Question I'm looking for new keyboard, is there better hardware than the Filco Majestouch 2 ?

[jpaul1]

Hello, i own a Filco Majestouch 2, and i love that keyboard. anyone who knows that hardware knows how great the peripheral is. in fact it's considered by a lot like the king of keyboards. so you may ask if you're satisfied, why posting then. the thing is even the keyboard is awesome, after years of using it, i find the keys slightly too small for my fingers. i have a kinda rugbyman body, and the hands that go with it. i use the keyboard a lot as i'm developping a game, so i was wondering if there were equivalents to the majestouch 2 around. that could eventually paliate my issue. i'm looking for a premium keyboard with slightly big keys for intense use. rgb not mandatory, just comfort
oh, and i forgot i need an azerty s..

 

[Colif]

keyboards change in 6 years... it might have been good in 2018 but I don't know keyboard scene well enough to know if they still are. It depends what you are after now.

You might want to ask on: https://geekhack.org/index.php - as its more a keyboard specialist forum. That might be the deep end though.

many custom mechanicals let you swap all sorts of things. Mine is by no means best but I can swap switches and keycaps if I wanted to. Everything removable. Its got rgb but i have it off to keep battery life long since its also wireless.

 

[jpaul1]

the majestouch 2 is a legend. it belongs to these hardwares that don't age. that were good when they were released, and are still considered awesome by many today. but it's just that i have a little bit big fingers.
so i hesitated a lot between Logitech MX keys, MS designer compact, and 3D connexion creator keyboard. and finally decided to go for the keychron K3 ultra slim. for 2 reasons, i wanted to be sure it had brown swithes which for me are the best for working, and also i liked the size of the keys. I would have liked a non-lit model, but there was no black color available in that version. not much serious though..
I'll make a small edit when i'll receive it to tell my first thoughts about it
what's the brand of you keyboard btw

 

[Colif]

i thought about keychron, they were suggested to me. Someone I know told me about a string of them he had that all broke, so I took a Nuphy Halo96 instead with baby raccoon switches. https://www.gateron.co/products/gateron-baby-raccoon-linear-switch-set

Mine has an rgb strip on edge but I have turned it off. Only meant to have 30 hours battery but mines not run out yet. Had it 3 weeks or so now. Its wireless is spotty but I have it attached via bluetooth.

I don't need the underglow

i have backlighting on but its reactionary to my fingers. Makes it easier to see in the mornings.

 

[jpaul1]

i received the keychron. and i sent it back. Don't get me wrong i think it's a good keyboard, but the thing is, when you come from a majestouch, it's a bit like if you owned a Rolls for years, then you change for something else. whatever your attempts will be you'll regret your beautiful english. the brown switches are much harder than the filco cherry MX ones. the keyboard has a neat feature though. it has lighting persistency. when you hit a key the key lights up during few ms, and let you know if you mispelled or not. that's really cool. but that doesn't justify the 100€ upgrade
so i ordered a Logitech MX keys, which had been praised a lot over the internet. same scheme. when you come from a Rolls everything is disappointing. the keys are hard. they're probably not. but when you come from the cherry MX brown softness of the Majestouch, you feel them hard. again the keyboard has nice features like the media keys, but that doesn't justify the 120€
so i was in a kind of a dead end. when i decided to check the key sets around, as a kind of last ressort. and i found these. i bought the brown set, to give the majestouch a Model M feel 😊. it that works, that could be the ultimate keybaord (for half the price), but let's wait, and see

 

[Colif]

Do you know if you had model 1 or 3?

DIATEC CORPORATION [e]Majestouch 3 Product Introduction

www.diatec.co.jp

I see filco keyboards still being sold here (Australia)

 

[jpaul1]

yeah they ship to western EU too. but it's a Japan based company. and apparently a bit confidential too. as they sell quality, it's a bit like for luxury brands, you need to search to find

 

[Colif]

the only majestouch 3 I see on sale here is $995 (USD 667) which is not reasonable. I have can find model 2's for about $200 which is more reasonable.

they might be good keyboards but I don't think any keyboard is worth that much unless its got expensive materials in it. Or individual displays for every key like some of these - https://www.slashgear.com/981193/the-most-expensive-keyboards-that-may-be-a-total-waste-of-money/

I just thought I mention the brand you had still exist but do seem hard to find.

 

[jpaul1]

i own a majestouch 2. 900$ for a keyboard is not reasonable. on amazon.com (US) both 2 & 3 are priced between 120-200€. above it's not reasonable. 200€ is expansive, but you need to keep in mind that they are built to last a lifetime, with an intense use. i own mine for several years now, and it's hasn't moved (10-13h use everyday). i'm sure in 20 years it'll be the same
the majestouch 2 was made with quality in mind. it's not a rich niche thing at all. you pay 200€ but you have a quality thing, made to last

 

[jpaul1]

the keys fits well and are of great looking, they give the keyboard an 80s retro keyboard feel. like if you were owning a model M 😊. my only small complaint is about the drawnings (little cats and stuff) . they probably look great for a gaming keyboard, but not for a working keyboard. so i ordered another set from the same manufacturer just for these keys, in grey. i think they should do it.
so far so good. i took on the opportunity to turn my french azerty into an US qwerty, and IMO there's no photo. the qwerty is much better. but it's my opinion, others may prefer the azerty.. I'll eventually post a pic of the finished thing, when i receive the set