Rosewill RK-9000 (NKRO MX Blue) - Initial Impressions

(Very poor quality photos after the main body... I'll try to find a better quality camera).

• The lasered keycaps are not as bright as the Filcos, but it's something you would only notice in a side by side comparison. They look fine on their own.
• Popped a keycap and they're MX Blues. They appear to be mounted properly.
• Even when bottoming out this isn't as loud as the ABS M1 I have.
• The loudness of the MX Blue click is greatly exaggerated. It does, however, make you feel like a typing god.
• I haven't encountered any transposition issues. I took a look at this wiki entry, tried the credit card test, and were unable to find any combos that caused transposition. I typically type at 80-100WPM.
• It does NOT come with a PS/2 adapter. NKRO was tested with a Filco adapter.
• The manual is a joke. Tech specs of the switches and a scale black and white rendering of the keyboard. You don't really need a manual, but meh.
• 3 year parts warranty, but only 1 year labor.
• There's nothing wrong with the keys on the RK-9000, but the key finish on the Filcos is amazing.
• The Rosewill logo looks kind of tacky. The Filco badge looks much, much better.
• The 3 LEDs (num/caps/scroll) are just as blindingly blue as they are on a Filco.
• If your room is not dark, you can see the red backplate of the RK-9000 between the keys. I give a thumbs up to the look - it's a nice touch.

I tried checking the USB ID, but it registers as Microsoft. The Filco comes up the same. I assume this is because Microsoft has a generic USB HID input driver. While I can't say it's Costar for sure, I'd be willing to bet a minimum of $50 against someone who thinks it isn't. The information label on the back is the same size/shape. The warranty seal, feet, and rubber pads are identical (no discernible difference)

So, the verdict:

I paid $72 - less than half the price of a Filco Majestouch Tactile Click NKRO. For the price, I think the keyboard is unbeatable. Even at $80 (which is the expected sale price on October 11th) it's a worthwhile buy, especially if you aren't sure about the purchase.

However, this is a new product - issues may arise. There are a lot of things to say in favor of buying a Filco:

• Being able to get it with blank keys
• No Tenkeyless option from Rosewill
• Better finish on the keys
• Brian tests the MX Blues personally before shipping it out to make sure they're clicking/actuating properly.
• Brian is a regular here and is willing to give advice/be knowledgeable about the product he's selling. He's also worked hard to get accessories (leather wristpads, the blank keys, etc.) and he has a good relationship with Diatec.

So, in the end, the RK-9000 is a very attractive option at the sale price. At the price I got it, it was an easy choice.

At retail, the differences start to come through. At $100 vs. $146.50 shipped (within the US) for the RK-9000 vs. the Tactile Click Filco, the choice becomes less obvious.

Will this put a dent in Filco sales? Probably - three digits versus two digits is pretty tempting. At the same time not everyone wants MX Blues (although as an MX Brown user I must admit that I'm very fond of them), as well as the factors I mentioned earlier, distinguish the Filco as a more premium product. Whether that premium is worth the cost is a decision you'll need to make.

And the photos...

Sorry for the horrible quality photos. My Canon camera apparently died. Wonderful timing. All I have is my cell phone camera, and it takes photos of the quality you'd expect from UFO sightings (then again, Roswell and Rosewill are pretty close in spelling...)






Edited by muchadoaboutnothing - 10/1/10 at 8:40am

A couple more notes:

• Filco box is the same size and shape, even inside. In fact the RK-9000 has the same spot on the left side of the box to put a passive PS/2 adapter. Why Rosewill, why? It's 5 cents of plastic.
• I hopped on TF2 for a few minutes. While the clicking could get annoying in the long term, the "blues are bad for gaming" thing seems bunk to me. I really doubt many people ride the actuation point - I'm sure most people bottom out while gaming, even if they don't bottom out while typing.

He's posted a couple times since in the main forum area, but he's been less active recently. Last time I emailed him (which was a few weeks ago, after he closed the EK forum on Geekhack to posting) he disclosed that he had been keeping busy doing something big, so I'm sure it'll be reopened in time.
Edited by muchadoaboutnothing - 9/29/10 at 2:16pm

All the dark grey keys are being held down simultaneously.