I recently bought a Filco Majestouch 2 and thought it would be cool to do a review on it. Gives me an opportunity to do some typing on the keyboard. Hopefully someone here finds it useful. The exact keyboard in this review is the Daitec Filco Majestouch 2 TKL with the USA layout (FKBN87M/EB2).

I will try to mention some things that you may not get in some other reviews, as I imagine a lot of people already know a lot about this keyboard. Since this mechanical keyboard is all about simplicity and does not add much needless fluff, I will try to do the same in the review.

I have owned and used a number of other mechanical keyboards which I can use for comparison. Most notably the Corsair Vengeance K90 with Cherry MX Reds and the Steel-series 6gv2 with Cherry MX blacks.

Key-caps

The Majestouch 2 uses ABS key-caps (referring to the material they are made of) that are slightly curved and have a matte finish, which provides them with a satisfying non-slippery feel.

One thing you will notice right away is that the keycaps are not laser etched. Instead, the letters, numbers and symbols are printed on the keys. On closer inspection I also noticed that the printing on the keycaps is a little uneven. Some keycaps are printed quite a bit lighter than others. This inconsistency in the print is obvious when you look at the keyboard from up close, but hard to get on camera. In the pictures below, I reduced the lighting, which made the problem easier to see. Pay attention to the letter E in the picture and notice how the print appears to be a lot lighter.

This is not something I expected from a keyboard in this price category, considering that keyboards less than half the price offer laser-etched keycaps. Not only do the keys not look as "clean" as laser-etched keys because of the inconsistent print on the keycaps, but it also raises some concerns about the durability of the print over time. When looking up information on the internet regarding the subject I find that apparently, the print on the keys does wear after a while. It is worth noting that the blue WASD and red Esc keycaps that I ordered do appear to be laser etched and have an overall much cleaner look to them.

Another thing I should mention is that there have been complaints about the keycaps on the Majestouch 2 going shiny over time. I have personally never owned a keyboard that did not go shiny when used intensively over a long period of time, but I will have to wait and see how long it takes on this keyboard. The shinyness could just be a result of using ABS keycaps, which are known to get shinier after prolonged use and are not as hard or durable as PBT keycaps. It could also have something to do with the specific coating that Filco uses. In a month or three, I will revisit this review and add some thoughts on the subject. It is reassuring to know that it is possible to order Filco keycaps were it ever necessary.

Stabilizers

Most mechanical keyboards come with the Cherry stabilizers on the bigger keys (such as the space bar). These stabilizers are decent, but some people complain that they create a different feel from the rest of the keyboard. The Filco uses Costar stabilizers. They have a feel that is more consistent with the rest of the keyboard and don't feel as mushy as the Cherry stabilizers. On the other hand, they tend to rattle a little more and feel more loose. Additionally, it is harder to put keycaps on these stabilizers, though I imagine that is not really a concern to many. After testing them side by side, I think the difference is really quite minimal, and it is not entirely clear which one is better. It is probably up to personal preference. I happen to prefer the Costar stabilizers. Not only do I think the feel of the keys is better on these stabilizers, but I also appreciate the consistent feel of the keys throughout the keyboard.

Switches

This particular keyboard uses the Cherry MX brown switches. The Cherry MX switches feel fairly consistent across different brands and models of keyboards. The Brown variant is often described as a middle of the road kind of switch. It has some of the tactile feedback of the blues, but it is much more subtle without a really pronounced "bump" you have to go through or the loud clack when pressing a key. There is however enough tactile feedback for the use of the keys to feel satisfying. Because if the low actuation force necessary, and the subtle tactility of the switch it also has a lot in common with the Cherry MX Red switches. This combination of light tactility and low actuation force makes it a switch that is nice to use for everything. The tactile feedback is too light to ever be annoying in games, and it feels great for typing.

Ping

One issue that many Majestouch 2 users have been reporting quite frequently is that often, some of the keys on the keyboard produce quite a loud and noticeable "ping" noise, which sounds like a metallic ring that happens when the keys fully bottom out. The ping is not so much caused by pressing it, but rather buy letting go of the key after pressing it. Apparently the cause of this noise is is the metal plate that amplifies the vibration of the spring when you release a key. On my keyboard it is quite noticeable on a couple of keys, which are the "p", the "," and the space bar. Since I have a relatively light typing style, and the "p" and "," are operated by my pinky and middle finger respectively, these do not really cause a problem since I do not bottom them out. The space bar on the other hand does get annoying as I tend to jam it much harder than most other keys.

