over the Cherry MX Blue switches; a big thumbs-up there. And I definitely do not miss the number-pad. This is now my ultimate keyboard.

Other reviews of the Filco Majestouch-2 tenkeyless:

Article by Kulvinder Singh Matharu – 2013

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Cherry G80-3000LSCGB-2 keyboard

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Dec 302011
 

I had a Cherry eVolution Stream XT silent keyboard which was pretty nice but it didn’t last very long. Some of the keys began to feel a bit “squishy”, would make weird click noises and one key managed to displace the rubber contact dome. Oh dear. So a few months ago I decided that I had to continue on my quest to find the perfect keyboard. This time, I decided that reliability had to be the number one priority, that the keyboard be wired and come with a PS/2 port connection.

After much research my choices where whittled down to the following which all use the highly robust and highly reliable Cherry MX key switches:

  • steelseries 7G or 6Gv2
  • Das Keyboard Professional
  • Cherry G80-3000 series

All off the above keyboards are high quality; not cheap but certainly high quality and robust. It was tough trying to choose between them.

1. steelseries 7G or 6Gv2

The 7G keyboard looked great and seems to be able to do a bunch of things. But I wasn’t too happy with the “SteelSeries Key” replacing the Windows key (although a lot of people might like it) and I didn’t want the audio ports and USB ports. The 6Gv2 does not have these these audio and USB ports so perhaps that might suite my needs better. However, my biggest concern was that both the 7G and 6Gv2  have an oversized Enter key displacing the # key. They therefore does not fully comply with a UK layout and I didn’t want to go though re-learning especially for such high-priced products.

2. Das Keyboard Profession

Another keyboard that looks awesome and has no gimmicks but which is not available with a standard UK layout.

3. Cherry G80-3000LSCGB-2

This model has the mechanical click-sound (which reminds me of the old IBM AT keyboards) and comes in a fully standard UK layout (see below for the standard UK Windows keyboard layout).

2000px-KB_United_Kingdom.svg

I took the risk and bought it. Happily, the keyboard is not as large or as heavy as some people had led me to believe. It has a weight of 1.132 kg and with the following dimensions:

  • Width 47.0 cm
  • Depth 19.5 cm
  • Height 4.4 cm

Here is a photograph of my keyboard after a few months of use:

SONY DSC

It’s been a joy to type on. I no longer have to worry about fighting the keyboard; it just does the job and lets me get on with mine. I love the sound of the mechanical keys too, but I can see that this might annoy people in an open-plan office (the G80-3000 series also come with silent mechanical MX switches if needed). The only odd thing about this keyboard is that there are no “bumps” or “raised dots” on the F and J keys; these bumps are used to give tactile feedback to a touch-typists to help ensure that the fingers are still aligned without looking. Instead, the F and J keys are more sculpted than the other keys and so have a different curved profile; too subtle for me!

Here’s a (very) short video showing the keyboard in action (I’m typing slowly so the thing is not a visual and audio blur):

And here’s another one with a bit more typing:

Article by Kulvinder Singh Matharu – 2011

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