I have chosen not to RMA it for two reasons. One, the pinging in Majestouch 2 keyboards is so widespread and frequent that you almost have to accept it as one of the keyboards weaknesses . Even if I do replace the keyboard, there appears to be a good chance that the Majestouch 2 I replace it with will have a similar pinging noise. The other reason is that it is rumored that the ping goes away overtime. Again, I will revisit this review in 3 months to see whether use of the keyboard over that period had any effect on this ping at all. I should note that while it is kind of annoying, the majority of people won't actually notice it. Had I not been aware of the issue before using the keyboard, I wonder if I would have picked up on it at all. Similar to how people often do not know their Logitech mice emit a high pitched humming sound, and only after being made aware of it does it drive them crazy. If you can let go of your OCD, you tend to not actually care. It is there, but it is not an issue for me. Still, it is something potential buyers should be aware of.

NKRO

The keyboard features "N-key rollover" which is a fancy way of saying that all typed keys are registered even when many multiple keys are pressed simultaneously. So each individual key is sent to the operating system and is correctly registered. This is achieved through soldering a diode on the PCB for every individual key switch. To fully enable this feature, the keyboard should be hooked up using the USB to PS/2 converter that is included. Without it, the key rollover is limited to 6 keys due to the limitations of USB. This is probably enough for most typists and even gamers. Only those playing games in which rapid and simultaneous keypresses are necessary, with both hands on the keyboard will need the true N-key rollover.

Perhaps it is needless to say, but the keyboard also does not suffer from ghosting. The term ghosting is used in different ways in the marketing of keyboards, but what I refer to here is the issue of pressing 2 keys simultaneously, and a 3rd key being registered and sent to the OS that the user never intended to use.

Case

The case of the Majestouch 2 is sturdy and solid without any weaknesses in the chassis. It does not bend, flex or squeak when you apply some pressure to it. It has a matte finish, but the coating is a little rougher and uneven than that on the keycaps, which looks good. Because it is a little rougher it creates a very subtle contrast with the keys. Most importantly, it does not pick up any fingerprints.

On the bottom are 4 large rubberized grippy pads that do a good job of keeping the keyboard in place. Because the keyboard is heavy, and the rubberized pads are large, the keyboard does not move unless you want it to. In fact, to move the keyboard, it is easier to just pick it up instead of trying to push/shove it since the rubberized pads on the bottom create a lot of resistance on my wooden desk. There are also two large feet that you can flip open to raise the back of the keyboard a little bit. They look durable and strong compared to other keyboards where they often look flimsy. A nice touch is that they also have their own rubber pad at the bottom making sure the keyboard is as stable whether you use these feet or not.

Cord

The cord is pretty basic. It is not sleeved/braided or anything like that. The good thing about this is that the cord maintains its flexibility, though you could argue this does not really matter for a keyboard that is held in one location most of the time. On the other hand, it is probably not as durable as some of the sleeved/ braided cords out there, like that of the Corsair keyboards. It is also not removable, which is a feature more and more competing keyboards offer, such as Leopold or the Cooler Master keyboards. However, there are also some failures reported on other brands with detachable cables. As we see in other devices, more physical connectors also means more things that can go wrong. The cord on the Filco is fairly short (5 ft) compared to most keyboard cords, but does include a cordstrap which can be used to bundle the cord when you take the keyboard with you, or for cable management.

Design and Customization

You might ask yourself why design would play any role at all, since the keyboard is actually rather plain and does not seem to have any of the bells and whistles many other keyboards have. But that is exactly the appeal of the keyboard when it comes to looks. Many users, myself included, find the understated simple design but heavy duty built quality quite attractive. While a lot of keyboards are generic in their extra features and expressive designs, this keyboard is fairly unique in its simplicity and minimalistic approach. Also appreciated is that there is no over the top branding on the keyboard. There is only the metalic finish FILCO letters on the front of the keyboard.

Filco offers the keyboard in a number of different case/cover-colors and offers several sets of keycaps that you can use to give the keyboard a customized unique look.

The tenkeyless form factor is great for me. I use this keyboard at home, where I really do not need the numpad. In exchange for giving up the numpad, I gain more desktop space, and I can move my mouse to a more natural position that does not require me to extend my arm nearly as far.

One last thing to note is that the LEDs for the Capslock and Scoll-lock are really quite bright when looking directly into them. However, when having them on and sitting behind the keyboard instead of hovering over it , the light does not shine directly into your eyes and I did not find the LEDs to be annoying of distracting.